History and Lore: Brother Ray (Ian McShane) tells us about the War of the Ninepenny Kings

Yesterday, HBO released Game of Thrones Season 6 on Blu-Ray and DVD. Since then, we’ve been inundated with a myriad of bonus features released to various outlets, including a look at the making of the Battle of The Bastards, a history lesson about the Tournament at Harrenhal, and a deleted scene that threw shade at critics of the show. Now, The World of Ice and Fire co-author Elio García has uploaded another one to his YouTube channel. Check out a History and Lore video about the War of the Ninepenny Kings, narrated by Ian MchShane as Brother Ray. (If you will remember, Ray was the man who saved Sandor “The Hound” Clegane from death’s door, only to be killed by rogue members of the Brotherhood without Banners in Season 6.)

The War of the Ninepenny Kings was the fifth Blackfyre rebellion. The war earned its named when Prince Duncan Targaryen, after learning there were nine claimants for the crown, remarked, “Crowns were being sold for nine a penny.”

The combatants were:

• Maelys I Blackfyre
• Samarro Saan
• The Old Mother
• Xhobar Qhoqua
• Liomond Lashare
• Spotted Tom the Butcher
• Ser Derrick Fossoway
• Nine Eyes
• Alequo Adarys

After the death of his father King Aegon V, Jaehaerys II Targaryen came to the throne and the kingdom was immediately plunged into war. A group of nine had come together across the Narrow Sea after fighting in the Disputed Lands and securing the Free City of Tyrosh.

Jaehaerys realized the threat and sent a large force to remove the danger before it grew any larger. Although he was willing to command the forces himself, the king was talked out of doing so by Ormund Baratheon, his Hand. Ormund took the command upon himself. Lord Quellon Greyjoy of the Iron Islands joined forces with the Crown, and a force of 11 thousand knights and men-at-arms sent by Lord Tytos Lannister of the Westerlands joined as well. When the Targaryen army landed on the Stepstones where the Ninepenny Kings and their forces were, the fighting began.

Lord Ormund Baratheon was the first major casualty of the war, dying in the arms of his young son, Ser Steffon (father of Robert, Stannis, and Renly). Command then passed to Gerold Hightower (the White Bull) of the Kingsguard. Several young knights and lords distinguished themselves in the battle, including Brynden Tully (the Blackfish), Steffon Baratheon, Tywin Lannister, and Aerys II Targaryen (later the Mad King). But in the end, it was the young Barristan Selmy who cut a bloody path through the Golden Company’s ranks to slay Maelys the Monstrous, the last of the Blackfyre Pretenders, in single combat. Thus ended this threat to the Seven Kingdoms.

But as Ray makes clear, all of that means little to most of the men of the ground. Fans of George R.R. Martin’s books will recognize a lot of what Ray says from A Feast for Crows, where a character named Septon Meribald makes a very similar speech.

Who knows? With HBO considering a Game of Thrones prequel, perhaps we’ll get to see more of the War of the Ninepenny Kings.