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From Arthur I (The Consolidator) to Martha I (The First Queen)
By Archmaestor Nohdaerys of the Citadel of Oldtown
To his most esteemed lord, Daeron of the House Osborn-Brooks, the first of his name, by Grace of God, King of the Esters and the Drowned Men, Lord of the Several Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm.
The Consolidation of the Several Kingdoms of Estyn
From the northern peaks of Mount Jhoran to the Southern sands of Dorne is the continent of Estyn. Estyn, following the cataclysms that formed the landmass east of Doggerland, became inhabited by the Germanic survivors. First settling in the Westerlands, these first men built the first Kingdoms known to the Citadel. Some stand to this day; The Kingdom of the Rock and the Kingdom of the North. However, many of them would not survive the age of Heroes and the coming of the Esters. The Esters arrived on the continent nearly a thousand years before the Shining and the migration left thousands of dead. Germanic Kings were thrown from their castles as the new rule settled in. Dorne, the Vale, the Kingdom of Rivers and the Reach; all under Ester rule. This lasted a thousand years. Kings and Queens of the Several Kingdoms rose and fell. Wars were fought between these noble houses, however, there was no common identity. No common ancestry. Until Arthur.
Arthur ruled over the Island of Dragonstone and many others as Lord of the Narrow Sea. He, along with his sisters, was the head of House Francisco, a Russian noble House which was cast out by the Russian nobility for attempting to begin a revolution to overthrow the new Tsardom. Arthur’s grand-father’s father settled Dragonstone with his small host of three-thousand men. The Lords of the Narrow Sea had little choice but to bow to the Francisco’s; they had ships. Though the Francisco’s did not have a large army, they had five-hundred ships at their disposal and the most experienced sailors in Europe.
In 100 AC, Arthur came to become head of House Francisco. His father, Lord Leopold Francisco, had died of a fever in the summer and Arthur was crowned Lord Paramount in the fall. Arthur has two sisters; Anderra and Raylah. Anderra was older and Raylah was younger. Both ambitious yet in vastly different ways. Raylah was calm and composed. She loved music and the arts, she was kind and compassionate. She was Arthur’s favourite. Anderra was less so. Anderra was cruel, often killing pets and animals that lived on Dragonstone for fun. She was a warrior and the finest sailor in the Francisco Fleet. Anderra was Arthur’s closest and most trusted advisor.
The Consolidation began with the Great Council of 101 AC. Great Council’s had been used in the past as a tool for the many Kings of Estyn to come together to discuss serious matters. They were a rare event, with previous was in 034, called by King Cragen Clarke of the North to fight a Nordic Invasion which threated all the Kingdoms. This Great Council was called by Arthur himself. The many Kings and Queens of the Several Kingdoms were sat at Dragonstone. A twenty-five-foot long, round table was situated in the centre of the Great Hall. The table had been specifically built for this meeting.
Attending the meeting; King Gordan the Ranger of the Westerlands. House Lannister had ruled the Kingdom of the Rock from Casterly Rock for two-hundred years since House Castamere was overthrown by the Lannisters of Lannisport; King Edmund Clarke of the North. The Clarkes were originally Germanic migrants who settled the North thousands of years ago. They were the oldest House in Estyn and King Edmund had ruled for merely four weeks before the Great Council; Queen Regent Tanisila Handport of the Vale of Arynn. The ruler of the Vale was seven-year-old King Marcus Arynn. His mother had been ruling the Kingdom in his stead and so attended the meeting on his behalf; King Jonas Baratheon of the Stormlands. The tallest in the room, Jonas Baratheon was the palest with the blackest hair. This was a trait of the Baratheons who had ruled from Storms End for four-hundred years; The Reach was not present at the Great Council as King Garth Greenhand refused the call, refusing the legitimize Arthur’s reign of the Narrow Sea; The Principality was represented by Crown Prince Onus Martell, said to be the most handsome of the Eight rulers. Dorne loved Onus and Onus loved Dorne; Finally, the Kingdom of Isles and Rivers were represented by House Hoare’s representative Fredrick Greyjoy.
