Work Text:
New revelations about the ascent of Queen Rhaenys I Targaryen
Professor Davos O’Harrowton
University of Duskendale Press, © 914 AC
Originally published in the Duskendale Journal of HIstory and the Hightower Paper of Political Science
The ascension of Queen Rhaenys I has always perplexed historians. In an era dominated by men in power, she not only ascended to the throne, but shaped royal succession law to this day. Indeed, the current queen, Her Grace Daena II, would have had to yield her right to the throne to Prince Aemon under the old Agnatic succession. But the reason why the succession law was changed in the first place has remained in the shadows until now. A series of letters uncovered by a team from the King Aerion Museum of Medieval History have helped to fill in the gaps regarding this pivotal moment in Westeros's history.
Context
In 101 AC, King Jaehaerys I Targaryen called for a Great Council to choose who should succeed him on the Iron Throne. The contenders for succession were Prince Viserys, the son of King Jaehaerys’ second son, and Princess Rhaenys, the daughter of King Jaehaerys’ first son. At the start of the Great Council’s debate, the lords of the Reach, the West, the Vale, and the Riverlands supported the male claim of Prince Viserys, while the Stormlands and North supported the female claim of Princess Rhaenys. Only three days later, however, Lord Tymond Lannister of the Rock and Lord Grover Tully of Riverrun had already switched their votes to Princess Rhaenys. In the days to follow, support for Rhaenys mounted. The support for Rhaenys that came after two Lord Paramount had already changed their support can, as Maester Leobald argues, be attributed to a simple bandwagon effect. However, the very fact that two entire regions swapped their votes in the span of only a few days has always been reason enough to suspect there was more to the Council than was previously known.
The Letters
On the 3rd of the 5th, 914 AC, a team from the King Aerion Museum in King’s Landing purchased a box of letters from Lord Steffon Baratheon that had (supposedly) been in the family for generations. While their authenticity was initially in question, the letters were proven to be genuine through a study by Patus Institute(1) . The letters in question were written by Lord Boremund Baratheon, the uncle of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. In the documents, Lord Boremund makes a series of arguments and promises to various lords and ladies to urge them to support Princess Rhaenys’ claim over that of Prince Viserys. A summary of each of the recovered letters is as follows:
To Lord Grover Tully of Riverrun: In this letter, Lord Baratheon promises the the hand of Rhaenys’ daughter, Princess Laena, to Lord Grover’s heir, Edmyn Tully. Lord Baratheon further affirms that Laenor Velaryon (King Laenor I), Rhaenys’ son, would be legitimized as Laenor Targaryen. This letter appears to be the cause of the Naming Crisis, in which many of Lord Corlys Velaryon’s kin nearly rebelled when they realized that Prince Laenor would not hold the Velaryon name upon ascending the throne.
To Lord Tymond Lannister: In this letter, Lord Boremund continues to forge marital alliances by promising the hand of Rhaenys’ son, Prince Laenor (King Laenor I), to Lord Tymond’s daughter, Lyella Lannister. This letter provides insight into the alliance between Casterly Rock and the Crown and is the likely cause of the aforementioned marriage of King Laenor I and Queen Lyella.
To Ser Lucerys Velaryon: This letter is the first in a series of messages that Lord Boremund sent to various members of House Velaryon explaining the decision to change the House name of Prince Laenor and make him a Targaryen rather than a Dragonseed member of House Velaryon. This letter (and the others below) were apparently intended to placate Driftmark, end the Naming Crisis, and prevent a violent reaction from House Velaryon when Prince Laenor was made a Targaryen.
To Ser Daemon Velaryon: Similar to the letter sent to Ser Lucerys.
To Lady Vaella Velaryon: Similar to the letters sent to Ser Damion and Ser Lucerys.
To Ser Jacaerys Velaryon: Similar to the letters sent to Ser Damion, Ser Lucerys, and Lady Vaella.
Note: A notable absence from the series of Velaryon letters is a letter addressed to Lord Corlys Velaryon, Rhaenys’ husband and the father of Laenor and Laena. A possible explanation(2) for this absence is that Lord Boremund may have told Lord Corlys about the decision to ‘Royalize’ Prince Laenor in person rather than through a letter. This proposal does have some merit, as some documents regarding the Council describe Lord Corlys referring to some “sacrifices” that he would have to make to see his wife as Queen and son as King. While historians have long assumed that the name change was one of them, the presence of the Velaryon letters and this new theory provide proof that the name change (and the successive Naming Crisis) was Lord Boremund’s idea.
Conclusion
Lord Boremund Baratheon’s letters, rather than representing new information, only serve to prove earlier theories regarding the Great Council of 101. While the reign of Queen Rhaenys I was ultimately overshadowed by the reign of her son, King Laenor the Diligent, it is important to note that without these letters penned by a now forgotten lord, that reign would not have even existed, and the history of Westeros would be quite different. Assuredly, more revelations regarding the Great Council will come in the following weeks, illuminating the world as Lord Boremund Baratheon knew it.
Footnotes
1 : Reynard, Jaime R. “The Authenticity of the Boremund Papers.” King’s Landing Patus Publications 4th ser. 1. 2 (914 AC): 23-27. Print.
2 : The “possible explanation” was put forth by Archmaester Matthias Lantell four days ago in his synthesis “The Great Council of 101: A New Perspective”
Further Reading
Descendants of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen
Draconian Succession , by Maester Julian Sweetwater
The Queen Who Was: The life of Rhaenys I, by Seyla Thinton
About the author: Professor Davos O’Harrowton has spent nearly 32 years in the field of Targaryen history and political science. He has published several best selling books in those fields, including The Three Good Queens, Sons of the Conqueror, and The Treatise of Dragonstone. He lives in Duskendale with his wife and two children.