Characters Who Married Up

[frenin]

On 12/11/2021 at 6:07 PM, The Bard of Banefort said:

and she’s one of the most beautiful women in the Seven Kingdoms. 

Children* 

Btw, Lysa def married up. After her oopsie, her prospects were men of Bron's social standing. Catching Jon Arryn in her context was the greatest steal of the century.

 

[Falcon2909]

On 12/11/2021 at 2:23 PM, 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? 

Bronn

[Jaenara Belarys]

On 12/14/2021 at 5:13 AM, Falcon2909 said:

Bronn

No, no, no. You've called him the wrong thing. He's Ser Bronn of the fookin Blackwater, not just Bronn. This is known. 

[Lilac & Gooseberries]

On 12/11/2021 at 9:40 PM, Jaenara Belarys said:

Standard operating procedure. Didn't you hear?

But why?

On 12/12/2021 at 9:10 PM, Jaenara Belarys said:

*shrugs. That was what I read last year. 

This is madness.

[Jaenara Belarys]

4 hours ago, Lilac & Gooseberries said:

But why?

On 12/12/2021 at 1:10 PM, Jaenara Belarys said:

Your guess it as good as mine. 

4 hours ago, Lilac & Gooseberries said:

This is madness.

It does sort of make sense. Alysanne was a bit of a hypocrite. First, she marries for love. She does at least permit Baelon and Alyssa to marry, Aemon and Jocelyn seem to have been happy. But then to everybody else she's just arranged, unhappy marriages are GREAT! Plus, Viserra wanted to do the same thing that Alysanne did, which was marry her brother. 

And on Viserra, shipping your fifteen year old daughter off to a frozen, hellish wasteland to marry a man old enough to be her grandpa is just cruel. And don't pull stuff like good relationships with the North as an excuse! There are better ways to do that than marrying your daughter to some old grandpa. Agree or disagree, @The Bard of Banefort? 

Edited December 17, 2021 by Jaenara Belarys

[The Bard of Banefort]

1 hour ago, Jaenara Belarys said:

Your guess it as good as mine. 

It does sort of make sense. Alysanne was a bit of a hypocrite. First, she marries for love. She does at least permit Baelon and Alyssa to marry, Aemon and Jocelyn seem to have been happy. But then to everybody else she's just arranged, unhappy marriages are GREAT! Plus, Viserra wanted to do the same thing that Alysanne did, which was marry her brother. 

And on Viserra, shipping your fifteen year old daughter off to a frozen, hellish wasteland to marry a man old enough to be her grandpa is just cruel. And don't pull stuff like good relationships with the North as an excuse! There are better ways to do that than marrying your daughter to some old grandpa. Agree or disagree, @The Bard of Banefort? 

100%  It’s definitely a mark against Alysanne.

[Phylum of Alexandria]

Sybell Spicer -> Lord Gawen Westerling

Tysha -> Tyrion Lannister, at least for a time.

[The Bard of Banefort]

Returning to this thread because I forgot a big one: Sigorn of Thenn to Alys Karstark.

[Angel Eyes]

Dorna Swyft to Kevan Lannister. The daughter of a landed knight whose house was disgraced to the younger brother of the highest house in the Westerlands.

[The Bard of Banefort]

26 minutes ago, Angel Eyes said:

Dorna Swyft to Kevan Lannister. The daughter of a landed knight whose house was disgraced to the younger brother of the highest house in the Westerlands.

I hadn’t realized the Swyfts were landed knights. I did recently reread the Westerlands section in TWOIAF though, and I found it kind of cute how Dorna was originally a hostage that Kevan ended up falling for.

[Buried Treasure]

Just scrolled through this thread, and doesn't seem to be making any distinction between 'good match' and 'bridging yawning social gap'.

 

Elia and Cersei both married into the royal family - into the top tier of the pyramid. But they were also preferred-rank candidates - they were both picked from a very small & exclusive marriage pool. Rhaegar could only have married another Targaryen (they had no girls at that time), the daughter of an Essosi ruler (Steffon Baratheon's search failed) or the daughter of a Great House. Robert had to marry into a Great House.

That's quite different to the marriage that cross multiple social tiers. Which perhaps could be further divided into marrying up when the couple is welcomed into the family (often when the bride brings a rich dowry to a proud but impoverished house) or marrying down when there is a scandal (like Gatehouse Ami being hurredly married off to Pate).

[Takiedevushkikakzvezdy]

On 12/11/2021 at 4:46 PM, HoodedCrow said:

Bronn married up.

For Bronn, the only way to go was up, honestly.

[The Bard of Banefort]

Delena Florent was married off to Hosman Norcross, who was described as merely a household knight.

I’m not sure if Spotted Sylva’s marriage to Lord Estermont is an example of her marrying down or not. He’s the lord of a noble house, but he already has male heirs and is old enough to be her grandfather.

One interesting thing about Rhaena and Alys is that they married down to escape a difficult political situation (and to stay close to her lady love, in Rhaena’s case). Rhaena’s marriage to a second-born son of a lesser house prevents anyone from trying to use her to get a crown, and Alys’ marriage allows her to escape her uncle.

[Jaenara Belarys]

3 hours ago, Takiedevushkikakzvezdy said:

For Bronn, the only way to go was up, honestly.

He could have died, that's a way to go down. 

[Corvo the Crow]

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Edited July 30, 2023 by Corvo the Crow

[Takiedevushkikakzvezdy]

10 hours ago, Jaenara Belarys said:

He could have died, that's a way to go down. 

Absolutely, especially if he fell down a cliff in the Vale.

[Angel Eyes]

Alayne Stone, illegitimate daughter of one of the poorest lords in Westeros, to Harry Hardyng, one of the heirs to the wardenship of the Vale.

[Angel Eyes]

17 hours ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

Delena Florent was married off to Hosman Norcross, who was described as merely a household knight.

I’m not sure if Spotted Sylva’s marriage to Lord Estermont is an example of her marrying down or not. He’s the lord of a noble house, but he already has male heirs and is old enough to be her grandfather.

One interesting thing about Rhaena and Alys is that they married down to escape a difficult political situation (and to stay close to her lady love, in Rhaena’s case). Rhaena’s marriage to a second-born son of a lesser house prevents anyone from trying to use her to get a crown, and Alys’ marriage allows her to escape her uncle.

The whole question of knights is something too. Since women can't become knights in Westeros, who does the title Knight of Spotswood fall to since Sylva cannot hold the title?

Also something about inheritance: say the War of Five Kings never happened and Edmure died without issue, does Bran get the title as the second-born son of Edmure's oldest sister?

Edited February 19, 2022 by Angel Eyes

[Corvo the Crow]

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Edited July 30, 2023 by Corvo the Crow

[Corvo the Crow]

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Edited July 30, 2023 by Corvo the Crow