- "When Aegon's son faced rebellion from the Vulture King of Dorne, my ancestor, Savage Sam Tarly, led the royal forces on a Vulture Hunt."
- ―Randyll Tarly
The Vulture King was a rebel during the reign of Aenys Targaryen.
Biography[]
The Vulture King was a Dornish rebel who sought to overthrow King Aenys Targaryen. The king's loyal supporter Samwell Tarly, wielding the Valyrian steel sword Heartsbane, led the "Vulture Hunt" to put down the rebellion.[1]
In the books[]
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the Vulture scored several early victories against the marcher lords, with Princess Deria Martell turning a blind eye to his actions, allowing him to gather almost thirty thousand followers. Orys Baratheon pursued the rebels in the "Vulture Hunt" with support from marcher lords like Samwell Tarly.
He was eventually captured and executed by Savage Sam, who tied him naked between two posts and left him to die from exposure. Singers claim that he was ironically ripped apart and eaten by vultures, but in reality he died from dehydration after several days with no water and the vultures ate him long after his death.
Stannis mentions the Vulture King among people (Daemon Blackfyre, the brothers Toyne, Grand Maester Hareth, and Rhaenyra Targaryen) as examples for those whose treachery cost their lives.[2]
The Vulture King proved an inspiration for later rebels that arose in the Red Mountains, who called themselves "Vulture Kings". Despite this, none of them were as powerful as he had been nor were any of them proven to be related to him by blood. The second Vulture King arose during the reign of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, and was defeated after a military campaign led by Jaehaerys and Lord Rogar Baratheon (Jaehaerys used his dragon Vermithor to track down and destroy the Vulture King's camps in the Red Mountains, leaving his forces at the mercy of Rogar's troops. The Vulture King was finally captured and died trying to win his freedom in a trial by combat against Lord Rogar). A third Vulture King conducted raids on the Stormlands in a campaign that ran concurrent with the Dance of the Dragons, necessitating the intervention of Lord Borros Baratheon and delaying his involvement into the Dance, while a fourth Vulture King briefly caused problems during the reign of King Daeron II Targaryen.
Appearances[]
– "House Tarly" (illustrated)
References[]
- ↑ Histories & Lore: Season 6, Short 16: "House Tarly" (2016).
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 36, Davos IV (2000).
