#maegon targaryen (before aegon i)

[horizon-verizon]

The Targaryens were of pure Valyrian blood, dragonlords of ancient lineage. Twelve years before the Doom of Valyria (114 BC), Aenar Targaryen sold his holdings in the Freehold and the Lands of the Long Summer, and moved with all his wives, wealth, slaves, dragons, siblings, kin, and children to Dragonstone, a bleak island citadel beneath a smoking mountain in the narrow sea. At its apex Valyria was the greatest city in the known world, the center of civilization. Within its shining walls, twoscore rival houses vied for power and glory in court and council, rising and falling in an endless, subtle, oft savage struggle for dominance. The Targaryens were far from the most powerful of the dragonlords, and their rivals saw their flight to Dragonstone as an act of surrender, as cowardice. But Lord Aenar’s maiden daughter Daenys, known forever afterward as Daenys the Dreamer, had foreseen the destruction of Valyria by fire. And when the Doom came twelve years later, the Targaryens were the only dragonlords to survive. Dragonstone had been the westernmost outpost of Valyrian power for two centuries. Its location athwart the Gullet gave its lords a stranglehold on Blackwater Bay and enabled both the Targaryens and their close allies, the Velaryons of Driftmark (a lesser house of Valyrian descent) to fill their coffers off the passing trade. Velaryon ships, along with those of another allied Valyrian house, the Celtigars of Claw Isle, dominated the middle reaches of the narrow sea, whilst the Targaryens ruled the skies with their dragons. Yet even so, for the best part of a hundred years after the Doom of Valyria (the rightly named Century of Blood), House Targaryen looked east, not west, and took little interest in the affairs of Westeros. Gaemon Targaryen, brother and husband to Daenys the Dreamer, followed Aenar the Exile as Lord of Dragonstone, and became known as Gaemon the Glorious. Gaemon’s son Aegon and his daughter Elaena ruled together after his death. After them the lordship passed to their son Maegon, his brother Aerys, and Aerys’s sons, Aelyx, Baelon, and Daemion. The last of the three brothers was Daemion, whose son Aerion then succeeded to Dragonstone.

Fire and Blood, by George R.R. Martin pg 4-5

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

While the pre-Aegon I targs receive almost no focus in any published material, how do you think it may have changed in precedent at the Great Councils if there was a ruling Lady of Dragonstone in the ancestry? When I first read F&B, I almost thought there would be a retcon with the Valyrians to be Salic / Agnatic and that would factor into the precedent of the great council of 101. There’s also a pro-daemon argument for agnatic seniority up to Daemon that I would’ve loved to have GRRM explore

Oh, but there was a ruling lady of Dragonstone:

Gaemon Targaryen, brother and husband to Daenys the Dreamer, followed Aenar the Exile as Lord of Dragonstone, and became known as Gaemon the Glorious. Gaemon's son Aegon and his daughter Elaena ruled together after his death. After them the lordship passed to their son Maegon, his brother Aerys, and Aerys's sons, Aelyx, Baelon, and Daemion. The last of the three brothers was Daemion, whose son Aerion then succeeded to Dragonstone.

And we know that Elaena was a Lady in her own right and not just her husband's, because Aerys and Daemion and Aerion had wives, but they aren't spoken of as "ruling together". Therefore Aegon and Elaena's situation must have been with her on the same level as him. But alas, that didn't seem to help much with later succession arguments.

I suppose there might be an agnatic seniority argument, but I can also see that they specifically factored in female heirs and "a daughter before an uncle" of male-preference primogeniture:

As the glad tidings of Rhaena’s birth spread across the land, the realm rejoiced…save, perhaps, for Queen Visenya. Prince Aenys was the unquestioned heir to the Iron Throne, all agreed, but now an issue arose as to whether Prince Maegor remained second in the line of succession, or should be considered to have fallen to third behind the newborn princess. [...] The boy, named Aegon after his grandsire, was born to Lady Alyssa and fathered by Prince Aenys. [...] While many still debated whether Prince Maegor or his niece, Rhaena, should have precedence in the order of succession, it seemed beyond question that Aegon would follow his father, Aenys, just as Aenys would follow Aegon.

