House Strong

House Strong of Harrenhal
Coat of arms	A tripartite pale, blue, red, and green on white (Argent, a pale tierced per pale azure, gules, and vert)
Seat	Harrenhal
Head	Extinct
Region	The riverlands
Title	Lord of Harrenhal
Overlord	House Tully
Founded	Age of Heroes[1] (House Strong) 73 AC[2] (House Strong of Harrenhal)
Died out	131 AC[3]

House Strong of Harrenhal was a noble house in the riverlands. Their main seat was Harrenhal. Like the other families who have been in possession of Harrenhal, their family died out.^[4] According to semi-canon sources they blazoned their arms with a tripartite pale blue, red, and green on white, representing the three forks of the Trident.^[5]

History

Origin

House Strong boasted of their descent from the First Men.^[1]

Early Targaryens

During Aegon's Conquest, House Strong followed House Tully in rebelling against Harren Hoare, King of the Isles and the Rivers, supporting instead House Targaryen. As Aegon's forces and the riverlords besieged the ironborn in Harrenhal, Harren offered the hand of a daughter of House Strong in marriage as a reward to any ironborn that would slay Aegon's dragon Balerion.^[6]

Ser Osmund Strong was named Hand of the King during the reign of King Aegon I Targaryen and oversaw the construction of the wall around King's Landing.^[7]

Ser Lucamore Strong was the victor of the grand melee held during the tourney for the completion of the Dragonpit in 55 AC. After Ser Willam the Wasp passed away the following year, King Jaehaerys I Targaryen replaced him in the Kingsguard with Lucamore.^[2]

Lords of Harrenhal

Jaehaerys named Lucamore's brother, Ser Bywin Strong, as Lord of Harrenhal in 73 AC, after the passing of Queen Rhaena Targaryen.^{[2][N 1]} Later that year, Lucamore was caught breaking his vows after fathering sixteen children. He was gelded and sent to join the Night's Watch. There is a song about Lucamore.^[8][9]

Lord Lyonel Strong served the Old King's successor, Viserys I Targaryen, as master of laws from 105 AC.^[10] Lyonel brought two maiden daughters and two sons to court with him. The girls became handmaids to Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen; their elder brother, Ser Harwin Strong, was made a captain in the gold cloaks; the younger brother, Larys, joined the king's confessors.^[10] Four years later, Lyonel replaced Ser Otto Hightower as Hand of the King.^[11]

Ser Harwin Strong became Princess Rhaenyra's sworn shield in 114 AC. He was rumored to have been the true father of her children by Prince Laenor Velaryon, Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey Velaryon. In 120 AC, Lyonel and Harwin died in a fire at Harrenhal, and Lyonel's younger son Larys succeeded as lord.^[10] Larys eventually became master of whisperers for Viserys, as well as Lord Confessor.^[10] Sources dispute whether Alys Rivers was a bastard daughter of Lord Lyonel or if she was born to older generations.^[12]

Dance of the Dragons

Main article: Dance of the Dragons

At the start of the Dance of the Dragons, the House's wealth was "not-inconsiderable" according to Archmaester Gyldayn. Lord Larys sat on the green council of King Aegon II Targaryen as master of whisperers and Lord Confessor, while his castellan and great-uncle Ser Simon held Harrenhal against the blacks of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen. Simon and his grandsons were taken captive by Rhaenyra's second husband, Prince Daemon Targaryen, when he captured their castle during the civil war.^[12] Prince Aemond Targaryen killed Simon and all the trueborn and baseborn members of his family (except for Alys Rivers) after Ser Criston Cole recovered Harrenhal, believing Simon to have been a traitor.^[1]

Aegon II refused to surrender to the riverlands army led by young Lord Kermit Tully, who had defeated the last green army in the Battle of the Kingsroad, and the king was poisoned shortly after. During the Hour of the Wolf, Larys was accused of betraying his king and he chose death over the Wall. He was executed by Lord Cregan Stark, Hand for Aegon III, thus ending House Strong in 131 AC.^[3] Possession of Harrenhal eventually went to House Lothston in 151 AC.^[13]

