Game Of Thrones: The Sieges Of Meereen, Explained

Thanks to all the fantastic characters in Game Of Thrones, it became hard to pick favorites. This was even more true for Game Of Thrones fans who simply love fantasy worlds. With a few key characters acting as the main protagonists and antagonists that fans get to experience the series through, some may have found themselves gravitating toward Daenerys Targaryen’s quest to reclaim a throne that was rightfully hers, the Iron Throne.

Her journey across the world is a long one, filled with friendship, betrayal, and as much violence as one grows to expect from Game Of Thrones. One of the most significant portions of Daenerys’s story is when she heads over to Meereen in order to further put a stop to the tragedies of Slaver’s Bay. With the city being sieged twice, the actions of Daenerys in each instance help to further flesh out what had already become a terrific character in the eyes of most fans and critics.

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What Was The First Siege Of Meereen?

While in the process of building up her armies, the soon-to-be mad Daenerys Targaryen was also set on trying to ensure the prosperity of the people she came across. This is why no one should have been surprised that upon entering Slaver’s Bay, she would begin doing what she could to ensure the freedom of all in the land. She had already targeted two other slave cities, but now, she had turned her attention to the mighty city of Meereen. This city was run by slavers and forced thousands of people into subjugation, leading Daenerys to hatch a plan to siege the well-guarded city.

Daenerys Targaryen gives an impassioned speech for the slaves in season 4, episode 3 “Breaker Of Chains:”

Now I have come to Meereen. I am not your enemy. Your enemy is beside you. Your enemy steals and murders your children. Your enemy has nothing for you but chains and suffering, and commands. I do not bring you commands. I bring you a choice, and I bring your enemies what they deserve.

The first stage was a battle between Meereen’s chosen champion and Daenerys’ champion, Daario Naharis. The fight would prove to be a quick one, with Daario showing off his combat prowess. With Meereen’s leaders already mocked, Daenerys would order the firing of broken slave collars into the city, sending a message to both the rulers and the slaves. Upon sneaking into the city, Grey Worm is able to convince the slaves to rise up and strike back against their oppressors leading to a quick victory for Daenerys. In the end, Daenerys ends up crucifying the vile slave masters and takes control of Meereen as the new queen of the land.

Who Fought In The First Siege Of Meereen?

Interestingly, Daenerys was able to lead a siege free of terrible decisions against Meereen with what is a relatively small force in comparison to what she would wield later on. On the outside of the city, Daenerys commanded her army of roughly 8000 Unsullied, a shoddy group of Dothraki, 2000 Second Sons, and countless freed slaves. The most significant commanding figures in the conflict were easily Daario Naharis and Grey Worm, with the men each directly responsible for the biggest victories of the conflict, the champion battle and the slave uprising respectively.

On the side of the slavers in Meereen, there really wasn’t much of a chance to muster a force in defense. Initially, the slavers sent out their champion Oznak zo Pahl, but he would be bested in a hurry. From there, it seems like all the slavers of Meereen had in defense was their city guard, a force that had no chance once confronted with an onslaught of tens of thousands of slaves seeking their freedom.

What Was The Second Siege Of Meereen?

In season 6 of Game Of Thrones, the slavers attempted to recover their lost territories, something that included Meereen. Realistically, it was quite foolish of the slave masters of Slaver’s Bay to believe that they could stand against Daenerys, even if they had managed to reclaim the other previous slave city Astapor. At this point, Daenerys had such a strong army that she was already poised to claim the Iron Throne for a lengthy reign should she make the decision to claim it.

The slave masters of the area were able to capitalize on the instability of the region, though Tyrion makes them a shockingly generous offer even if it would eventually result in the ending of slavery in Slaver’s Bay. The Masters agree but quickly attack Meereen anyway beginning a massive siege in the night. Instead of diving headfirst into a conflict, Tyrion Lannister, Grey Worm, Missandeim, and eventually Daenerys hatch a scheme of their own to handle their problem. Sadly, some fans view this portion of the story as the start of Tyrion’s downfall into worsening decision-making. Luring the masters out, Daenerys asks for their surrender before the group slays the major slavers, leaving only one alive for him to make it clear that Daenerys is capable of ending their rule at any time. With backup from Daario’s forces at the city gates, the Sons of the Harpy are of little issue, leading to the conflict coming to an end and Daenerys officially turns her attention to Westeros.

Who Fought In The Second Siege Of Meereen?

While similar in that the second Siege of Meereen centered around the conflict between Daenerys’s forces and the forces of the slavers in the area, this siege was a lot larger in scope. Daenerys had well over 100,000 capable men and her three hatched and incredibly powerful dragons were all ready to dive into conflict. With roughly 100,000 Dothraki, 2000 Second Sons, and 8000 Unsullied at her disposal, most armies would have already been nervous to launch an attack, but adding three dragons to the mix made the slaver’s siege a desperate attempt. Despite this, Daenerys forces did take some decent casualties.

At the same time, the slavers had access to a naval fleet of roughly 200 ships in size and had the help of the rebellious group the Sons of the Harpy. These forces were able to create a relatively strong bombardment against the city of Meereen, with the Sons of the Harpy doing much of the groundwork. Unfortunately, the only reason they were able to see such success was purely because those under Daenerys had decided not to decimate them, opting instead to take control of as many of the ships as possible.

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