BTW, if you're interested, you can see an essay by an actual lawyer stating that the precedent of the Great Council of 101 was no legal precedent at all.

But anyway, you're not the only one who wishes F&B had gone into far greater detail about various legal and social decisions of the Targaryens. @goodqueenaly has gone into it at length, in particular about the politics of matchmaking, and the lack of it in F&B...

[fir3-and-bl00d]

Day 23 - Pregnancy

“Our son needs a name.”

“Jaehaerys?” Jon offered.

She frowned.

“And how many of those have there been?”

“We have an Aegon and there’s been five of them, not to mention all the ones who never became kings.” he countered.

She rolled her eyes and poked him in the chest.

“We named him after your brother at your insistence.”

“We did, but you also liked the name and the same with Rhaenys. How about Baelon?”

Daenerys shook her head.

“It’s too close to Baelor for my liking.”

“But Baelor Breakspear was -”

“A fine warrior and one of the Targaryens you admire, yes, but there is also Baelor the Blessed who locked his own sisters up in the Maidenvault.” she replied, her face curling up because she found Baelor the Blessed to be rather horrible.

“Fair point.” Jon conceded.

She knew that he cared little for Baelor I as well.

His next suggestion was worse than Baelor.

“Maegor.”

“After Maegor the Cruel? No.”

He drummed his fingers along her stomach and fired off another name.

“Maelor.”

“No.”

“Maegon.”

“No! Is that even a real name?” Dany replied, and she poked him in the chest as she rolled her eyes.

Jon tsked at her and said, “He was a Lord of Dragonstone before the Conquest. How can you not know the history of our house?”

[frankcastleonlyfans]

Hey! I read this and was wondering if you could write a drabble/imagine on that Dad! Daemon is training the boys (Rhaegon, jace, Luke and Aemond and Aegon if you want) and Mom!reader, Alyssa, Baela and Rhaena are watching and one of them makes a comment about girls not knowing how to fight properly or something (you decides) and mom!reader (who is very good with a sword, by the way) fights Daemon and wins (with the girls cheering) thus proving otherwise, please? (just a moment of fun and relaxation with the children with them)

it's been so long since i last wrote mom!reader in our dad!daemon au!! i had some fun writing this, specially because i love writing the kids <3 i wrote this drabble based on my favorite scene from the fire & blood book so, i hope you like 💓

"I like when father comes to the training yard. Ser Criston doesn't like to let me watch." Alyssa said excitedly, spinning around you.

"Oh, really?" You frowned, confused.

You knew that Alyssa herself had asked Viserys for his permission to let her watch the boys training anytime she wanted to. Alicent once had told her that little girls aren't supposed to hold swords, that is a man's job. But you knew your daughter had your husband's temper, and she wouldn't let the Queen tell her what to do. She asked her uncle to let her train with the boys, but the king refused.

But Demon had his training lessons with her and your oldest son, so it was quite obvious that your daughter had a thing for fighting. And you liked to encourage her. Since very young, you liked swords and self-defense training, so perhaps your little girl took a little taste for it after you. You had your own sword, your own shield, your own armor, and yet you wore dresses, and was only seen in ringmail for dragonriding. Nowadays, no one would take you as a shieldmaiden, but you knew that you still remained talented in your bones if you had a sword in your hands.

"I'm glad we can watch!" Baela grinned, looking up at you.

"Yeah, Baela and I don't get to see the training as much as Alyssa does. Ser Criston says it's not up for little girls to be on the training yard." Rhaena took your hand as you walked together to the camp.

You could hear the sound of steel clashing from afar. The boys were training in pairs; Rhaegon and Aemond, Luke and Maegon, but Aegon and Jacaerys were both against Daemon. You and the girls stayed close, but not too close, since there were too many people holding swords in the same space.

