House Bracken and House
Blackwood are mortal enemies… But what started this rivalry? How long has it been going on for? And what is the fate of their feud? This is the animated history of
House Bracken and House Blackwood. The Brackens are the Lords of Stone
Hedge, and sworn vassals of House Tully. Their sigil boasts a red stallion upon
a golden escutcheon on a brown field. The Blackwoods are the Lords of Raventree Hall, and their sigil boasts a flock of black ravens on a scarlet field surrounding a dead
white weirwood upon a black escutcheon. Neither of their House mottos are known. But we do know that both Houses
are descended from the First Men. The Brackens claim to have been Kings of
the Riverlands during the Age of Heroes, thousands of years before the
events of the Game of Thrones books. They ruled the Red Fork river until they were usurped by their treacherous
vassals, House Blackwood. The Blackwood story is different. They claim to have ruled the
wolfswood in the North before being driven south by the Stark Kings of Winter - a story that's backed up by runes
translated by Maester Barneby. After fleeing to the riverlands, it is they
who became Kings... until their rivals, petty horselords with the name Bracken, betrayed and usurped them after hiring sellsword. We don't know which of these stories is the truth. Although this historic feud
is bitter and legendary, these Old God worshippers actually forged
an alliance against the Andal Invasion, and their blasphemous Faith of Seven. These First Men forces were shattered
at the Battle of the Bitter River, supposedly by 777 Andal
knights, blessed by 7 septons. Worshipping the Seven Gods. How convenient. But why did this alliance not break the feud? The answer is simple. Along with their own specific dynastic myths, these Houses have long been divided
on matters of faith and land. The Brackens eventually converted
to the Faith of the Seven, while the Blackwoods continued to worship
the Old Gods in their sacred godswood. As part of their personal tradition, they liked to nail copper pennies
to the white trunk of their tree. When the weirwood tree died, the Blackwoods
blamed their foes for poisoning it… but it is worth noting that nails
and copper can slowly kill trees, so perhaps this is a self-inflicted
tragedy projected onto their rivals. In terms of land: The Blackwoods own the disputed
Battle Valley and Blackbuckle village, while the Mother's Teats - a pair of grassy
hills - is often being grabbed by both families. The chaotic centuries have seen numerous
attempts to seal the breach with blood - marriages between both Houses. As Hoster Blackwood tells Ser Jaime Lannister: "There's Blackwood blood in every Bracken,
and Bracken blood in every Blackwood." The festering wounds, however, remain open. Years after the Andal Invasion, two star-crossed lovers from both Houses birthed a
bastard boy named Benedict Rivers. A stern but wise man, Benedict grew
into a great knight, defeating petty kings throughout the riverlands
over the course of three decades, until he was crowned King Benedict the Just. He forged the House of Justman,
and ruled for 23 years. Alas, the Justmans were eventually wiped out
by King Qhored Hoare of the Iron Islands. Speaking of Riverkings. King Humfrey Teague, who tried to suppress the worship of the Old
Gods with the Faith Militant at his back. Naturally, Lord Roderick Blackwood rose in
rebellion, aided by the Tullys and the Vances. Roderick had previously married his
daughter to King Arlan III Durrandon, and thus the Storm King rode to his aid, eager to grant the kingship of
the Riverlands to his good-father. AKA his father-in-law. The stormlanders relieved
the siege of Raventree Hall, and fought at the climactic
Battle of the Six Kings. Humfrey I was slain - followed closely by his sons Humfrey II, Hollis, Tyler, and finally his brother,
Damon, the last Teague King. Sadly, Lord Roderick had also been killed. King Arlan III wed Roderick's eldest daughter,
Shiera, to his own son by a previous marriage, and then suggested crowning Roderick's
eldest daughter, Shiera Blackwood, as Queen of the Trident. As a woman, she was rejected by the Riverlords, so Arlan instead integrated the
riverlands into his Storm Kingdom. Three centuries later, King
Harwyn Hoare and his ironborn army invaded the northern riverlands, seizing
the territory from King Arrec Durrandon. Lady Agnes Blackwood led the
resistance against the invaders. When Lord Tully's bastard son - Ser
Samwell Rivers - was hacked in two while defending the Tumblestone,
the Tullys joined the Lady's host. However, she was betrayed. Lord Lothar Bracken attacked her forces
from behind, capturing her and her two sons. It is possible that Lothar believed
he would become King of the Trident in his own right, a loyal ally of the Ironborn. King Harwyn Hoare was impressed
