Characters Who Married Up

[The Bard of Banefort]

Fairly light topic here: who are the characters that "married up" the most? The ones I can think of off the top of me head are:

Jenny of Oldstones to Duncan the Small (top dog here; it doesn't get much better than being a peasant girl who ends up married to the Prince of Dragonstone, even if he did have to abdicate afterwards)

Androw Farman to Rhaena Targaryen (second-born son to a two-time queen)

Sara Snow to Jace Velaryon (allegedly)

Emmon Frey to Genna Lannister 

Jeyne Westerling to Robb Stark

Roslin Frey to Edmure Tully

Petyr Baelish to Lysa Tully

House Piper to Quellon Greyjoy

Elinor Costayne, Jeyne Westerling, and Tyanna to Maegor Targaryen

Alayne Stone to Harry Hardyng (betrothal)

Bonus: Planned marriage of Lord Manderly to Viserra Targaryen (he had already outlived four wives and had heirs of his own; she was a fifteen-year-old princess)

 

Is there anyone I'm missing? 

[Groo]

Are we talking about where the character started or their position at the time of the marriage? I'm thinking about Petyr Baelish. At the time of his marriage, he was officially Lord Paramount of the Trident, Lord of Harrenhall, and on the small council. From that position marrying Lysa Tully isn't a big reach. If you consider where he started from, however, then he's hands down the winner, at least for the characters in the main story.

[Canon Claude]

2 hours ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

Fairly light topic here: who are the characters that "married up" the most? The ones I can think of off the top of me head are:

Jenny of Oldstones to Duncan the Small (top dog here; it doesn't get much better than being a peasant girl who ends up married to the Prince of Dragonstone, even if he did have to abdicate afterwards)

Androw Farman to Rhaena Targaryen (second-born son to a two-time queen)

Sara Snow to Jace Velaryon (allegedly)

Emmon Frey to Genna Lannister 

Jeyne Westerling to Robb Stark

Roslin Frey to Edmure Tully

Petyr Baelish to Lysa Tully

House Piper to Quellon Greyjoy

Elinor Costayne, Jeyne Westerling, and Tyanna to Maegor Targaryen

Alayne Stone to Harry Hardyng (betrothal)

Bonus: Planned marriage of Lord Manderly to Viserra Targaryen (he had already outlived four wives and had heirs of his own; she was a fifteen-year-old princess)

 

Is there anyone I'm missing? 

House Piper isn’t an insignificant house. They’re one of the principal bannermen of House Tully, and the Iron Islands are a bunch of glorified pirates.

[H Wadsworth Longfellow]

Elia to Rhaegar

[H Wadsworth Longfellow]

Fat Walda to Roose

[The Bard of Banefort]

29 minutes ago, Canon Claude said:

House Piper isn’t an insignificant house. They’re one of the principal bannermen of House Tully, and the Iron Islands are a bunch of glorified pirates.

They’re probably not even among the Top 5 most powerful Riverland houses, whereas the Greyjoys are the paramount house of the Iron Islands and Quellon was the most widely respected Ironborn lord in generations. Not to mention that Tywin was willing to marry his only daughter to either Balon or Theon, so they’re clearly considered worthy enough. 
 

 

1 hour ago, Groo said:

Are we talking about where the character started or their position at the time of the marriage? I'm thinking about Petyr Baelish. At the time of his marriage, he was officially Lord Paramount of the Trident, Lord of Harrenhall, and on the small council. From that position marrying Lysa Tully isn't a big reach. If you consider where he started from, however, then he's hands down the winner, at least for the characters in the main story.

A little bit of both. Petyr was powerful enough by that point, but nothing can erase his low birth from the minds of the Westerosi aristocracy.

[H Wadsworth Longfellow]

Sansa Stark to Tyrion Lannister.  She came from the family of an admitted traitor, a failing rebel, and soon to be traitor at the wall.  Tyrion is ugly but he won the Battle of the Blackwater and he was a Hand of the King.  He is also the son of the wealthiest man in Westeros whereas Sansa's own family will soon become paupers. 

[Springwatch]

4 hours ago, H Wadsey Longfellow said:

Sansa Stark to Tyrion Lannister.  She came from the family of an admitted traitor, a failing rebel, and soon to be traitor at the wall.  Tyrion is ugly but he won the Battle of the Blackwater and he was a Hand of the King.  He is also the son of the wealthiest man in Westeros whereas Sansa's own family will soon become paupers. 

