War of the Usurper

The War of the Usurper (circa 282-283 AL), also known as Robert's Rebellion, is a fictional war in American fantasy author George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels. The war takes place approximately fifteen years prior to the events of the first novel in the series, A Game of Thrones, and establishes the political situation at the beginning of the books.

Causes

The conflict began when Brandon Stark, the heir to Winterfell, who was about to be married to Catelyn Tully, learned that his sister, Lyanna Stark, had been kidnapped by Crown Prince Rhaegar. Despite the pleading of his soon to be Father-in-Law Hoster Tully for patience, Brandon rode to the city of King's Landing. There, he went into the Red Keep shouting for Prince Rhaegar to come out and die. King Aerys had Brandon arrested for wanting to murder the crown prince, and summoned Rickard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, to King’s Landing to answer for his son’s treason. Aerys had Brandon and Rickard killed, with two hundred of Lord Stark’s best men.

Along with the Starks, Brandon's companions, Jeffory Mallister, Kyle Royce, and Elbert Arryn (nephew and heir of Lord Jon Arryn of the Vale), were accused of treason, and when their fathers came to King’s Landing to answer for their sons’ indiscretions, they were all killed after perfunctory trials by King Aerys. Brandon's squire Ethan Glover, however, was not killed along with his companions. When Aerys demanded the heads of Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark from Lord Jon Arryn of the Vale, he instead raised his banners in revolt. However, many of Jon's bannermen sided with the King, chief among them Lord Grafton, who called the other loyalists to aid him in barring Jon and Robert from entering his port of Gulltown. After the fall of Gulltown's defenses, Robert was able to return to Storm's End, while Eddard returned North, calling his own banners.

Overview of the War of the Usurper. 1 Summerhall, 2 Ashford, 3 Stoney Sept, 4 Trident, 5 King's Landing, 6 Storm's End. Green: Robert Baratheon. Grey: Eddard Stark. Brown: Tyrell forces. Red: Tywin Lannister. Black: loyalists.

Events

Battle of Summerhall

The Battle of Summerhall (marked 1 on the map) was actually three battles all fought on one day. Robert hit three independent Loyalist forces before they could converge upon him. Lords Grandison, Cafferen, and Fell planned to join their hosts at Summerhall and march on Storm’s End, but Robert learned of their plans and attacked each one individually first. Lord Fell was killed at the battle and Robert's forces captured his son, Silveraxe. Lords Grandison and Cafferen- both Loyalist commanders- went over to Robert after the battle, as did Silveraxe.

Battle of Ashford

The Battle of Ashford (marked 2 on the map) was an indecisive victory for loyalist forces when Lord Randyll Tarly's van smashed Robert Baratheon’s forces before the bulk of Lord Mace Tyrell’s main force could be brought to bear. Lord Cafferen, a former Loyalist turned rebel after the Battle of Summerhall, was cut down by Randyll Tarly while fighting under Robert’s banner. Lord Tarly sent Lord Cafferen’s head to King Aerys. By all indications, the battle was indecisive, however Mace likes to remember it as his one great victory over Robert.

Battle of the Bells

The Battle of the Bells (marked 3 on the map) took place at Stoney Sept. Aerys’ forces were chasing after Robert Baratheon, attempting to cut him off from Eddard Stark’s forces. Robert was wounded and hiding in Stoney Sept. Jon Connington, the Hand, took the town by force and began searching from house to house. Lord Eddard Stark and Lord Hoster Tully's forces swept into the town. The battle took place on roof tops, in alley ways, and in the streets. Connington fought back fiercely. Robert came out at that point and led a counter attack. When Connington saw the battle was over, he ordered an orderly retreat. After the Battle of the Bells, Aerys realized that Robert was not some outlaw lord, but rather the greatest threat to the realm since Daemon Blackfyre, and exiled Lord Connington for his failure. After the Battle of the Bells, Aerys ordered his Pyromancers to place caches of wildfire throughout King’s Landing, even within the Red Keep itself. At some point during the battle, Hoster was badly wounded and Ser Denys Arryn, heir to the Vale, was killed.

