Samwell Blackwood

Samwell Blackwood was a lord of Raventree who declared for Rhaenyra Targaryen during the Dance of the Dragons. His choice placed him at the center of the riverlands conflict: he led Blackwood forces against House Bracken, and his death at the Battle of the Burning Mill became part of a wider defeat for Rhaenyra’s opponents in the region.

Allegiance and Background

Samwell raised Rhaenyra’s banners over Raventree as the lords of the Trident began choosing sides. His support had a personal history: he had once lost a duel for Rhaenyra’s favor. The account pairs that earlier defeat with his later declaration for her cause, making his allegiance a return to a conflict in which he had already sought her favor.

The Battle of the Burning Mill

Raiding forces from Raventree, flying Rhaenyra’s banners, crossed into Bracken lands, where they burned crops, drove off livestock, sacked villages, and despoiled septs. When the Brackens assembled a strong force to retaliate, Samwell surprised them as they camped beneath a riverside mill. The fighting continued for hours as the mill burned, and the flames lit a battle that inflicted grave losses on both sides.

Death and Aftermath

Ser Amos Bracken, leading the force from Stone Hedge, killed Samwell in single combat. Amos himself died soon afterward: an arrow passed through the eye slit of his helm and pierced his skull. The account attributes the shot to Samwell’s sixteen-year-old sister, Alysanne Blackwood, but notes that this may be family legend rather than established fact.

After the Bracken force broke and fled under the command of Ser Raylon Rivers, it found that Stone Hedge had been captured in its absence by Prince Daemon Targaryen and a host of Darrys, Rootes, Pipers, and Freys. Lord Humfrey Bracken and members of his household were taken captive; Raylon yielded rather than risk their harm. With House Bracken broken and defeated, the remaining supporters of King Aegon in the riverlands lost heart and laid down their swords. Samwell’s death thus fell within a battle whose consequences extended beyond the mill: the loss of Bracken strength helped bring the riverlands opposition to an end.