Will the North ever accept Targaryen rule again?

[Kaibaman]

I've been wondering, since a Targaryen restoration is now very probable with Aegon landing with the Golden Company as well as Dany returning at the head of her own army plus three dragons, either of them will no doubt spell the end of the Lannister regime who no doubt are hated by all the Northerners save the Boltons. But there is undoubtedly still a lot of bad feeling towards the Targaryens as well after Aerys and Rhaegar's appalling treatment of the Starks in the not so distant past. Given how unpopular and ineffectual Lannister rule is to the Northerners (and much of the country for the matter), would a Targaryen restoration with its new generation of leaders be seen as a welcoming change, or has the North having already tasted independence no longer wish to be subjugated by the South even when considering the threat of fire breathing dragons?

[FrostyDornishman]

I've been wondering this a lot too lately, especially since it looks like most of the North will eventually rally behind Stannis.  If the Mannis manages to crush the Boltons and reinstate Rickon as the Stark in Winterfell, they'll have little reason to favor Aegon or Dany.  Which in turn means the Targaryens will have little reason to love the North.

I think there'll be bad blood one way or another.  They're grudgingly brought back into the fold, and/or split between Targ and Stannis supporters, and/or they suffer horribly through the winter/Long Night while the competing rulers duke it out in the south.

[The Wolves]

I think the North could very well accept a Targaryen rule again. 

Maybe it's just me but I've never got the sense that Lyanna's abduction, Rickard,Brandon's and other Northmen's deaths was something that the Northmen are still very angry about. Yeah they remember but we never see any anger towards the Targs about it. 

Ned and Benjen have never expressed any anger towards the Targs and I think most of that is because if Jon. But I don't think the northmen or Starks will hold a grudge. They'll be very weary but I could easily see them bending the knee to the Targaryens. 

Now I could defiantly see the North holding a grudge against the Lannisters, Freys, and Boltons many many many years to come. 

[Maxxine]

9 minutes ago, The Wolves said:

I think the North could very well accept a Targaryen rule again. 

Maybe it's just me but I've never got the sense that Lyanna's abduction, Rickard,Brandon's and other Northmen's deaths was something that the Northmen are still very angry about. Yeah they remember but we never see any anger towards the Targs about it. 

Ned and Benjen have never expressed any anger towards the Targs and I think most of that is because if Jon. But I don't think the northmen or Starks will hold a grudge. They'll be very weary but I could easily see them bending the knee to the Targaryens. 

Now I could defiantly see the North holding a grudge against the Lannisters, Freys, and Boltons many many many years to come. 

This is a really good point. The way the Northerners hate the Boltons/Freys/Lannisters because of the Red Wedding is something we never get from them regarding the Targs and Lyanna/Brandon/Rickard. Maybe it's because they all know how crazy Aerys was and he was killed they're not holding a grudge against the whole family like they are with the Boltons/Freys/Lannisters. But we also don't see their behavior in the immediate aftermath of what happened so we don't know how they reacted initially. Right now, we're seeing them only months after the RW.

But in regards to the OP, I'm really not seeing it being a big issue especially if it's Dany with her dragons. The Greatjon made the point the North only knelt to dragons, maybe indicating that's the only way the would kneel to dragons again because it wouldn't be worth the risk to try to fight them just like it wasn't worth the risk to Torrhen the King who Knelt. The Greatjon could have meant dragons literally or just dragons figuratively as in Targs idk. I just don't the North wanted to remain independent once everything else is settled being an issue. 

[Macgregor of the North]

When all is said and done I could actually see the North going back to being content with having a Stark in WF and them being wardens of the North while Targaryens rule the realm overall. Just like the past. 

How, and if things get back to that nicely set out format is a trickier matter though I think. 

[WSmith84]

33 minutes ago, The Wolves said:

I think the North could very well accept a Targaryen rule again. 

Maybe it's just me but I've never got the sense that Lyanna's abduction, Rickard,Brandon's and other Northmen's deaths was something that the Northmen are still very angry about. Yeah they remember but we never see any anger towards the Targs about it. 

Ned and Benjen have never expressed any anger towards the Targs and I think most of that is because if Jon. But I don't think the northmen or Starks will hold a grudge. They'll be very weary but I could easily see them bending the knee to the Targaryens. 

Now I could defiantly see the North holding a grudge against the Lannisters, Freys, and Boltons many many many years to come. 

Maybe that's because the Targaryens were basically wiped out? As far as the North is concerned, the enemy that wronged them was defeated and destroyed. They got their revenge and then some; why continue to hold a grudge against someone you've thoroughly beaten and no longer even plays a part in your life?

[OldGimletEye]

I think a North/Targaryen rapprochement is possible.

When Dany comes calling North, I think Jon will likely be the defacto leader of the North (with Rickon or Sansa being the de jure head). Now Jon is not a hot head. I think he would be willing to hear Dany out. If Dany is reasonable, I think he would be willing to bring the North back into the fold.

That said, I don't think the North would ever accept any responsibility or guilt for removing Aerys. Nor should they.

Also, Northern and Targaryen negotiations might be heavily impacted by how Dany/Aegon treat the other rebel houses. If Dany/Aegon tries to hold those houses guilty for removing Aerys that potentially implicates the North and House Stark for treason. The North and House Stark should never accept that. Not even the slightest of whiff of it. And, of course, the North has an interest in not being seen as selling their allies down the river.