Battle of the Trident

The Battle of the Trident (marked 4 on the map) was the decisive battle of the War of Robert’s Rebellion, matching the forces of Robert against the Targaryen loyalists. Crown Prince Rhaegar entered the Battle of the Trident with 40,000 men, including the newly acquired levies from Dorne under Prince Lewyn's command, which had been gathered after Aerys had bluntly reminded the Prince that he held Elia, wife of Rhaegar. Rhaegar and Robert met in combat on the ford of the Trident while the battle crashed around them. Robert slew Rhaegar with a blow to the chest from his war hammer so powerful that it smashed the rubies right from the armor. After Rhaegar fell, the Targaryen host broke and ran. Rhaegar inflicted a grievous wound on Robert that prevented him from riding to King’s Landing. After the battle, the ford where Rhaegar died became knowns as the Ruby Ford as the rubies of his breastplate fell in the waters. Lord Grandison, a former Loyalist turned rebel, was wounded on the Trident and died from his wound a year later. Prince Lewyn was at the Trident with Rhaegar and Aerys thought that Lewyn had betrayed Rhaegar.

• Robert Baratheon killed Rhaegar Targaryen
• Lyn Corbray killed a wounded Lewyn Martell
• Jason Mallister killed three of Rhaegar's bannermen
• Jonothor Darry was killed
• Barristan Selmy was wounded by arrow, sword and spear, yet his life was spared by Robert sending his maester to attend to his valiant enemy first despite Robert's wound and Roose Bolton's urgings to kill him

Sack of King's Landing

The Sack of King’s Landing (marked 5 on the map) occurred one year into the rebellion. The Lannister forces, who had remained neutral until the Battle of the Trident, were at the gates of King’s Landing, claiming loyalty to Aerys and asking to be let in. Aerys, on advice from Grand Maester Pycelle, opened the gates of the city, sealing his doom. The Lannister forces began to assault the city in Robert's name. Aerys had had caches of wildfire placed throughout the city, planning to destroy it rather than allow it to be conquered; he said, “Let him [Robert] be king over charred bones and cooked meat. Let him be the king of ashes.”

Aerys ordered Jaime Lannister to kill Lord Tywin, leader of the Lannister forces and Ser Jaime's father. Instead, Jaime slew Lord Rossart, the pyromancer Aerys had sent to ignite the wildfire and destroy the city, and then murdered Aerys himself in his own throne room. Lord Tywin sent his knights Gregor Clegane and Amory Lorch to deal with the rest of the royal family to secure the throne for Robert and prove House Lannister had forsaken the Dragon forever. Gregor killed the baby crown prince Aegon while his mother watched, then proceeded to rape and murder Princess Elia, while Amory dragged princess Rhaenys from under her father's bed and killed her. When Eddard Stark arrived shortly thereafter, he found Jaime seated on the Iron Throne and Aerys's corpse slumped below it.

Siege of Storm's End

Although not a battle, the Siege of Storm’s End held up Mace Tyrell’s forces that were besieging Stannis Baratheon’s for the better part of the entire war. During this siege, the forces of the Reach, led by Mace Tyrell and Paxter Redwyne, feasted while Stannis and his men starved inside the castle. Help eventually came in the person of Davos Seaworth, a smuggler who snuck a cargo of onions past the Royal Blockade. In the end, Stannis’ forces held out and Eddard Stark came down after the Trident and Lord Tyrell dipped his banners (marked 6 on the map).

Dragonstone

After the siege of Storm's End was lifted, Stannis was given command of a fleet to take the last Targaryen stronghold, Dragonstone, the ancient seat of the House from which Aegon the Conqueror had launched his invasion nearly three hundred years ago. Some nine months or more earlier, before the Sack of King's Landing, Queen Rhaella and Prince Viserys had fled to the island with Ser Willem Darry. The Queen died in childbed giving birth to Princess Daenerys during a great storm that destroyed the Targaryen fleet at anchor.

Before Stannis's arrival, Ser Willem and a handful of men abducted Viserys, Daenerys, and her wet nurse from the nursery and sailed for Braavos where the young King began his life of wandering exile.

Battle of the Tower of Joy - The End of Aerys's Kingsguard

Ser Arthur Dayne, Ser Oswell Whent, and the Lord Commander Gerold Hightower had been absent from the battles on the Trident, King's Landing, and Storm's End. They were guarding a small tower, named the Tower of Joy, in the red mountains of Dorne where Prince Rhaegar had been holding Lyanna Stark. Lord Eddard rode there with a few companions, including Howland Reed, the Lord of Greywater Watch, after raising the siege of Storm's End. Stark and Reed were the only survivors of this encounter, and Lyanna died shortly after, but she lived long enough to extract a promise from her brother. Afterwards, Eddard rode to Starfall to deliver Ser Arthur's sword Dawn to his sister Lady Ashara Dayne, who leapt into the sea shortly after.

Outcome

After the war, Robert Baratheon took the Iron Throne with Jon Arryn as Hand. As Lyanna Stark had died after her abduction, he married Cersei Lannister instead. Arryn negotiated a truce with Dorne, and the Seven Kingdoms confirmed Robert I as king.

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