Wealth and Power of House Velaryon

[Colonel Green]

House Velaryon no need to confine their marriage prospects with just the other noble houses in Westeros though Celtigars are also Valyrian in origin and the Daynes may pass for dragonlords.. The are still many noble families of Valyrian descent in Essos such as the Maegyrs and Vaelaros of Volantis or the Rogares of Lys (family of Queen Larra, mother to Aegon IV, Queen Naerys and Aemon the Dragonknight).. The Velaryons might have chosen to intermarry with these houses instead, which also probably explain why their influence waiver in recent years -- they might have chosen to "keep their bloodlines pure" rather than to seal dynastic and political connections, seeing that the current Velaryons still have the silver hair and purple eyes of ancient Valyria.

There are probably a lot of Valyrian families on Driftmark, just not "noble houses" like the Velaryons and Celtigars. House Qoherys, we know, was funded by a Valyrian man serving as Aegon I's master at arms on Dragonstone.

[Lord Thaeglei of Frostpyre]

There are probably a lot of Valyrian families on Driftmark, just not "noble houses" like the Velaryons and Celtigars. House Qoherys, we know, was funded by a Valyrian man serving as Aegon I's master at arms on Dragonstone.

It is indeed a possibility..

[LucionLannister]

They were clearly at their strongest just prior to The Dance of Dragons.

I, like some others, think they had a long fall from power. When the Targaryens were the rulers of Westeros, they probably became wealthy just through royal favors. They were clearly one of the favorite and closest allies of the Targaryens, both being Valyrian in blood. They probably also made money off of the trade from King's Landing. While we don't get any mention of Driftmark having a noticeable town, having the navy that countrols the mouth of Blackwater Bay could be hugely profitable.

They reached their peak under Lord Corlys. He spents years traveling the world, amassing a huge amound of treasure to take back to Driftmark. (This is what they refer to the Velaryons being wealthier than the Lannisters and Hightowers. This treasure.)

They clearly took a large financial and political hit during the Dance of Dragons. They sided with Rhaenys, but then she had Lord Corlys condemned for treason, so both the greens and the blacks disliked them. This probably started a slow decline.

Robert Baratheon probably sealed their status as lesser powers. I don't he wanted anything to do with a huge Targaryen loyalist family like the Velaryons.

[Ramsay's Penguins]

They were clearly at their strongest just prior to The Dance of Dragons.

I, like some others, think they had a long fall from power. When the Targaryens were the rulers of Westeros, they probably became wealthy just through royal favors. They were clearly one of the favorite and closest allies of the Targaryens, both being Valyrian in blood. They probably also made money off of the trade from King's Landing. While we don't get any mention of Driftmark having a noticeable town, having the navy that countrols the mouth of Blackwater Bay could be hugely profitable.

They reached their peak under Lord Corlys. He spents years traveling the world, amassing a huge amound of treasure to take back to Driftmark. (This is what they refer to the Velaryons being wealthier than the Lannisters and Hightowers. This treasure.)

They clearly took a large financial and political hit during the Dance of Dragons. They sided with Rhaenys, but then she had Lord Corlys condemned for treason, so both the greens and the blacks disliked them. This probably started a slow decline.

Robert Baratheon probably sealed their status as lesser powers. I don't he wanted anything to do with a huge Targaryen loyalist family like the Velaryons.

Hull and Spicetown. Driftmark had two port towns.

[LucionLannister]

Hull and Spicetown. Driftmark had two port towns.

I meant large towns like Duskendale. All we know is that they're towns, not the size of them.

[Lord Varys]

The Velaryons took a heavy blow during the Dance when the Triarchy sacked Driftmark. But this was the end of their power or influence. Alyn Velaryon seems to have rebuild their glory, both with his own travels, as well as with his role during the Conquest of Dorne. I imagine he was Master of Ships pretty much his whole life, possibly even serving as Hand - he could have been Aegon III's Hand prior to Viserys, or Viserys II's Hand during the latter's short reign.

