War of the Usurpers (The Lion and the Dragon)

The **War of the Usurpers**, also called the **War of Betrayal**, was a civil war fought between three main factions in the Seven Kingdoms - those who supported Prince Rhaegar Targaryen's attempt to force his father Aerys II to abdicate the Iron Throne, the so-called 'Northern Alliance' which supported the young Robert Baratheon's claim to the throne as an anti-Targaryen claimant, and the small faction who supported Aerys II's current reign as King.

## Prelude

### Great Council of Harrenhal

In early 282 AC the Great Council was convened as was previously arranged, all the Great Houses and minor nobility attended and Prince Rhaegar expected his accession to the Iron Throne to come easily.

On the other hand the Northern Alliance, consisting of House Arryn, House Stark and House Tully, wished to push the candidacy of Robert Baratheon, second cousin of Rhaegar. They hoped to use the potential Targaryen split between father and son to push their anti-Targaryen candidate and so gain control over the Seven Kingdom.

The third candidate, Aerys II, was supported initially only by Steffon Baratheon and a handful of minor houses including House Velaryon and House Rykker. The loyalty of Steffon to Aerys frustrated many in both opposition camps, but it was a tenuous loyalty as the King's madness had reached a fever pitch in recent years.

As the Council became more fractious, Aerys lost most of what few supporters he had. House Velaryon were the first and biggest house to change their support to Prince Rhaegar, followed soon after by Steffon Baratheon, who threw his support behind his son and the Northern Alliance.

### Capture of King Aerys II

The Great Council of Harrenhal came to an abrupt end when Aerys II's madness took over after Steffon Baratheon's betrayal and he attempted to arrest all the leaders of the Great Houses and his own son Rhaegar, a move which briefly united the two bickering factions as all but two of the Kingsguard defected to Rhaegar and they resisted detention.

The defection of most of the Kingsguard to Rhaegar, with only Barristan Selmy and Jonothor Darry remaining with Aerys, led to the capture of the Mad King and the two loyal Kingsguard when he attempted to flee back to King's Landing.

## War of the Usurpers

### War in the East

Fighting began in the Vale of Arryn. Though Lord Jon Arryn called for all his banners, not all of his bannermen sided with him, some chose to side with the Prince.

* **Taking of Gulltown**: After a siege, the Vale forces loyal to Lord Jon Arryn launched an assault on the port city. The attack began well for the rebels, the walls of the city were broken and hand-to-hand fighting began with Ser Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark leading the charge. In the midst of the fighting Robert Baratheon killed Lord Marq Grafton, while Lyn Corbray wounded Eddard Stark.
* **Siege of Heart's Home**: While most of the Vale's forces were in the south laying siege to Gulltown, a smaller army went north, led by Ser Kyle Royce, and began a siege of Heart's Home - the seat of House Cobray. It was a short affair however after Ser Lyn Cobray, the second son of Lord Cobray, had defected after being captured in Gulltown. His father yielded the castle and changed sides to fighting alongside House Arryn.

### The Southern War

While fighting began in the north of Westeros, the Stormlands themselves faced an immediate issue with three Baratheon vassals remaining loyal to the reigning Targaryen dynasty. Lord Steffon Baratheon sought to ensure the loyalty of the remaining lords in his realm, while Ser Robert Baratheon took on the three nobles. To the west of the Stormlands however the armies of the Reach gathered, seeking to knock out one of the main regions involved in the anti-Targaryen rebellion.

* **Battles at Summerhall**: The Lords of Grandison, Cafferen and Fell of the Stormlands all remained loyal to House Targaryen. They planned to gather on Summerhall and then march on Storm's End, thus trying to force the Baratheon's to surrender and end the rebellion before it could truly begin. However Ser Richard Lonmouth informed Ser Robert Baratheon of the plan, who then rode with his knights to take on the lords. He attacked each host in turn, killing Lord Fell in battle. After the battle the surviving lords and Lord Fell's son, Silveraxe, were all taken to Storm's End where they pledged loyalty to the Baratheon's and their cause.
* **Battle of Ashford**: The next major battle of the war in the south was when Ser Robert Baratheon was outmanoeuvred by Lord Randyll Tarly and his Reach army at Ashford. Robert was caught out by Tarly when attempting to wheel his army around from Summerhall to go north in support of his Stark and Tully allies. The battle was inconclusive, but it pushed Robert to force-march his men further north in a desperate attempt to link with his allies, while the Reach army could easily push into the Stormlands.
* **Siege of Storm's End**: After Ashford, with a free path to the Baratheon's seat of power, Lord Mace Tyrell had the bulk of his forces besiege the fortress, defended by Ser Stannis Baratheon. The move by the Reach forces effectively trapped Lord Steffon Baratheon in Cape Wrath and the Rainwood.

