Centuries before the events of Game Of Thrones, House Targaryen and the rest of the Dragonlords from Old Valyria ruled a vast empire. The Valyrian Freehold ranged from Dragonstone to the Free Cities, and across Essos to Slaver's Bay. The silver-haired, purple-eyed dragonriders overthrew the Ghiscari Empire and conquered their enemies in battle by raining fire and blood from the skies.
Dragons were instrumental in the Valyrian wars, as well as Aegon's conquest of Westeros. The Targaryens were mystical people with magic in their blood. Their ability to control dragons was one of the many enigmatic skills they derived from the dragonlords of Old Valyria.
10 The Dragonlords Used A Magical Horn To Control Their Dragons
Valyria conquered the world because it had the greatest weapons: dragons. Accounts of how the dragonlords controlled their dragons differ from culture to culture. Some suggest that they used magic and blood sacrifice, whereas others say they were taught by ancient people from Asshai.
In the books, Euron Grejoy procures a Valyrian horn called Dragonbinder, said to bind dragons to his will. The Targaryens and the other dragonlords of Valyria likely used such horns to control their deadly mounts.
9 The Dragons' Origins Are A Mystery
To this day, the origin of dragons is another mystery with various answering myths. According to the Valyrians, dragons were first found in the Fourteen Flames. The dragonlords found and tamed the magical beasts before using them to conquer the Freehold.
Other myths suggest that dragons weren't originally native to Valyria, however. The Asshai'i offer that dragons first stirred in the Shadow Lands before they were given to the Valyriams as gifts.
8 The Targaryens Weren't The Most Powerful Family In Valyria
House Targaryen established a three hundred year dynasty when Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya conquered Westeros. The Dragonlords ruled from the Iron Throne, forged by Balerion's fire until they were cast down centuries later during Robert's Rebellion.
The Targaryens were fierce figures in Westeros, yet they were actually weaker than their fellow Dragonlords in Valyria. Before Daenys Targaryen's prophetic visions, the rulers of Westeros were one of the Freehold's least powerful families.
7 The Valyrian Freehold Ruled Most Of Essos
No empire in Game Of Thrones' history reached the heights of the Valyrian Freehold. After they discovered dragons, Valyria was almost indestructible. Their power spread across the Free Cities and Ghis; it wasn't long before nearly all of Essos bowed to the dragon's rule.
Valyria lost some battles, but there were no weapons or armies strong enough to eradicate the dragons. If not for the Doom, the Freehold could have remained in power throughout the main events of the series.
6 Valyria Conquered The Old Ghis Empire
The Valyrian Freehold smashed another empire in its conquest of Essos. Before Valyria, the Old Empire of Ghis battled the Freehold for control of land and dragons. The Ghiscari lost the war when Old Ghis was destroyed by Dragonfire before its ruins were sown with salt to prevent a resurgence.
The cities of Slaver's Bay, as well as New Ghis, overthrew their Valyrian rulers following the Doom. Throughout the series, Daenerys unknowingly avenges the usurpation of her ancestors when she conquers Astapor, Yunkai, and Meereen.
5 The Dragonlords Caused The Andals & The Rhoynar To Flee To Westeros
Westeros is inhabited by three primary ethnics races: the First Men, the Andals, and the Rhoynar. Descendants of the First Men include House Stark and the other Northern families. Andal ancestors settled in the southern kingdoms, whereas the Roynar occupied Dorne.
The Andals and the Rhoynar initially lived in Essos. War with the Valyrians caused them to retreat and flee west to the Sunset Kingdoms, populating most of the country.
4 Valyria Fell After The Doom
Valyria seemed undefeatable... until the Doom, that is. The cause of the Doom remains one of the most important events in Westerosi history. It is assumed that the Doom began when the volcanic Fourteen Flames erupted, though some maesters suspect it was the Valyrians' meddling in magic that was to blame.
The explosion was so devastating it killed dragons in the sky and splintered Valyria's peninsula into small islands. The mystical city never recovered from its demise, nor did its Freehold in Essos.
3 Aegon Conquered Westeros 100 Years After The Doom
Luckily for House Targaryen, Daenys the Dreamer foresaw the Doom, prompting her family to leave Valyria twelve years before its destruction. A hundred years later, Aegon the Conquerer set his sights - and his dragons - on Westeros, with Rhaenys and Visenya at his side.
The Targaryens had lived on Dragonstone for over a century before the conquest. Though it took them years, the three dragonlords eventually unified all of Westeros (except for Dorne) under their rule.
2 The Valyrians Worshiped Different Gods
In the books, it is said that "the Targaryens, like their dragons, answered to neither gods nor men." This was true for many members of House Targaryen after the Doom. In Valyria, the dragonlords worshiped polytheistic gods of their own, following a separate religion to the Faith of the Seven.
It can be assumed that the Targaryens of Valyria followed the same religion as their peers. The mounts of the conquerers, Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar, were named after the lost gods of Valyria.
1 Valyrian Governance Was Comprised Of 40 Families
Although the Valyrian Freehold was regarded as an empire, no singular ruler ever reigned over its expanse. The Freehold was comprised of freeborn landowners and governed by forty families who boasted dragons, money, or power (or all of the above).
The governance of the Freehold is similar to the political system established in the series finale. Lords and ladies from powerful families gathered to discuss rulership of the kingdoms and the fate of society as a whole. Valyria might have been destroyed centuries before the events of the series, but the Dragonlords continued to extend their influence over Westeros and Essos.
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