Game of thrones westerlands

If Part IV of this series was about trying to figure out why the Riverlands, with all its natural advantages, nonetheless game of thrones westerlands a failed state, and thus come to a better understanding of the dynamics of successful state-building, this essay and Part VII on the Reach will be an exploration of what we can learn about the pre-Aegon balance of power in the Seven Kingdoms through the lens of the Westerlands. Because next to only the Reach, the Westerlands had all of the starting advantages from a Civilization-style perspective one would think would be necessary to build a continental hegemon: a legendary abundance of natural resources, significant geostrategic defenses, political unity and able governance, game of thrones westerlands. And yet, the Westerlands never achieved even the partial empires that their peers in the Great Game — the Stormlands, the Reach, and even the Iron Islands — did.

The Westerlands is one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms. It was formerly a sovereign realm known as the Kingdom of the Rock before the Targaryen conquest. It is one of the smaller regions of the Seven Kingdoms geographically but has one of the larger populations. It is also immensely rich in natural resources, particularly metals. Predominantly mountainous, the hills of the Westerlands are riddled with veins of gold and silver, the mining of which has made the Lannisters and their bannermen immensely rich; the abundance of iron also allows them to easily forge weapons and military equipment. While the Lannister armies are not as huge as those of the Reach, they are the best-equipped in the realm with heavily-armored soldiers and cavalry.

Game of thrones westerlands

Map showing the location of the Westerlands within the continent of Westeros. The Westerlands , [1] also known simply as the West , [2] is one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms. It was formerly a sovereign realm known as the Kingdom of the Rock before Aegon's Conquest. It is one of the smaller regions of the Seven Kingdoms geographically but has one of the larger populations. It is also immensely rich in natural resources, particularly metals. Predominantly mountainous, the hills of the Westerlands are riddled with veins of gold and silver, the mining of which has made the Lannisters and their bannermen immensely rich; the abundance of iron also allows them to easily forge weapons and military equipment. While the Lannister armies are not as huge as those of the Reach, they are the best-equipped in the realm with heavily-armored soldiers and cavalry. Bastards born in the Westerlands are given the surname Hill. People of the Westerlands are collectively known as Westermen and are referred to, colloquially, as "lions" in reference to the sigil of House Lannister. Colloquially, Westermen are also referred to as Lannisters. Once the seat of the Lannister's power, Casterly Rock has for the first time in its history fallen to a foe. Utilising a secret passageway constructed by Tyrion Lannister , the Unsullied armies of Daenerys Targaryen infiltrated and captured the castle.

The Heirs of the Dragon 2. Episode 2. Do you think the Casterly origin story being associated with lions and the Lannister Sigil being a lion makes it more likely Lann claimed legitimacy through marriage?

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Map showing the location of the Westerlands within the continent of Westeros. The Westerlands , [1] also known simply as the West , [2] is one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms. It was formerly a sovereign realm known as the Kingdom of the Rock before Aegon's Conquest. It is one of the smaller regions of the Seven Kingdoms geographically but has one of the larger populations. It is also immensely rich in natural resources, particularly metals. Predominantly mountainous, the hills of the Westerlands are riddled with veins of gold and silver, the mining of which has made the Lannisters and their bannermen immensely rich; the abundance of iron also allows them to easily forge weapons and military equipment. While the Lannister armies are not as huge as those of the Reach, they are the best-equipped in the realm with heavily-armored soldiers and cavalry.

Game of thrones westerlands

The Westerlands are one of the constituent regions of Westeros. They once formed an independent kingdom ruled by the King of the Rock before they were defeated on the Field of Fire by Aegon the Conqueror. King Loren Lannister bent the knee to Aegon and was permitted to remain ruler of the Westerlands. House Lannister rule the Westerlands from their great castle at Casterly Rock. Westermen are generally held to be reliable and steadfast, but they are fiercely loyal to the Lannisters over the Iron Throne.

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The Reynes of Castamere made a rich system of mines, caves, and tunnels as their own subterranean seat, whilst the Westerlings built the Crag above the waves. All three of the factors I discussed above played a role in this strategy: by marrying into the Reynes and siring children, Loreon ensured that the Reynes would see future Kings of the Rock as kinsmen rather than conquerors. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The Westerlands' men-at-arms seem to be the only soldiers, along with the Vale and Reach men-at-arms, that value the usage of plate armor most; their arms and torso are covered by crimson-ornamented plate, while their heads are protected by helmets with collapsible visors, cheek guards and golden crests. Just one quick question on format. Gonzalo says:. The Wiki is in need of admins! Because next to only the Reach, the Westerlands had all of the starting advantages from a Civilization-style perspective one would think would be necessary to build a continental hegemon: a legendary abundance of natural resources, significant geostrategic defenses, political unity and able governance. This meant that the Ironborn were a manageable threat which could challenge but not truly threaten an emerging polity. Second of His Name 4. And what tricksters do is lie about everything, especially about their own identity. At the same time, in order to keep the flow of trade going, the Lannisters would have to engage in diplomacy with the outside world, which made them an unusually cosmopolitan kingdom from the very beginning. Regardless of his origins, the tales agree that somehow Lann the Clever winkled the Casterlys out of their Rock and took it for his own. Well, Dalton Greyjoy did exactly thta by allying with the blacks in exchange for freedom to raid on the Westerlands.

It is the fifty-eighth short of the series overall. Tywin Lannister reveals the history of the Westerlands , and the true strength behind the richest region of the Seven Kingdoms : House Lannister. Tywin Lannister : The Westerlands are all bounded by three natural defenses.

Whereas the Casterlys seem to have largely looked inwards, safe in the knowledge that the Rock could never be taken, the Lannisters would be focused on the outside world almost from the outset of their dynasty. As we will see, this proximity to a gang of violent pirates would cause substantial difficulties for the Westerlands as a polity. Regardless of why the Casterlys failed to make the most of their advantage, fate decreed that the latent power they were sitting on would not go unused, and so Lann the Clever came to the Westerlands to supplant the Casterlys and take possession of the Rock in the beginning of a pattern we will see happening again and again in this essay:. The Westerlands , [1] also known simply as the West , [2] is one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms. Well, the Lannisters did invade the Iron Islands twice prior to the Conquest, and twice more after. The Lannisters of Lannisport prospered, built great walls around their city to defend it from those chiefly ironborn who sought to steal their wealth, and soon became kings. They could find a drain through a sea cave and have the dragons dig to widen it enough for a small force to climb through disguised as Lannister guardsmen and open the gates for the army waiting outside. The whole Westerlands are ruled by the Lannisters of Casterly Rock. House Lannister commonly keeps a large fleet of warships to defend against these attacks thus the Greyjoy Rebellion began with a sneak attack which burned the Lannister fleet at anchor. Back when the foundries were still turning them out in a steady stream, maybe things were different — especially for someone who had a mountain of gold to spend.