Recent Events

A Feast for Crows

Petyr Baelish uses the extinction of House Strong as an example of the fate of those who claim to own Harrenhal.^[14]

A Dance with Dragons

Denys Strong and Duncan Strong are members of the Golden Company. It is unknown if they actually descend from House Strong, as men of the free companies can take any name they want.^[15]

The mysterious Ser Robert Strong is added to the Kingsguard of Tommen I Baratheon and is to serve as the champion of Cersei Lannister.^[16]

House Strong at the end of the third century

The known Strongs during the timespan of the events described in A Song of Ice and Fire are:

• Duncan Strong, an exile serving with the Golden Company.^[15]
• Denys Strong, an exile serving with the Golden Company.^[15]
• Ser Robert Strong, a knight of the Kingsguard under Tommen I Baratheon.^[16]

Historical Members

• Unknown Strong, rebelled against Harren the Black during Aegon's Conquest.^[6]
  • His daughter, offered as a reward by Harren the Black to anyone who could slay the dragon Balerion.^[6]
• Ser Osmund Strong, a Hand of the King for Aegon I Targaryen.^[7]
• Lord Bywin Strong, the first Lord of Harrenhal from House Strong.^[2]
  • Ser Lucamore Strong, known as Lucamore the Lusty, Bywin's brother. A knight of the Kingsguard during the reign of Jaehaerys I Targaryen, he was gelded and sent to the Wall by his sworn brothers for fathering sixteen children on three women.^[2][17]
  • His sixteen children all deemed bastards, ordered to bear the names Rivers, Waters, and Storm and relocated to Harrenhal, Driftmark and Storm's End.^[2][17]
• Lord Lyonel Strong, Lord of Harrenhal, the master of laws and Hand of the King during the reign of Viserys I Targaryen. Died at Harrenhal in a mysterious fire.^[10]
  • Ser Harwin Strong, known as Breakbones, was the rumored paramour of Rhaenyra Targaryen and the supposed father to her three sons, Jace, Luke, and Joff Velaryon. Said to be the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms in his day. Died at Harrenhal in a mysterious fire.^[10]
  • Lord Larys Strong, known as Larys Clubfoot, Lord of Harrenhal. He was the master of whisperers and Lord Confessor during the reigns of Viserys I Targaryen and Aegon II Targaryen.^[10]
  • Two unnamed daughters.^[10]
  • Alys Rivers, allegedly a bastard daughter.^[12]
  • Ser Simon Strong, Lord Lyonel's uncle, the elderly castellan of Harrenhal during the Dance of the Dragons. He and his grandsons were slain by Prince Aemond Targaryen.^[1]
    • Grandsons.^[1]
  • Unknown number of Strong bastards, slain by Prince Aemond.^[1]

Family tree

Notes

References

v d e Houses of the Riverlands   At the start of A Game of Thrones Great House Tully Lordly Houses Bigglestone Blackwood Bracken Butterwell Chambers Charlton Darry Deddings Frey Goodbrook Lychester Mallister Mooton Nutt Perryn Piper Roote Shawney Smallwood Vance of Atranta Vance of Wayfarer's Rest Vypren Wayn Whent Knightly Houses Cox Paege Wode Other Houses (noble rank unknown) Blanetree Erenford Grell Grey Haigh Hawick Keath Lolliston Nayland Pemford Ryger Terrick Extinct Houses Fisher Harroway Hoare Hook Justman Lothston Mudd Qoherys Strong Teague Towers   At the end of A Dance with Dragons Great House Baelish Lordly Houses Bigglestone Blackwood Bracken Butterwell Chambers Charlton Deddings Frey of Riverrun Frey of the Twins Goodbrook Lannister of Darry Lychester Mallister Mooton Nutt Perryn Piper Roote Shawney Smallwood Vance of Atranta Vance of Wayfarer's Rest Vypren Wayn Knightly Houses Cox Paege Wode Other Houses (noble rank unknown) Blanetree Erenford Grell Grey Haigh Hawick Keath Lolliston Nayland Pemford Ryger Terrick Deposed Houses Darry Slynt Tully Whent Extinct Houses Fisher Harroway Hoare Hook Justman Lothston Mudd Qoherys Strong Teague Towers