In addition to the many Kings and Queens was four representatives from the Citadel and six representatives from the Traditionalist Faith. Arthur, Anderra and Raylah were present and standing tall in the centre of the circle table. The Consolidator waited a minute before speaking. When he did, he simply said “Is that everyone?”. Reports about the conversation and debate are lost to history. All that is recorded is that every King that entered that room left without a crown. The Consolidator became Arthur, King of all of Estyn. The King was crowned on Dragonstone as Arthur I. However, his coronation wouldn’t be this easy. Despite every King who entered the room left a lord, there were only four of the Seven rulers present; Gordan of the Westerlands, Edmund of the North, Jonas of the Stormlands and Onus of Dorne. The Vale did initially bend the knee but many in the Eyrie, the ancient capital of the Vale of Arynn, did not recognise the Queen Regent’s authority to make such a decision and so they joined the Reach and the Isles and Rivers in open rebellion.
King Arthur I sent envoys to Highgarden and to Riverrun saying: “bend the knee to the one true King of Estyn, My Lords. In exchange for your crowns, you will be granted your lands and titles as Wardens of the Reach/Isles and Rivers”. They did not.
King Harren the Black of House Hoare gathered a host of twenty-thousand men from the Isles and Rivers. His intention was not only to keep his crown, but to expand his Kingdom. He marched them to Newport, the busiest port in Estyn. The port was held by the Baratheons of Storms End (who had already bent the knee) and so the Rivermen took siege to the city. Just moments before the attackers breached the gates of Newport, it is believed, King Arthur, his sisters and four-hundred ships sailed into Newport harbour. Arthur was the first from the fleet to step onto the land. The extra ten-thousand men, on top of the Baratheon armies that had marched north to defend the city, meant Harren had to retreat. The first victory of the war and Arthur had won it. This site would now be known as King’s Landing and following the war, Arthur would make Newport, now King’s Landing, into the capital of the unified realm.
Though Harren was defeated at King’s Landing, his charge was not over. The Hoare army marched back north to the God’s Eye. Arthur followed. A great siege loomed on the horizon. The night before the battle begun, Arthur sent a raven to the gates at the God’s Eye: “Bend the Knee or I will cast this island into the sea like Atlantis before me”. King Harren did not comply, the battle begun but before the swords had clashed, his fate was decided. The water rose and the God’s Eye was sunk below thirty-feet of water. King Harren drowned. His kin tried to swim away but they were stopped by Anderra in her ships. King Harren, his castle, his men and his legacy now lie in the bottom of the God’s Sea.
The river lords bent the knee shortly after. The Consolidator named Fredrick Greyjoy of Pyke to serve as Lord of Riverrun and Warden of Isles and Rivers. Following Arthur’s second victory, the Vale declared their dissent. The Knights of the Vale joined forces with the armies of Garth Greenhand of the Reach. The siege of the God’s Eye left those in the Riverlands afraid. This battle would leave those across the world shivering. Twenty-thousand Northmen, ten-thousand Dornishmen, thirty-four-thousand Westerlanders, thirteen-thousand Islanders and fourty-thousand other men, all led by King Arthur himself marched on the fields outside Horn Hill. Horn Hill was where Garth Greenhand was making his stand against the Consolidator and so the battle would take place there. In addition to the sixty-thousand soldiers of the Reach there were ten-thousand Knights from the Vale. The battle took place far inland and so the Francisco’s advantage of the sea would not come in any use here. The battle was a traditional one and would end the war. At sunrise, the Knights of the Vale marched on the Dornish vanguard. The battle had begun. The Dornishmen were nearly defeated, until the Islanders and the Westerlanders came to their aid and strengthened their forward assault. The Knights of the Vale were almost entirely destroyed and the remaining Francisco Host marched on Horn Hill. The soldiers of the Reach were trained, but many were unwilling to die for Garth Greenhand. It is believed that seven-thousand men, and as many horses, fled the battle. The fighting lasted nearly a day, with King Arthur leading the group that breached the gates of Horn Hill. Garth Greenhand attempted to flee. He was captured, however. Garth Greenhand’s last words before being executed; “The Reach will never surrender. A foreign King cannot rule these lands. You will see”. King Arthur swung his sword and delivered the King’s Justice. The Greenhands were dead. The Knights of the Vale were defeated. House Arynn of the Vale was not as foolish as the King of the Reach and so Marcus Arynn bent the nee and became Lord Arynn of the Vale. The war was over. Arthur was King. Few disputed it, though fewer were happy about it. Arthur’s reign was about to begin and he had one job; secure his throne. Arthur was crowned in the Citadel of Oldtown as Arthur of the House Francisco, first of his name, King of the Esters and the Drowned Men, Lord of the Several Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm. The reign of the first Dragon had begun.
