'Game of Thrones' prequel 'House of the Dragon': How did Dorne unify as seventh kingdom under House Targaryen?
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Game of Thrones' prequel ‘House of the Dragon’ focuses more on the Targaryen family who fought against each other for the Iron Throne. As seen from the first episode, the dynasty was at its zenith during King Viserys I Targaryen’s (Paddy Considine) reign as the supreme protector and ruler of Westeros which constitutes seven kingdoms. This fact is echoed in acclaimed novelist George RR Martin’s books. The South of Westeros had seven kingdoms which created entire Westeros. But even the avid fans don’t have a hint of how Dorne, which was an independent country for more than a century, got unified as a seventh kingdom under House Targaryen.
The second episode took global audiences a step further into the culturally rich world of Westeros that is a hot bed for politics, lies, betrayal, and deceit. People would do anything to gain the Iron Throne. Before the third episode drops on September 4, let's check out how Dorne got unified as the seventh kingdom under House Targaryen after being an independent free country for more than a century.
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‘Game of Thrones’ prequel ‘House of the Dragon’: How did Daeron I Targaryen fail to conquer Dorne?
King Baelor I Targaryen desired truce with Dorne
After King Daeron’s death, the newly-crowned King Baelor I Targaryen wanted to have peace with Dorne. Walking the Boneway barefoot, legend has it he walked into a snakepit to rescue his cousin Aemon, the Dragonknight. In doing so, he had been bitten many times by the vipers. It is said that the venom could not hurt Baelor in any way since he was so holy. It could be possible that the snake pit from the story was Dorne itself and the vipers the Dornishmen. Ellaria Sand remarked that Baelor was bitten many times and should have died from it.
Baelor did not die from the venom. In fact, soon enough, he returned to the King's Landing back to House Targaryen, he created a marital alliance between his cousin Daeron II Targaryen and the Dornish Princess Myriah Martell. Myriah Martell was the sister to the then-ruling Prince of Dorne. This was done as a way of making peace with Dorne.
Dorne became the seventh kingdom in Westeros
Daeron II Targaryen, who got crowned as the king in 184 AC, created a marriage alliance between his sister Daenerys Targaryen to Prince Maron Martell. At that point of time, Prince Maron Martell was the ruling Prince of Dorne. It was this marriage that finally united Dorne with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms in 197 AC.
Dorne was an independent country before the invasion of Aegon the Conqueror. Dorne fought hard to remain unified afterward. Surprisingly, it was only one of the Seven Kingdoms to retain its freedom. Dorne joined the Seven Kingdoms through a peaceful marriage alliance nearly two centuries later. But this had been only one century before Robert's Rebellion. After joining through marriage and not conquest, Dorne was allowed to keep many of its local customs and laws. These included equal inheritance laws for male and female heirs. Due to these different ethnic, legal, and political factors, the Dornishmen are very independently minded. They do have a stronger sense of national identity than many of the other Seven Kingdoms in Westeros.