You watched your husband having his fun with the boys. You knew how he felt about Aemond and Aegon, but he wouldn't hurt the kids on purpose. It was fun to watch him turning them against each other.

"He's only using one hand, how can you be so slow?!" Aegon shouted, scolding Jacaerys as he tried to strike Daemon.

"You're not doing any better, Aegon." Jace huffed, trying his hardest to touch Daemon.

The Rogue Prince was quick to dodge the boys’ moves, and easily push them both to the ground. Aegon groaned loudly, tossing his sword in anger.

"Better luck next time." Daemon smirked.

The girls laughed, watching the prince having a meltdown. Aegon could be so dramatic sometimes...

"What are you laughing at? Honestly, what are you even doing here? This is a place for men only! We know you want to train, but women can't do shit with swords in their pretty little hands!" Aegon yelled.

You cocked an eyebrow. You couldn't understand since when this training yard had been a "place for men only". Your husband held the sword of the queen conqueror, Visenya Targaryen, and this didn't mean anything for them? Women had done so many things for this realm, and yet there was no place in the training yard for them? "Who decided we can't fight too?", you wondered.

You looked down to Alyssa, who stood beside you with quite a frown once she heard that she didn't belong there.

"Stay. If your father asks, say I'll be back soon." You told her, leaving a kiss on top of her head before you headed inside.

Daemon watched you leave and immediately came towards his daughter, who hugged his legs before he could even say a word.

"Where did your mother go? I thought she would watch the training with you girls." The prince asked, taking the little girl in his arms.

"She said she will be back soon." Alyssa shrugged.

No one expected you to come back with your hair braided in a crown around your head, wearing a full armor and ringmail, and with your sword in your hand. Maybe the armor was a bit too much, but it was good to wear something that once felt like a second skin to you.

The boys chatted between themselves, until one of them saw you and went silent. When everyone's sight caught you, they were too shocked to say anything. You felt powerful. You felt like showing them you belonged in that yard, and like you should show them what women could do with a sword in their pretty little hands.

"So, this place is supposed to be for men only. I'm guessing it's because 'women can't fight'?" You smirked, staring directly at Prince Aegon, "But tell me, who's too much of a man to defeat me? I mean, I'm only a woman, so I think it wouldn't be that hard, right?"

Alyssa looked at you with wide eyes. She was too marveled to express any words. She had never seen you in your armor, and you never talked about your swordswoman days. You thought your support was enough, but you left Daemon to be the only role model as a warrior in her life. Today you would be her knight in shining armor.

"I'm not fighting a woman!" Aegon said.

Daemon smirked, looking at you with a hunting gaze, that same look he used moments before taking you to bed. You stared at him, drawing your sword and pointing it out towards him.

"Perhaps my lord husband would like to give me this honor?" You bit your smirk as the children gasped at your challenge.

"Mother, you can't be serious!" Maegon frowned.

"You cannot possibly think that you can defeat father in sword combat." Rhaegon stared at you as if you had gone insane, and perhaps everyone shared the same thought. Everyone but Alyssa, and Daemon.

"It would be a pleasure to finally show my pupils some real sword fighting. It's not that bullshit that Cole tries to teach you, and unfortunately, I'll not be here everyday to show it to you. Today my lady wife will show you how it's done. Perhaps you can learn a thing or two from her, Aegon." Daemon teased, unsheathing Dark Sister and going to the center of the yard.

You passed by his side, and Daemon grabbed your arm, making you stop. You smirked and looked up to him, towering your body.

"You look really hot right now." He practically howled near your ear, letting go of your arm.

"That's how it's done." Daemon pointed out, staring at the children whose mouths fell open to the prince's bleeding face.

[blue-mint-winter]

So I started reading Fire and Blood and stopped on Maegor's death. I had some thoughts:

I think the Targaryens were fighting each other during Century of Blood (before the Conquest), because of 2 reasons. Firstly, 4 out of 5 dragons they brought from Valyria died of unspecified causes and I doubt it was old age. Secondly, there's a passage about succession: "the lordship passed to their son Maegon, his brother Aerys, and Aerys’s sons, Aelyx, Baelon, and Daemion. The last of the three brothers was Daemion, whose son Aerion then succeeded to Dragonstone". It's probable they fought each other and Daemion was the last one standing. And after that they covered it up and never mentioned it again, because of the kinslaying stigma.

