Richest Houses In House Of The Dragon

Highlights

• House Strong possesses both hard and soft power in the Dance of the Dragons, making them a force to be reckoned with.
• House Hightower is just as wealthy as the Lannisters and holds significant power in the realm.
• House Velaryon, led by Lord Corlys, is the richest family in the Seven Kingdoms due to their profitable trading ventures.

HBO’s House of the Dragon concerns itself mainly with the nobility of Westeros, more specifically with the ruling House Targaryen, its allies, and enemies. Councilors at the Red Keep talk about coffers, the cost of wars, and the need to secure shipping lanes. Simply put, wealth touches everything that happens in the lives of the nobles, and ensures the prosperity of the realm.

The Velaryons, led by Lord Corlys, proudly claim that he worked hard for a living and built his fortune. The Targaryens have wealth because they are the ruling House and the Lannisters sit on a mountain of gold. The Hightowers are also among the richest people in the Seven Kingdoms, but who are the realm’s richest in House of the Dragon?

6 House Strong

Responsible For The Upkeep Of The Enormous Harrenhal

Per the events of House of the Dragon, House Strong – a noble House in the Riverlands, has Harrenhal. The upkeep of the largest castle in Westeros is an enormous task, and Lord Lyonel Strong does so until tragedy strikes his House.

Additionally, Lyonel sat on Viserys’ small council as Master of Laws, and later, took over from Otto Hightower as Hand of the King. The position of Hand made him the second most powerful man in the kingdoms. The writings of Archmaester Gyldayn state that House Strong at the beginning of the Dance had enough wealth to be considered among the richest Houses. After Lyonel and Ser Harwin’s deaths, the culprit, Larys Strong, becomes the Lord of Harrenhal and is a member of Aegon II’s small council. Simply put, House Strong possesses hard and soft power in the Dance of the Dragons.

5 House Royce

Has Port Control

That Viserys’ younger brother, Daemon, was married to a Royce says a lot about the House’s prestige, status, and honor. The Royces of Runestone are a Noble House sworn to House Arryn of the Eyrie. An old and powerful House, their seat is strategically situated on the coast of the Narrow Sea north of the port city of Gulltown. That said, House Royce controls several ports and isn’t dependent on Gulltown for trade.

Daemon, after killing his first wife, Rhea Royce, calls her death a “tragic accident” when Ser Gerold Royce confronts him at Rhaenyra’s wedding to Laenor Velaryon. He demands the inheritance of Runestone, as he and Lady Rhea have no heirs. Daemon didn’t consummate his first marriage and laid claim to all of Rhea’s material possessions after killing her.

4 House Targaryen

The Ruling House

The Targaryens are the ruling family of Westeros, but they are certainly not as rich as the Lannisters and the Velaryons in House of the Dragon. The House is deposed at the beginning of Game of Thrones. That said, Queen Daenerys Targaryen amasses wealth before setting sail to Westeros. In the beginning of House of the Dragon, House Targaryen possesses ten adult dragons. The reigns of Kings – Aegon I and Jaehaerys I witnessed progress and prosperity. Later, Alicent Hightower declares:

Our coffers are great, but not infinite.

Westeros is a pre-industrial, resource-based economy with a strict feudal structure in place. In this political hierarchy, land and commodities are the primary sources of wealth. House Targaryen is rich because it is the ruling family, but it is certainly not the richest.

3 House Hightower

An Old Money Family

House Hightower of Oldtown is just as rich as the Lannisters of Casterly Rock. Not only is the House a patron of the Faith of the Seven, but also the Citadel. Oldtown remains the epicenter of the Faith in lore, and the Starry Sept (built by a Hightower) used to be the official residence of the High Septon.

Aegon the Conqueror’s final coronation took place in the Starry Sept and the ceremony was presided over by the High Septon. The Hightowers are committed to the Faith, and that explains why Alicent Hightower has Targaryen heraldry replaced with emblems of the Faith in the Red Keep. The mighty Hightowers are sworn to their overlords – House Tyrell – but they have a large army and can provide thrice the number of swords as other Tyrell bannermen.

The Hightowers’ power explains why Otto is quick to send ravens to Oldtown whenever Viserys’ rule brings about new developments. Though they prefer trade and commerce to wars, that’s not the case in House of the Dragon. The Hightowers have wealth, lands, and privileges, making them the richest.

2 House Lannister

Rich Heritage Of Gold Mining

When the vain Jason Lannister proposes marriage to Viserys’ heir, Rhaenyra, he offers her Lannisport’s “finest honey wine” that he says she will ever taste. He goes on and on about Casterly Rock, and his prestige is highly associated with his family wealth.

The Rock is thrice the height of Hightower in Oldtown, taller still than the Wall in the North. It’s been said that if one were to stand in a tower on a perfect day, one could see clear across the Sunset Sea.

Jason adds that he has the means to build a dragon pit – one that can act as a stable for Rhaenyra’s Syrax. House Lannister is the crème de la crème of the wealthiest Houses in the realm, as its seat is directly on top of the most productive gold mines in the Westerlands. The only House that can beat it in terms of wealth is House Velaryon.

1 House Velaryon

Lord Corlys Has Accumulated Massive Wealth

Lord Corlys, more famously known as the Sea Snake, tells Daemon in House of the Dragon season 1, episode 2 “The Rogue Prince,” that he is self-made. The House reaps huge profits from trading in the narrow sea and Blackwater Bay.

For
centuries
,
my House had
to
scratch out
an
existence
from the
sea
with
grit
and
luck
. When I
ascended
the
Driftwood Throne
, I
knew
what I wanted, s
o
I
went out
and
seized
it.
Unlike every other lord
of the
realm
, I
can say
that I
built my house’s high seat
with the
strength
of mine own back.

The Nine Voyages across the seas of the Known World made Lord Corlys the richest man in the realm. He brought home gold, silk, and spices, and he ordered the construction of a fortification named High Tide to replace the crowded seat, Driftmark. When Viserys announces his decision to remarry into the Hightowers instead of the Velaryons, Corlys gives up his seat at the small council and proudly declares:

This is an absurdity. My house is Valyrian, the greatest power in the realm.

As seen in House of the Dragon, the Velaryons also have an edge over others, in that, the Targaryens marry into their House, resulting in their ownership of dragons. Lord Corlys’ wife, Rhaenys has Meleys, Laenor rode Seasmoke, while his late daughter, Laena’s mount was the largest living dragon – Vhagar.