by the fearsome Lady Blackwood, offering to make her his salt wife. She said she would rather die, so he stabbed
her to death, and strangled her two sons. The House of Hoare claimed
the Riverlands for themselves, and Harwyn became King of
the Isles and the Rivers. Six months later, the spiteful Lord Lothar
Bracken rose up in rebellion, but was crushed. Stone Hedge was sacked, and Lothar himself spent
the rest of his life starving in a crow cage. The deadly tensions between
these families did not ease… until several generations later when King Aegon
Targaryen invaded Westeros with his dragons. Lord Edmyn Tully led the charge in raising the red dragon banner and revolting against
the tyrannical King Harren Hoare, and both Lord Bracken and Lord
Blackwood joined his side. After the burning of Harrenhal and
the destruction of House Hoare, the Conqueror had to choose a
new ruler of the Riverlands. The Blackwood and Bracken
feud had weakened both Houses, and so he appointed Edmyn Tully as
Lord Paramount of the Trident instead. Aegon's sister-wife, Queen Visenya, arranged
a double wedding between the feuding families. During the reign of Maegor Targaryen, the Cruel King accepted a Trial by
Seven against Ser Damon Morrigen, the Grand Captain of the Warrior's Sons. One of his champions was a
Bracken, Ser Lyle, who was slain. Another Bracken - Ser Olyver - proved more
loyal towards Maegor, serving on his Kingsguard… until he and Ser Raymund Mallery
defected to the young Prince Jaehaerys. Their betrayal was not rewarded -
for failing to protect their King, the new King Jaehaerys banished
them to the Night's Watch. Ser Olyver Bracken was ordered to
rebuild the crumbling Rimegate. Two years later, he had had enough. Olyver declared himself Lord of Rimegate, supported in his mutiny by Ser Raymund and
the exiled warriors of the Faith Militant. Lord Walton Stark helped the Night's Watch
crush the mutiny, beheading Ser Olyver with Ice. Ser Raymund Mallery, meanwhile, fled
beyond the Wall to join the free folk… only to be captured and
eaten by cannibal wildlings. At the end of Jaehaerys' reign,
during the Great Council of 101 AC, Lord Blackwood supported the claim of Laenor
Velaryon, the son of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. How Lord Bracken voted is unknown. What we do know is that, during
the reign of King Viserys I, his heir Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen
went searching for a suitor. Lord Humfrey Bracken's son, Ser Amos, fought
against Samwell Blackwood for her hand. The Bracken defeated the Blackwood,
but Rhaenyra did not marry him. This next chapter will explore the civil
war known as the Dance of the Dragons. If you don't want spoilers for
the future of House of the Dragon, skip to the next chapter in this video. You have been warned. When the Dance of the Dragons broke out in 129 AC,
Lord Humfrey Bracken declared for King Aegon II, while Lord Samwell Blackwood
declared for Queen Rhaenyra. Lord Samwell raided Bracken land, and in return, Ser Amos Bracken and his bastard brother Ser
Raylon Rivers marched on Blackwood territory. While camping near a mill, the Bracken
troops were ambushed by Blackwood forces, led by Lord Samwell and his sister
Alysanne, a huntress known as Black Aly. Flames engulfed the nearby mill, and thus
began the Battle of the Burning Mill. Once more the rivals duelled, and once
more Ser Amos defeated his opponent - but the consequences for Samwell were deadly. Black Aly avenged her brother by firing a
weirwood arrow into Ser Amos, killing him. Ser Raylon Rivers and the Bracken
survivors fled to Stone Hedge… but by then it was too late. Prince Daemon Targaryen and his men had
stormed Stone Hedge and captured Lord Humfrey. Ser Raylon had no choice but to yield. Lord Samwell was succeeded by his
11 year old son, Benjicot Blackwood. Benjicot joined the Black army
and fought in numerous battles. Joining him on the campaign
was his bastard relative, the famous archer Red Robb Rivers,
as well as his sister Alysanne. Alysanne often shared her tent with Lady
Sabitha Frey, the widow of Lord Forrest Frey. It is rumoured the two women were lovers. Though the child lord became known as
Bloody Ben, he was still ultimately a child. It is said that he wept when he saw the masses
of dead following the Battle by the Lakeshore. Near the end of the Dance of the Dragons, Bloody Ben fought at the Battle of the Kingsroad
with Lord Kermit Tully and his brother, Ser Oscar. The three young men became known as the Lads. Kermit: "Ah, we gotta go to King's Landing!" After arriving at King's Landing, Benjicot
bent the knee to the new King Aegon III. Alysanne secured a marriage
with Lord Cregan Stark, and convinced him to let
his northern army settle and rebuild in the riverlands for the upcoming winter. House Blackwood in particular welcomed