There's a mention of Velaryon having Targaryen blood: "Lady Valaena of House Velaryon, herself half Targaryen on her mother’s side". If she had brothers, then it's possible they were Sea Snake's ancestors and it proves why Addam in the show could claim a dragon. Possibly. Also, it appears that there was a time when Targaryens had enough women to spare to marry to other houses. Aeriana, the greatgrandmother of Ser Steffon in the show, doesn't break book canon ;)

I am very curious what was in Deria Martell's letter to Aegon that convinced him to make peace with Dorne. My theory is that it has something to do with the prophecy or his dreams. Martells know something important and I hope it will be revealed in the main ASOIAF story.

It was pretty obvious that Rhaena was visiting all her gal pals when she was flying around on Dreamfyre. Four women, four locations: Larissa Velaryon - on Tarth, Alayne Royce - in Runestone, Melony Piper - Harrenhal (maybe she was there, at least it proves Rhaena flew to Riverlands), Samantha Stokeworth - Gulltown (?).

I wonder what was the Hightowers game during Aenys&Maegor mess. They had Ceryse as Maegor's wife but they didn't support him and didn't use this connection in any way that made sense, even though they were anti-Aenys and Aegon/Rhaena. Maybe their goal was to use Faith to get rid of all Targaryens and Ceryse was just a smokescreen. In the end she was kind of useless? I think Otto should have been born earlier to concoct some better schemes ;)

High Septon's murder mystery shall remain a mystery as the author lists all suspects, even Visenya who wasn't there, but nothing about the cause of death. Kind of makes me think that maybe in this one case it was natural causes, he could have a stroke out of nowhere and die, it sometimes happens to even young people.

What was Tyanna's goal??? It's kind of frustrating that the text doesn't hint at any kind of motivations she could have for her actions. The explanation that she was a witch is just weak. She was rumoured to be Alys Harroway's paramour, they even shared a wedding night, and then she threw Alys under the bus by accusing her of cheating and personally tortured and killed her. Then she confessed to poisoning all of Maegor's unborn children. What's the reason, did she hate Maegor and didn't want him to have kids? Was her goal to eventually kill him too and take power for herself as the Queen?

I'd like to know more about Lodos, the son of Drowned God, and Lodos the Twice-Drowned, because the idea they were the same person is fascinating. This is some real Ironborn fuckery.

Lucifer Massey just appeared and died fighting by Maegor's side against Warrior's Sons. With a name like that he deserves a longer story.

Maegor's murder mystery. I have no idea who did it. Tyanna's ghost? A quick crackpot theory - he pressed a secret button Aegon installed that makes the blades come out of the throne and kill the person sitting on it. Only true heirs of the throne know about that button, ensuring their safety. The ones who usurp the throne get cut and killed by it. Sadly, the knowledge of the button died with Aegon the Uncrowned, though it could have been rediscovered later on.

[mneiai]

new asoiaf fic, help me decide on something???

I have an idea for an ASOIAF/Dance era crossover (with some HOTD influence because they fill in a few gaps and there's a handful of things they did right/I did like better). It was vaguely inspired by my drabble through time and some of the theories about Vhagar/a dragon's personality/abilities.

It is a Jon goes back in time/becomes Daemon Targaryen's son AU. I can't decide what year I want him born in, though.

Jon "wakes up" when Maegon Targaryen (Daemon was being an asshole when he chose the name) claims Cannibal, so there's a whole life before that and the time period will affect what is happening on Dragonstone/why he's there/what he can do.

So, the possibilities are as follows (I started writing as if it was the first one, but that's easy enough to change, except that I want to write more and am now stalled lol):

Firstly, what stays the same:

-Maegon is Daemon and Rhea Royce's trueborn (and only) son.

