House Blackwood^[1] of Raventree Hall is a vassal house that holds fealty to House Tully of Riverrun. Their lands are in the heart of the Riverlands, located along the banks of the Red Fork of the Trident. House Blackwood's sigil is a flock of ravens on scarlet surrounding a dead weirwood tree.

History[]

Background[]

House Blackwood were once lesser kings during the Age of Heroes. The Blackwoods hold an ancient grudge against their neighbors, House Bracken of Stone Hedge. The two houses, which hold the blood of the First Men in their veins and merged with the invading Andals rather than being annihilated by them, competed for the throne of the Riverlands when it was an independent kingdom. The enmity was increased when House Bracken converted to the Faith of the Seven. House Blackwood, however, is one of the few major noble Houses outside of the North which continues to worship the Old Gods, and never converted to the Faith of The Seven.^[2]

House of the Dragon: Season 1[]

In 116 AC,^[a] Willem Blackwood travels to Storm's End to contend for Rhaenyra's hand in marriage. When he kills Jerrel Bracken in a duel, Rhaenyra abruptly leaves and ends her tour.^[3]

In 126 AC,^[b] the Small Council discusses the feud between House Blackwood and House Bracken after Lord Samwell Blackwood sends a complaint alleging that the Brackens have been illegally annexing Blackwood lands.^[4]

House of the Dragon: Season 2[]

Davos Blackwood and other members of the house confront Aeron Bracken and other Brackens over one of the borders between the two houses. The dispute leads into the Battle of the Burning Mill, with dozens of dead on both sides, including Samwell Blackwood and Aeron Bracken.^[5]

Willem Blackwood, regent for the young lord Benjicot Blackwood attends King Consort Daemon's summons to Harrenhal. After reminiscing of his encounter with the then-Princess Rhaenyra, Willem offers the levies of House Blackwood in exchange of Daemon attacking the Brackens with Caraxes.^[6] After Amos Bracken rebuffs Daemon's terms, Daemon gives House Blackwood leave to use terror tactics against Bracken lands to force Amos's submission.^[7]

Several days later, Willem Blackwood arrives at Harrenhal, along with other Riverlords, as Oscar Tully presents himself to Daemon. The lords demand justice for the crimes committed by Willem, who used the Targaryen banners to commit atrocities against House Brackens. Oscar cunningly turns the table on Daemon and forces him to execute Willem.^[8]

Game of Thrones: Season 1[]

The banner of House Blackwood is seen at the Tourney of the Hand.^[9]

Game of Thrones: Season 2[]

Raventree Hall is liberated by a Northern-Riverlands host led by Greatjon Umber.^[10]

Game of Thrones: Season 6[]

Following the taking of Riverrun by Brynden Tully, House Blackwood rises against House Frey, which had been made Lord Paramount of the Trident after the Red Wedding, along with House Mallister.^[11][12]

Members[]

• Lord {Lucas Blackwood}, Lord of Raventree during Aegon's Conquest.
• Lord {Samwell Blackwood}, Lord of Raventree during the Dance of the Dragons. Killed in the Battle of the Burning Mill.
  • Lord Benjicot Blackwood, his son and successor. Lord of Raventree after his father's death.
• Ser {Willem Blackwood}, Samwell's younger brother. A suitor to Rhaenyra Targaryen before her marriage to Laenor Velaryon. Regent for Lord Benjicot. Sentenced to death by Lord Oscar Tully for his atrocities during the war and beheaded by Daemon Targaryen.
• Davos Blackwood, of unspecified relation to the main branch.

In the books[]

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, House Blackwood is a loyal vassal of the Tullys. The enmity and competition between House Bracken and House Blackwood was radically enhanced when Ser Otho Bracken slew Lord Quentyn Blackwood in a tourney accident roughly a century ago, and it still exists at present - even when the two houses were temporarily on the same side during the War of the Five Kings.

Following the Red Wedding, the Blackwoods - alongside the Mallisters and the Tullys at Riverrun - are the few Riverlords who refuse to yield to the Iron Throne- the Brackens were among the first. After Lord Jason Mallister and the Tullys surrender, Raventree Hall is the last stronghold in the Riverlands which is still unconquered.

In the fifth novel, after resolving the siege of Riverrun, Jaime travels to Raventree Hall and persuades Lord Tytos Blackwood, non-violently, to yield. Lord Bracken spitefully suggests that Jaime be punitive in his dealing with the Blackwoods, but the latter develops a moderate liking for Lord Blackwood- and deals kindly with him, while also subtly punishing Lord Bracken (as a former rebellious lord).

The Blackwoods were originally from the North, and ruled most of the wolfswood before being driven out by the Stark Kings of Winter. 500-1000 years before the coming of the Andals, the feud between the Blackwoods and Brackens began. Nonetheless, the two houses allied against the Andals and were defeated in the Battle of the Bitter River. The feud was then made even more bitter when the Brackens converted to the Andal new gods while the Blackwoods kept to the old gods.

The sigil of House Blackwood is slightly different in the books, in which the white weirwood tree is set against a black escutcheon (shield), which is itself surrounded by a red background containing black ravens. The TV series version removed the black shield, so the white weirwood tree is directly against the red background.

Members[]

• Lord Tytos Blackwood, Lord of Raventree Hall, the current head of the family.
  • Brynden Blackwood, his eldest son and heir.
  • {Lucas Blackwood}, his second son. Slain at the Red Wedding.
  • Hoster Blackwood, his third son.
  • Edmund Blackwood, his fourth son.
  • Alyn Blackwood, his fifth son.
  • Bethany Blackwood, his eldest daughter.
  • {Robert Blackwood}, his sixth son. Died of loose bowels.

With unspecified familiar relationship to the main branch of the house there is also:

• {Alyssa Blackwood}, the fourth wife of Lord Walder Frey.

Gallery[]

The banner of House Blackwood at the Tourney of the Hand in "The Wolf and the Lion".

References[]

Notes[]

External links[]

• House Blackwood on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (potential spoilers for House of the Dragon)

v • d • e House Blackwood
Head	Benjicot Blackwood	Heir	Unknown
Seat	Raventree Hall	Region	Riverlands
Ancestors	Lucas Blackwood
Members	Davos Blackwood
Deceased	Samwell Blackwood · Willem Blackwood
Overlords	House Tully