A grizzled Lord. A knight of the Rainbow Guard. A ranger of the Night's Watch. Who are the former Bronze Kings of the Vale, and what is their current role in the Song of Ice and Fire? This is the History of House Royce. The Royces are powerful bannermen of House Arryn in the Vale. ANG They rule over the castle of Runestone and own several ports, refusing to rely on the southern port city of Gulltown for trade. They claim descent from an ancient line of First Men kings, and boast ancestral sets o
f bronze plate armour inscribed with runes, as well as the Valyrian steel sword Lamentation… until it went missing, at least. Their sigil displays black iron studs on a bronze field, bordered with enigmatic runes. Their House words are just as mysterious: "We Remember". Royce is a First Man name - for instance, several Red Kings of the North boasted the name Royce Bolton. House Royce must trace its ancestry back to someone called Royce who made a name for himself. The ancient House rose to becom
e one of many warlords in the Vale: the Bronze Kings. They had a fierce rivalry with the self-proclaimed Kings of the True Men - the monarchs of House Shett of Gulltown. The earliest Royce we know of is King Yorwyck VI, who defeated his rival King Osgood Shett III several times, driving him back inside the Gulltown walls. So Osgood turned to diplomacy. This was during the Andal Invasion, the migration of Andals from Essos to Westeros. Petty Kings had previously hired Andal warlords to fight thei
r battles for them, which often resulted in betrayal. King Osgood proved more cunning in securing the allegiance of the Andal knight Ser Gerold Grafton; they married each other's daughters in the customs of the Faith of the Seven, and King Osgood himself even converted to the Faith. They sailed north to defeat the Bronze King in battle, but it proved a pyrrhic victory. King Osgood was slain, potentially by his ally Ser Gerold, who claimed his crown and declared himself King Gerold Grafton of Gul
ltown. Yorwyck VI's grandson eventually took the seat of Runestone as King Robar Royce II, as fearsome as he was cunning. Though the Andals had swept across the Vale, some First Men Houses stood their ground: Belmore, Coldwater, Hunter, Redfort, and Upcliff. Robar Royce brought them together with bonds of gold, land, and blood; and, according to the legend, a test of skill by besting Lord Hunter in an archery contest. The Bronze King became the High King of the Vale, the Fingers, and the Mountai
ns of the Moon. Through warfare and guile, Robar II beat back the Andals. He slew King Qyle Corbray of the Fingers, defeated the Hammer of the Hills at Ironoaks, and sent his sister to infiltrate Gulltown and convince the Shetts to rise up against the Graftons. These defeats shook the Andal warlords out of their infighting, and they rallied behind a leader of their own: Ser Artys Arryn, the Falcon Knight. Thus heralded the Battle of the Seven Stars, which raged at the foot of the Giant's Lance.
Six times the Andals charged at the lines of the First Men, and six times they were repelled - until the laughing warrior Torgold the Grim lead the seventh charge and broke through, slaying Lord Redfort. King Robar Royce launched a swift counterattack, cutting down Torgold and then Ser Artys Arryn himself. But the man was a decoy. The real Falcon Knight attacked from the rear, and slew King Robar is single combat… although other tales claim that it was Lord Ruthermont or Ser Luceon Templeton who
did the deed, or even Ser Jaime Corbray, who reclaimed the ancestral Corbray sword Lady Forlorn. Ser Artys Arryn was proclaimed King Artys I of Mountain and Vale, and the surviving Royces bent the knee, becoming Lords bannermen. We do not hear of House Royce until the early stages of Targaryen rule. In 37 AC, Lord Ronnel Arryn was murdered by his younger brother Jonos, who declared himself King. When Aenys I Targaryen failed to act decisively, Lord Allard Royce took matters into his own hands,
gathering a host to siege the Eyrie. After Jonos himself was thrown out the Moon Door by a disloyal garrison, the Eyrie passed to Lord Hubert Arryn, who was married to a Royce. Lord Allard, of course, did not contest the new line of succession, and was rewarded for his loyalty with gold and titles. During the minority of Lady Jeyne Arryn, Yorbert Royce was named Lord Protector of the Vale. He attended the Great Council of 101 in Lady Arryn' stead, and presumably voted for Prince Viserys Targarye
