Will Bravos be pro or anti Dany?

[Dave17]

She may be a Valyrian and have dragons but she is also very anti-slavery. How do you think the average Bravossi would side? Will it be a major point in the election for the next sealord?

[turinturambar1]

anti dany for sure

[Nite's King]

Anti

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

Anti, by which I mean I expect them to make an attempt on the dragons even if they don't have a beef with Dany personally. I also think they'd side-eye what happened in Astapor after she left it, her profiting off of Meereenese who sell themselves into slavery and the slave market she lets Yunkai set up outside the city.

Even if they believe the abolitionist spiel, there's no way to guarantee that whoever gets Dany's dragons after she dies won't use them to subjugate others or set up some new Valyrian slaving empire. The issue isn't Dany so much as it's her dragons.

[DaarioKnowsBest]

Didn't Targs know about Braavos when it was a secret city and they were peaceful with them or helped them out or something along those lines

[Veltigar]

They will be divided of course. One faction will support her and the other one will want to have her killed.

Remember that Braavos already worked together with the Targaryens (Aegon I saved their bacon against Volantis) and that there was even a Sealord who gave the banished Targs a refuge. Later on of course they were kicked out by the next Sealord.

Me thinks that there are two big factions in Braavos. One Anti-Targ with as main backer the FM and one pro-Targ with as main backer the IBB. They'll clash in tWoW for sure, since we know that the old Sealord is dieing and thus a new one shall soon have to be elected (for more seem my signature, the Arya scenario).

[Mist Isle]

I think that Braavos is going to become anti-Dany. There will probably be several reasons why this will happen. Dany appears to be on course to claim, or some of her supporters will claim for her, some type of status close to that of a "universal monarch" or a sovereign whose authority extends everywhere on the planet (other rulers can exist, but must follow her commands should any be issued). Once she reaches Volantis, Dany's status in Essos will be upgraded significantly.

Some of the Free Cities will essentially be forced to support her and the new Valyrian Dominion that is coming into existence (which will be partly based in Volantis). This will likely be achieved through fear of her power and perhaps implied coercion. An invasion of Pentos, to restore the Tattered Prince, would likely damage relations with Braavos because it would demonstrate the dangers of the new dragon wielding Targ monarch. The Braavosi elites, like elites in many or most of the other Free Cities, will not be happy about this development.

The issue of the Iron Bank will likely be important as well. The Iron Bank will be clearly on record as supporting House Baratheon through Stannis. I suspect that the Iron Bank will not abrogate its obligations on the contract to Stannis and is determined to see its candidate win and to prevent anyone who would default on the debt from holding the throne.

Even if Stannis should die (probably when), the Bank will continue with its plan for the Iron Throne. Stannis's heir at that moment, (Shireen, Edric, or whoever else) will likely inherit the contract. Stannis will probably die fighting Daenerys anyways, which will mean that the Iron Bank and Daenerys will be on opposites sides in the conflict (and they are probably not going to reconcile).

Then there are issues with the Faceless Men and Jaqen H'ghar's appearance at the Citadel, which may have anti-dragon implications.

The election of a new Sealord will probably signal and reflect the new currents in Braavos. The death of the current Sealord will shift power towards anti-Targ forces and away from others.

[Bright Blue Eyes]

Anti. The anti-dragon resentment is strong in Braavos. And Dany has made quite a reputation as an unstable ruler, prone to breaking contracts, truces and lashing out wildly, for injustice and even somewhat as a slaver.

Didn't Targs know about Braavos when it was a secret city and they were peaceful with them or helped them out or something along those lines

No. Especially since the Targs were one of the ~40 families the Braavosi feared the most.

[Stannis Eats No Peaches]

They will be very much against her. To them, understandably, dragons are a symbol of oppression, so why would they help her?

[Mist Isle]

They will be very much against her. To them, understandably, dragons are a symbol of oppression, so why would they help her?

