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| “ | Go home, pup, and tell the bitch your mother that the Lord of Storm's End is not a dog that she can whistle up at need to set against her foes. | „ |
| ~ Borros to Lucerys Velaryon. |
| “ | Kermit Tully: Yield, ser, the day is ours. Borros: I'd sooner dance in hell than wear your chains. |
„ |
| ~ Borros chooses to die fighting over surrendering, and his last words. |
Lord Borros Baratheon is a major character in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and a supporting antagonist in the television adaptation House of the Dragon.
He was the Lord of Storm's End, Lord Paramount of the Stormlands, and the head of House Baratheon during the reign of Kings Viserys I and Aegon II Targaryen (the latter including the brief and illegitimate reign of the pretender Rhaenyra Targaryen). He was the son of Lord Boremund Baratheon and is the cousin of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. Borros was married to Elenda Caron, and they had four daughters—Cassandra, Maris, Ellyn, and Floris—who were known as the Four Storms, and an only son, Royce.
During the Dance of the Dragons, Borros decided to support the Greens, but stayed out of most of the civil war. He eventually fell during the Battle of the Kingsroad, the final battle of the war.
In House of the Dragon, he is portrayed by Roger Evans.
Personality[]
Books[]
Borros is the classic stereotype of a lord of the Middle Ages: a temperamental man, much more so than his stoic father, Boremund, and even more belligerent; more willing to ally himself with those who can bring him some benefit than to whom some ancestor of his (his father in this case) swore loyalty; He also left aside the fact that his aunt, Jocelyn Baratheon, was the great-grandmother of the princesses Baela and Rhaena engaged to Jacaerys and Lucerys Velaryon, choosing a cause that allowed good marriages for his own daughters. He supported the traditional belief and custom that male heirs should become monarchs before female ones and did not like being summoned like a "dog" by a woman, expecting to give nothing in return for his service. As such, he felt insulted at Rhaenyra's expectations of blind allegiance without bringing any bargaining offer of alliance in exchange for the strength of Storm's End. While he was an experienced warrior, he lacked the ability to read, so it is possible that he was not a strategist, and he would prefer direct frontal attacks (as seen in his last battle).
He also showed some intelligence and cunning by refusing to fight Rhaenyra's dragons and using Dornish raids to avoid battle against the blacks when they still had dragons. Although this was quite cowardly, it was far from stupid because, by the end of the Dance of the Dragons, almost all of the Greens' armies were destroyed, with the exception of his own troops.
Borros is not without positive skills; he took in Princess Jaehaera, risking exposure to the fury of Rhaenyra and her dragons; he negotiated the betrothal of his daughters with profitable conditions; and in the last moments of his life, he preferred to die with honor, fighting, rather than the shame of defeat and being chained.
TV series[]
| “ | Which is it? King or queen? The House of the Dragon does not seem to know who rules it. | „ |
| ~ Borros Baratheon |
According to Alicent and Rhaenyra even as a young knight Borros never learned to read and was considered "dumb as thunder".
Borros, unlike his father, prefers to ally himself with those who can offer some benefit to those to whom his house has sworn loyalty at some point (in his case his father swore loyalty to Rhaenyra but Borros preferred to support the Greens because they promised him a marriage for one of his daughters). He is very proud and considers that going to ask something from his person with empty hands is a lack of respect and that he is not "a dog to whistle to incite against enemies."
That said, Borros is not without scruples or honor, as he still respects the right of host and legates as he saw when he prevented Aemond from attacking Lucerys in his house. He even gave some guards to the young prince Velaryon so that he would return to Arrax without fear of his uncle.
Biography[]
Background[]
Borros Baratheon was the son of Lord Boremund Baratheon and, as such, is Princess Rhaenys Targaryen's first cousin.
Throughout his life, Borros fought with Dornishmen on numerous occasions. At some point, Borros married Elenda Caron, the daughter of Lord Royce Caron of Nightsong, from whom he fathered four daughters known as the Four Storms.