n, the husband of Aemma Arryn. Yorbert's heir was Lady Rhea Royce, who married Prince Daemon Targaryen in 97 AC. The marriage proved disastrous, with the mercurial Daemon pained by boredom and dislike for his wife, the "Bronze Bitch". She likewise held little love for him. By 115, Lady Rhea Royce of Runestone fell from her horse and cracked her skull. She was bedridden for over a week, rising on the 9th day, only to die within the hour. Some suspect her 'accident' may have been organised by her
hateful husband Daemon. After all, when he returned to the Vale, he unsuccessfully tried to claim the land and income of House Royce. But Runestone instead passed to Rhea's nephew. During the Dance of the Dragons in 130, Ser Willam Royce was one of the Seven Who Rode through the chaos of King's Landing to rescue Joffrey Velaryon. Ser Willam was killed by a random commoner, who stole Lamentation. The ancestral sword has not been found since. Lady Jeyne Arryn's death four years later triggered a b
loody succession crisis. She had named her distant cousin Ser Joffrey Arryn as her chosen heir instead of her first cousin Ser Arnold, who had previously tried to overthrow her. Yet various Lords rallied behind Ser Arnold, including the Bronze Giant Lord Gunthor Royce, who harboured him at Runestone. Ser Corwyn Corbray, one of Aegon III's regents, confronted Lord Gunthor at Runestone, but was shot down by a crossbowman. War erupted in the Vale and raged until 136, when the Bronze Giant and other
lords were forced to bend the knee to the new Lord Joffrey Arryn. Which brings us to the Royces of Runestone during the Song of Ice and Fire. Lord Yohn, known as Bronze Yohn for his armour, has had four children we know of: Ser Andar, Ser Robar, Ser Waymar, and Lady Ysilla. We also know of a Kyle Royce, who was executed by the Mad King; Perra Royce, the first wife of Walder Frey and mother of Stevron, Emmon, Aenys, and Perriane; and Ryella Royce, the wife of Ser Arwood Frey. Their relation to t
he main branch is currently unknown. Bronze Yohn is a grizzled old tourney knight. He was defeated by Rhaegar Targaryen at the Tourney of Harrenhal, but himself defeated Thoros of Myr at the melee of Prince Joffrey's 12th name day. He is also a proud man, refusing Tywin Lannister's offer to marry Tyrion into House Royce, and personally escorting his son Ser Waymar to the Wall. They were hosted at Winterfell along the way, and Sansa Stark was smitten with the young man. The men of the Night's Wat
ch however are less enthralled by this new highborn recruit, and the entitled arrogance he brings with him. Along with his fellow rangers Will and Gared, he's commanded to search for wildling raiders in the Haunted Forest. On the ninth day of ranging they encounter the legendary Others, who surround the young knight. Though he stands his ground, they shatter his sword, cut him down, and resurrect him as a wight. Down south, Lord Yohn and his two older children attend the Hand's Tourney at King's
Landing. Ser Andar is defeated by Jaime Lannister, while Ser Robar is defeated by Loras Tyrell. While Bronze Yohn and Andar return to the Vale, Robar decides to forge his own path by supporting King Renly Baratheon and joining his Rainbow Guard as Robar the Red. However, he fails to protect his King from Melisandre's shadow assassin, and is slain by a furious Loras Tyrell. Back in the Vale, Yohn insists that Lysa Arryn joins the War to support her nephew Robb Stark, but to no avail. After she's
secretly murdered by Lord Petyr Baelish, who becomes Lord Protector of the Vale, Yohn Royce gathers five other nobles to form the Lords Declarant, dedicated to removing Littlefinger from power. They gather their forces to blockade the Gates of the Moon and force Littlefinger to surrender, and eventually a meeting is held. Lord Royce wants to kick the Lord Protector from power and take Robert Arryn as a ward in Runestone. After Ser Lyn Corbray dares to draw his steel against Baelish - an event B
aelish himself cunningly orchestrated - the others are forced to concede and grant him one more year much to Royce's fury. Though Littlefinger has plans to sway the other Lords Declarant, he knows Bronze Yohn will remain fervently opposed to him. So what lies in the future for House Royce? Bronze Yohn is dedicated to deposing Littlefinger, and has recently married his daughter Ysilla to Lord Redfort's son, Ser Mychel. With Lord Redfort being one of the Lords Declarant, this suggests some sort of