[Kal-L]

4 minutes ago, WSmith84 said:

Maybe that's because the Targaryens were basically wiped out? As far as the North is concerned, the enemy that wronged them was defeated and destroyed. They got their revenge and then some; why continue to hold a grudge against someone you've thoroughly beaten and no longer even plays a part in your life?

Pretty much this.

To answer the OP, I'd say it depends of the conditions in which the North bend the knee, I mean if the queen try to conquer the North treating them as traitors and rebels, there is no way they will accept her rule.

[Sullen]

I think both the Northmen and the Ironborn have stated at different occasions that they bent the knees to Dragons, and not any Southron, and it's one of the justifications they use for their rebellions. I don't doubt that if the dragons come back, they'll re-evaluate their situations.

[aryagonnakill#2]

1 hour ago, WSmith84 said:

Maybe that's because the Targaryens were basically wiped out? As far as the North is concerned, the enemy that wronged them was defeated and destroyed. They got their revenge and then some; why continue to hold a grudge against someone you've thoroughly beaten and no longer even plays a part in your life?

I would say at the very least we never heard Targ compaints because of this.  There was no reason to mention them 1 way or the other.

[Whomping.Willow]

North will only be back in the fold of seven kingdom if a stark is on throne. So whether its Aegon/Sansa or Aegon/Arya or Jon/Sansa or Jon/Arya or the final pair which I dread - Jon/Dany end up on throne. There is no other way north is gonna bend the knee. Considering dragons - somehow i believe they will not cause the same fear as Aegon I and his sisters dragons did because by the time dragons will come; north would have stared right in the eyes of real fear coming from north. 

[anjulibai]

Definitely through a Stark-Targaryen pairing and/or offspring. Jon Snow would foot the bill: even if is Rhaegar's son, Ned Stark raised him as his own, and his identity has been forged in the North. If he were to ascend the Iron Throne as king or even as consort of Dany, the North would follow him. 

[Ferocious Veldt Roarer]

Not that long time after Mad King Aerys, Lord Umber has still more respect for House Targaryen than for House Baratheon:

"Renly Baratheon is nothing to me, nor Stannis neither. Why should they rule over me and mine, from some flowery seat in Highgarden or Dorne? What do they know of the Wall or the wolfswood or the barrows of the First Men? Even their gods are wrong. The Others take the Lannisters too, I’ve had a bellyful of them. Why shouldn’t we rule ourselves again? It was the dragons we married, and the dragons are all dead!"

So yes, if they can bend the knee to anyone, the dragons are more likely than the stags.

[Lord Lannister]

It was the field of fire that caused the North to kneel, a repeat of the same very well could produce the same effect.

[Kaibaman]

4 hours ago, Ferocious Veldt Roarer said:

Not that long time after Mad King Aerys, Lord Umber has still more respect for House Targaryen than for House Baratheon:

"Renly Baratheon is nothing to me, nor Stannis neither. Why should they rule over me and mine, from some flowery seat in Highgarden or Dorne? What do they know of the Wall or the wolfswood or the barrows of the First Men? Even their gods are wrong. The Others take the Lannisters too, I’ve had a bellyful of them. Why shouldn’t we rule ourselves again? It was the dragons we married, and the dragons are all dead!"

So yes, if they can bend the knee to anyone, the dragons are more likely than the stags.

Yeah but I do wonder if the Greatjon of all people would be down with marrying the dragons again? He and some of Robb's strongest supporters were diehard secessionists. If Aegon or Dany frees him from the Twins, do you really imagine he would be telling his compatriots;

"Well I did say we married the dragon so lets go back to doing that again".

[Makk]

I think they would be pretty happy with Jon on the throne.

[Valyrian Blade]

I think the north would follow whoever rids them of the Boltons, makes the Freys pay and puts a Stark back was warden of the north like Stannis is planning to do. As long as Bolton rules the north the other houses won't be happy and will actively seek to revolt.

[Scorpion92]

The North will follow only a Stark. If Stark bends the knee to Targaryen, then northmen will do too.

However, do not kid yourself: Jon Stark, new King of Winter, will never bend the knee to Dany in this story, it is not happening. Especially if he knows who he truly is, he would rather make Dany and the South bend the knee to him and accept him as the new king.

[LordPathera]

3 hours ago, Scorpion92 said:

The North will follow only a Stark. If Stark bends the knee to Targaryen, then northmen will do too.

However, do not kid yourself: Jon Stark, new King of Winter, will never bend the knee to Dany in this story, it is not happening. Especially if he knows who he truly is, he would rather make Dany and the South bend the knee to him and accept him as the new king.

Why would Jon want to sit on the world's least comfortable chair?

In all seriousness, is there any indication that Jon would ever want the Iron Throne? Jon seems like he'd be perfectly content with ruling the North.

[redtree]

5 hours ago, Scorpion92 said:

The North will follow only a Stark. If Stark bends the knee to Targaryen, then northmen will do too.

However, do not kid yourself: Jon Stark, new King of Winter, will never bend the knee to Dany in this story, it is not happening. Especially if he knows who he truly is, he would rather make Dany and the South bend the knee to him and accept him as the new king.

So basically you're wishing for Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon to die so your favorite character can rule ? How honorable, it does seem like in his character (that was sarcasm btw)