House Corbray

House Corbray appears in the history of Westeros through a series of consequential ties: a royal marriage alliance, counsel offered during a rebellion, and the career of Ser Corwyn Corbray, whose death as a royal regent reignited conflict over the succession to the Eyrie. Its influence is shown less through a continuous account of the house than through the political relationships and crises in which its members became involved.

Marriage Alliances and Political Reach

During the reign of Aegon the Conqueror, Queen Rhaenys arranged marriages intended to connect noble houses across the realm. When the Evenstar of Tarth had triplet daughters, she secured betrothals for them with House Corbray, House Hightower, and House Harlaw. The account does not identify which daughter was promised to House Corbray, but the match places the house within a wider royal effort to bind distant regions through marriage.

A later marriage brought House Corbray into the royal family’s immediate political orbit. Ser Corwyn Corbray wed Rhaena Targaryen, a dragonrider and sister of Baela Targaryen. Through this match he became connected by marriage to Alyn Velaryon as well as to the Targaryen princesses, a network that later mattered when Corwyn took part in a dispute over the Vale’s succession.

Military Counsel and Service

During the rebellion of Aegon the Uncrowned, a Lord Corbray was among the prince’s advisers. As rival forces converged, he counseled the young prince to engage each enemy separately, before their armies could combine. Aegon did not follow that advice, instead continuing toward King’s Landing. The episode records a Corbray’s presence among the rebellion’s commanders and gives him a specific strategic role, though it does not name him or describe his later career.

The house’s later prominence is especially visible in the service of Ser Corwyn. He was a knight of considerable repute, and his father had given him Lady Forlorn, the Valyrian steel blade associated with House Corbray. His brother Leowyn served as Protector of the Realm, another indication of the family’s standing in the political and martial life of the kingdom.

Corwyn Corbray’s Marriage and Regency

The regents arranged Corwyn’s marriage to Rhaena after deciding that she should be married. Rhaena said she was especially fond of him, whom she had first met in the Vale while she was a ward of Lady Arryn. The account notes several considerations that made him a difficult choice for the council to oppose: he was a respected knight from an ancient and honorable house, his brother held a high office, and he possessed Lady Forlorn. Although Corwyn was thirty-two, a second son, and already had two daughters from an earlier marriage, the match went ahead. The betrothal was brief, and the wedding followed a fortnight later; the regents wanted Rhaena married quickly in case her sister Baela was already with child.

After Manfryd Mooton’s death, Lord Rowan selected Corwyn to take his place on the council. His service then brought him into the contested succession of the Vale. Corwyn ruled that Lady Jeyne Arryn’s will should stand and declared Ser Joffrey Arryn the rightful Lord of the Eyrie. When other claimants refused to accept the ruling, Corwyn imprisoned the Gilded Falcon and his sons and executed Eldric Arryn. Eldric’s father, Ser Arnold, escaped and took refuge at Runestone.

Death and Renewed Conflict in the Vale

Corwyn’s attempt to confront Ser Arnold at Runestone brought him into direct conflict with Gunthor Royce, the elderly lord of the castle. Their argument escalated into threats. Corwyn drew Lady Forlorn, though the account leaves uncertain whether he meant to strike Gunthor or only threaten him. A crossbowman on the battlements then shot Corwyn through the breast, killing him.

Corwyn’s death was treated as an attack on the king’s authority because he was one of the king’s regents. It also carried consequences through his family and alliances: he was uncle to Quenton Corbray, Lord of Heart’s Home, and husband to Rhaena, as well as brother-in-law to Baela and kin by marriage to Alyn Velaryon. Fighting broke out again across the Vale. The Corbrays joined the Hunters, Craynes, and Redforts in support of Joffrey Arryn, while the Royces of Runestone and Ser Arnold were backed by several other houses and by lords of the Fingers and the Three Sisters. House Corbray’s role thus extended from a succession judgment made in the king’s name to a conflict that divided the Vale.