-Maegon is far more even tempered than Daemon, and broods instead of lashing out. His crib egg doesn't only not hatch, it seems to start turning to stone just from being near him. Despite looking Valyrian, many people suspect he's not much of a Targaryen (something Daemon hates, but many others see as a good thing).

-He has a contentious relationship with Daemon because of Daemon's hatred for his mother and long absences. The King adores Maegon and Rhaenyra cares for him.

-After not having a dragon for at least a decade, he goes to Dragonstone and is basically pounced on by the Cannibal, at which point Jon Snow gets shoved into Maegon's head.

If Maegon is born 100/101: 

-Born just before Rhea becomes Lady of Runestone, helping to solidify her claim as she has a male heir. And before the Great Council, which technically gives Viserys two male heirs.

-He’d be closer to Rhaenyra’s age/a childhood companion, Daemon would think he was Viserys’ heir still for a time and that Maegon would therefore one day be King (makes Daemon getting passed over as heir harder/more insulting).

-Daemon would take him to the Red Keep often to show off his male heir (possibly seen as a motivation for Viserys to be so desperate for a son). Maegon would be used more as a tool than a son by a less mature Daemon, but if it weren't for fear of Daemon gaining influence through him, Maegon would have been betrothed to Rhaenyra.

-He would claim Cannibal when Rhaenyra first moves to Dragonstone in 113 (this would basically mean no needing to finagle the timelines and that Jon could stop some of the worst stuff that happens, but maybe that's too good of timing lol).

-He’d have a dragon to go back and forth to Runestone, especially after his mother’s death when he is old enough to immediately be lord.

-He would be a Black. Could help Rhaenyra with Laenor and keep her sons looking Valyrian. Would also possibly influence her to put more effort into being the heir/keeping power in the Red Keep, or staying in the Red Keep himself to advocate for her. They’d both resent the Greens, as even if Maegon had come to terms with Rhaenyra being heir, he definitely wouldn’t come to terms with Aegon being heir/king instead after his father and he were passed over.

If Maegon is born 106: 

-After the Mysaria/dragon egg stuff and Rhaenyra being declared heir, when Daemon is arguably at the height of his resentment for Viserys. He just lost a child to miscarriage so it may also feel like an insult that the gods gave him a healthy son with someone he hated. Possibly also some self-hatred for knowing this could have surely made him official heir if he hadn’t pushed Viserys’ hand.

-Daemon will spend Maegon’s early childhood in the Stepstones, so less influence over his life. Maegon will be more of a peer to Aegon than Rhaenyra, and could have a positive impact on him (or could be more manipulated by the Greens). He might spend time at the Red Keep at Viserys’ behest instead of for Daemon’s manipulations and see it as a second home.

-He would claim the Cannibal during Rhaenyra’s marriage to Laenor, maybe just after his mother dies/his father goes off with Laena in 115? This would makes him about a year younger than Aemond would be, possibly increase Aemond’s desperation for a dragon, since he’d soon be older than even Maegon was if he doesn’t claim one.

-Daemon might try to demand regency over Runestone, creating even more of a wedge between them (Maegon may also suspect Daemon of murdering his mother). Having an actual regency will allow Maegon to still be around Dragonstone/King’s Landing for the next few years without many issues, so he���d be around for Rhaenyra’s first few children’s births/early years.

-He’d be a Black…at least until Rhaenyra married Daemon, at which point she may lose his support.

If Maegon is born in 111:

-Daemon goes to Runestone before returning to the Stepstones after unsuccessfully trying to win Rhaenyra’s hand. He is in the Stepstones when Maegon is born, perhaps Rhea’s message to him was “lost” so he didn’t even know she was pregnant (who would blame her for not wanting him around...Daemon, Deamon would). Possibly Rhea even names him Jon and Daemon renames him Maegon (otherwise, possibly a Runestone tradition not to name a child until they're one).

-Daemon’s hatred for her increases even more and maybe he believes Maegon was “ruined” by his first year or so of life being raised by a non-Valyrian when Maegon does not seem enough of a dragon. Maegon also represents the missed opportunity of a child with Rhaenyra. 