No, it's the other way. Tywin spells it out. Tyrion is a second son with no prospects of a good marriage or inheritance - but the marriage with Sansa was planned to make him Lord Paramount, or equivalent.

[Lilac & Gooseberries]

Cersei to Robert: the marriage made her the Queen. You cannot get any better position than the Queen's.

[EggBlue]

Ramsay to (f)Arya

Alyn of Hull (started a bastard) to Baela Targaryen

the second son Corbray to Rhaena Targaryen

Betha Blackwood to unlikely future King

Alys Rivers to Aemond

 

8 hours ago, H Wadsey Longfellow said:

Elia to Rhaegar

you cannot be serious

1 hour ago, Lilac & Gooseberries said:

Cersei to Robert: the marriage made her the Queen. You cannot get any better position than the Queen's.

that one was an up jump for the both of them:)

[HoodedCrow]

Bronn married up.

[The Bard of Banefort]

2 hours ago, EggBlue said:

Ramsay to (f)Arya

Alyn of Hull (started a bastard) to Baela Targaryen

the second son Corbray to Rhaena Targaryen

Betha Blackwood to unlikely future King

Alys Rivers to Aemond

 

you cannot be serious

that one was an up jump for the both of them:)

These are all great examples.

1 hour ago, HoodedCrow said:

Bronn married up.

Agreed.

 

As far as Tyrion and Sansa go, they are technically both the heirs to Great Houses who have both been dispossessed in some way—Sansa being the sister of a slain rebel lord whose home was gifted to his slayer, Tyrion denied his inheritance by his father. Tyrion did marry up in a baser way: he’s the disfigured Imp, and she’s one of the most beautiful women in the Seven Kingdoms. 

[Megorova]

Jenna Dondarrion, Alys Arryn, Aelinor Penrose, and Dyanna Dayne to four sons of Daeron II.

Maron Martell to Daenerys Targaryen.

Michael Manwoody to Princess Elaena, and her previous two husbands too.

Melantha Blackwood to Willam Stark.

Larra Rogare to Viserys II.

Drazenko Rogare to Aliandra Martell.

Runceford Redwyne to Calla Blackfyre (allegedly, because it's my theory, not a fact).

Lyonell Selmy to Aenys Blackfyre's daughter (also a theory).

Orys Baratheon to Argella Durrandon (he was a bastard half-brother of a Lord of Dragonstone, and she was a daughter of the Storm King, so for him it was a level-up).

[Lilac & Gooseberries]

2 hours ago, Megorova said:

Maron Martell to Daenerys Targaryen

How so? He was the ruler of his own free domain not a mere vassal.

[Megorova]

47 minutes ago, Lilac & Gooseberries said:

How so? He was the ruler of his own free domain not a mere vassal.

No, originally he wasn't that. Because there was a big age difference between Daeron II and his younger sister Daenerys. Daeron married with Maryah Martell, and Daenerys married with Maryah's younger brother - Maron. So if Maryah didn't married with Daeron, then she, as an older sibling, would have ruled over Dorne. So Maron, as a younger sibling, originally was not a rulling Prince of Dorne, he became it only thru his sister's marriage with Daeron, and his own marriage with Daenerys. Because both of those unions turned Dorne into the 7th Kingdom. So originally Maron was merely a younger brother of a rulling Princess of an independent Dorne, but thru his marriage with Daenerys he became a brother-in-law of the King of the 7K, and a ruler of Dorne. Daeron the Young Dragon made a pact with the father of Maryah and Maron, that both of them will marry with one of the Targaryens, and only then the merging of Dorne with the other 6 Kingdoms would have been a done deal. Evidence:

"The Gardens are my haven. Prince Maron raised them as a gift for his Targaryen bride, to mark Dorne’s marriage to the Iron Throne." - AFFC, ch 13.

"The Water Gardens are my favorite place in this world, ser. One of my ancestors had them built to please his Targaryen bride and free her from the dust and heat of Sunspear. Daenerys was her name. She was sister to King Daeron the Good, and it was her marriage that made Dorne part of the Seven Kingdoms." - ADWD, ch 38.

I think that one of the reasons why Daeron II sent his guards to arrest Daemon Blackfyre, prior the beginning of the First Blackfyre Rebellion, is because Daemon and Daenerys had a child together (Duncan the Tall), and Daenerys possibly wanted to separate from Maron, and to be with Daemon. And Daeron couldn't have let this happen, because Daenerys' marriage with Maron was the part of the pact. If she left him, then Dorne would have extricated itself from the rest of the Kingdoms.

