Diksha Sundriyal
Rhaenyra takes the Iron Throne in the third season of HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon.’ After suffering devastating losses, a deal made with Alicent finally brings her back to King’s Landing to claim her inheritance. With Aegon having fled and no sign of Aemond, there is nothing stopping Rhaenyra from taking over the Seven Kingdoms. However, winning the war is one thing and ruling the kingdom another. King’s Landing has been left in tatters, and rebuilding it requires gold. When Rhaenyra and her council turn to the royal treasury, they find it empty, with no one around them who knows what happened to the gold. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
Tyland Lannister Made Sure the Blacks Won’t Get Their Hands on the Gold
War brings uncertain times to a kingdom, and the most important thing to ensure one’s victory is to have enough money to fight the war and then some. While soldiers, ships, and dragons take to the battlefield, it is the money that plays a pivotal role in ensuring that one doesn’t lose the war after losing a battle. When Tyland Lannister became the Master of Coin, after Criston Cole unceremoniously killed Lord Beesbury in front of the whole council, he made sure that the money didn’t remain in one place. He anticipated an attack on King’s Landing, which is why it was important to get the gold out.
Part of the gold was used for the war effort, like buying sellswords and ships, and bribing certain people so they would flip sides or do things that might change the power dynamics so that the Greens benefited. The remaining gold was divided into three parts. One part was sent to Braavos and kept under the care of the Iron Bank. That was the money no one could touch, and was most likely set aside to keep the kingdom standing after the war was over. The second part was sent to Oldtown, the seat of the Hightowers. If King’s Landing were lost, Oldtown would become the haven for the Greens and their allies to fight the war from.
The third part Tyland sent to his home in Casterly Rock. The excuse may have been that, being the Master of Coin, his family should be entrusted with keeping the gold safe. But it could be that Tyland wanted to keep it aside as leverage. In case the Greens lost, everyone loyal to them would lose their heads. With the money, the Lannisters would have something to offer in exchange for clemency. The details of this movement are kept within the inner circle, which is why, when Rhaenyra takes the Iron Throne, no one who knows of the gold’s location is left to tell.
The Lack of Gold Sets the Stage for Rhaenyra’s Fall
In the third episode of Season 3, after Rhaenyra takes King’s Landing, she is immediately familiarised with the true meaning of ruling a kingdom. Now she is responsible for the safety and well-being of the common people who have already suffered greatly in the war. Mysaria and Corlys make it clear that she needs to make sure there is enough grain to feed the city so that the commonfolk don’t rebel against her. She succeeds in satiating their needs for a while after sacking the grain the nobles had hoarded for themselves before Aegon fled. However, she admits this is a temporary solution and that they need more gold.
According to George R.R. Martin’s book, ‘Fire and Blood,’ which serves as the inspiration for the HBO series, Rhaenyra and her forces fail to locate the gold. In the show, Tyland Lannister is seemingly lost to the sea following the Battle of Gullet. But in the book, he is still in King’s Landing when Rhaenyra takes over. He is held captive and tortured to reveal the gold’s location, but he refuses to do it. Eventually, Rhaenrya has no choice but to take money from her subjects. She increases taxes on an already suffering populace whose back has been broken by the war. Apart from feeding the people, Rhaenyra also has to fund the war to keep it going.
Aegon hasn’t been found yet, and the Green loyalists are still out there causing trouble on multiple fronts. With no other option in sight, taxes keep rising to the point that people start to get really angry with Rhaenyra. This is also when they nickname her “King Maegor with teats” because of her cruel policies. Eventually, another massive fail on her part leads the city into a riot. Those familiar with the book will know that it turns out very badly for the Blacks, pushing their victories much further back, after having already suffered crucial losses in the war. It is the tipping point for Rhaenyra, and the third episode sets the stage for that.
Read More: Is Otto Hightower Dead? Did Rhys Ifans Leave House of the Dragon?
You must be logged in to post a comment.