One of many central storylines of “Home of the Dragon” is the search of Rhaenyra Targaryen, the daughter of King Viserys, to be taken critically because the inheritor to the Iron Throne. Readers of George R.R. Martin’s guide “Fireplace and Blood” know that her declare on the throne just isn’t 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 dependent upon whose declare you facet with. Earlier than you retain studying, simply remember: we will dive deep into spoilers from “Fireplace and Blood,” and whereas “Home of the Dragon” could 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 help Rhaenyra’s declare even after having sons with his second spouse, Alicent Hightower. When Viserys dies, nevertheless, Rhaenyra (now the mom of a number of youngsters from two marriages and presently married to her uncle Daemon) is handed over. As an alternative, Otto Hightower and Criston Cole, with Alicent’s help, crown Aegon II, the eldest son of Viserys and Alicent. Rhaenyra does not even be taught of her father’s dying till after Aegon’s coronation has occurred and Rhaenyra’s supporters are all both lifeless 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?
Throughout 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 odd individuals of the dominion dislike Aegon. Aegon’s loyalists, nevertheless, 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 determination 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 she or he is in the end betrayed, turned over to Aegon, and killed by his dragon Sunfyre. Following her dying, Aegon, now again on the throne, insists that each one paperwork check 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 just isn’t counted as an “official” queen of Westeros.
Rhaenyra’s Legacy
Finally, nevertheless, 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 stay on for hundreds of years of the Targaryen dynasty.
