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| “ | Lord Samwell Blackwood, who had once lost a duel for her favor, raised her banners over Raventree. | „ |
| ~ Archaester Gyldayn describing Samwell's pledging of allegiance to Rhaenyra Targaryen. |
Lord Samwell Blackwood is a supporting character in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series. He also serves as a non-villainous minor character in the television series House of the Dragon.
He was the head of House Blackwood and the Lord of Raventree Hall during the Dance of the Dragons, a civil war between Targaryen half-siblings Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and King Aegon II Targaryen for control of the Iron Throne. Samwell is also the father of Benjicot Blackwood, the brother of Lady Alysanne Blackwood and a relative of Robb Rivers. In the television series, he has a younger brother named Willem Blackwood, who is the uncle (and regent) of Benjicot.
During the Dance of the Dragons, he and his house pledged their support to Rhaenyra and aided her supporters, the Blacks, in their conflict against the Greens, the supporters of Aegon II. As the Blackwoods' long-time rival, House Bracken, had declared for the Greens, Samwell launched several raids on the Brackens' lands, leading to the historical Battle of the Burning Mill, when the Blackwoods launched an assault on the Bracken forces while they were camped at a nearby river.
Lord Samwell was killed in battle by his rival Ser Amos Bracken, who was, in turn, said to be killed by Samwell's sister Alysanne. Following his father’s death, Benjicot Blackwood succeeded him as the new Lord of Raventree Hall and he and his aunt took command of the Blackwood forces in Samwell's place.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Born in or before 107 AC, Samwell is the son of the previous Lord of Raventree Hall. In 112 AC, when Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen visited the Trident in her youth, he fought with Amos Bracken, his rival, over Rhaenyra's favor and hand in marriage. Though Amos defeated Samwell in the duel, both rivals were nevertheless unsuccessful in the end. Samwell later succeeded his father as the new Lord of Raventree Hall and head of House Blackwood.
Dance of the Dragons[]
In 129 AC, at the start of the Dance of the Dragons, Lord Samwell and his family are amongst the many lords and houses of the Riverlands to declare for Queen Rhaenyra and pledged their support to her cause. House Bracken, who had been engaging in a centuries-long feud with the Blackwoods since the Age of Heroes, did the opposite, in which they declared for Rhaenyra's half-brother King Aegon II Targaryen and his supporters, the Greens. To show their support for Rhaenyra's political faction, the Blacks, House Blackwood raised her banners over their ancestral seat of Raventree, following Prince Daemon Targaryen's successful conquest of Harrenhal, which marked the beginning of open-hostilities during the civil war.
Battle of the Burning Mill[]
Samwell was slain in single-combat but was said to have been avenged by his young sister Black Aly.
Samwell sends raiders to raid and terrorize the lands owned by the Brackens. During their raids, the raiders carried Rhaenyra's banners as they burn crop fields, drive off sheep and cattle, and sacked villages, leaving destruction in their wake. As House Blackwood is one of the few houses in the Riverlands that continues to worship the Old Gods, the raiders also despoiled any sept they could find.
This caused House Bracken to retaliate by gathering a strong force under Ser Amos Bracken, so as to march on House Blackwood's territory in order to strike back. Before they could even have the chance, Samwell and his army took them by surprise as they camped beneath a windmill at a nearby river (possibly the Red Fork). During an ensuing battle that lasted for hours, the mill was set alight. Samwell was slain in battle by Ser Amos, who was then fatally shot by a weirwood arrow, said to have been fired by Samwell's sister Lady Alysanne so as to avenge her fallen brother. Whether this was true or is just a legend made up by the Blackwoods is currently unknown.
Legacy[]
Following his death, Samwell was succeeded by his 11-year-old son Benjicot Blackwood, who became the new Lord of Raventree Hall and head of House Blackwood in his place. Despite his defeat by Amos Bracken, Samwell's death was not in vain, as he had managed to achieve a posthumous victory over the Greens, as his army successfully broke the Bracken forces. This forced the Green survivors, now led by Amos' bastard half-brother Ser Raylon Rivers, to retreat back to Stone Hedge, the ancestral seat of the Brackens, only to find that it has been captured in their absence by Prince Daemon Targaryen atop his dragon Caraxes while aided by Houses Piper, Frey, Darry and Roote.
As the Blacks had stormed Stone Hedge, they had captured Lord Humfrey Bracken, his paramour, his third wife and their surviving children. With the castle taken, Ser Raylon was left with no choice but to surrender while House Bracken defected to the Blacks. This was a blow and humiliation to King Aegon II, who was angered over having lost his last supporter in the Riverlands while his half-sister's claim gained more support. The victory at the Burning Mill, the capture of Stone Hedge and the Brackens' surrender allowed the Blacks to assume full control of the Riverlands, and the river lords (with the Blackwoods among them) begin to gather at Harrenhal to join Daemon's banners as it continues to grow.
Trivia[]
- In House of the Dragon, in contrast to the books, the Battle of the Burning Mill took place before the raids on the Bracken lands, not after.
- In the show, Samwell was killed off at a much earlier point at the Burning Mill. As a result, the raids on House Bracken's lands were carried out by original character Willem Blackwood, who never existed in the novel series.
- In House of the Dragon, it's simply stated that Samwell died in the Battle of the Burning Mill without further details about his killer's identity, while in the novels, Ser Amos Bracken is also killed in the same battle, but in the show he remains alive even after House Bracken yields to and defects to the Blacks.
- Unlike with Willem in the TV series, Samwell was never punished for his raids on the Bracken lands while Willem himself was executed by Prince Daemon.
External Links[]
- Samwell Blackwood on the A Wiki of Ice and Fire.
- Samwell Blackwood on the Wiki of Westeros.
