**This article contains spoilers for HBO’s House of the Dragon Season One, and George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood novel.**House Velaryon of Driftmark is an island-based kingdom in the land of Westeros in HBO’s House of the Dragon. Their island status has led to them developing a large and well-trained navy that imposes order in the waters of the Seven Kingdoms.
This naval superpower the House has built up over many generations, in addition to a well-armed and loyal ground-based military, has made House Velaryon both a self-sustaining house that is in no need of alliances to thrive and a powerful ally should conflict erupt in Westeros. The House’s involvement in House of the Dragon is one of military superiority and awe-inspiring presence.
House Velaryon In Season One
In season one of House of the Dragon, fans are introduced to House Velaryon through its leader, Lord Corlys Velaryon, and his younger brother Vaemond Velaryon. The two brothers have worked to further empower their house by becoming members of King Viserys’ council, acting on behalf of their house while advising the king for the good of Westeros at-large. Their primary concern at the moment is the growing issue of the Triarchy, a rival faction that is amassing resources and influence near the Stepstones.
The Triarchy has also begun attacking ships, including ones belonging to the Velaryon navy. King Viserys opts to send diplomatic envoys in the hope of uniting the Triarchy under his rule, but Corlys warns that the Triarchy will see this as a weakness and become further emboldened, which could lead to open, sustained war.
The Battle Against The Triarchy
When the king’s wife, Queen Aemma Arryn, dies during childbirth, Corlys proposes a further uniting of his house with Viserys by offering his daughter, Laena Velaryon, to the king as a potential new wife, despite her being a mere 12 years old. Viserys declined, which Corlys took as a slight against House Velaryon. Corlys would then continue to work towards driving the Triarchy from the Stepstones for several more years until being reinforced by Daemon Targaryen and his dragon, Seasmoke. This gave them the edge they had been looking for, and with Daemon’s killing of The Crabfeeder, a powerful Triarchy admiral, House Velaryon’s forces were able to secure the Stepstones and end a years-long conflict over the territory. House Velaryon and House Targayren would grow closer as a united front and family, thanks to political marriages between the two, in the years to come.
Siding With The Blacks
Upon the death of King Viserys and his council’s usurping of the throne to install Aegon II Targaryen as king instead of Viserys’ daughter, Rhaenyra Targaryen, House Velaryon was quickly sought after as an ally by the two factions to reinforce and legitimize their claim to the Iron Throne. Corlys, who had returned from another years-long conflict and was bedridden with illness, was brought up to speed about recent events by Rhaenys Targaryen, his wife. His younger brother Vaemond was dead, cut down by Daemon for accusing Rhaenyra’s children of being bastard children with no claim to the throne, and House Velaryon was now a prize sought by the warring and divided House Targaryen.
He pledged his full support and the fighting forces of House Velaryon to Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, quickly sending a massive naval detachment to seize control of the waters surrounding Kings Landing, cutting off Aegon’s forces from effectively using the water bodies for their own ships. With the death of Lucerys Targaryen, open war was now an inevitability, and House Velaryon was the largest force that Rhaenyra’s faction, The Blacks, had at its disposal.
House Velaryon In Season Two
With their naval superiority and well-disciplined army, House Velaryon is set to be a difficult enemy for King Aegon II and his forces to combat. If the events of this civil war are at all similar to the source material, House Velaryon’s influence in the war has only just begun. Corlys’ continued involvement in the war would see the forces of House Velaryon maintain loyalty to him and his leadership above all else.
When Corlys is imprisoned for defying Queen Rhaenyra’s orders, hundreds of Velaryon soldiers begin to riot and desert. Some even plan to storm the dungeon and free the lord of their House. This weakened Rhaenyra’s hold on King’s Landing and forced her faction out of the city while Aegon II’s forces pushed to retake it. Some Velaryon forces continued to fight for The Blacks while others formed into groups hoping to act in protection of their lord, who had been freed of the dungeon by Queen Alicent Hightower and was conspiring with Larys Strong to end the war as quickly as possible. With the death of Aegon II and the ceasing of hostilities, Corlys would lead House Velaryon for some time before his death, with leadership passing to Alyn Velaryon.
Fans will have to wait and see if these events manifest on-screen in season two, as filming is scheduled to begin in early 2023, and the season is set to premiere in 2024. Until then, the mighty House Velaryon’s continued involvement in the conflict over the Iron Throne is up to speculation and rumor.
