War of the Ninepenny Kings

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War of the Ninepenny Kings
Part of Blackfyre Pretenders
Date between 259 AC and 261 AC[1]
Location Stepstones, Free Cities
Result Band of Nine fall from power
Ending of Blackfyre Pretenders line.
Belligerents
Armies of Tyrosh
Seven Kingdoms
Armies of the Band
Golden Company
Notable commanders
Jaehaerys II
Ormund Baratheon
Gerold Hightower
Quellon Greyjoy[2]
Band of Nine
Maelys Blackfyre
Samarro Saan

The War of the Ninepenny Kings was a conflict involving several of the Free Cities, started by a group of ambitious men known as the Band of Nine. After the Band set their sights on Westeros, Jaehaerys II dispatched an army to defeat them. [3]

Background

Late during the reign of King Aegon V, the Blackfyres re-emerged to trouble the Seven Kingdoms. In 258 AC news reached King's Landing that the so-called Band of Nine, a group of ambitious power-seekers in Essos, had come together under the Tree of Crowns, where they vowed to aid one another in achieving their goals. Prominent among them was Maelys Blackfyre, who was said to have consumed his twin in the womb, resulting in a second head growing out of his neck. A few years before, Maelys had won the command of the Golden Company by killing his cousin Daemon and was determined to reclaim his rightful throne as last of the Blackfyre line. When told of these events, Prince Duncan Targaryen famously quipped "that crowns were being sold nine a penny". Afterwards the Band of Nine became known in Westeros as the Ninepenny Kings. However most men thought that the threat posed by these pretenders would be countered by the might of the Free Cities. Nonetheless preparations were made to make sure the Blackfyres could not land in Westeros.

War

When Jaehaerys II came onto his throne with the death of his father Aegon V in the Tragedy of Summerhall in 259 AC, he was immediatly plunged into war. The Band of Nine had met their goals with initial success, conquering the Disputed Lands and securing the Free City of Tyrosh, setting up Alequo Adarys, the Silvertongue as its ruler. Second, they secured the Stepstones as a base for operations against Westeros.

Jaehaerys II recognized the threat and sent a large force to the Stepstones to remove the danger before it grew any larger. Although he was willing to command his forces himself, the king was dissuaded from this by his Hand Ormund Baratheon, who took the command upon himself. When the Targaryen host, supported by a fleet sent by Lord Quellon Greyjoy of the Iron Islands, landed upon the Stepstones in 260 AC, the fighting began in earnest. Lord Ormund was one of the first casualties of the war, dying in the arms of his young son, Ser Steffon. Command then passed to Gerold Hightower of the Kingsguard. This was the last time prior to the War of the Five Kings that the regional warden titles were activated. Several young Knights and lords distinguished themselves in the battle, including Brynden Tully, Steffon Baratheon, Tywin Lannister and Aerys II Targaryen. But in the end it was the young Barristan Selmy, who cut a bloody path though the Golden Company's ranks to slay Maelys the Monstrous, the last of the Blackfyre Pretendersin single combat, and ended the threat to the Seven Kingdoms.[4]

Aftermath

It took another six years before the Band of Nine's holdings in Essos were lost. Alequo Adarys was eventually poisoned by his queen and the Archon returned to power.

Steffon Baratheon became Lord of Storm's End, after his father died in the war. He remained close friends with both the young Aerys Targaryen and Tywin Lannister. It was Tywin who, as a new-made knight himself, was given the honor to give Prince Aerys his spurs, after fighting gallantly in the war. Tywin himself became bitter and hardened, particularly against his ineffectual father Tytos Lannister, who had not taken part in the war, rather remaining at home with his mistress. These tensions would soon erupt in the Reyne-Tarbeck Revolt of 261 AC.

Hoster Tully became acquainted with Lord Baelish during this event which subsequently led to Lord Tully taking his son, Petyr Baelish, on as a ward.

The Blackfyres were extinguished in the male line; this accomplishment was enough to name Barristan Selmy to the Kingsguard when the next opening presented itself.

References and Notes

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Wars in A Song of Ice and Fire. The list of authors can be seen in the page history of Wars in A Song of Ice and Fire. As with A Wiki of Ice and Fire, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.