### The Riverlands Campaign

As fighting raged on to the east and south, the Riverlands saw the brunt of the military campaigns on their own lands. The Westerlands had declared for the royal cause and many houses within the region itself had declared not for the rebel cause as their liege Lord Hoster Tully had done, but instead for the Royal cause. Houses such as Whent, Darry, Goodbrook, Lychester and Ryger all declared for Prince Rhaegar Targaryen's cause.

* **Battle of the Golden Tooth**: The Lannister invasion of the Riverlands began with Ser Tygett Lannister descending with his army of some 15,000 men upon the defending Riverland forces. The battle is easily won by the Lannister forces who win free passage into the Riverlands. Ser Jaime Lannister, who led one of the Lannister flanks, killed Lord Piper in the midst of the battle.
* **Flight From Riverrun**: After the easy Lannister victory at the Golden Tooth, Lord Hoster Tully decided to send his children away from the Tully seat of Riverrun to the north, where House Stark was amassing an army to join them in the war. Lord Tully sent his brother, Ser Brynden Tully, with the children alongside a small group of personal guards. Hoster Tully also hoped to send his brother to gather the troops of House Mallister and House Frey, the former of whom had declared for the rebel cause while the latter had remained decidedly neutral.
* **First Battle of Riverrun**: The Lannister forces arrived at Riverrun where they met the now-swelled numbers of Riverland forces outside of the castle. The sheer number of Westerland forces easily overwhelmed those the Tully lord commanded, Hoster Tully barely managed to take some of his men back behind the walls of Riverrun. Lord Tytos Blackwood was captured by Ser Jaime Lannister. Once Lord Hoster Tully had retreated behind Riverrun's walls the Lannister's laid siege to the castle.
* **Conquering the Riverlands**: While Ser Tygett led the siege of Riverrun to the south, Ser Kevan Lannister, the eldest of Lord Tywin's younger brothers, led an even greater army across the Riverlands, conquering lands which hadn't pledged loyalty to the Targaryens. Pinkmaiden, the seat of House Piper who's lord had recently been slain by Ser Jaime Lannister, fell first. Soon after Wayfarer's Rest, belonging to House Vance, fell also. To the north Kevan sent the youngest Lannister sibling, Ser Gerion Lannister, to take Raventree Hall after Lord Tytos Blackwood had been captured.
* **Agreement at the Twins**: The eventual agreement reached was that Edmure Tully, the heir to Riverrun, would marry a Frey girl, as would Eddard Stark, the second son of Lord Rickard Stark who was currently recovering in the Eyrie from wounds he suffered in the Taking of Gulltown. As well as this, Lord Hoster Tully would take on two of Lord Walder's grandsons as squires - Rhaegar and Arwood. Also Brandon Stark took on Whalen Frey, the fourteenth son of Lord Walder, as a squire.
* **Battle on the High Road**: With Lannister and Targaryen forces holding Harrenhal, the rebels needed to keep them occupied during the planned relief of Riverrun. Thus Arryn forces led by Lord Jon Arryn went down the High Road to attack and distract King Rhaegar I Targaryen and Lord Tywin Lannister. Ser Elys Westerling's outriders reported the movement of the Vale forces west, believing they would arrive the following day. However Arryn marched his men through the night and surprised the Royal forces. Nevertheless the effective Royal commanders meant they were able to rally themselves and beat back the rebel's army. Ser Elbert Arryn, heir to the Eyrie and betrothed of Lady Lysa Tully, was captured in the battle. Ser Kyle Royce, brother of Lord Yohn Royce, was slain by Ser Gregor Clegane. After the battle ended Lord Tywin Lannister became aware that the fight had been a ploy to distract him from the Northmen movement towards Riverrun.
* **Second Battle of Riverrun**: With the Royal forces distracted in Harrenhal, the rebel force of Northmen and Rivermen travelled down from the Twins to Riverrun, seeking to relieve the siege on the castle and then threaten the Westerlands. Ser Tygett Lannister had outriders who discovered the southward movements of the rebel armies and thus he was able to prepare his men. The ensuing battle was a close-run fight, with many deaths on both sides, most notably Brandon Stark, heir to Winterfell, was slain by the young Lannister knight and heir, Ser Jaime Lannister. Brandon's newly gained squire, Rhaegar Frey, was also slain on the battlefield. The Royal forces won the day, sending Lord Rickard Stark and Ser Brynden Tully on a retreat back up towards Seagard. Ser Tygett Lannister allowed the retreat as he couldn't afford the lifting of the siege as well as needing to regroup after taking casualties.