these fellow worshippers of the Old Gods. In 134 AC, a succession war broke out in the Vale. Lady Jeyne Arryn's distant cousin Ser
Joffrey had been named her rightful heir, but her rebellious first
cousin was Ser Arnold Arryn. He had gone mad in imprisonment,
so his son Eldric pushed his claim. Oh, and Isembard Arryn, the
'Gilded Falcon' from a wealthy but distant branch of the family,
also threw his hat into the ring. Ser Robert Rowan launched a campaign to end
this civil war, and Lord Benjicot joined him, bolstering his forces with Blackwoods. After Ser Robert was crushed by a
boulder, Bloody Ben took command, eventually helping Ser Joffrey
Arryn defeat his rivals. Decades later, during the infamously
corrupt reign of King Aegon IV, a Lord Bracken served as his loyal Hand. Bracken's daughter, the vivacious Barba, was one of many maidens accompanying King
Baelor's sisters imprisoned in the Maidenvault. When Baelor died and the Princesses were released, Barba met the licentious Prince Aegon Targaryen. A year later, when he sat the Iron Throne, he took
the Hand's daughter as his fifth public mistress. So smitten with her was he, that he renamed the Mother's Teats to
'Barba's Teats' after her famous bust. She gave him a bastard son with dark
hair and purple eyes - Aegor Rivers. After Queen Naerys almost died
in childbirth, Lord Bracken began boasting about marrying Barba to Aegon. This proved to be a severe political mistake. Naerys' brother, Prince Aemon the
Dragonknight, and her son, Prince Daeron, forced the King to send Barba
and Aegor back to Stone Hedge. Aegon quickly took the willowy
Melissa Blackwood as his new mistress, a modest woman who was well-liked at court. She became friends with Queen Naerys and Prince
Daeron, and gave the King three bastard children: Mya, Gwenys, and Brynden, an albino with a
dark red birthmark in the shape of a raven. When Barba once japed about Missy's flat chest, King Aegon spitefully renamed
'Barba's Teats' to 'Missy's Teats', and officially granted the land to the Blackwoods. To this day, each House has a
different name for these hills. Lord Bracken and his daughter Lady
Barba had a change of strategy. They groomed Barba's younger sister,
Bethany, to become Aegon's new mistress. The scheming succeeded, and the young woman caught the King's eye when he visited
Stone Hedge to see Aegor Rivers. To Lord Bracken's joy, Aegon brought
Bethany back to court with him, setting aside Missy and naming
Bethany his seventh mistress. By now, Aegon was fat of body and foul of temper… and so Bethany found comfort in the bed
of Ser Terrence Toyne of the Kingsguard. When Aegon himself found them abed,
he ordered Terrence's torture, before executing Bethany and her father. Despite Melissa being sent away, her bastard son Brynden was able to
maintain close relations at court, becoming loyal to the future King Daeron II. Brynden Bloodraven developed a fierce rivalry
with his half-brother, Aegor Bittersteel, not least because of their affection for the
same woman - their half-sister Shiera Seastar. Bloodraven would go on to serve House Targaryen, becoming Master of Whisperers and Hand of the
King, before being exiled to the Wall by Aegon V, where he rose to become Lord Commander of the
Night's Watch, and finally, a prophetic tree. Meanwhile, Bittersteel went
on to serve House Blackfyre, founding the Golden Company and
supporting 3 Blackfyre Kings: Daemon I of the First Rebellion,
Haegon I of the Third Rebellion, and Daemon III of the Fourth Rebellion. Bittersteel was eventually
slain in battle in Essos. Twice, the powerful rivals
clashed steel on the battlefield… but you can find out more about them
in my Blackfyre Rebellion video. During the First Blackfyre Rebellion in 196
AC, House Bracken sided with King Daemon I... and why we don't know for certain, it is likely that House Blackwood
sided with Daeron II Targaryen. Lord Bracken was sent to Myr to hire crossbowmen, but storms delayed his arrival, and
he was unable to aid his King in time. It is unknown whether the Brackens supported
any of the following Blackfyre Rebellions. Two kings later, Aegon V
would marry Betha Blackwood, known as Black Betha, in an act of love. Together they had Prince Duncan the
Small, the future King Jaehaerys II, the future Queen Shaera, Prince
Daeron, and Princess Rhaelle - the grandmother of Bobby B himself. Another famous Blackwood wife
was Lady Alyssa Blackwood, the fourth wife of Lord Walder Frey. She gave him five children, including Lame
Lothar Frey, a jovial man with a clubfoot, and the true architect of the Red Wedding. The feud continued into the
reign of Aerys II - the Mad King. Lord Tywin Lannister, the Hand, granted a mill
to the Blackwoods to resolve a border dispute - but Aerys gave it to the Brackens instead. Thousands of years, and these Houses
are still arguing over scraps of land. Now we reach the Song of Ice and Fire. There are eight known members of House Bracken. Jonos Bracken is the Lord of Stone