-After his mother’s death, is sent to the Red Keep at Viserys' request and most often spends part of the year there and part of the year in Runestone. Maybe Alicent becomes something like a second mother. He is raised by his regent and some of the other Vale lords to suspect his father of murdering his mother and resenting Daemon for trying to take lordship of Runestone when he never spent any time there.

-Maegon is also very much a contemporary of Alicent’s children, perhaps close friends with Aemond (who shares his lack of a hatched dragon and shitty Targaryen father) when Alicent accepts that he has little of Daemon within him (and unlike Rhaenyra's children, is "obviously" not a bastard)

-He would certainly be there during the funeral trip when Aemond claims Vhagar, perhaps even with Vhagar/keeping Joffrey quiet without hurting him so that the fight never happens and Aemond never loses his eye. Either Maegon might take Aemond’s side when others criticize him for claiming Vhagar (since there was no big fight, Aemond is only at “fault” for that) or he envies Aemond too much for having finally gotten a dragon and pulls away from him.

-Claims Cannibal in 120, going to Dragonstone in desperation after Aemond claims Vhagar, with plans to claim Vermithor. Could possible delay Daemon and Rhaenyra’s plans for a secret marriage (and possibly make Aegon the Younger obviously conceived before marriage).

-He’d probably be a Green, basically he's been raised by Daemon's worst enemies, but maybe astute enough not to show it

[sebeth]

The World Of Ice And Fire: House Targaryen (Pre-Conquest)

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

  I will be bouncing between “the World of Ice and Fire” and “Fire and Blood” to cover the early years of the Targaryen’s reign in Westeros.

The World of Ice and Fire was written by Maester Yandel and Fire and Blood was authored by Archmaester Gyldayn.

Yandel’s tome was a gift for the Baratheon kings while Gyldayn’s book is a history of the Targaryens in Westeros.

“Aegon’s Conquest” contains material I’ve covered in the “World of Ice And Fire” so a quick recap:

·         Dates in Westeros or AC (After the Conquest” or BC (Before the Conquest).

·         Such dating is imprecise as there is no specific ending date for the Wars of Conquest.

·         Aegon the Conqueror dated the start of his reign from “the day he was crowned and anointed” and not the day he began his conquest two years earlier.

·         Most of the actual Conquest took place in 2 – 1 BC.

·         Valyria was the greatest city in the known world, the center of civilization.

·         Dozens of rival houses “vied for power and glory in court and council”.

·         The Targaryens were pure-blooded Valyrian dragon lords of an ancient lineage but far from the most powerful of the lords.

·         Twelve years before the Doom of Valyria (114 BC), Daenys “the Dreamer” Targaryen had a dream that foretold the destruction of Valyria.

·         Aenar Targaryen, the father of Daenys, sold his holdings in the Freehold and the Lands of Long Summer, gathered all “his wives, wealth, slaves, dragons, siblings, kin, and children” and moved to Dragonstone, an island off the coast of Westeros.

·         Dragonstone had been the “westernmost outpost of Valyrian power for two centuries”. The Targaryens along with the Velaryons of Driftmark and the Celtigars of Claw Isle (two Valyrian houses of lesser descent) used Dragonstone to dominate the trade traffic of the middle reaches of the Narrow Sea.

Did Aenar forewarn anyone else of the upcoming destruction of Valyria? Was he doomed to be a Cassandra-type figure – warning of destruction only to be ignored? Or did he simply not care and used the future destruction of Valyria as the most ruthless move in the “game of thrones” ever?

Were the Velaryons and the Celtigars located on Driftmark and Claw Isle before the Aenar’s migration of did they arrive with him?

 Back to the recap:

·         The hundred years after the Doom of Valyria is called the Century of Blood. House Targaryen ignored Westeros.