Dance of the Dragons[]
Borros during the Dance of the Dragons.
At the start of the Dance of the Dragons, it was thought that Lord Borros would support Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen over King Aegon II Targaryen, as his father Boremund had always been a staunch supporter of his niece Princess Rhaenys. Therefore, the Green council sent Prince Aemond Targaryen to Storm's End to win the hand of one of Borros's four eligible daughters in order to win the support of House Baratheon. In the meantime, the black council sent Rhaenyra's son Prince Lucerys Velaryon to also win Borros' support for the blacks' cause, and it was expected that the Lord of Storm's End would give him a warm welcome.
However, Storm's End warmly welcomed Aemond's arrival with feasts, hunts, and jousting. More than willing to entertain his suit, Borros tells him to pick any one of his daughters to marry. He tells Aemond that he felt that Rhaenyra had taken House Baratheon for granted for too long, and misremembering his relationship to his cousin Rhaenys, he stated that Rhaenys's mother, Jocelyn Baratheon, was "some great aunt" he never knew, although Jocelyn was his aunt, and also noted that Princess Rhaenyra was not Rhaenys anyway. Lord Borros felt that Rhaenyra would make peace with Aegon II, when she learns she lost the support of Storm's End. It is uncertain which of Borros's daughters Aemond chose, but Borros and the latter haggled over dates and dowries the morning when Lucerys Velaryon arrived on his dragon Arrax with a letter for Borros.
There were varying eyewitness accounts on what happened next: Some say Borros was left ashamed when he finds Lucerys treating with Aemond, while others say he relished the prospect of both factions competing for his aid. While neither were present, court fool Mushroom wrote that Lord Borros was drunk while Septon Eustace wrote that he was filled with fear. Lord Baratheon commanded his guards to separate the two when Aemond attempted to snatch Lucerys' letter. When the letter was brought to him and his maester reads it to him, Borros asks Lucerys that if he joins Rhaenyra's cause then which of his four daughters he should marry before commanding him to pick one. When Prince Lucerys tells him that he is not free to marry, as he is already betrothed to his cousin Princess Rhaena, Borros dismisses him from Storm's End, telling him to return to Rhaenyra and tell her that she shouldn't take House Baratheon for granted.
When Aemond stops Lucerys from leaving, saying that he owes him a debt, he removes his eyepatch to reveal a sapphire in his empty eye socket. He forces his nephew to cut out one of his eyes as compensation for slashing out his uncle's eye in the past, but Lucerys refuses, telling his uncle that he only came as an envoy and not a knight. Angered, Aemond accuses him of coming as a craven and a traitor and threatens Lucerys, but Lord Borros, not allowing Aemond to fight his nephew while under his roof, has his guards restrain him, allowing Lucerys to leave. When Lady Maris, one of Borros' daughters, teases Aemond by remarking that she is glad that she wasn't chosen and that she prefers a husband with all body parts, the latter was reportedly angered by this and he asks Lord Borros for his leave. Borros shrugs and tells Aemond that he couldn't do anything with him if he is outside of his roof, before allowing him to leave. Aemond rushes outside before mounting Vhagar, and he pursues Lucerys before killing him and his dragon above Shipbreaker Bay. When Rhaenyra learns of Lucerys' death, she collapsed in grief while one of her eldest sons, Prince Joffrey, swore an oath of vengeance on not only Aemond but also Borros Baratheon for his betrayal.
When the Dance of the Dragons began in earnest, the Baratheons officially declared for the Greens. However, Lord Borros preferred (cunningly but cowardly) to avoid direct combat against the Blacks since he knew that Rhaenyra had many dragons at her service. When King's Landing was later taken by the Blacks, Borros gathered an army of six thousand men at Storm's End, but instead of marching towards the capital, the Baratheons ended up marching south towards the Red Mountains of Dorne, with the excuse of facing a Vulture King and his raids. However, when Princess Jaehaera, daughter of King Aegon II Targaryen, arrived at Storm's End under the charge of Ser Willis Fell of the Kingsguard, both sent there by Lord Larys Strong, Borros gave them both shelter, and he refused to give them to Rhaenyra when she sent him peace proposals, not even revealing that they were there.
