War of the Ninepenny Kings

The War of the Ninepenny Kings was the last of the Blackfyre Rebellions, a series of uprisings by the legitimized bastard line of House Targaryen against the ruling dynasty. The conflict took its name from the nine leaders—the Band of Nine—who united to conquer and divide the realms of Westeros and the Free Cities. Though the war was fought on the distant shores of the Stepstones, its consequences rippled through the generations, shaping the lives of men who would later fight on both sides of Robert's Rebellion and the War of the Five Kings.

Causes and Background

The Band of Nine was a coalition of ambitious men, each with his own grievance and goal. Among them was Maelys Blackfyre, called Maelys the Monstrous, the last of the male Blackfyre line, who claimed the Iron Throne. The Band also included the Spicer King of the Stepstones, the Sorrowful Man of Lys, and other pirates, exiles, and mercenary captains. Their plan was to conquer the Disputed Lands, the Stepstones, and ultimately Westeros itself. The threat was grave enough to unite the Seven Kingdoms under King Jaehaerys II, who dispatched a royal fleet and army to meet the invaders. The Lord of Casterly Rock, Tywin Lannister, served as a squire during the war, and his father, Tytos Lannister, was among the lords who answered the king's call.

The Campaign and the Battle

The war culminated in a decisive battle on the Stepstones, a chain of rocky islands that had long been a haven for pirates and outlaws. The royal forces, commanded by Lord Ormund Baratheon, engaged the Band of Nine in a brutal struggle. It was during this battle that a young knight of the Kingsguard, Barristan Selmy, carved a bloody path through the ranks of the Golden Company—the sellsword army that had been the military arm of the Blackfyre cause for generations—to slay Maelys the Monstrous in single combat. Selmy's feat ended the rebellion at a stroke, earning him his knighthood and a place in the Kingsguard. The Golden Company, having lost its commander and its cause, was forced to retreat back across the narrow sea, where it would remain in exile for decades.

Consequences and Aftermath

The War of the Ninepenny Kings had far-reaching consequences. The death of Maelys the Monstrous extinguished the male line of House Blackfyre, ending the threat of a Blackfyre restoration for good. The war also forged the reputations of many future leaders. Barristan Selmy, already renowned for his valor, was named to the Kingsguard by King Jaehaerys II. Tywin Lannister, who had served as a squire, returned to Casterly Rock with a newfound understanding of war and command, lessons he would later apply with ruthless efficiency. The Golden Company, though defeated, remained intact, a formidable force of exiles that would wait for another opportunity to return to Westeros. The war also left a legacy of bitterness and ambition among the surviving members of the Band of Nine and their descendants, some of whom would later play roles in the chaos that followed the death of King Robert Baratheon.