### Choking the Rebellion

The retreat of the Northern and Riverlander forces, as well as the capturing of Riverrun and Lord Hoster Tully, saw the war sharply turn in the Royalist's favour. After being wounded at Ashford, Ser Robert Baratheon was hiding in the Stoney Sept. To the north Lannister and Royal forces gave chase to the retreating rebels, and in the Stormlands the Baratheon's centre of power, Storm's End, continued to be under siege by Tyrell forces.

* **Siege of Seagard**: Soon after the second defeat of the rebels at Riverrun, Royal forces moved northwards, pressing their advantage under Ser Tygett Lannister. The Royal forces made it as far as Seagard before they were forced to set up camp to siege down the well-fortified seat of House Mallister.
* **Sacking of the Stoney Sept**: To the south, in the north-east of the Reach, Robert had been having his wounds tended to in the small town of the Stony Sept. The Hand of the King, Lord Tywin Lannister had been sent by the King to capture the Baratheon claimant. The Lannister lord travelled south with a band of warriors, including Ser Gregor Clegane, and sought to wrench Robert from the town. After giving the town an ultimatum, Lord Tywin sent his men in under the Mountain to raze the town until eventually the Baratheon would make his entrance. After half the town had been destroyed and many of its occupants slain, Ser Robert Baratheon emerged from a brothel known as the Peach. He and Clegane fought for an hour, the wounded Robert using his dexterity to counter the Mountain's enormous height and strength. Eventually however he was forced to yield and was captured by Tywin.
* **Battle of Storm's End**: Soon after the capture of Robert, the rebels cause was desperate, and Lord Steffon Baratheon sought to end the siege on his seat of power in order to provide safety to his children, in case they too were taken as they were the next claimants. The Tyrell forces had been weakened so as to provide forces to the Royal armies in the north, and so the Baratheon liege took his opportunity. In the ensuing combat however, Lord Randyll Tarly proved to be too effective a commander and the Stormland army was soundly defeated, with Tarly himself personally slaying Lord Steffon with the Valyrian steel blade, Heartsbane.

### Aftermath

With Lord Robert Baratheon, the rebels claimant to the throne, captured by Lord Tywin Lannister, and his seat of power in Storm's End under siege by Reachmen forces, the rebels were forced to capitulate to House Targaryen.

#### Pardons

Despite the recommendation of his Hand, Lord Tywin Lannister, to punish the rebels who had betrayed King Rhaegar I Targaryen, the King decided to show clemency instead.

* Lord Rickard Stark was sent to the Wall as punishment for his participation in the rebellion, creating an awkward situation in the North where his eldest son had been killed in the war and he had an unborn heir.
* Lord Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort was sent to the Wall as a punishment for the crimes he had committed during the war. The move caused consternation among Northern lords, as Lord Tywin Lannister and his vassal Ser Gregor Clegane had commited a number of atrocities during the war.
* In the Stormlands, though he was the claimant to the throne, Rhaegar allowed Lord Robert Baratheon to remain Lord Paramount of the region. However, as retribution for his participation in the betrayal at Harrenhal, Renly Baratheon, Robert's youngest brother, was to be sent to King's Landing as a page and hostage for King Rhaegar.
* Ser Richard Lonmouth, former ally and friend of Rhaegar, had betrayed the Targaryen cause by informing Robert Baratheon of the meeting at Summerhall of the Stormland houses which would oppose the rebels. Before he could face the consequences for his actions, Lonmouth fled to Essos where he would join the Golden Company.
* In the Vale of Arryn, the punishment levied against Lord Jon Arryn was relatively minimal. Ser Elbert Arryn, heir to the Vale, was forced to join the Night's Watch. As a sign of recognition for House Grafton's support of King Rhaegar, the city of Gulltown was given a Royal charter and House Shett of Gull Tower was transferred from being a vassal of House Royce to the Grafton's.
* In the Riverlands, as punishment for joining the rebel's cause, Lord Walder Frey was forced to give up one of his best fighting sons to the Night's Watch - Ser Hosteen Frey.

#### Marriages and Betrothals

In an attempt to unify the Seven Kingdoms after the war, King Rhaegar I Targaryen sought to create a network of marriages that would bring the Great Houses of Westeros closer together.

* Lysa Tully and Tyrion Lannister.
* Shireen Baratheon and Viserys Targaryen.
* Margaery Tyrell and Renly Baratheon.