After the fall of King's Landing to the Flea Bottom mob, the deaths of Daemon Targaryen and Aemond the One-Eyed in the Eye of the Gods, and Rhaenyra's own death on Dragonstone at the hands of her half-brother Aegon II, Lord Baratheon finally decided to take action.
Borros left Princess Jaehaera, his daughters, and his pregnant wife, Elenda Baratheon, at Storm's End and marched with six hundred knights and four hundred infantry soldiers towards King's Landing to reconquer it. On the banks of the Blackwater, Borros met with the Dowager Queen Alicent, Grand Master Orwyle, and Lord Larys to make plans for the future. There, he negotiated the betrothal of two of his daughters with Aegon and Strong. Later, Borros took over the capital and destroyed the Three Kings' Moon. He took the Red Keep with the help of Ser Perkin the Flea, captured Gaemon Palehair on the Hill of Visenya, and the Shepherd on the Hill of Rhaenys. It is said that the Shepherd cursed Borros before he was captured. Afterwards, he handed them over to the king to be punished. For the rest of the year, Borros was a member of the Green Council and became the new military commander of the Greens.
Battle of the Kingsroad[]
Exacting his vengeance on those who had betrayed him, King Aegon II sent Borros and the royal forces to subdue the Crownlands, and the Stormlanders achieved the submission of Rosby, Stokeworth, and Duskendale. When the lords, their stewards, and their castellans were taken captive and brought to King's Landing, King Aegon forced them to do obeisance before him. He further forced them to pay heavy ransoms and provide the Iron Throne with suitable hostages, angering the Blacks. News reached King's Landing that the Blacks were gathering troops in great numbers in the Riverlands and the Vale of Arryn for a final attack on the Greens. However, what greatly feared the Green council is that Lady Rhaena Targaryen, who is a ward to Lady Jeyne Arryn, had gained a dragon of her own, after her dragon egg hatched. The hatchling that came forth is a pale pink dragon whom Rhaena named Morning.
Aegon II was told that if the Blacks display Morning to the smallfolk, then they would see them as more legitimate than the Greens. Because of this, he declares that he needs a dragon. Lord Borros points out that the dragon Silverwing had accepted a second rider and urged King Aegon to claim the she-dragon so he could secure his crown. However, the latter refused as he wanted a new Sunfyre, since his dragon, the original Sunfyre, had died on Dragonstone.
Scorning Lord Corlys Velaryon's desire of making peace and reconciling with the Blacks, Borros declared to King Aegon and the Green council that he would defeat the Blacks on the field. Though Borros needed men from Casterly Rock and Oldtown and Ser Tyland Lannister proposed to hire sellswords from Lys or Tyrosh, Lord Corlys, knowing that these efforts would be futile, warns them that they could not find help at Casterly Rock and Oldtown, as the children of the now-dead lords are now sitting on their respective seats of power. In addition, even if Tyland could hire the sellswords he couldn't bring them to King's Landing on time. The Sea Snake then states that while the Velaryon fleet can hold back the Arryn forces, nothing can stop the Riverlords and Lord Cregan Stark, as they are already marching on King's Landing. He finally advised that the Greens must take terms and that Aegon II should absolve all of their crimes and treasons, name Prince Aegon the Younger as his heir and then marry him to Princess Jaehaera. Unfortunately, the warnings and advise of Corlys Velaryon were ignored.
