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House Of The Dragon: How Did Targaryen's Divided Into The Blacks And The Greens Faction? Explored
Rhaenyra seeks revenge after learning of her son's demise. With two trailers urging fans to pick sides, tensions are high as the conflict heats up.
HBO's House of the Dragon is returning with Season 2 in the 2024 TV lineup, continuing from the cliffhanger where Rhaenyra learns of her son's death and prepares to confront the Hightower faction within the Targaryen family tree with fire and blood. Two trailers were released, urging fans to pick sides between the Blacks and the Greens ahead of the Season 2 premiere.
House of Dragon: How did Black and Green Factions come into existence?
The trailers didn't explain who the Blacks and the Greens are, and these names weren't mentioned in the first season of the show. However, readers of George R.R. Martin's history books about the Seven Kingdoms, like Fire & Blood, are familiar with these factions. So, as the conflict between the Blacks (Rhaenyra's side) and the Greens (Aegon II's side, supported by the Hightowers) approaches this summer, let's delve into what Martin's Fire & Blood tells us about these factions' names.
Before we explore why the two sides are known as the Blacks and the Greens, let's set the stage with some context. In Fire & Blood, Alicent Hightower and Princess Rhaenyra were close in age, and Rhaenyra was just nine years old when Alicent married King Viserys in 106 AC. However, tensions arose when Rhaenyra remained Viserys' heir despite Alicent giving birth to sons. This tension escalated when Ser Otto Hightower was dismissed as Hand of the King due to the succession dispute, leading to the formation of two factions: the Queen's party (Greens) and the party of the Princess (Blacks).
The pivotal moment that solidified the names of the factions occurred in 111 AC during a grand tourney in King's Landing. At the tourney's opening feast, Queen Alicent wore a green gown, while Princess Rhaenyra wore Targaryen red and black. From that point on, the factions were referred to as Greens and Blacks respectively. The book Fire & Blood continued to use these terms to distinguish between the two sides throughout the Civil War.
Prince Daemon's return amid Black and Green Faction
Another significant event at the tourney was the return of Prince Daemon from exile, who arrived unexpectedly on his dragon and reconciled with his brother Viserys. While the show depicted Daemon's return differently, his popularity among the smallfolk was evident, setting the stage for his involvement in the conflict between the Blacks and the Greens.
George R.R. Martin has explained in his book,
"Yet one was there who wore neither green nor black, but rather gold and silver. Prince Daemon had at last returned to court. Wearing a crown and styling himself King of the Narrow Sea, he appeared unannounced in the skies above King’s Landing on his dragon, circling thrice above the tourney grounds… but when at last he came to earth, he knelt before his brother and offered up his crown as a token of his love and fealty. Viserys returned the crown and kissed Daemon on both cheeks, welcoming him home, and the lords and commons sent up a thunderous cheer as the sons of the Spring Price were reconciled. Amongst those cheering the loudest was Princess Rhaenyra, who was thrilled at the return of her favorite uncle and begged him to stay a while."
Despite some deviations from the source material, the return of House of the Dragon promises more drama and intrigue in the world of Westeros. Season 2 of the series is set to premiere on Sunday, June 16 on HBO, offering another thrilling chapter in the saga of the Targaryen dynasty.
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