Blackfyre Rebellions

The Blackfyre Rebellions were a series of civil wars that convulsed the Seven Kingdoms for more than a century, born from the legitimization of a bastard and the ambition of a disinherited line. The conflict began when King Aegon IV Targaryen, on his deathbed, legitimized all of his natural children, including Daemon Waters, whom he gifted the Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre, the ancestral blade of Targaryen kings. Daemon, styling himself Daemon Blackfyre, claimed the Iron Throne against his trueborn half-brother, Daeron II, sparking the First Blackfyre Rebellion.

Origins and the First Rebellion

The First Blackfyre Rebellion erupted in 196 AC. Daemon Blackfyre, supported by many powerful lords who resented Daeron II's Dornish influence and his peace with Dorne, raised his banners. The rebellion culminated in the Battle of the Redgrass Field, a decisive defeat for the Blackfyres. Daemon was slain by Ser Gwayne Corbray, and his twin sons Aegon and Aemon were killed by Brynden Rivers, the albino archer known as Bloodraven. The surviving Blackfyre supporters, including Daemon's younger sons and his chief general, Aegor Rivers, called Bittersteel, fled across the narrow sea into exile.

The Golden Company and Exile

In exile, Bittersteel founded the Golden Company, a sellsword company composed of Blackfyre loyalists and their descendants. The company's purpose was to one day reclaim the Iron Throne for the Blackfyre line. For generations, the Golden Company fought in the Disputed Lands of Essos, dreaming of returning to Westeros. Their captains, including Bittersteel himself, famously commanded that their skulls be dipped in gold and carried before them when they crossed the sea to retake their homeland.

Later Rebellions and the End of the Male Line

The Blackfyres launched several more rebellions over the following decades, each ultimately failing. The Third Blackfyre Rebellion, in 219 AC, was quickly crushed by Bloodraven. The Fourth and Fifth Rebellions were smaller affairs, often involving the Golden Company landing in Westeros only to be defeated. The final and most significant uprising was the War of the Ninepenny Kings in 260 AC, during the reign of King Jaehaerys II. The last Blackfyre pretender, Maelys the Monstrous, a monstrously strong and deformed man, led the Golden Company and the Band of Nine. He was slain in single combat on the Stepstones by Ser Barristan Selmy, ending the male line of House Blackfyre.

Legacy and the Golden Company's Return

Despite the extinction of the male Blackfyre line, the Golden Company endured, bound by their contract and their dream of home. A century after their founding, the company remained a formidable force in Essos. In the present conflict, the Golden Company, under the leadership of Homeless Harry Strickland, broke their contract with Myr and marched for Volantis, intending to join forces with the Targaryen claimant Daenerys. However, the company's captains, swayed by the arguments of Jon Connington and the young prince Aegon Targaryen, decided instead to sail west for Westeros, to place Aegon on the Iron Throne. The company's long exile was finally over, and they landed in the stormlands, taking Griffin's Roost and beginning their campaign to reclaim the Seven Kingdoms, not for the black dragon, but for the red.