The reign of Arthur I (the Consolidator)
Arthur of the House Francisco, first of his name, by Grace of God, King of the Esters and the Drowned Men, Lord of the Several Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm.
The reign of King Arthur the Consolidator, officially, started in 102 AC with his coronation at the Citadel in Oldtown. He would reign for thirty years until 132 AC when he died of a fever in the night. During the Consolidation, Arthur was a tested warrior. He was valiant on a horse and unstoppable with a sword. The way he wielded a sword was almost like a martial art. He tore down his enemies like a sport. Arthur wasn’t a bad man but, when he was in battle, it was hard to tell the difference.
He was a peaceful King. He was not aggressive and most agreed that Arthur’s conquest was over. Estyn was what he desired and, once he had it, he was done fighting. Now he ruled. And this would prove to be a difficult task. Arthur’s second Hand of the King described Arthur’s patience as “if it were god-like”. Ruling isn’t a simple or enjoyable job. Many would seek power for powers sake. Most who would seek the crown over the next four centuries would only seek it to be King. Arthur did not want to be King to be King, Arthur wanted to be King to rule.
He assembled his most trusted advisors to form a Small Council. The Small Council would act as Arthur’s conscience. The Council would look mostly the same over the next four centuries; The Master of Coin, the Master of Ships, the Master of Laws, the Master of War, the Master of Whisperers, later the Lord Commander of the King’s Guard (which we will come to shortly) and finally, and arguably most importantly, the Hand of the King. The position of Hand of the King was unknown to Estyn before Arthur’s Reign. The King’s Hand would act as leader of the Small Council and would hold the responsibility of handing out the King’s commands. Traditionally, the Hand of the King would be the most trusted advisor to the King. However, in certain instances over the next four-hundred years, it would become a political position. However, the most honourable Kings would give the position to the best, most suited man for the job. King Arthur was one of these men. Arthur appointed Lord Orys Baratheon. Orys Baratheon was the brother of the former Storm King, and current Lord of Storms End, Jonus Baratheon. Orys and Arthur had become extremely close friends during the Consolidation. It is believed that Orys’ arguments in favour of bending the knee to Arthur was one of the catalysts for the other Kingdom’s following suit, though this is only rumour and speculation. Orys was a clever man. He was shorter than the average man. However, he was clearly a Baratheon. The traditional look of a Baratheon was present; Long black hair, black eyes and pale white skin. Orys’ stature might have been smaller, but this garnered him no less respect. The first Hand of the King served Arthur well during the years of peace. The years of peace allowed the capital city of King’s Landing to grow and prosper. Within ten years, the Capital was the largest city in Estyn. However, peace would not last forever.
Since the Consolidation, many Lords had a hard time swallowing Arthur’s rule. He was the King and few disputed it, but there was a feeling among many that maybe a return to the old way was better. This was a growing pressure across the Kingdoms and this pressure came to climax in 124 with the Dornish Rebellion.
