9 periods in Westeros history perfect for another Game of Thrones spinoff
By Michael East
The Faith Militant uprising
The Faith Militant uprising was a religious conflict that took place during the reign of King Aenys I Targaryen. The confrontation saw the rise of the fanatical Faith Militant, who rose up in rebellion against the crown after Aenys married his two children to each other. (They would rise again hundreds of years later on Game of Thrones.) A weak king, Aenys dies of a short illness at Dragonstone, which creates a major crisis.
Queen Visenya ensures that her son Maegor, Aenys’ brother, is crowned king in place of Aenys’ three children. The decision is deadly for the Faith Militant, as Maegor is brutal in his response to the uprising. Thousands are slaughtered in battle and die by dragonfire. Following Maegor, King Jaehaerys forges peace with the Faith Militant and forces them to submit to House Targaryen.
A series centering on the Faith Militant uprising would be very different for HBO. While there’s no shortage of blood and dragons, the focus of both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon has been the quest for power. Here, the network could tell another story: a search for religious supremacy and orthodoxy.
Religion has played a part in hundreds of wars around the globe and, in particular, the British and European history that George R.R. Martin loves to incorporate into his work. There’s no reason it couldn’t form the basis for a whole new series.