I think the most crucial blow the Velaryons suffered was Robert's victory during the Rebellion. Lucerys Velaryon - most likely Monford Velaryon's father - was still very influential at that time, and Master of Ships under Aerys II. Most ships in the Targaryen fleets supposedly belonged to the Velaryons, which means that the storm in the night of Dany's birth most likely hit the Velaryons as much as the Targaryens.

Robert later may have taken some of their privileges concerning their fleet, as the Velaryons would have been the principal allies Viserys would be contacting to try to stage a naval invasion of Westeros. That's why he made Stannis the permanent overlord of Dragonstone.

[The_lost_arryn19]

The storm that Dany became known as "Stormborn" for sank the royal fleet outside of dragonstone. Also the velaryons were not as ancient or as storied as the targaryean. The velaryons were a old family of valyrian nobility but they were of a lesser rank than the targaryeans considering the royal family were dragon lords where the velyrions only became so when they were half targaryean.

[AerionBrightflameII]

The Velaryon's were Valyrian nobility but they were not the rank of Dragonlords, the Targaryean's were Dragonlords but not considered to be a major house and not even that highly ranked and left to make dragonstone their seat, the other Valyrians considered this to be a sign of weakness. After the fall of Valyria they were one of the few with dragons they became major house by default.

[drhenry]

I meant large towns like Duskendale. All we know is that they're towns, not the size of them.

Actually we know that Spicetown became so large it even eclipsed Kings Landing.

[Arakan]

Actually we know that Spicetown became so large it even eclipsed Kings Landing.

Very unlikely, given the size of Driftmark.

The Velaryons are where they belong. They were prominent, they were favoured but that's it.

Compared to houses like the Lannisters or even Hightowers who command vast areas of land and millions of smallfolk, they are nothing.

They are the Westeros version of House Grimaldi of Monaco ;)

[The hairy bear]

TWOIAF says: "So much trade came to flow to and from Driftmark that the towns of Hull and Spicetown sprang up, becoming the chief ports of trade in Blackwater Bay for a time, surpassing even King’s Landing."

My interpretation of it is not that Spicetown and Hull became bigger towns than King's Landing. Only bigger ports. If geography or taxes made Driftmark a convenient port for the Essossi ships to trade the goods they brought to Westeros, they could easily concentrate all the traffic and make them bigger than King's Landing.

[Lord Varys]

Well, you don't have to control vast portions of people to be very rich and powerful. The Lannisters are rich because they sit on a huge amount of gold (and other people consider gold to be valuable), and the Hightowers are rich because they control a major port - just as the Velaryons once did. There isn't a big difference between the Hightowers and the Velaryons in that regard.

[Arakan]

Well, you don't have to control vast portions of people to be very rich and powerful. The Lannisters are rich because they sit on a huge amount of gold (and other people consider gold to be valuable), and the Hightowers are rich because they control a major port - just as the Velaryons once did. There isn't a big difference between the Hightowers and the Velaryons in that regard.

I dont disagree but lack of resources means that margin for failure is accordingly much lower.

[Criston of House Shapper]

TWOIAF says: "So much trade came to flow to and from Driftmark that the towns of Hull and Spicetown sprang up, becoming the chief ports of trade in Blackwater Bay for a time, surpassing even King’s Landing."

My interpretation of it is not that Spicetown and Hull became bigger towns than King's Landing. Only bigger ports. If geography or taxes made Driftmark a convenient port for the Essossi ships to trade the goods they brought to Westeros, they could easily concentrate all the traffic and make them bigger than King's Landing.

Wasn't KL much smaller in those days? It's not like it was founded and then suddenly there were 500000 people there out of nowhere. Hull and Spicetown probably surpassed an earlier, less populated version of KL.

[Lord Varys]

Yeah, I think Oldtown was still the biggest city in the Realm during the days of Jaehaerys I and perhaps also during the Dance.

[Moring the dragon]

I think that before the sea snake house velaryon was like it was now so with help from the targaryens or ruling family yeah the could climb back