Dornish Succession Crisis (Lord Tywin's Gift)

The **Dornish Succession Crisis** was an event following the Sixth Blackfyre Rebellion which came about following the deaths of most of the main line of House Martell. During the war Prince Oberyn, Doran's younger brother; and Prince's Quentyn and Trystane, Doran's sons, were all slain in various battles.

With the death of Doran, the succession would naturally fall to his eldest child, Arianne Martell. However she was imprisoned in King's Landing after having been captured in Storm's End and was pregnant with the now deceased Aegon Blackfyre's baby. This complicated the matter as the Targaryen rulers of the Seven Kingdoms couldn't afford to let a Blackfyre descendant to control one of the regions.

The next in line to inherit Sunspear were the children of Princess Elia Martell, the deceased former sister of Prince Doran Martell and former wife of Ser Jaime Lannister. Her children were in line to inherit Casterly Rock after their grandsire and father, and many balked at the idea of the Lannisters possibly controlling a second Westerosi region.

The surviving Sand Snakes, bastard daughters of Prince Oberyn Martell, had claims to the seat through their father. However their bastard status and general unpopularity through their actions at the end of the war made it highly unlikely they would be granted the seat.

The final candidate was Ser Manfrey Martell, a cousin of Prince Doran. He had been appointed as the castellan of Sunspear by Doran in 298 AC.

## Candidates for Sunspear

* Princess Arianne Martell, daughter of Prince Doran Martell.
* Ser Erwin Lannister, son of Princess Elia Martell.
* Cerelle Lannister, daughter of Princess Elia Martell.
* Gerion Lannister, son of Princess Elia Martell.
* Ser Manfrey Martell, cousin of Prince Doran Martell.

## The King's Compromise

Wishing to avoid another war in the south, King Rhaegar I Targaryen was forced to make a number of compromises in Dorne. It was unthinkable for him to allow the heavily pregnant Arianne Martell to become the new Lady of Sunspear, despite her having the best claim. Simultaneously he didn't allow the Lannister's claim to win the day, even when his Hand, Lord Tywin Lannister offered his second grandson, Gerion Lannister, who shares his mothers Martell appearance.

Rhaegar made the decision to grant Sunspear to Ser Manfrey Martell, Castellan of Sunspear and husband of Lady Alyse Ladybright. Though he allowed the Martell's to retain Sunspear, their hold over Dorne was broken by the King. House Yronwood, an ancient house which claimed the title of High King of Dorne prior to the arrival of the Rhoynar, was granted the title Lord Paramount of Dorne.

Arianne Martell was exiled from the Seven Kingdoms upon the birth of the new Blackfyre pretender to the throne. Arianne fled to Norvos where she reunited with her mother, Mellario, for the first time since she left Arianne's father. It was agreed that the baby Blackfyre would be allowed to live, but she would serve the High Septon and,m once old enough, would be sent to train as a Septa.

## Aftermath

Though making House Yronwood was meant to secure Dorne, as they were one of the few houses who hadn't suffered as much during the Sixth Blackfyre Rebellion, the reality proved to be far more complicated. Not only did many of the eastern Dornish nobles, most of whom were Salty and Sandy Dornishmen, didn't support the Yronwood's. In the west as well two of the larger houses of Dorne- the Fowler's and Dayne's - opposed their historic rivals gaining such a prestigious position.