In the previous episode in our series on the world of Ice and Fire, we depicted
the events that led to Robert's rebellion, as we described how the king Aerys II Targaryen
ruled and became mad, as did many members of his house before him. Although the rebellion started
out with the Targaryen advantage and Robert lost the battle of Ashford and now was on the backfoot,
things were hardly ideal for the ruling dynasty. Welcome to our second video in this
series in which we will talk about the battle of Trident and the conclusion of Robert’s rebellion.
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In the aftermath of the battle of Ashford fought in 282 AC,
the new hand of the king Aerys and a competent commander Jon Connington amassed an immense
host and gave chase to the weary soldiers of Robert Baratheon’s now depleted army.
The situation turned desperate as the forced march progressed,
with Robert being injured and left without an army, eventually taking refuge in the Stoney Sept.
Seeing an opportunity for glory and a chance to end the Rebellion in one fell swoop,
Connington occupied the town and ordered all of his soldiers to begin searching
for the renegade even within the sewers of the settlement. Jon attempted to entice the people
of the town with offers of pardons and reward if they would give up the Lord of Storm’s End
and when this failed placed disobedient civilians in crows cages to make an example of them.
This failed miserably as various townsfolk kept Robert hidden as he recuperated from his wounds.
The Royalist had failed in their task by the time the forces of Eddard Stark and Hoster Tully
reached the Stoney Sept. Left with no other alternative Jon Connington amassed his forces.
The Septons of the town rang bronze and silver bells to warn the townsfolk to stay indoors,
earning the engagement the name of the Battle of the Bells. The rebels quickly stormed the meager
fortifications of the town and bloody street by street combat ensued with casualties mounting on
both sides. Connington’s force fought with immense ferocity defending each alleyway,
rooftop and street with their lives. Jon would wound Lord Hoster and slay the heir to the Eyrie
Ser Denys Arryn with an ax in the brutal fighting. As the streets ran red with rivers of blood
and the battle hung upon a knife’s edge, the Lord of Storm’s End emerged brandishing once
more his mighty warhammer. Robert immediately slew six men, among them Rhaegar’s close friend
and former squire Ser Myles Mooton, before almost killing Jon Connington on the steps of the town’s
sept. However, before he could do so, Jon ordered a general retreat seeing that the day had been
lost, barely escaping with his life and a battered host of disillusioned warriors. Robert refused to
take the glory however instead insisting it was Eddard who had won the day and saved his life.
The Battle of the Bells finally forced Aerys to take the threat posed by Robert’s Rebellion
seriously, seeing now that his Kingdom and very life were at risk in the conflict moreso even than
in the prior Blackfyre Rebellions. Responding as always with misplaced rage and paranoia,
he stripped Jon Connington of all of his titles and sent him into exile where it is believed he
drank himself to death. Ser Jonothor Darry and Ser Barristan Selmy were sent in the Hand’s place to
try and rally what remained of the Royalist force. Meanwhile, Rhaegar, who was in the Tower of Joy,
keeping Lyanna Stark by his side, was asked to return to the capital by the head of
the Kingsguard Ser Gerald Hightower acting on the command of the King.
The prince immediately urged his father to seek out the aid of Tywin Lannister, which the Mad King
refused, instead trusting the war effort to lesser men such as his new Hand Qarlton Chelsted, who
could not stand before the combined might of the rebel host. Aerys also ordered his chief alchemist
to begin setting up caches of Wildfire around Kings Landing in the event the city should fall.
Meanwhile the victorious rebel forces returned to Riverrun, where Jon Arryn,
who now needed a new heir, married Lysa Tully and in a joint ceremony Eddard Stark and Catelyn Tully
were also further solidifying the alliance. While the rebels now had the initiative,
the return of Rhaegar to the fold, who was an immensely competent warrior and commander,
ensured that the war was not over. In response to this news, Robert Baratheon officially announced
his claim to the Iron Throne and his army began the march South to meet the Royalist forces.
Displaying more of his callous nature, Aerys blackmailed Lord Doran Martell
into supporting the war effort by reminding him that his daughter Elia remained in his power.
As a result, ten thousand Dornish men were sent to join the Royalist army,
with Aerys sending Prince Lewyn Martell of the Kingsguard to assume control of this
contingent. Word was also eventually sent to Tywin Lannister to join the war effort.
