Every Major War From A Song of Ice and Fire Not Featured in Game of Thrones

2024/01/20

From the conflict beyond the Wall to the spirited politics of Westeros and Daenerys Targaryen's liberation of Essos, there is a wealth of storylines to keep up with in . All of these narratives result in a war, producing great casualities and even the extinction of Great Houses. Yet, in all the bloody battles and spiteful war of words, barely touched on the history of conflict in Westeros.

George R. R. Martin's books considerably dive into the many wars of . The most recent conflict in the series, the War of the Five Kings, was the focus of many seasons until the Great War -- the short-lived battle to save humanity against the Night King and the Others.

Then came Daenerys' conquest of Westeros, another momentary event that has yet to be fulfilled in the books. While impactful wars like the War of the First Men and the Children of the Forest, Aegon's Conquest, and Greyjoy's Rebellion are frequently referenced in the show, still left out conflicts that threw Westeros and Essos into political turmoil.

Fall of the Night's King Tells a Different Story of the Ice Creature

The Starks were a crucial House in Game of Thrones, and there was much more to them than just Jon Snow and Ned Stark.

Believe it or not, the Night King is not an icy creature in Martin's books. The Night King seen in more closely resembles the Great Other, a god who is the enemy of R'hllor. The , on the other hand, is never mentioned in the show at all, but has an intriguing history with the Night's Watch.

While not technically coined as a war in Westerosi history, the Fall of the Night's King was the result of a brutal 13 years of the figure's harsh reign over the Night's Watch.

Legend claims that the Night's King lived during the Age of Heroes and was the 13th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. After falling in love with an ice woman, known as the "Corpse Queen," the Night's King used sorcery to bound Night's Watch men to his will. The King in the North and King Beyond the Wall killed the Night's King and set the men free.

Coming of the Andals Inspired a New Westerosi Age

The timing of the Andals' migration to Westeros is disputed among sources, so it could be anywhere between two and six thousand years before the events of

. At this point, the First Men and Children of the Forest have made a pact to live peacefully and worship the Old Gods of the Forest.

The Andals arrived from the hills of Andalos in Essos, either due to the expansion of the Valyrian Freehold or a Faith of the Seven prophecy that promised the Andals kingdoms in a foreign land. The Andals forged iron for weapons, which greatly helped them defeat the First Men, who used bronze. However, the First Men outnumbered the Andals, so peace was made by retaining religious godswoods and marrying wives and daughters to First Men kings. Along with Aegon's Conquest, the Coming of the Andals influenced Westerosi culture the most by converting most

The Rhoynish Wars Created One of the Greatest Legends

The Rhoynar were the last major ethnic group to arrive in Westeros, other than the much smaller Valyrians. Unlike the Coming of the Andals, the Rhoynar fought in a series of wars up until a thousand years ago. One of these wars may even be adapted into an .

The Rhoynish Wars were precipitated by the growing expansion of the Valyrians in the city-states of the Rhoyne in Essos. At first, the conflicts were merely swift wars that seemed never-ending.

When the dragonlords destroyed the Rhoynish port city of Sarhoy, that's when things escalated. Five Rhoynish cities attempted to unite and fight the Valyrians, but were crushed by the might of three hundred dragons. In response, Princess Nymeria led her people to Dorne in a legendary story known as "Ten Thousand Ships."

The First Dornish War Taught Targaryens Defeat

has a . When the Targaryens conquered Westeros, the only ones who managed to hold them off for decades were the Dornish.

It took four years and a final conquest to get Dorne to kneel. The Conquest of Dorne is subtly referenced by Oberyn Martell in the show, who admits he doesn't blame his ancestors for submitting to the Targaryens' beauty and power.

The first war is the most significant of the four that was forgotten in the show. It lasted eight years, and resulted in the death of Queen Rhaenys Targaryen, Aegon the Conquerer's sister-wife, and her dragon Meraxes. Against three dragons and over 30,000 knights, the Dornish houses held off the Targaryens until a peace treaty was made.

The Faith Militant Uprising Framed Religion Against Royalty

Game of Thrones is a universe built on legends and stories. As a result, there are so many that could make their way to the small screen in time.

The Faith Militant were among the most self-righteous villains in , so much so that they made fans sympathize with Cersei Lannister. Before they were reborn under the High Sparrow's name and wreaked hypocritical havoc on King's Landing, they organized a rebellion against the Targaryens.

Although they converted to the Faith of the Seven for the sake of peace, the Targaryens still practiced traditional Valyrian laws that the Faith protested against, such as incest and polygamy. The armed branch of the Faith and the Poor Fellows -- commoners who guarded the roads for septas and septons -- plotted a coup to overthrow Aenys Targaryen. The war continued and worsened when Maegor the Cruel was crowned as king, and it wasn't until King Jaehaerys' reign that the Faith Militant was disbanded.

War for the Stepstones Forged a Temporary Kingdom

is the first major war in

, but it's never actually mentioned in due to it being overshadowed by the following war, the Dance of the Dragons. As depicts, the War for the Stepstones was a long and financial burden on the Iron Throne.

When Daemon Targaryen was replaced as heir to the Iron Throne, he and Corlys Velaryon used all of their strength to take control of the Stepstones and establish a new kingdom. Their army was made of the Velaryon fleet, sellswords, Second Sons and two dragons. They fought against the Triarchy -- an alliance between Myr, Lys and Tyrosh -- who had instituted high taxes for getting rid of pirates in the Stepstones for Westeros.

The war ended with Daemon killed Craghas Drahar of Myr and was crowned King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea, but later abandoned the title.

The First Four Blackfyre Rebellions Continued Familial Blood Feuds

Illegitimacy is a taboo concept in , and defines one of its main protagonists, Jon Snow. But for a show in which its most iconic battle is titled the "Battle of the Bastards," it never once mentions the wars of illegitimate children that came before it. King Aegon IV Targaryen -- who carried a lazy and self-indulgent presence with him -- unleashed a devastating course of events in Westeros when he legitimized all of his illegitimate children on his deathbed.

Beginning with the revolt of Daemon Blackfyre, saw legitimized Targaryen children attempt to claim the Iron Throne as theirs. After many years of battles, money being spent on the Golden Company and various invasions, the fourth Blackfyre Rebellion ended when Ser Duncan the Tall slew Daemon III Blackfyre.

War of the Ninepenny Kings Ended the Blackfyre House

The Targaryen's ruled over Westeros for hundreds of years, yet it was the Targaryen's in House of the Dragon that began the downfall of them all.

Daemon III wasn't the end of the Blackfyres. The War of the Ninepenny Kings was the official fifth rebellion, and the last major war before Robert's Rebellion. It's also the war where Ser Barristan Selmy received his reputation as one of the finest swordsmen alive. The conflict gets its witty name from the Band of the Nine, who were composed of outlaws, pirates, sellsword captains and the last Blackfyre, Maelys the Monstrous.

Ser Duncan joked that their crowns were being sold "nine a penny.

" Maelys had control of the Golden Company and met the Targaryen army at the Stepstones where he suffered a humiliating loss. Ser Barristan killed Maelys in battle, ending the Blackfyre line. The War of the Ninepenny Kings has sweeping effects in , including Hoster Tully fostering Littlefinger, the Blackfish becoming a war hero and Ser Barristan joining the Kingsguard.