What Is the Triarchy, and Why Is It Important in "House of the Dragon"?

The "Game of Thrones" prequel "House of the Dragon" takes viewers back a couple of centuries in the history of Westeros to the peak of House Targaryen's power. Even as a civil war looms between different factions of the dragonriding royal house, they also find themselves fighting against external foes. One such enemy is called the Triarchy, and it plays a major role in the ambitions of at least one notable Targaryen.

The Triarchy is an alliance among three of the Free Cities along the coast of Essos: Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh. Nearly a century after Aegon I Targaryen's conquest of Westeros, the Stepstones, a strategically placed group of islands between Westeros and Essos, remain disputed over and rampant with piracy and other dangers. These three cities, sometimes nicknamed the "Three Daughters" (a reference to the cities as "daughters" of old Valyria), conquered an area known as the Disputed Lands, then moved on to clear out the Stepstones and make them safe and passable.

A decade later, the Triarchy comes into conflict with Prince Daemon Targaryen, who is interested in conquering the Stepstones. Although Daemon, with the support of Lord Corlys Velaryon, briefly conquers the area, the Triarchy is not down and out just yet. It gets involved in the Dance of the Dragons, since it views Daemon as an enemy after his invasion of the Stepstones. Its fleet even captures a Targaryen at one point, but its role in the civil war is small in comparison to other regions and houses.

Even with some successes against the Targaryens, the Triarchy is not able to stick together for very long. Sharako Lohar, an admiral from Lys, is killed in what some believe to be a love triangle gone wrong and others believe to be a political assassination. In any event, the resulting chain reaction of violence and murders tears apart what remains of the alliance. Another group of Free Cities form their own alliance to hasten the demise of the Triarchy, and soon the alliance is a thing of the past.

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