As House of the Dragon continues to explore the family history of House Targaryen, fans of the original Game of Thrones series are learning a lot more about Westeros’ past. As part of that, they have now been introduced to an alliance known as the Triarchy, but who are they, and what role will they play as the series continues? Note that there will be spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon episode 3.
Who are the Triarchy in House of the Dragon?
Described as the ‘eternal alliance’ in George R. R. Martin’s writings, the Triarchy is made up of an alliance of the Free Cities of Myr, Lys and Tyrosh. As Martin’s history of Westeros goes, the Crabfeeder Craghas Drahar, a prince-admiral of Myr, invaded the Stepstones with his army and cleared out pirate dens, to forge safe trade lanes in the Narrow Sea. There, the Triarchy would then charge a toll to merchants in exchange for safe passage. It appears that they have had the same role in House of the Dragon, but from this point, it appears showrunners begin to take advantage of their creative license…
What do The Triarchy want?
The actions of the Crabfeeder have gotten dire when House of the Dragon begins. He is taunting King Viserys by slaughtering innocent merchants, and even feeding them while they’re still alive to the crabs that have taken up residence on Stepstones’ shores. Some of those killed by Crabfeeder include sailors of a ship flying the Velaryon banner, one of the most powerful houses in the Seven Kingdoms. Earning the ire of Lord Corlys, who has a seat on the King’s Council, a war eventually breaks out, spanning a number of years.
Exactly why the Crabfeeder provoked this conflict isn’t clear in House of the Dragon. Looking back at Martin’s work, the Crabfeeder and his crew started to charge extortionate amounts with their tolls, so it could just be that their greed got the better of them. After all, what is more powerful than money and the support of men in Westeros? Unfortunately for Craghas, his thirst for blood caught up to him, as Prince Daemon eventually carried out a plan that would see the Crabfeeder’s life snuffed out.
Where the Triarchy goes from here remains to be seen, but with other members of the alliance still very much alive, it seems clear that their influence will continue to be a part of the series moving forward.
House of the Dragon continues Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.