While marching along the Kingsroad, Borros leads an army made up of levies from Houses Hayford, Rosby, Stokeworth, and Darklyn and two thousand peasants from the streets of Flea Bottom, whom were hastily armed. Together, the newly-formed army seek to confront and defeat the host of rivermen led by Lord Kermit Tully, his twin brother Ser Oscar Tully, the young Lord Benjicot Blackwood, his aunt Alysanne Blackwood, and her rumored lover, Lady Sabitha Frey. Two days later at a place where the Kingsroad passes between a forest and a lower hill, the Blacks and the Greens army met each other. Borros was confident of victory as he thought that the Rivermen would not pose a threat after learning from his scouts that they are being led by "teenagers and women". However, he ended up underestimating his foes as he did not realize that they were all more seasoned by the Dance of the Dragons; the Baratheon forces, though while larger, were unbloodied and less experienced. For the Rivermen, despite being in small numbers, they are more battle-hardened, as some of them were veterans of every major battle during the civil war (such as the Battle of the Burning Mill, the Battle of the Lakeshore, and the Second Battle of Tumbleton).
Forming a wedge charge, Borros Baratheon collides with the Rivermen near the forest, while personally leading the charge himself. Unfortunately for Borros, it proved to be disastrous: His wedge broke when some of his cavalry slipped in the mud while many others were dismounted by longbowmen led by Alysanne Blackwood. Despite the efforts of the Baratheon forces, the Rivermen's shield wall held firm. Even so, the Greens' forces managed to reach the shield wall and were immediately being reinforced by the Storm infantry, thus establishing a very close battle. When they came crashing into the fray, they nearly break the Rivermen's shield wall until Lord Benjicot Blackwood and hundreds of Rivermen suddenly emerged from the forest and charged at Borros' flank.
Death[]
Borros Baratheon about to meet his end by Kermit Tully.
During the ensuing carnage, Lord Borros, seeing the tide of the battle turning in favor of the Blacks, orders his squire to signal the reserves to advance. Unfortunately, the knights from Rosby, Stokeworth and Hayford refused to attack while the rabble from Flea Bottom fled. As for the knights from Duskendale they went over to the Blacks. They then attack the Greens army from the rear, ultimately shattering their forces.
Though he was unhorsed by Alysanne Blackwood and her archers, a unfazed Borros continued fighting on foot, killing countless men-at-arms, twelve knights and Lords Roland Darry & Jorah Mallister. When Lord Kermit Tully found Borros, the Lord of Storm's End was already heavily wounded and badly weakened. Kermit demands that he surrender but Borros stubbornly refused and charged at him, but was killed when Kermit used his morningstar to deliver a powerful blow to Borros' face, spraying blood, bone, and brain in the process. Thus, Lord Borros Baratheon died in the mud with sword in hand.
When word of House Baratheon's defeat reached King's Landing, the Green council hastily sought support from Casterly Rock and Oldtown, including Highgarden. However, just as Corlys Velaryon had warned, the three Great Houses were slow to lend aid, due to their own excuses; House Tyrell remain neutral, as the mother of the infant Lord Lyonel Tyrell wrote to the Greens that she is not fit to lead an army, "due to being a mere woman". Meanwhile, House Lannister was preoccupied with raids by Lord Dalton Greyjoy and the ironborn while the army of House Hightower was greatly weakened, as they had lost too many men and were left leaderless, due to the death of Prince Daeron Targaryen and the retreat of Lord Unwin Peake.
Legacy[]
The stubborn sacrifice of Lord Borros Baratheon was meaningless and unnecessary, as all the Greens agreed to make peace after their remaining leaders betrayed Aegon II (despite Cregan Stark's wishes to wipe out the Greens' leading houses Baratheon, Hightower, and Lannister out of paranoia). Lord Borros threw his life away for pride, as he did not want to yield and be seen as a captive.
Borros' wife Elenda gave birth to a son seven days later, but when she learned of her husband's death, she defied his wish to name her son Aegon and named him Royce after her father, Lord Royce Caron.
