Quick answer: Corlys Velaryon, the Sea Snake, was the greatest sailor in Westerosi history: nine great voyages to Essos on a ship he designed and built, a fortune that made House Velaryon richer than the Lannisters or the Hightowers, and a seat at the center of the Dance of the Dragons as the husband of Rhaenys and grandfather, officially, of Rhaenyra’s sons. He died in 132 AC, aged seventy-nine, after collapsing on the Red Keep’s serpentine steps.
The Nine Voyages
House Velaryon were old Valyrian stock who never rode dragons, so Corlys built his own wings. He designed and built the ship Sea Snake, the vessel that gave him his nickname, and made nine great voyages in her. The records that survive give a partial picture:
| Voyage | Where | What it meant |
|---|---|---|
| First | Past the Jade Gates at Qarth to Yi Ti and Leng | Silk, spice and jade; roughly doubled House Velaryon’s wealth |
| Second | Asshai, at the edge of the known world | By the stories, he “lost his love and half his crew” there |
| Third | The Thousand Islands, then Nefer, N’ghai and Mossovy | The first Westerosi to navigate the Thousand Islands |
| Fourth to eighth | Not described in the surviving sources | Each came home richer than it left |
| Ninth | Qarth, where he bought twenty ships and loaded them with spice, silk and elephants | Only fourteen ships reached Driftmark and the elephants died, but he still became very wealthy |
Every voyage made the house richer. By the end, his wealth outstripped that of Lords Lannister and Hightower, funding the castle at High Tide and the growth of Hull and Spicetown, which drew trade away from King’s Landing.
The Marriage of Two Powers
Corlys married the sixteen-year-old Rhaenys Targaryen in 90 AC. When her father, Prince Aemon, died and King Jaehaerys named Baelon as heir over Rhaenys, Corlys gave up his seats on the council in anger. Their children, Laena and Laenor, were dangled before the crown itself: Laena married Daemon, and Laenor married Rhaenyra. Both died in 120 AC. Through Rhaenyra’s sons, officially Laenor’s, the Velaryon name stood in the Black succession.
The Sea Snake in the Dance
Corlys pledged his strength to Rhaenyra, sat on her council, and supplied most of her army. His fleet blockaded the Gullet and choked trade to King’s Landing. He opposed burning the city, arguing the Blacks wanted to rule it rather than destroy it, and he helped keep young Joffrey from flying a dragon in revenge after Lucerys died. When Rhaenys died at Rook’s Rest, he blamed Rhaenyra, but Jacaerys later made him Hand of the Queen. For how the war’s pieces fit together, see who won the Dance of the Dragons.
His fall came over Addam and Alyn of Hull. Their mother, Marilda of Hull, claimed Laenor was their father; Corlys accepted this, asked Rhaenyra to legitimize them, and named Addam his heir. (The court fool Mushroom suggests Corlys was their real father.) When Rhaenyra’s suspicion turned on the dragonseeds after the betrayal at Tumbleton, Corlys warned Addam so he could flee on Seasmoke, and was thrown into a black cell in the Red Keep. Accounts differ on who freed him, but he later swore to Aegon II in exchange for a pardon.
Regent and Last Voyage
He served as a regent for Aegon III from 131 AC and was thought the most powerful of them. When Cregan Stark took the capital in the Hour of the Wolf, he arrested Corlys, and an edict that Baela and Rhaena persuaded the boy king to issue freed him. Corlys died on the sixth day of the third moon of 132 AC, aged seventy-nine, collapsing on the serpentine steps. His body lay beneath the Iron Throne for a week, and he was buried at sea aboard the Sea Snake. His house’s whole arc sits alongside the royal line on the interactive Targaryen family tree; see also Aegon III.
FAQ
What were the Sea Snake’s nine voyages?
Nine great voyages to Essos on the ship Sea Snake. The first went past Qarth to Yi Ti and Leng, the second to Asshai, the third through the Thousand Islands, and the ninth to Qarth for twenty ships of spice, silk and elephants. They made House Velaryon richer than the Lannisters or Hightowers.
Was Corlys Velaryon richer than the Lannisters?
Yes. His voyages made him wealthier than Lords Lannister or Hightower, and Hull and Spicetown grew rich enough to rival King’s Landing for trade.
Who are Addam and Alyn of Hull?
Brothers born to Marilda of Hull. She claimed Laenor Velaryon fathered them. Corlys accepted this, had Rhaenyra legitimize them and named Addam his heir. Some in the court believed Corlys himself was their father.
Why is he called the Sea Snake?
After his famous ship, the Sea Snake, which he designed and built.
Is Corlys in House of the Dragon?
Yes. Steve Toussaint plays Corlys, a major figure on the Black council.