In 124, Warden of the Sand, Onus Martell died. Onus was avidly loyal to the Francisco cause. However, his successor was not. Doran Martell believed that the Francisco rule of Dorne needed to come to an end. Doran, a quarter year following his ascension as Warden of Sand, invited King Arthur to Dorne to celebrate his succession. Arthur made a habit not to attend such events. There were Seven Kingdoms, and if he made a habit of attending every time one died, he would “never rest”. By this point in Arthur’s reign, most lords had stopped bothering sending an invitation. So, when the Warden of Sand and Lord Paramount of Dorne invited Arthur, he sent his Hand Orys Baratheon.
When Orys arrived, they were ambushed. Orys was taken prisoner by the Dornishmen and his host was executed at dinner. Doran Martell sent a letter to King Arthur. The exact wording was recorded by Grand Maestor Dint: “Dorne does not bend. From this day to the end of days, Dorne is an independent principality as it has been for a thousand years. Doran Martell is the Crown Prince of Dorne. Lay foot in Dorne, and worse will occur”. Attached with the letter were the severed hands of Orys Baratheon. A note saying “hands from your Hand”. Arthur was enraged.
For the first time in Arthur’s twenty-two-year reign he called the banners of his Kingdoms. Northmen, Westerlanders, Knights of the Vale, Soldiers of the Reach and the Stormlands. The River lords and Islanders. All came to Arthur’s defence. The First Dornish War had begun.
Arthur was not as young as he was during the Consolidation. Arthur hadn’t aged with grace and so, by the time of the First Dornish War, Arthur was an old man in a middle-aged man’s body. He could not fight. Arthur remained in King’s Landing and his Master of War, Ser David Walk, was appointed Hand of the King and was placed in charge of the campaign. Arthur attempted to steer the direction of the war, but day to day management of the army was in the Hands of Ser David. Ser David would serve as Hand of the King for the rest of the Consolidator’s reign. His ability to win the war would be the decider of whether a United Estyn would survive past the reign of Arthur I. King Arthur’s single aim since Consolidation; make it last. He did not want to see the return to the old way following his death and the First Dornish War would be his biggest test yet.
The campaign was long and brutal. It lasted until the end of Summer in 128. King Arthur proclaimed victory when, the capital of Dorne, Sunspear was conquered. Lord Ashgar Mullan was named Warden of the Sand and for a short time it seemed as if the Crown had won. They had rescued Lord Orys Baratheon. Although he refused to take up the position as Hand of the King once again. This was believed to be a victory, however, the Dornish do not bend. Ashgar had the nobility, but not the common people. The Dornish broke out in rebellion as soon as the Francisco armies had left Dorne. A campaign of deception left Ashgar killed and the Crown Prince of Dorne in place. Arthur was enraged once again. The Dornish War had not come to an end after all.
The late reign of Arthur the Consolidator saw strife with war. The end of the First Dornish War would not arrive until 131 AC when Crown Prince Doran Martell died. His sister, Lucia Martell, became Crown Princess of Dorne and asked for peace with the Franciscos. Lucia was young and most of her teenage years were spent in the First Dornish War. She wanted the war to end, as did many. Lucia and Arthur met at Lannisport in 131 AC to sign the Declaration of the Crown of Dorne. The people of Dorne would not accept an outsider, and so, as apart of the declaration, Dorne would keep their Crown Prince or Princess. The declaration also gave the Dornishmen a level of autonomy that no other Kingdom received. King Arthur would be King of Dorne. However, he would grant the title Crown Prince of Dorne to the head of House Martell. The King would have little power in Dorne. The Dragon could not conquer Dorne, so he bought it. This was the last achievement of the reign of King Arthur I.
The King’s peace was restored; however, Arthur would not live long enough to see it fulfilled.
In 105 AC, Arthur married Martha Hightower and had three children; Maegor, Leopold and Matilda. Maegor was the first heir to the throne. He received the title ‘Prince of Dragonstone’, a title which would be passed onto every heir for the rest of history. Upon Arthur’s death, Maegor took the throne with the support of his brother, Leopold and the Hand of the King, Ser David Walk. The first succession of the throne was peaceful, and this would set the standard for succession for the next four-hundred years.
King Arthur the Consolidator was buried at Dragonstone in 132 AC. Less than a fortnight Later, Maegor was crowned King Arthur II.