That is a good point. I think that much of Westeros will share this view too. That may lead to an anti-Targaryen coalition forming up (including Braavos, the Citadel, Dorne, and others) after the fall of the major Westerosi kings who will confront her after she lands in Westeros (probably Aegon, Stannis, and Euron). The scenario might be sort of like the "Century of Blood" or the "Bleeding Years" in which Volantis sought to reestablish a new Valyria, but with some of the roles changed in this case.

[Roose The Weddingcrasher]

I wonder how Dany will react to the by our standards (which I think Martin intends her to unknowingly represent) most liberal place in Westeros and Essos opposing her. Will it open her eyes to her hypocrisy, will she go where the "Mad-Queen-Dany-posters" expect her to go, or will she presume to continue her paradox, and if, where will it end?

I really hope that this multi-layered conflict will be important in the books to come, instead of Dany just meddling around in Essossi politics while Braavos just behaves in the most pragmatic way, hoping that slavers destroy the dragons or vis versa. It has to be more meaningful than that, considering there are supposed to be only two books left!

[DaarioKnowsBest]

No. Especially since the Targs were one of the ~40 families the Braavosi feared the most.

Yet Braavos went public when the Doom happened, while the Targs were still alive and still had dragons, and were geographically not terribly far away from them.

[Lord Bronn Stokeworth]

Unless she makes it an issue, I don't really see Braavos taking an official stance at all. I see the average Braavosi attitude as, "Oh. Dragons. Great. *sarcasm* She just better stay the fuck away from us."

Of course, specific groups in Braavos, such as the Iron Bank and/or the Faceless Men, may take a proactive approach. The Iron Bank already has. They almost certainly know about her and chose to support Stannis (with both Dany's dragons and her liberal interpretation of business in Astapor likely striking against her). But I don't think either group should be considered "Braavos."

I suppose if she starts taking over Essos, they might turn against her and actively oppose her if they think she will war against them in time.

But for the most part, I don't think Braavos as a whole will have a huge desire either way.

[Light a wight tonight]

The Iron Bank just gave Stannis a huge loan. If Dany beats him she'd probably refuse payment; after all she didn't get the money, why should she pay it back? So the Braavos would support Stannis against her.

[Ahura Mazda]

Braavos is a city found with a goal of rare relevance and importance, therefore it is my belief that - since Daenerys has unexpectedly aligned to their own goal - they will support her.

What her ancestors did in the past is not relevant.

[Drexyon7]

Anti due to them backing Stannis and Stannis being anti Dany

[DaarioKnowsBest]

Braavos is anti - being broke, I say their loyalties will fall accordingly with wealth.

[James Arryn]

I don't think the assumption that the IB only backs one side is necessarily true. If they're really bankers, they'll cover their bets.

[the trees have eyes]

Braavos isn't pro-Stannis. The Iron Bank will support any credible candidate to the Iron Throne that will resume the repayments Cersei so unwisely curtailed. At the moment Stannis has some financial banking but that doesn't mean he is the only iron they have in the fire or that Braavos cares much for who rules Westeros as long as they respect Braavosi interests.

If Dany pitches it right there is no reason they would not back her, partly for this reason and partly to keep danger at arms length and overseas - better to make a friend or ally of a potentially dangerous wildcard than an opponent (the Free Cities feast the Dothraki Khals and pay them off, they don't oppose them).

Also, I think they'll judge her more by her liberation of the slaves in Slaver's Bay, the hopes that the Volantenes and the Red Priests seem to be pinning on her, rather than assume she is a new slave-owning dragonlord. After all the Targs ruled the seven kingdoms for hundreds of years and slavery was never something they were associated with. She is against slavery: the Braavosi won't have a problem seeing that.

So on balance: cautious neutral leaning to alliance based on mutual interests.

[Ser Greg of House House]

I don't think the assumption that the IB only backs one side is necessarily true. If they're really bankers, they'll cover their bets.

Makes sense. Actually, I find it weird that the IB would support Stannis when they probably know about Dany.

Felt kind of like a deus ex machina to give Stannis better chances.