However, his mobilization was purposely delayed in order to assuage what way the winds were blowing.
In total the Royalist army amounted to forty thousand soldiers, including the Dornish ten
thousand, the soldiers of the crown and a number of men sent by Mace Tyrell as he continued the
siege of Storm’s End. The fact that Stannis Baratheon was still holding out against Tyrell,
meant that thousands of royalist soldiers were tied up. Still, the Targaryens possessed
an advantage in numbers and also a competent commander, leaving the outcome of the battle
uncertain for the rebels despite the fact that they had a far more battle-hardened army.
The Battle of the Trident took place in 283 AC, and was fought on the afore-mentioned river at
a crossing point which came to be known as the Ruby Ford. Seeing the Rebel forces
amassed across the Trident, Rhaegar decided to take the initiative and force a crossing.
In response Robert’s booming voice bellowed out orders to hold the line. The Dornishmen under
Lewyn Martell began the assault threatening Robert’s left flank with an early foray.
Lord Corbray was injured in this fighting, forcing his son Lyn Corbray to assume control of the left,
barely holding back the Dornish onslaught. Seeing that the pressure was untenable Lyn
Corbray charged forward leading his men by example and utterly breaking the Dornish force, slaying
their commander Lewyn Martell in single combat. Elsewhere, the peerless Ser Barristan Selmy
fought like a man possessed, slaying numerous Rebel soldiers cutting a bloody swathe through
their lines, while Ser Jason Mallister killed three of Rhaegar’s bannermen in the mêlée.
Many Lords and Knights of renown lost their lives at the Trident, however the outcome of
the battle was soon to be decided, with Robert Baratheon and Rhaegar Targaryen meeting in the
center of the battle on horseback, in a fight which would determine the fate
of the Seven Kingdoms for generations to come. Rhaegar, a peerless swordsman of immense skill,
provided Robert’s greatest challenge to date. He rained down blow after blow with his blade, which
the battle-hardened and immensely powerful Robert merely shrugged off. The duel went on for hours as
the chaotic and desperate fighting continued in the background, yet Robert’s recent experience
fighting on the front lines eventually proved to be decisive. With a blow of such tremendous power
it broke the rubies off of Rhaegar’s breastplate, Robert smote his adversary with his warhammer
ending the life of the last true hope of the Royalist faction and effectively the war.
This brought the battle to an end, as the leaderless and demoralized army broke and fled
the field making their way back to King's Landing. A half-dead Barristan Selmy was brought before
Robert, who, appreciating a true warrior, pardoned the man and had his own Maester treat his wounds.
In the immediate aftermath of the battle, Walder Frey arrived with his forces,
unwilling to commit to the cause until he knew that he would be on the victorious side,
leading to the nickname the Late Walder Frey being forever hoisted upon him.
Aerys hearing of his son’s death sent his pregnant wife Rhaella to Dragonstone with
his young son Viserys, simultaneously making plans for the destruction of the city by way of
wildfire. Robert, now seeking to claim his throne, had however been wounded by Rhaegar in the battle
and sent the majority of his force along with Eddard Stark to claim the city from the Mad King.
Initially the Iron Islands had remained neutral in the conflict, however upon
hearing of the death of Rhaegar Targaryen, Lord Quellon Greyjoy decided to take the rebel side.
Still unsure as to Lannister loyalties, he sent a fleet of meager fifty longships to
attack the Reach, with the rest remaining at the Iron Islands. This force began raiding,
devastating several settlements, but before they could continue however, they were unexpectedly
set upon by the longships of the Shield Islands who were vassals of the Tyrells in what would
become known as the Battle of the Mander. While on paper this was a victory for the Greyjoys,
their liege lord Quellon Greyjoy was slain in the fighting and the remaining fleet returned to the
Iron Islands having achieved little and lost much. Meanwhile, Aerys’ wildfire plot had been
progressing at a frantic pace. When the Hand Qarlton Chelsted learned of the plan,
he attempted to dissuade his King, but the latter was fully in the grips of
his insanity and instead had him burned alive, naming his pyromancer Rossart as the new Hand.
