Thaddeus Rowan, former Hand

Thaddeus Rowan, former Hand, was a regent whose arrest exposed how little protection his office and supposed allies could offer during the secret siege. His confession implicated members of the Rogare family in a plan involving poison and a bid to place Viserys Targaryen on the throne; after his release from office, Rowan died while traveling home.

Arrest and Isolation

At first, the arrests of the Rogares were widely attributed to the Hand. But after Ser Corwyn’s death in the Vale, Rowan and Grand Maester Munkun were the only regents left. That same evening, Rowan himself was taken into custody, overturning the assumption that he was directing events. The Fingers, whose supposed role was to protect the Hand, did nothing to defend him. When Ser Mervyn Flowers came to arrest Rowan in the council chambers, Tessario the Tiger ordered his men to stand aside. Rowan’s squire was the only one to resist, and was quickly overcome. Rowan pleaded for the boy to be spared; Flowers had already punished him, and the plea was then heeded.

Confession During the Siege

On the morning of the twelfth day of the secret siege, Rowan was brought forward in chains to confess to his alleged offenses. Ser Marston Waters announced that Rowan had confessed, and Lord Confessor George Graceford brought him before the king. Rowan was so badly impaired that he initially did not move; when Graceford prodded him with a dagger, he confirmed the confession in halting, slurred speech. He claimed that Lotho Rogare had promised him fifty thousand dragons once the deed was done and another fifty thousand when Viserys took the throne, and that Roggerio Rogare had supplied the poison. The account records a confession under extreme duress, not independent confirmation of the charges. The severity of Rowan’s condition was underscored by the fact that he had lost all his teeth, which Mushroom pointed out to those who mistook his speech for drunkenness.

Removal from Office and Death

After a moon’s turn, Rowan showed little or no improvement. Grand Maester Munkun persuaded the king to relieve him of his office, and Rowan set out for Goldengrove, promising to return to King’s Landing once his health recovered. He died on the road, accompanied by two of his sons. His departure left Munkun to serve as both regent and Hand for the remainder of the year, since Aegon had not yet reached manhood.

Political Consequences

Munkun’s position as a maester, bound by vows of service, shaped what followed. He did not consider it his place to judge high lords and anointed knights, so the accused traitors remained in the dungeons awaiting a new Hand. Rowan’s arrest, confession, and death therefore formed part of a wider interruption in the kingdom’s governance: the regent who might have occupied that office was removed, while the man left to govern declined to pass judgment on the prisoners.