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While the continent of Westeros sees a certain degree of centralized authority, the same cannot be said about Essos, which is located in its east, across the Narrow Sea. Essos is the cradle of civilization and was once far richer in culture, arts, crafts, history, and religion. It is the place of origin of dragons, and the homeland of the Targaryens. However, by the timeline ofGame of Thrones, nine independent city-states lie on the Western coast of Essos, the great city of Qarth thrives on its southern coast, the ruins of Valyria are far too dangerous to travel through and the Dothraki hordes range freely about the grasslands of the Dothraki Sea.
The catastrophe -the Doom of Valyriathat radically changed Essos, gets its fair share of attention inGame of Thronesand the prequelHouse of the Dragon. The Doom is the biggest disaster in the history of the Known World. It brought about the collapse of arguably the finest civilization and birthed the power vacuum known as the Century of Blood inGame of Throneslore.
What Was The Century Of Blood?
The Rise Of A Power Vacuum
he Century of Blood saw a hundred years of instability, chaos, turmoil, and bloodshed following the Doom of Valyria. Alternatively recognized by the terms"the Bleeding Years,“and"the Years of Blood,“it began in the year 102 BC, which is when the cataclysmic destruction of Valyrian Freehold took place. Following the fall of the mighty Valyria and the absence of authority and order,Essos saw the rise of brute forcesvying to fill in the power vacuum.
Game of Throneslore states that during this tumultuous period, a dragonlord from Qohor named Aurion declared himself the first Emperor of Valyria. He amassed an army of thirty thousand to fill the gap only to never be heard of again. The oldest of the Free Cities - Volantis, which is in the east of Westeros, rushed to lay claim to Valyria’s empire. The Dothraki hordes, too, came galloping from the east, doing what they do best, i.e., sack, burn, and destroy villages and cities on their way.
The infamous Lhazareen godswife onThrones- Mirri Maz Duur provides some context on the Dothraki warlord,Khal Drogo, and his Khalasar,sacking and pillaging villages inGame of Thronesseason 1:
Now he [Daenerys' son] will burn no cities. Now his Khalasar will trample no nations into dust.
Valyria’s Children Go To War
Vying to succeed the dragonlords, the Old Blood of the Free City of Volantis, or simply put, the warrior aristocracy known as the Tigers inGame of Throneslore were the first to strike. The Volantenes declared war upon the rest of the cities and managed to rule over Lys and Myr for two generations and the southern reaches of the Rhoyne. However, the Tyroshi resisted their rule, and eventually,the Free Cities(except Lorath) rose en masse in an alliance and/ or freed themselves of Volantenes' control. The last Storm King, Argilac Durrandon, fought a Volantenes army in the Disputed Lands to prevent the reoccupation of Myr.
Similarly, the dragonlord, Aegon Targaryen, who ruled from Dragonstone, aided the alliance against Volantis and poured Balerion’s dragonfire on a Volantene fleet at Lys. Nature took care of the rest, and another Volantene fleet disappeared in the Smoking Sea. More attacks by the Dothraki nomads on eastern Volantis were also seen. The nominal ruler of the Free City of Pentos, Reggio Haratis, drinks toDaemon Targaryen’s ancestor, Aegon I Targaryen, inHouse of the Dragon, saying:
A toast to Aegon the Conqueror, your exalted forebear, who joined our cause against Volantis in the Century of Blood. On thegreat dragon Balerion,he flewto our aid in Lys and burned a fleet of enemy ships thus turning the tide.
The Rise Of The Elephants In Volantis
Economic Imperialism
Another political party - the Elephants in the Free City of Volantis, albeit less aggressive in their approach, sought to conquer through trade. The party was made up of moneylenders and merchants, and it opposed the military solution. The Elephants went on to replace the Tigers and ruled Volantis, thereafter.
The Free City of Volantis bore the long-lasting shock of war. Its treasures and the population were depleted by years of war. The situation became dangerous in the Disputed Lands, where power-hungry mercenaries - the Free Companies, still exist. The shock of the Century of Blood spread asfar as Sothoryosand Naath was frequently raided. The Dothraki hordes went on to rename cities they plundered. Gornath became Vaes Leqse, which translates to the"City of Rats”, Mardosh was renamed Vaes Gorqoyi, meaning"City of the Blood Charge"and so forth.
The Free Cities occasionally start low-intensity conflicts among themselves. For example, Lys and Myr’s conflict in the Disputed Lands is interspersed with rapprochement. Other than this, the Century of Blood is a blot on Essos that won’t go away. No power as strong as the mighty Valyria has risen that can potentially end this interminable fighting, fill the void in the power vacuum, and bring regional order.
Game of Thronesprequel -House of the Dragonreturns this summer.
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones, based on the Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R.R. Martin, tells the sprawling story of warring families in Westeros. This includes the Starks, the Lannisters, the Baratheons, and the Targaryens. Along with human conflicts, Westeros is also threatened by the re-emergence of dragons, and an undead enemy from beyond the Wall.