A fortnight after the Trident, the forces of Tywin Lannister appeared outside the walls of Kings
Landing. It wasn’t clear what their intentions were, but at the urging of Grand Maester Pycelle,
Aerys let this force of twelve thousand men within the city gates. The Lannister forces
then began a brutal sack of the city, murdering, raping and looting, to the dismay of the King
who had believed his old Hand had come to rescue him from this desperate situation.
A handpicked group of Lannister soldiers led by Gregor Clegane and Ser Amory Lorch
began to scale the walls of the Red Keep. Ser Jaime Lannister, who was in command of the
Keep, asked permission to go out and make terms with his father, which Aerys outrightly refused,
ordering the young knight to kill his father. The Mad King then met with his chief pyromancer.
Seeing Rossart leaving the meeting, Jaime realised that he intended to burn the entire city with
wildfire and followed the older man killing him before he could wreak such havoc upon the city.
Jaime returned to the King informing him of his actions. Aerys fled to the throne,
but Jaime knew that the king could send another messenger to initiate the wildfire plot. Seeing no
other option Jaime hauled the King off his throne and slit his throat, just as Ser Elys Westerling
and Lord Roland Crakehall entered the Throne room. The young Lannister forever earned the moniker of
Kingslayer. Meanwhile as the Lannisters fought and slaughtered the last of the Loyalist forces,
Eddard Stark and his men arrived from the Trident and making his way to the
Throne Room the Warden of the North stared at Jaime coldly until he got off the Iron Throne
proclaiming the kingship of Robert Baratheon. To prove their loyalty to Robert, the Lannister
assault force had simultaneously entered the nursery where Ser Amory murdered Rhaenys Targaryen
and Gregor murdered Aegon Targaryen before raping and murdering his mother Elia Martell.
Upon arriving to the city Robert and Eddard argued over these murders, with the ever-honourable
Eddard believing them to be cruel and unnecessary acts, whereas his liege held them to be justified.
Jon Arryn was unable to cool the tensions between the two men, so Eddard rode South relieving the
Siege of Storm's End, after almost a year. The defenders had only survived due to the actions
of Davos Seaworth, a smuggler who had brought provisions of onions and salted fish through
the blockade saving the men from starvation. The Tyrells surrendered and the majority of the Lords
of the Reach were pardoned, with Stannis being given orders to launch an assault on Dragonstone
which was easily taken. However Stannis was unable to capture the children of Rhaella
who had died in childbirth. Viserys and Daenarys escaped to Essos with the aid of Ser Willem Darry,
making it to the Free Cities where they would live in exile.
Eddard then rode further South with six companions; Howland Reed, Lord Willam Dustin,
Ethan Glover, Martyn Cassel, Theo Wull, and Ser Mark Ryswell to free his sister Lyanna from her
captivity in the Tower of Joy. The Tower was protected by three Knights of Aerys’ Kingsguard
Ser Arthur Dayne, Ser Oswell Whent, and the Lord Commander, Ser Gerold Hightower,
with only Eddard and Howland surviving the ensuing conflict. Rushing into the tower after this,
Eddard found his dying sister and she extracted a promise before passing away. The tower was then
levelled by Eddard, the stones used to create cairns for the fallen of that day. Eddard would
then travel even farther South to Starfall leaving Lady Ashara Dayne with her brother’s blade,
the Sword of the Morning, before returning to King's Landing for Robert’s coronation.
Robert duly took up his place upon the Iron Throne and named his foster father Jon Arryn as his Hand
and his brother Stannis as the Lord of Dragonstone. At the urging of Jon Arryn,
he then married Tywin’s daughter Cersei, in a move aimed to stabilise the Kingdom for years to come
and ensure Lannister support should Viserys attempt to reclaim his throne.
These fears were sparked by the Dornish attempts to support Viserys, however the Hand of the King
was able to assuage their concerns returning the bones of Lewyn Martell which were duly buried and
facing the questioning of the Martells in relation to the circumstances of Elia’s death. While this
was successful short term, Lord of Dorne Doran Martell continued to plot a Targaryen restoration
in secret for many years to come, never forgetting the actions of the Lannisters or forgiving them.
This brings us to the events detailed within A Game of Thrones;
however, this is the story for our next documentary on the history of Westeros.
We are planning to cover the battles of many other fantasy, sci-fi, and space opera universes,
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