The Whitecloaks were introduced in episode 2 of the Wheel of Time TV series. Would you like to know more about them; as well as their order. Then, read on.
They made a strong impression with their introduction featuring the gruesome dismemberment and burning of a woman believed to be an Aes Sedai and I am sure you have questions on how and why they were able to do that.
Quick summary on the Whitecloaks
The Whitecloaks (actual name: The Children of the Light) are a quasi-religious militaristic order dedicated to the victory of the light over the forces of the dark one and the Aes Sedai.
They view magic as evil and instead uphold the physical strengths and virtues of humanity. They fervently believe in the inevitability of the light's victory and hence take on particularly suicidal endeavors.
"The Children have authority wherever the Light is, witch, and where the Light is not, we bring it."
—Dain Bornhald to Verin Mathwin[1]
How did they capture an Aes Sedai?
Aes Sedai can use the one power to defend themselves so the only feasible way for the whitecloaks to have captured her was to drug and decapitate her while she slept.
Although Moiraine’s comments about her “fellow sisters” make it seem like a sizable number of Aes Sedai have fallen victim to the Whitecloaks. All in all, the writing team has some serious explaining to do
History of the Whitecloaks
The Children of the Light were founded in FY 1021 during the War of the Hundred Years by Lothair Mantelar. They were originally preachers working to expose Darkfriends, using Mantelar's book The Way of the Light as their guide. At first they only defended themselves against the Shadow, but not long after they had become a fully militarized force.
Their power and prestige grew in the intervening years as the Aes Sedai declined and wars fought by false dragons turned public perception against anyone using the one power. At the start of the series, they control Amadicia and have a large number of men in multiple nations and territories.
Eamon Valda
This particular character made a really strong impression in Episode 2 and almost exposed Moiraine not long after.
He is part of an even crueler division within the Children of the Light called the "Questioners". They are ruthless in their search for darkfriends and resort to the worst of tortures to get confessions.
The fact that people will confess to anything under duress has never seemed to bother them.
Who leads the Children of the Light?
At the start of the series, the Children of the Light is led by Pedron Niall; one of the 5 great generals currently alive in the Wheel of Time universe. He is shown to be less of a fanatic than his peers in the books but his point-of-view chapters are still clouded by his distrust and hatred of the Aes Sedai.
Conclusion
The Children of the Light will continue to show up as more episodes and seasons go by; as they play very important roles in the series. I don't like them; you don't like them. But, they're here to stay.
Fun Fact: The Children of the Light have more darkfriends in their ranks than any other militaristic faction. The Irony 🤣
A more detailed writeup on the Children of the Light is available below:
Spoiler Alert: This Link contains spoilers for the entire series!!!!
