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- "King Mern allied us with the Rock to repel the upstart's army. One can only marvel that King Mern did not reconsider when he saw the living dragons against him. Perhaps he should've sought counsel from his trusted stewards before he set out. Then again... perhaps he did."
- ―Margaery Tyrell
King Mern IX Gardener was the last of the Gardener Kings of the Reach. When Aegon the Conqueror invaded Westeros, King Mern joined forces with Loren I Lannister, the King of the Rock, to face Aegon in battle. Their armies met at the Field of Fire, during which Mern himself was killed, and his kingdom fell to Aegon.
Biography[]
Mern IX and his sons were burned alive at the Field of Fire. House Gardener died with them.
At first the united armies of Loren I Lannister and Mern IX Gardener seemed to be winning, pushing back Aegon's troops. However, once Aegon unleashed his three dragons - Vhagar, Meraxes, and Balerion the Black Dread - even the combined might of the Kingdoms of the Reach and the Rock could not stand up to them. Four thousand men perished, consumed by the dragons' fire, earning the site of the battle the name of 'the Field of Fire.' Among the dead were King Mern IX himself and all of his sons; thus the Gardener dynasty became extinct. Mern IX's steward, Harlen Tyrell, surrendered Highgarden to Aegon and was named Lord Paramount of the Reach, Lord of Highgarden, and Warden of the South.[1][2][3]
It is possible that King Mern IX wasn't inclined to a war initially, since it would have likely been a sure defeat, but it has been suggested that Lord Harlen Tyrell had suggested that to King Mern IX that going to war to not appear weak and cowardly, with the intention of claiming the Reach for himself.[4]
In the books[]
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Mern's story is the same.
Appearances[]
– "The Field of Fire - House Targaryen" (illustrated)- – "The Field of Fire - House Stark" (illustrated)
- – "House Lannister" (illustrated)
- – "Robert's Rebellion - Margaery Tyrell" (illustrated)
- – "House Tyrell" (illustrated)
- – "The Reach" (illustrated)
- – "The Death of Kings" (mentioned indirectly)
- – "Highgarden" (illustrated)
- – "Invasion" (illustrated)
- – "House Lannister, Kings of the Rock & House Gardener, Kings of the Reach" (illustrated)
- – "House Stark, The Kings of Winter" (mentioned indirectly)
References[]
- ↑ Histories & Lore: Season 1, Short 9: "The Field of Fire - House Targaryen" (2012).
- ↑ Histories & Lore: Season 1, Short 23: "House Lannister" (2012).
- ↑ Histories & Lore: Season 2, Short 8: "House Tyrell" (2013).
- ↑ Histories & Lore: Season 3, Short 12: "The Reach" (2014).
Notes[]
- ↑ In "Valyria & the Dragons," Viserys Targaryen states that Aegon began his conquest 100 years after the Doom of Valyria in 102 BC, placing it in 2 BC. In "Aegon, First of His Name," Viserys Targaryen states that the maesters divided history into Before and After Conquest following Aegon I Targaryen's coronation in Oldtown; therefore, Aegon's Conquest began in 2 BC and ended in 1 AC.
External links[]
Head
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Vacant (extinct) | Heir
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Vacant (extinct) |  | |
Seat
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Highgarden | Region
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Reach | ||
Titles |
King of the Reach | ||||
Ancestors |
Garth the Gardener · Harlon the Hunter · Herndon of the Horn · Mern IX Gardener | ||||