House of the Dragon focuses on the Targaryens and their growing conflicts within the family. The show’s first season has concluded, and war has begun between the Greens and the Blacks. The noble family of dragon riders has ruled over Westeros for three centuries, but after the Dance of Dragons, the family and the Seven Kingdoms will never be the same again. But perhaps it all could have been avoided if they had understood the past so that they could learn not to repeat it.
Special attention is put towards the fabled city of Old Valyria in episode 2 of House of the Dragon. King Viserys I understood the significance of this history better than everyone and that the fall may not have occurred from a simple disaster, but from its people’s folly. His scale model of the city, built throughout the first season, serves as a stark reminder of his family’s past hubris towards its history, a mistake that was always on his mind, even in his final years. Not much has been revealed about Old Valyria, although it looms large over the series, representing the losses of the past and those to come. This is what is the history of Valyria, the Doom, and its consequences.
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Like most nations, Valyria had to overcome others to flourish. Before it had reached its legendary status, the kingdom was very small and defenseless to the might of Ghis, a vast empire built upon slavery. At the time, the older empire overshadowed Valyria, what Screen Rant describes as a small town of sheep headers and pastoral folk. By all accounts, Valyria should have been added to Ghis’s ever-expanding empire. However, deep within the Valyrian volcanoes, the Valyrians discovered a power that would change the world forever.
The Valyrians discovered and tamed the dragons with magic arts now lost to the world. By this time, Ghis had conquered and ruled over Essos for centuries, but they were no match for the little fledgling nation when they rose on the backs of winged beasts. Ghis was defeated, but the conflict between the two didn’t end there. Five wars between were fought for the dragons, and the Ghiscari lost every one of them. By the time the final war had ended, only three cities remained of the once great empire: Yunkai, Astapor, and Meereen, all of which would be taken by Daenerys Targaryen in her journey to liberate the slaves of Slavers Bay centuries later (as seen in Game of Thrones).
Unfortunately, power is the most addicting thing there is. Having grown more powerful than ever, Valyria was not content with living in peace under the might of their dragons. They had the greatest power the world had ever seen and oceans of opportunity. Valyria began expanding by sacking city after city and conquering most of Southern Essos to become the most dominant nation on the continent and the entire world. They chose not to expand to Westeros, though. To them, the continent was a worthless backwater region. Never could they have imagined it would one day be home to the last vestiges of their ruin.
A Kingdom Like No Other
In the wake of Vayria’s widespread expansion, it established the Valyrian Freehold, which was the governing body that allowed all freeborn landowners to have a voice. In this government, those conquered by Valyria were not subjects, but free people in their society. Emphasis on the word free. Valyria had taken after Ghis’s and enslaved the conquered Ghiscari people, putting them to work in the mines of the 14 volcanoes, known as the Fourteen Flames, to mine gold and precious metals. As Valyria continued to grow, so did the need for these resources, resulting in the deaths of countless Ghiscari slaves. As more notable cities integrated into the Valyrian empire, others of note were formed and resided on the outside as trading cities.
In its time, Valyria was the most glorious kingdom in the world. There were many families of dragon riders, all with the fabled silver-white hair and lilac eyes. Many believed these people really were born of dragons, which may have been more than a fable given Valyrian’s experimentation with crossbreeding. The kingdom was said to be a place of great magic both sacred and forbidden, although most knowledge has since been lost. Hundreds of dragons roamed the skies freely and served the ruling dragon lords. Sorcery and blood magic were used and experimented with in abundance. Valyrian steel swords, a highly sought commodity, were forged with magic and rare steel using techniques that only a few in the world still know how to perform.
The Valyrians worshiped many gods and partook and numerous magic rituals, some holy and others not as such. They invested in trade and set up a port on the coast of Westeros, which became known as Dragonstone. However, Valyria’s dalliances and exploitations of things for which they had no comprehension may have been the very thing that led to the doom. Before relocating to Dragonstone, the Targaryens were a relatively minor house of the Freeholds’ 40 ruling households. They had agreed to control Dragonstone for trade, but Aenor Targaryen’s daughter Daenys foresaw the Doom, and he relocated his family to escape it. The great cataclysm struck 12 years later.
The Doom
Accounts as to what caused the Doom vary. Most say it was a natural cataclysm, while others say it was the gods punishing Valyria for its sinful use of magic and dark arts. Others say it was a faltering in the spells used to tame the abused volcanoes. King Viserys I saw the cause as being from his ancestors toying with forces they should never have meddled with, exploiting the magic of dragons and stripping the 14 flames of their natural resources.
The destruction began with the eruption of the Fourteen Fires, which then spiraled to numerous smaller volcanoes. The destruction tore the Valyrion Freehold apart, casting large chunks into the sea. The eruptions were followed by earthquakes, tsunamis, and firestorms that were hot enough to burn dragons. No one was safe from the apocalyptic catastrophe, not even the dragons that conquered entire nations. All perished save for one. That dragon was Balerion the Black Dread, who would be ridden by Aegon in his conquest of the Seven Kingdoms. What remained of Valyria became a toxic wasteland for the damned. Centuries later, the ruins remain shrouded in ash. Where the Fourteen Flames once sat is now the Smoking Seas, where the waters are poisonous, and toxic vapors shroud the surface. Euron Greyjoy is said to have been the only man to have entered the ruins and returned, claims not easily refuted as he was a known madman. The wasteland is now home only to the Grayscale-infested stone men sent to live out their final days of infection away from civilization.
The consequences of the Doom reverberated across Essos in the years following in what is called “The Bleeding Years.” Looking to reclaim the power it had lost, the Ghiscari Empire reclaimed its lands but could not maintain control as it had grown too weak, leading colonies to break away and form the Free Cities. Much of Valyrian culture died out with the kingdom, but is carried on through the few who survived the Doom and nations close to Valyrian culture, which is why various characters along Daenarys journey in Game of Thrones speak the language. Further fighting saw Vassell states fighting for power. Native tribes (Khalasars), once under the protection of Valyria, grew in power by looting cities and only sparing those who offered tribute.
No kingdom has ever been able to match the glory of Old Valyria, and none ever will. It could be that the dragonlords saw themselves as indestructible and thus could do as they pleased without repercussions. But history proves that everything comes with a price. While the conflict in the Seven Kingdoms may not be emanating from the same sources that caused the Doom, Viserys recognized that the only thing that could topple the House of the Dragon is its own hubris. Greed and power toppled Valyria, and in the wake of Viserys death, it may just topple another empire of dragon riders.
