The Failed Conquest of Dorne

This thread follows the crown’s repeated efforts to subdue Dorne and the cost of discovering that dragons cannot guarantee obedience.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Meria Refuses to Kneel

Dorne’s Refusal An Unconquered Realm Rhaena Targaryen reaches Sunspear, but Meria Martell refuses submission and warns that Dorne will not be bent by threats. A Different Kind of Resistance Dorne withdraws rather than offer the decisive battle the conquerors expect. Its resistance establishes a problem that Aegon’s victories elsewhere cannot solve.

The Invasion of 4 AC

Fire and Blood in Dorne The Crown Invades Aegon and Orys Baratheon enter Dorne with large forces, while Rhaenys Targaryen burns the Planky Town. Retreat and Deprivation Dornish forces withdraw, destroy provisions, and poison water. The invading armies take castles but cannot hold the countryside or force a surrender.

The War Turns Against the Crown

A Costly Occupation Isolated Garrisons The Dornish recapture castles soon after the royal army leaves. Royal officials are killed, and the occupying force is increasingly cut off from supplies and support. An Army Disappears Lord Tyrell and his force vanish in the sands. The failed occupation makes clear that holding forts is not the same as ruling Dorne.

Rhaenys and Meraxes Fall

The Loss at Hellholt A Dragon Is Wounded A scorpion bolt strikes Meraxes in the eye at Hellholt, bringing the dragon down in a catastrophic fall. The Queen’s Death Rhaenys Targaryen dies in Dorne, though accounts disagree about how. The loss changes the war’s emotional stakes and exposes the limits of Targaryen power.

Peace Without Submission

Aegon Accepts Peace A Private Letter Deria Martell brings a sealed message from her father, Nymor Martell. Aegon reads it in silence and flies to Dragonstone before changing course. Independence Preserved Aegon agrees to peace without forcing Dorne to kneel. The settlement ends the war but leaves a lasting tension between royal claims and Dornish independence.

During the Conquest, after the Vale submits

4 AC, at the opening of the First Dornish War

4–6 AC, during the occupation

10 AC, during the Dragon’s Wroth

13 AC, at the end of the First Dornish War