What Happens to House Velaryon by the Time of ‘Game of Thrones’?

House Velaryon is one of the key players in House of the Dragon. They are one of the wealthiest houses and have the greatest armada in Westeros. They have the legendary Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) as their lord, though the situation might get a bit dodgy when it comes to who might be his heir. Still, they are an illustrious Valyrian house during the era of the Dance of the Dragons. But by the time of Game of Thrones, the Velaryons are but a shadow of what they once were. The house’s name is barely spoken in the series, and some members briefly show up in the A Song of Ice and Fire books, but in subordinate positions — not nearly as influential and important as they once were. What happened to “the old, the true, and the brave?”

The Dance of the Dragons Starts the Decline of House Velaryon

The Dance of the Dragons is actually the starting point of House Velaryon’s decline. For more than a century, House Velaryon held control of the Narrow Sea even in the face of foreign threats such as the Triarchy, but the civil war forces them to direct most of their efforts to the blockade on the Gullet. The Battle of the Gullet causes great damage to the Velaryon fleet, as well as the plundering of Driftmark. This is the beginning of House Velaryon’s decline, although it would take some decades for it to fully be realized.

In Fire & Blood, after Corlys dies, it’s Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim), legitimized as Alyn Velaryon, who inherits Driftmark and becomes the head of House Velaryon. Alyn proves to be a great commander and manages to continue House Velaryon’s supremacy in the waters, but he was never a sharp political player. With the Velaryon fleet based mostly on Driftmark and the Gullet, other houses started building their own naval power until eventually the Velaryon fleet was no longer the biggest proverbial fish in the sea. Couple that with the lost riches after the sacking of Driftmark, and the house was in clear decline.

House Velaryon Lost Their Naval Dominance After the Dance

Eventually, other naval powers emerged on the other side of Westeros. House Greyjoy has always been powerful but never reliable; they attacked and led invasions into the Westerlands and the Reach. Consequently, House Lannister developed their own way of protecting themselves by building an armada based in Lannisport. For example, after the War of the Five Kings , they are the most powerful navy in Westeros. For the same reasons, but further to the south, House Redwyne also begin to build their naval forces. Located on the island of the Arbor, they have always been prone to seafaring and grew to the point of surpassing House Hightower’s naval prowess.

Even so, House Velaryon still held some influence, with many Velaryons holding the position of Master of Ships in the Small Council. By the time of King Aerys II(David Rintoul), for example, Lord Lucerys Velaryon plays this role in his council but is also one of the Mad King’s advisors who preys on his decline for his own benefit. Robert’s Rebellion drastically shifts the power balance, with House Baratheon now becoming the major naval power in Westeros.

Because House Velaryon are also a Valyrian house, they have always been allied to House Targaryen. The house itself is sworn to the Prince of Dragonstone, and when Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) becomes king, he appoints his brother, Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane), as the new prince. Stannis then starts his own branch, House Baratheon of Dragonstone, to whom House Velaryon is currently sworn.

By the Time of ‘Game of Thrones,’ House Velaryon Is Only a Minor Player

Image via HBO

In the Game of Thrones books, House Velaryon continues to be sworn to Dragonstone, so they join Stannis Baratheon’s forces in the War of the Five Kings. Lord Monford Velaryon is even present at the Battle of Blackwater Bay, but dies as his ship sinks. His six-year-old son, Monterys, then succeeds him as Lord of Driftmark. When Stannis calls his banners to go to the Wall, House Velaryon sends a host, and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) even notices Velaryon banners among the ones of House Baratheon when Stannis defeats Mace Rayder’s (Ciarán Hinds) wildlings beyond the Wall.

In the Battle of Blackwater Bay, Lord Monford’s bastard half-brother, Aurane Waters, is captured and forced to bend the knee to King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson). He later becomes Master of Ships and even starts working on expanding the Lannister armada in King’s Landing. He even briefly antagonizes Lord Mace Tyrell (Roger Ashton-Griffiths). Still, when Aurane hears of Cersei Lannister’s (Lena Headey) imprisonment by the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) and the Faith of the Seven, he flees his post, his whereabouts currently unknown.