alliance. Will the Royces and Redforts help Sansa in overthrowing Littlefinger, with Yohn becoming the New Lord Protector of the Vale, like his ancestor Yorbert? Will they help in the fight against the Others, utilising their ancient runic armour? Or will they simply be another victim of Baelish's machinations? You can find the extended version of this video, where I discuss the cadet branch of House Royce, on my Patreon. To learn about former Kings of the North, check out my videos on House Um
ber and House Bolton. Like and subscribe to Fantasy Haven if you want more content like this, and check out the Patreon for bonus content. Special thanks to my Patrons Andres, Colshot, Devcole, and Caden. What House shall I cover next? Thanks for watching. CAPTION GANG
Comments
Hey everyone! To see the Extended version of this video, check out my Patreon :D https://www.patreon.com/FantasyHaven
It is funny in retrospect that House Royce and house Mallister are mentioned first in the story
Wonder if Royce's holdout of the Andals helped the North with their expulsion of them. Unlike other holdovers of the first men Royce did well for themselves.
Please do history of house Karstark or Greyjoy For me, they intresting
This video is certainly more professional than your earlier ones, but kind of lifeless now. Your more humorous delivery is missed.
Do house Danyne
LF is gonna continue to outsmart all these chumps. His Achilles heel is Sansa. She will figure it and then it is over for him.
Herse a video idea, In the books the Stark's where not as wealthy as the Lannister's, however they where a lot wealthier than in the show. First of all Winterfell was much larger, not the dumpy keep in the show. The castle's towers are taller in the books and three acers alone are set aside for the God's Wood. At the Feast for King Robert they all dressed magnificently, including Benjen Stark who wears by far the fanciest blacks in the whole story. Rich velvet, high leather boots, a silver buckle on his wide belt, and a heavy silver chain. When they go to Kings Landing Ned orders a new uniform for his guards, silver chain mail, yes silver not iron and long cloaks of heavy grey wool decorated with white satin borders. These cloaks are pinned with hands of beaten silver. Likewise Ned always wore his council silk as Hand Of The King and when he was stead on the Iron Throne he wore a white doublet embossed with a grey dire wolf. Back in Winterfell Bran is attacked by the wildings because of his wolf's-head brooch of silver and polished jet. This is just to go riding this is not a formal event. When Theon was living with the Starks he wore a lot of gold which makes Balon think his gotten soft. When Theon took Winterfell he ordered a crown made for himself as the self styled Prince Of Winterfell incrusted with gold nuggets and black diamonds likely form Winterfell's plundered treasury. At the Harvest Feast in Winterfell Bran is quote, dressed as befits a Prince and drinks from a silver goblet worked in the shape of a dire wolfs head. Catelyn describes her son Robbs royal robes as quote magnificent. He also wears crown of bronze and iron. Sansa is also fond of blue silk gowns and Jon Snow wears black mole skin gloves. The Great Hall in Winterfell is large enough to seat five hundred people and has a throne dating back to when the Starks where Kings In The North. There is a Library Tower with old and rare Valyrian Scrolls. Now look at Maester Luwin he has is own tower and servants of his own, the Starks top servants have servants. Remember Winterfell is built atop a hot spring and there are pipes in the Great Keep where the Starks live. The Starks also have a glass garden in which they are able to grow plants not native to the North what ever the season. Knowing that Sansa loves lemon cakes we can assume there is a lemon tree in the glass garden importing those seeds all the way form The Reach or Doren would not be cheap. As Lord Commander Of The Nights Watch Jon considers buildings a Glass Garden but thinks it will be costly. Lord Eddard also built a Sept for Lady Catelyn. Not as Wealthy as the Lannister but clearly one of the wealthiest families in the known world.
house Harroway?
