The Conquest of Dorne
The Conquest of Dorne[1] or Conquest of Dorne[2] is a book written by the Young Dragon, King Daeron I Targaryen, in which he recorded his version of his invasion of Dorne.[2] The book is seen as the best account of the war.[1]
Contents
Details
It is a slender book, written with an elegant simplicity, and it is rich with blood, battle, and bravery.[2][1] Some consider the book excessively boastful of Daeron I Targaryen's achievements.[3][4][5]
In his book, Daeron gave the Dornishmen ethnic groups the names by which other Westerosi now know them. He divided them into "stony Dornishmen", "sandy Dornishmen", and "salty Dornishmen".[6][7] The young king also remarked that the Dornish love their sand steeds equal to their children, and wrote that the Knight of Spottswood had his sand steeds stabled in his own hall.[8] Daeron describes the Orphans of the Greenblood's poleboats as "hovels built on rafts"; however, Princess Arianne Martell notes that the description is not a fair one, since most of the orphans' poleboats are wonderfully carved and painted.[3]
King Daeron made the armies of Dorne larger in his book than they were in reality, to make his conquest seem more glorious. Ever since, the Princes of Dorne have used Daeron's boast to make the kingdom's enemies believe Dorne is stronger that it truly is.[4]
Daeron also reported on the brave deeds of Rickon Stark in The Conquest of Dorne.[9]
Recent Events
A Storm of Swords
When meeting Prince Oberyn Martell's traveling party outside King's Landing, Tyrion Lannister recalls King Daeron's description of the three types of Dornishmen.[6]
Maester Pylos educates the noble children of Dragonstone, Princess Shireen Baratheon, Edric Storm, and Devan Seaworth, having them read from Conquest of Dorne to teach them about about King Daeron I Targaryen. The book is a favorite of Devan Seaworth. Pylos offers the book to Davos Seaworth when teaching him to read, but Davos demurs.[2]
A Dance with Dragons
At the Wall, Lord Commander Jon Snow and King Stannis Baratheon discuss battle strategy, referring to Daeron's book and his use of goat tracks during the conquest of Dorne. Stannis is dismissive of the strategy, and of the book.[5]
Excerpt
The arms of House Martell display the sun and spear, the Dornishman's two favorite weapons, but of the two, the sun is the more deadly.[3]
Quotes
It pleased the Young Dragon to make all our armies larger when he wrote that book of his, so as to make his conquest much more glorious, and it has pleased us to water the seed he planted and let our foes think us more powerful than we are.[4]
Pylos: My lord, perhaps you would like to try a bit of Conquest of Dorne as well? King Daeron wrote with an elegant simplicity, and his history is rich with blood, battle, and bravery. Your son is quite engrossed.
Davos: My son is not quite twelve. I am the King's Hand. Give me another letter, if you would.[2]
Behind the Scenes
This book may have been intended as a nod to Julius Caesar's book about his conquest of Gaul, Commentarii de Bello Gallico, in which Caesar divided Gaul into three parts, just like Daeron did for Dorne.[10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 54, Davos V.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 21, The Queenmaker.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 40, Princess In The Tower.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 17, Jon IV.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 38, Tyrion V.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, Dorne.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, Dorne: Queer Customs of the South.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The North: The Lords of Winterfell.
- ↑ Wars and Politics of Ice and Fire: War and Peace: A Political Analysis of Daeron I, Baelor I, and Viserys II (August 26, 2015)