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Name the smartest and dumbest thing that House Martell ever did


James Steller

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It can be any member of House Martell, and it doesn't have to be the same person making the best and worst decision ever.

Smartest:

Pretty much the strategies they implemented to resist Aegon the Conqueror which allowed them to negotiate a truce to their own taste.

Dumbest:

Deciding that the heir of a half-crazed monarchy which tried many times to wipe Dorne out would be a good match for their daughter.

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Smartest: create the watergardens. I know it seems like an odd choice but i think it perfectly represents Dorne and their open society

Dumbest: sending oberyn to KL. I think if Doran had sent him to Dany instead it Would have been a much better choice (Unless of course the outcome was what he wanted)

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The smartest was waiting for all this mess before making their moves.also not meddling generally.

The dumbest well trying coronating myrcella would be a stalemate. Oberyn openly supporting the targs for some time. I'd say trusting aerys but he wasn't that crazy when elia married.

Btw oberyn did fine if he just stayed a bit farther or impaled gregor's other foot... Happy end.

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The very history of House Targaryen should have been enough of a deterrent.

Maybe the Targaryens had more than their share of madmen or bloodthirsty conquerors, but it's not like the Dornish have never married into them before. Baelor the Blessed had made peace with Dorne long before Aerys was king. As far as everyone was concerned, Dorne was in the fold without being totally subservient, satisfying both parties. Meanwhile Rhaegar was a very promising match who seemed to be poised to become one of the best kings of his dynasty. Who knew Aerys would screw it all up so badly?

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Dumbest: Not submitting to Aegon the Conqueror. I don't know about the rest of ye, but I don't see the benefit Dorne got from defying the dragon. Pride and pride alone, and cool house words

Smartest: Dorans actions in keeping Dorne away a from Renly and fooling the Lannisters

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Smartest: Defeating the Targaryens and their dragons

Dumbest: Letting Viserys and Daenerys just wander around Essos willy nilly instead of actually helping them (at least, if restoring one of them to power was the plan all along).

These get my vote as well. It takes some bronze balls and clever minds to outwit dragon riders, and unlike their Rhoynish ancestors House Martell had no magic on their side. And not having a single agent following the kids around (at a safe distance) and keeping watch over them is a borderline plot hole it's so dumb.

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Smartest: Allying with Nymeria. Honorable mention to their clever stategy for defying the Targaryens.



Dumbest; Probably Doran using his ressources in an absurdly terrible way; sending his hot-blooded brother to KL, not watching over Viserys and Dany, keeping his heir in the dark and sending his plain, shy son to woo the world's most beautiful woman in the middle of a warzone.



It's funny, the Martells in the backstory (and the Dornish in general) are pretty damn hardcore. These people held off the dragons that brought a continent to its knees. The modern Martells, sans Oberyn maybe, all seem to run a competition for who's the dumbest one, and the modern Dornish in general I just find to be incredibly lame, with special mentions to the Sand Snakes and Dorkstar.


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The modern Martells, sans Oberyn maybe, all seem to run a competition for who's the dumbest one, and the modern Dornish in general I just find to be incredibly lame, with special mentions to the Sand Snakes and Dorkstar.

Even Oberyn is incredibly short-sighted. He must have known everything Doran knew about Dany and the dragons, and would have also known he was the only one really qualified for going to get them. But he decided after sixteen years of waiting he needed vengeance then and there, instead of say a year or two down the line with some dragons at his back.

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Even Oberyn is incredibly short-sighted. He must have known everything Doran knew about Dany and the dragons, and would have also known he was the only one really qualified for going to get them. But he decided after sixteen years of waiting he needed vengeance then and there, instead of say a year or two down the line with some dragons at his back.

I'm making a bit of an exception because he was actually winning until one mistake killed him. And I don,t think he went to KL with the express intent of getting in a fight with Gregor, he just jumped at the opportunty. He was very short-sighted, yes, but he's still the smartest of the family. Which is damning by faint praise, isn't it?

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Smartest: Defeating the Targaryens and their dragons

Dumbest: Letting Viserys and Daenerys just wander around Essos willy nilly instead of actually helping them (at least, if restoring one of them to power was the plan all along).

Yes.. Agreed on the 'dumbest' part..

But was it really that smart to defeat the Targs? Sure it earned them a hell of a reputation, but what more? They did after all become a part of the united kingdom.. Sure they got to keep their title 'prince' and probably a couple of other stuff.. but they lost a hell of a lot of men doing that, and the kingdom bleed. Seems like a bit of a waste to me.. :/

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Yes.. Agreed on the 'dumbest' part..

But was it really that smart to defeat the Targs? Sure it earned them a hell of a reputation, but what more? They did after all become a part of the united kingdom.. Sure they got to keep their title 'prince' and probably a couple of other stuff.. but they lost a hell of a lot of men doing that, and the kingdom bleed. Seems like a bit of a waste to me.. :/

Ya and does the kingdom look wealthier for it?
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Smartest: Creating an alliance with Nymeria and the Rhoynar, which lead to their considerable elevation in status and Dorne finally being united.



Dumbest: Sending Oberyn to KL, it was always bound to end in disaster letting him get that close to the Lannisters, and since then everything has begun to get messy for them. Doran also hasn't made the best choices regarding his tutelage of his children.


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