Well, as I’ve discussedbefore, one of the basic goals of medieval judicial reform is to extend the king’s authority down through the layers of subinfeudation, so yes.
Indeed, I would argue that, since the king’s larger mission is to put and keep his more powerful nobles in check through the law, he’d probably be more likely to overrule them than not.
Etymology is not my strong suit, but a quick Google search suggests that the noun version of the word “reach” (as in a stretch or expanse of land, water, etc.) comes from the 1520s, but it’s a pretty straightforward adaptation of the Old English word to reach or stretch or extend.
credit to ser-other-in-law Introduction: Last time, we saw how a succession of frighteningly single-minded and capable monarchs turned the Kingdom of the Reach from a petty kingdom ruled from a hillfort into a powerful and dynamic state that could reshape the map of southern Westeros and defeat its regional rivals singly and in combination. In this part, we shall see how this state confronted the…
“In 219 AC, Haegon Blackfyre and Bittersteel launched the Third Blackfyre Rebellion. Of the deeds done then, both good and ill—of the leadership of Maekar, the actions of Aerion Brightflame, the courage of Maekar’s youngest son, and the second duel between Bloodraven and Bittersteel—we know well. The pretender Haegon I Blackfyre died in the aftermath of battle, slain treacherously after he had given up his sword.”
Take a look at the parallel structures used and then extrapolate from what we know of Aerion’s character.
Brightflame? No. The Golden Company wouldn’t lift a finger for a descendant of the murderer of Haegon I.
Blackfyre? Maybe, although I hold to the double-swap theory.
I’m unfamiliar with the double-swap theory, at least by that name; I’m familiar with “Aegon is a Blackfyre” and “Aegon is just some random kid,” as well as “Aegon is exactly who they say he is.” Can you elaborate, if you don’t mind?
As we might expect from a society which is more than 90% agricultural in its economy, the major benefit was:
Joking aside, marriages were a key method of acquiring, expanding, and rationalizing estates, from the lowliest peasant who had to get permission to marry to kings and queens. After all, you didn’t have a free market in land so marriage was one of the few times in which you could actually transfer property, and since nobles couldn’t work for a living, marrying well was one of the few things they could do to become economically self-sufficient.
I mean, more historical evidence GRRM is always good, but Aenys and Maegor is not exactly a period we’re lacking information about.
Honestly, I would trade Sons of the Dragon for a decent timeline of the Great Game, or anything that covered the Third Blackfyre Rebellion in better detail, in a heartbeat.
A nice novella about the children of Jaehaerys and Alysanne would be good. There are a lot of questions I have about them and their era that we simply can’t answer right now: did Aemon Prince of Dragonstone consider Rhaenys as his heir, or was he actively trying to have a male heir and failed? When and why did Baelon Targaryen marry his sister Alyssa, and was it their idea or their parents’? What did Aemon do to become “of allowed memory”, and why is Baelon known as “the Brave”; Jaehaerys’ reign was one of peace, but were there small conflicts internally or externally that the brothers were instrumental in solving? This is just scratching the surface for my questions on that era.
It also would answer lingering questions I have about the Targaryen dragons at the height of the family’s dragon, well, having. Who went with Jaehaerys and Alysanne to Winterfell? Who was a dragonrider among the nine surviving children? Which dragons, if any, did they ride that were ridden by others?
I would guess that Wyman wouldn’t build a giant fleet on the verge of winter if he knew that his ships were going to get frozen in.
And it would make sense, given that White Harbor is about as south as the North gets, if it was the one port in the North that didn’t freeze in winter.
RFTIT Tumblr Backup 