Hedge, a hairy, blustering, lustful man. By his first wife he has two
daughters - Barbara and Jayne. By his third wife he has three
daughters, Catelyn, Bess, and Alysanne. His only son is a bastard by
the name of Harry Rivers – due to his fair hair and comely features, the
Blackwoods suspect he is not Jonos' son at all. Lord Bracken also has a nephew called Hendry. There are also eight known
members of House Blackwood. Tytos Blackwood is the Lord of Raventree
Hall, a tall, chivalrous, stubborn man. He has six sons: Brynden, Lucas, Hoster, Edmund, Alyn, and
Robert - and a single daughter - Bethany. While the rivalry persists, both
Houses are loyal to Riverrun. When Lady Catelyn Stark kidnaps Tyrion Lannister,
three Bracken men-at-arms come to her aid: Kurleket, Lharys, and Mohor. They're based on the Three
Stooges for… some reason. All three are slain by
clansmen in the Vale of Arryn. As a response to the kidnapping, Tywin unleashes
his mad dog Gregor Clegane upon the riverlands. Bracken territory is spoiled, its people are
slaughtered, and Stone Hedge itself is razed. War breaks out upon the death
of King Robert Baratheon, and Lord Blackwood helps defend
Riverrun against Lannister forces. Alas, Raventree Hall also falls to enemy. The rival Lords arrive at Riverrun after the
Battle of the Camps and the death of Ned Stark. Lord Tytos argues that they should
march on Tywin Lannister at Harrenhal, while Lord Jonos suggests waiting and
pledging fealty to King Renly Baratheon. Because of course they can't bring
themselves to agree with other. After the Greatjon proclaims
Robb Stark the King in the North, Bracken and Blackwood finally join
the same side, chanting in unison. The Brackens successfully take back Stone Hedge, but Jonos himself is wounded in the
fighting, while his nephew Hendry is killed. The Blackwoods also take back Raventree Hall. Meanwhile, Lucas Blackwood proves his mettle by accompanying Catelyn Stark
to Renly Baratheon's camp. The war brings epic victories
and cruel defeats alike. The Brackens succeed in capturing Lord Quenten
Banefort, only to lose Harry Rivers in battle. They prove to be brutal - in their
land, tavern wenches who cavorted with Lannister troops are hanged for all to see. Robb Stark's cause dies
with him at the Red Wedding, which sees members of both families culled. Unnamed Brackens are slaughtered, while Lucas
Blackwood is cut down by Ser Hosteen Frey. The responses are different. Lord Jonos bends the knee to the Iron
Throne, but the Blackwoods refuse to yield. Lord Tytos is far too honourable to bend the
knee to those who killed his king and his kin. The temporary alliance is over. The Brackens raid Blackwood
land and besiege Raventree Hall. Negotiations go nowhere - Jonos wants to snatch
all Blackwood land to the east of Widow's Wash, while Tytos refuses to yield anything. The Blackwoods are starving in their castle,
and young Robert Blackwood dies of dysentery. Ser Jaime Lannister arrives to resolve the siege, stumbling upon Jonos abed
with a commoner named Hildly - a spoil of war in the Bracken's mind. Jaime persuades Lord Tytos to yield
Woodhedge, Crossbow Ridge, Buckle, Lord's Mill, and Honeytree, and to
give up his son Hoster as a hostage. He also orders Jonos to send one of his daughters
to attend to Cersei Lannister in King's Landing. So what fate awaits these
dynasties in the Winds of Winter? Some have theories a Romeo & Juliet
situation between the Hoster Blackwood and the Bracken daughter sent to King's Landing. Perhaps, away from their toxic
families, they will fall in love. Although, considering the chaos
about to engulf that city, it's likely their fates will be just as
tragic as their literary inspirations. Perhaps there will be a more
positive ending for these Houses. Lord Tytos has six sons,
Lord Jonos has four daughters - mayhaps a mass marriage ceremony is in order. Could a true, wholesome alliance
finally be forged between them? Considering their bloody history, probably not. But if the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and my enemy is responsible for killing
our families at the Red Wedding… well, we may witness the Brackens and
Blackwoods teaming up to get their revenge. A Second Red Wedding, perhaps, organised by Lady Stoneheart and
the Brotherhood Without Banners, and unleashed upon Lannisters and Freys alike. Or maybe there is truly no ending this rivalry. When a member of either House is slain, it is both Bracken and Blackwood blood that
runs red… yet neither side seem to care. The cycle of hatred is a
vicious one, and this feud - like many feuds throughout history - is as pointless as the violence it inspires. Thanks for watching! Like the video if you enjoyed, and subscribe to Fantasy Haven for
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