Borros' death was a heavy blow to the Stormlands; with the Lord of Storm's End gone, the Dornishmen whom Borros had kept at bay for years lost their fear of making new incursions into the domains of House Baratheon; Aliandra Martell, the Princess of Dorne who saw herself as the "new Nymeria", encouraged her lords bannermen to attack the Dornish Marches. Lord Caron, Borros' father-in-law, tried to lead the defense of the Marches, and Borros's widow, Lady Elenda, married Ser Steffon Connington, a fierce warrior, in the attempt to keep the peace through a strong man, but nothing worked.
At the time of King Aegon III Targaryen's coronation, Borros' second-eldest daughter, Maris Baratheon, joined the Silent Sisters for unknown reasons (according to Mushroom, her mother forced her, as punishment for indirectly causing the death of Prince Lucerys, sparking the Dance of the Dragons, in which Borros himself lost his life, although Mushroom's account is seen as unreliable).
Borros' fourth daughter, Floris, married Lord Thaddeus Rowan of Goldengrove, once regent and Hand of the King to King Aegon III, but Maris died in childbirth with a stillborn child. His eldest daughter, Cassandra, married Ser Walter Brownhill, after becoming involved in a conspiracy to overthrow King Aegon III and his queen.
In the centuries to come, history remained neutral towards the late Borros.
Trivia[]
- In the television series House of the Dragon Borros's daughters, the Four Storms, have been notably aged up. In the novels, they are far younger and still teenagers and children. By the time of Lucerys Velaryon's death, Cassandra Baratheon is between 12-18 years old, Maris is between 10-17, Ellyn is between 10-16, and Floris is 11 or 10-turning-11. Maris was the cleverest of the sisters, but the less comely, while Floris was the prettiest. The sisters sometimes fought, but their father always made them make peace.
- Borros successfully betrothed two of his daughters to male members of the royal family of the Greens party.
- Aemond Targaryen agreed to marry one of the Four Storms, although the identity of the chosen bride remained unknown and lost in history. It is known, however, that it wasn't Maris, as she was angry that Aemond preferred her sisters. This led the offended Maris to taunt and goad Aemond into fighting Luke Velaryon, resulting in the latter's death. The marriage never happened due to Aemond's death at war.
- After Helaena Targaryen's death, Borros successfully gained a betrothal between Aegon II Targaryen and Cassandra Baratheon, the former having looked forward to seek comfort from her. But the marriage and the Targaryen-Baratheon royal union didn't happen due to Aegon's death by poison during his short-lived reign.
- In House of the Dragon, Aegon's betrothal to Cassandra is not expected to happen, as in this version Aegon lost his manhood as part of his injuries from the battle of Rook's Rest, while this didn't occur in the novels.
- Borros is one of the 7 only known noble characters who are confirmed to be illiterate in the novels, the others being Bronn, Ilyn Payne, Osmund, Osfryd, and Osney Kettleblack, and Rufus Leek. Ser Rufus is the only one who isn't in Villains Wiki, as he's a neutral character.
- In the television continuity, Gendry Baratheon is another noble (and another Baratheon) to be illiterate. Always in the show continuity, Amory Lorch also has poor reading skills, although he is not completely illiterate.
- Davos Seaworth also used to be an illiterate noble, but he eventually lost his "illiterate noble" status in both novels and TV series, after learning to read.
- In the television continuity, Gendry Baratheon is another noble (and another Baratheon) to be illiterate. Always in the show continuity, Amory Lorch also has poor reading skills, although he is not completely illiterate.
- Robert and Renly Baratheon share their ancestor Borros's lack of interest for books. However, unlike Borros, those two are literate. Renly is rather ignorant about history and claims that "books are for maesters", being only interested in pornographic books.
External Links[]
- Borros Baratheon on the A Wiki of Ice and Fire.
- Borros Baratheon on the Wiki of Westeros.