Another evidence that Maron likely was a younger out of the two Martells, is the fact that for his marriage with a Targaryen Princess people had too wait for many years - they married in 187, while Daeron and Maryah married in or before 170. In a sense that if Maron was close in age to Daeron (born in 153) and not to Daenerys (born in 172), age difference between whom was 19 years, then he could have married with some other Targaryen Princess, not necessary Daenerys. Because there was Daeron I's sisters - Daena (born in 145), Rhaena (born in 147), and Elaena (born in 150). It was Daeron I who negotiated with the Prince of Dorne that marriage between Daeron II and the Prince's older daughter - Maryah. If Maron was an older sibling, then Daeron I could have negotiated for his marriage with, for example - Elaena, who was 3 years older than Daeron II, or Rhaena, who was 6 years older than Daeron II, or Daena, who was 8 years older than Daeron II. Though none of those was negotiated, because it's likely that Maron was a younger brother of Maryah, he was closer in age to Daeron II's sister Daenerys, than to any of Daeron I's sisters.

P.S. My mistake, sorry - it was Baelor the Blessed, Daeron I's brother, who negotiated double wedding pact with the Martells:

"After the failed conquest of Dorne during the short reign of Daeron the Young Dragon,^[9] King Baelor the Blessed ascended the Iron Throne and arranged the marriage of his cousin, Prince Daeron, to Princess Myriah Martell of Dorne as part of a dual marriage pact between the two kingdoms to make peace.^[10]"

Which doesn't make any difference to my post, because Baelor still could have offered to Maron any of those three Princesses. But he didn't, because the age difference between them and Maron was too significant. Thus - Maron was a younger sibling. And by the laws of Dorne (which Dornishmen were able to keep even after the merging) - it's the older sibling, no matter of what gender, who becomes the successor. So Maroh thru marriage with Daenerys did leveled-up.

Edited December 11, 2021 by Megorova

[Jaenara Belarys]

1 minute ago, Megorova said:

I think that one of the reasons why Daeron II sent his guards to arrest Daemon Blackfyre, prior the beginning of the First Blackfyre Rebellion, is because Daemon and Daenerys had a child together (Duncan the Tall), and Daenerys possibly wanted to separate from Maron, and to be with Daemon. And Daeron couldn't have let this happen, because Daenerys' marriage with Maron was the part of the pact. If she left him, then Dorne would have extricated itself from the rest of the Kingdoms.

What's this have to do with marrying up? 

 

The Penroses who married Aerys I and Princess Elaena

Betha Blackwood and Aegon V

 

[Willam Stark]

What is the point of this topic exactly?

[Megorova]

28 minutes ago, Jaenara Belarys said:

What's this have to do with marrying up? 

 

The Penroses who married Aerys I and Princess Elaena

Betha Blackwood and Aegon V

 

They all were just nobles and then married with the royalty.

Royalty > Nobles.

P.S. If you meant what Daeron II's reasons to arrest Daemon had to do with marrying up, then - if Daenerys left Maron, then Dorne possibly would have extricated itself from the other Kingdoms. Maryah also could have divorced with Daeron II, and if she did and then returned to Dorne, then she would have replaced Maron as the ruler of Dorne. So as long as everyone remained in their assigned places - Daeron married with Maryah, and Daenerys with Maron, Maron was a rulling Prince of Dorne, and not a younger brother of a rulling Princess of Dorne. So that's how it's connected to leveling-up thru marriage.

Edited December 11, 2021 by Megorova

[Jaenara Belarys]

1 minute ago, Megorova said:

They all were just nobles and then married with the royalty.

 

Indeed. My point was: what does your theory/fanfic/ etc have to do with characters who married up? 

[Megorova]

3 minutes ago, Jaenara Belarys said:

My point was: what does your theory/fanfic/ etc have to do with characters who married up? 

I explained above, in P.S.

Also - after Maryah's wedding with Daeron and Maron's wedding with Daenerys, when Dorne stopped being independednt, and became one of the 7 Kingdoms, the Martells stopped being royalty, instead they became just nobles. Though thru their marriages they became connected to the royal family. Martells used to be a royalty of a single region of Westeros, and then they became spouses of the royalty of all seven regions of Westeros. 6+1 > 1.