I love the theory that Weymar is related fairly closely to Jon Snow, through the Stark line which is why the white walkers saught him out as he went beyond the wall, and why they laughed as they killed him
Can you play Ck3 game of thrones 😊❤
Pretty underrated House, cool aesthetic too. And their family's seat is cool too, the Castle "Runestone". I hope their House survives the test of time, seem pretty dope. (Also, "F" in the chat for the lady Rhae Royce, Daemon did her dirty. Not to mention, he was banned from being in the Vale by Lady Jayne Arryn herself, even after being allied to the Black's. 😅)
do House Mallister of Seagard next, they are the Royce of Riverlands!
Great video!
Frankly the Arryns should not have been named lord paramounts by the targaryens. Since they bent the knee, they have constantly tried to usurp each other, formed rebellions against the ruling Arryn, committed treason by trying to secede from the realm and declare themselves king again, they have few allies of their own, their branches constantly jostle for power and do not obey their liege lord or lady, like how the gulltown Arryn's sided with Aerys, caused sucession crisis's several times etc. Jeyne Arryn for example really screwed up by refusing to marry and then on her deathbed naming a 4th cousin who has never been taught to rule anything, assuming that her other cousins line would just accept this and that they all would accept her choice. As we know, they in fact did not, and even the Royces preferred edric Arryn to her choice. And then a good size rebellion happened, which needed the kings army to sort out, showing they are weak. Consistently the Royces are more liked then the Arryns, and it says something when they all accepted a Royce ruling as regent for Jeyne, they aren't the peakes, they are good rulers who are exactly what the Vale needs. Then in current times you have the mad Lysa and sickly Robert Arryn, who no one likes, and they are all wanting a Royce and several other lords to rule as regents for him and mold him, Robert is weak and frankly stupid, and by the time of the 4th game of thrones book, everyone knows the most powerful man in the Vale is not Robert, but rather Bronze Yohn Royce, because no one likes Petyr apart from a few lackeys.
thankyou
That “armor” in the 2003 outline from Jon Snow is interesting. Even if the Royce have been killed wearing that armor maybe the runes are not meant to shield from mortal weapons, but from White Walkers weapons
Funfact: if bronze and iron are in equal supply bronze is arguably the better material. For bronze is roughly as hard as iron (but softer than steel). In addition it is much easier to work with. You can only melt iron into a fluid with modern 1860+ AD tech. Otherwise if you want something out of iron you need to heat it up and hammer it into shape. However bronze you can melt with comparativly simple ovens. Put the liquid into a form, do some fine grinding, done. There have been factories in china and egypt producing hundreths of bronze tools and weapons per day. Because of this, complex structures like statues, bells and cannons were made out of bronze til Napoleons times. Also if an iron sword breaks, it is ruined. If a bronze sword breaks, melt it down and get a new one. Not to mention that bronze doesn't rust. So why did we stop using bronze? Because it needs copper (rarer than iron) and tin (as rare as uranium). During the bronze age only two greater mines for tin were known. The british isles and a spot in central asia. Transcontinental trade routes with standartized units were needed to fuel the bronze age. And when the trade broke down down, so did the bronze age. It is likley that people started using iron not because it is superior, but because it is virtually everywhere. And without the international trade making bronze cheap, people used iron as the more economical alternative.
House Serry, House Corbray, House Tully and The Golden Company. My propositions for videos.
i hope they become the new ruling house of the vale i also want George to tell us what does the royce words mean and where they come from, they're very similar to the Stark's words and kind of north-like so i find it very interesting