One of many central storylines of “Home of the Dragon” is the hunt of Rhaenyra Targaryen, the daughter of King Viserys, to be taken severely because the inheritor to the Iron Throne. Readers of George R.R. Martin’s e book “Fireplace and Blood” know that her declare on the throne is just not uncontested and that the following battle has long-lasting penalties for Home Targaryen.
However does Rhaenyra ever really get to be Queen of the Seven Kingdoms? That each one is determined by whose declare you facet with. Earlier than you retain studying, simply bear in mind: we will dive deep into spoilers from “Fireplace and Blood,” and whereas “Home of the Dragon” might change some plot factors, there are most likely some spoilers for the TV present, too!
Who Is Topped Ruler of Westeros After Viserys Dies?
Till the very finish of his life, Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys I, intends for her to be his inheritor and succeed him on the throne. He continues to assist Rhaenyra’s declare even after having sons along with his second spouse, Alicent Hightower. When Viserys dies, nonetheless, Rhaenyra (now the mom of a number of youngsters from two marriages and at present married to her uncle Daemon) is handed over. As a substitute, Otto Hightower and Criston Cole, with Alicent’s assist, crown Aegon II, the eldest son of Viserys and Alicent. Rhaenyra does not even study of her father’s demise till after Aegon’s coronation has occurred and Rhaenyra’s supporters are all both useless or imprisoned.
Infuriated, Rhaenyra arranges for her personal coronation, and a loyal knight, Ser Steffon Darklyn, smuggles the crown of her father to Dragonstone, the place Daemon formally crowns her and hails her because the rightful queen. Quickly after, the civil battle often called the Dance of the Dragons begins in earnest, with the dividing query being who’s the “true” ruler: Aegon or Rhaenyra.
Who Wins the Dance of the Dragons Struggle: Rhaenyra or Aegon?
In the course of the battle, Rhaenyra conquers King’s Touchdown and sits on the Iron Throne, though Aegon escapes and continues the battle towards her. At first, she is comparatively well-liked, because the strange individuals of the dominion dislike Aegon. Aegon’s loyalists, nonetheless, handle to steal a lot of the crown’s wealth, and the ensuing taxes, together with rumors about Rhaenyra being “rejected” by the Iron Throne, begin to flip the smallfolk towards her. When she makes a paranoid choice to order the execution of two non-Targaryen dragonriders, her grip on energy additional unravels, and a riot kills one in every of her sons and forces her to flee the capital.
Rhaenyra by no means regains energy, and he or she is in the end betrayed, turned over to Aegon, and killed by his dragon Sunfyre. Following her demise, Aegon, now again on the throne, insists that every one paperwork consult with her solely as a princess, by no means as a queen. Historical past is written by the winners, as they are saying, so Rhaenyra is just not counted as an “official” queen of Westeros.
Rhaenyra’s Legacy
Finally, nonetheless, it’s Rhaenyra’s line that lives on: after Aegon II dies with out male heirs, Rhaenyra and Daemon’s oldest surviving son takes the throne as Aegon III, adopted by their youthful son, Viserys II. Whereas Rhaenyra solely sits on the throne briefly and has her reign erased, it’s her line and legacy that reside on for hundreds of years of the Targaryen dynasty.
