Right now we're deep into the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and so far HBO's new Game of Thrones spinoff is absolutely killing it. From the lighter camaraderie between lead characters Dunk (Peter Claffey) and Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), to the sobering twists and turns of its most recent episode, the series is hitting all the right notes to go over well with fans. This is a different era of Westeros than we've ever seen, and it feels like a wonderful return to form.
As with House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones before it, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has its own dense history that informs the story, complete with a few bloody wars that happened in living memory for characters like Maekar Targaryen (Sam Spruell) and his older brother, Baelor (Bertie Carvel). The most important of those clashes is known as the Blackfyre Rebellion, when a bunch of Targaryen bastards made their own bid for the Iron Throne and were ultimately defeated, thanks to the military prowess of Baelor, Maekar, and their bastard uncle Brynden Rivers.
To date, the Blackfyre Rebellion has been something of an extraneous concept in Game of Thrones franchise lore. We've simply been focused on other things, and the Blackfyres have taken a back seat. But that's going to change in a big way during the next two seasons of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which deal much more directly with the fallout of the rebellion.
And we may be seeing even more of them than expected. When asked in a recent Reddit AMA whether we'll see flashbacks to the Blackfyre Rebellion, showrunner Ira Parker responded with a cryptic, "Stay tuned." I know this is jumping the gun, but to me that all but confirms we'll at least get brief flashes of this bloody war. It'll mark a debut for this important saga for the Seven Kingdoms on screen.
What is the Blackfyre Rebellion?
By the time of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1, the Blackfyre Rebellion is the most recent war in Westerosi history, taking place around 19 years before the start of the show. Aegon IV Targaryen was a king with a dubious reputation, thus his nickname of Aegon the Unworthy. One scandalous aspect of his reign fathered numerous bastards, whom he kept closer to court than usual, bestowing favors and titles. The most prominent of these bastards was Daemon Rivers, who took up the name Daemon Blackfyre after Aegon IV gifted him the Valyrian steel sword of Aegon the Conqueror himself, since Daemon was a skilled warrior and Aegon's trueborn heir, Daeron, was not.
Upon his death bed, Aegon legitimized all of these "Great Bastards." And that's when the problems started. Supported by another Targaryen bastard named Aegor Rivers (a.k.a. Bittersteel) and the knight Ser Quentyn Ball (a.k.a. Fireball), Daemon claimed the Iron Throne. Unfortunately, his brother Daeron was already sitting on it, and so war ensued.
Daemon had the backing of many lords in Westeros, as well as substantial support from across the Narrow Sea thanks to his marriage to the Rohanne of Tyrosh. The Blackfyre Rebellion split the realm's loyalties as it devolved into a bitter war that lasted nearly a year.
Ultimately, Daemon was defeated at the Battle of the Redgrass Field, where Daeron II's sons Baelor and Maekar shattered his forces, while Brynden Rivers' elite archers, the Raven's Teeth, gained an advantageous position atop a hill and slew Daemon Blackfyre and both of his sons, effectively ending the rebellion. In the rout that followed, Brynden Rivers drove off Bittersteel through a protracted duel in the middle of the battlefield, effectively ending the First Blackfyre Rebellion — and losing an eye in the process.
That's a massive simplification of the First Blackfyre Rebellion, which is every bit as complex a civil war as the Dance of the Dragons. The Battle of the Redgrass Field is lightly touched upon in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 3, when Egg sings a song called "The Hammer and the Anvil" that recounts the final battle of the First Blackfyre Rebellion. There would be other Blackfyre Rebellions to follow, but those come later, once Egg is Dunk's squire and the realm has moved on from the pretender Daemon Blackfyre.
How A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms could include Blackfyre Rebellion flashbacks
The first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has included numerous flashbacks, often as brief glimpses at characters like Young Dunk (Bamber Todd) or his mentor, Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). These usually work for comedic effect, but from the teases for Episode 5, we know that a more substantial flashback exploring Dunk's origins is on the way, too. This is yet another way A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is setting itself apart from Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, neither of which relied on flashbacks outside of a few very small instances.
If the show continues to use flashbacks in future seasons, it would absolutely make sense that we might see some of the First Blackfyre Rebellion. The novella which forms the basis for season 2, "The Sworn Sword," follows Dunk and Egg as they end up in the middle of a land dispute between two noble houses. Without getting too deep into the spoilers, these houses supported different sides in the First Blackfyre Rebellion, and that civil war plays an important part in the overall story for the book. One character in particular, Ser Eustace Osgrey, references events from the Redgrass Field. It's easy to imagine how A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms could utilize flashbacks, either in brief glimpses or larger sections, to expand on Osgrey's musings.
The third Dunk and Egg novella, "The Mystery Knight," deals even more directly with the fallout of the Blackfyre Rebellions. The how and why of it all are extremely spoilery, so suffice to say that flashbacks to the civil war could also make sense there, as well.
It's doubtful that we'll ever get a proper Blackfyre Rebellion series from HBO, so these flashbacks could be the only way we see this dramatic part of Westeros' history on screen. To date, Martin hasn't even written all that much about the First Blackfyre Rebellion, outside of The World of Ice and Fire reference book and mentions in A Song of Ice and Fire and The Tales of Dunk and Egg. Presumably the Blackfyre Rebellions will be covered in Blood & Fire, the sequel to Fire & Blood — but if or when Martin will finish that book is anyone's guess. There are much richer veins HBO could mine for spinoffs based off the material that already exists.
All this is to say, if Ira Parker and his team want to include Blackfyre Rebellion flashbacks in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, it's a reason for fans to rejoice.
Two more episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms remain, premiering on Sundays at 10:00 p.m. EST on HBO and HBO Max. We'll be covering them extensively, so follow along as Dunk faces the trial of seven and fights to prove his innocence in the thrilling climax to the season.