House Targaryen’s leadership during the Century of Blood was as follows:

1.       Aenar “the Exile” Targaryen

2.       Gaemon “the Glorious” Targaryen & Daenys “the Dreamer” Targaryen (Aenar’s children)

3.       Aegon & Elaena Targaryen (Gaemon & Daenys’ children)

4.       Maegon Targaryen (Aegon & Elaena’s son)

5.       Aerys Targaryen (Aegon & Elaena’s son)

6.       Aelyx Targaryen (Aerys’s son)

7.       Baelon Targaryen (Aery’s son)

8.       Daemion Targaryen (Aery’s son)

9.       Aerion Targaryen (Daemion’s son)

Aerion would wed Lady Valaena Velaryon, who was half-Targaryen on her mother’s side. They would have three children: Visenya, Aegon, and Rhaenys.

Aegon wed his elder sibling, Visenya, as custom dictated, and Rhaenys, his youngest sibling, because he felt like it.

“The custom amongst the dragonlords of Valyria to wed brother to sister to keep the bloodlines pure.” I understand the reason for the post-Doom inbreeding (lack of Valyrian options) but why was it the custom pre-Doom? Wouldn’t another non-related pure-blooded Valyrian dragon lord work as well as a sibling minus the nasty inbreeding aspects? Was it really a custom in Valyria or was it simply a falsehood stated by the Targaryens to justify the ongoing sibling marriages?

·         Only one of the five dragons that accompanied Aenar to Dragonstone survived to the beginning of the Conquest: Balerion the Black Dread. Vhagar and Meraxes hatched on Dragonstone.

·         A common myth states Aegon never stepped foot on Westeros before the Conquest but it is untrue. There are reports of Aegon and Visenya visiting the Citadel of Oldtown and as guests of Lord Redwyne on the Arbor. Aegon may have visited Lannisport as well.

 Up next, the differences between Aegon, Visenya, and Rhaenys.

[tomakeitbeautifultolive]

What bothers me is the saying that when a Targaryen is born, god flips a coin on whether they’re good or mad. So how many known mad Targaryens are there? Is it truly 50/50 or is it heavily inflated?

Short answer: Very heavily inflated.

Long answer: There are a few things to clear up before I start compiling the list. ‘Madness’ is classified as 'the state of being mentally ill’: 

So, those who make my 'mad’ list are going to fit this definition, whereas Targaryens who, say, took lives due to participation in medieval wars or battles, will not fall into the 'mad’ category.

So what’s the quote, exactly?

“King Jaehaerys once told me that madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, he said, the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land.”

Now, let’s bust that ‘Targaryen Madness’ myth!

Depending on the type of coin used, the probability of a coin flip differs. It’s either 50/50, 51/49, and in some more extreme estimations, as high as 55/45. Which, according to the above quote, means Targaryen madness has a roughly 45-55% chance of occurring.

Even in the Wiki of Ice and Fire, Targaryen Madness has its own entry, stating that:

“It must be observed that of the Targaryen kings who ruled Westeros for almost 300 years, only Aerys could be considered truly mad.”

List of 'Mad’ Targaryens (6):

Maegor I 'the Cruel’ Targaryen

Baelor I 'the Blessed’ Targaryen (this one is debatable)

Prince Rhaegel Targaryen

Aerion 'the Monstrous’ 'Brightflame’ Targaryen

Aerys II 'the Mad King’ Targaryen

Viserys 'the Beggar King’ Targaryen (this one is debatable)

(To better understand why these Targaryens are classified as mad, visit the Villains Wiki for a nice description for each character)

Possible ’Mad’ Targaryens (4):

Helaena Targaryen (became depressed and descended into madness, committed suicide)

Aelora Targaryen (driven mad with grief after losing her husband, committed suicide)

Daenerys 'Stormborn’ Targaryen (no madness in books, yet show made her 'go mad’ from grief and ‘bells’, apparently)

Maelys I 'the Monstrous’ Blackfyre (not actually a Targaryen. Ruthless and cruel, not necessarily mad, did possess a physical deformity)

List of non-Mad Targaryens (80):

Aenar Targaryen

Gaemon 'the Glorious’ Targaryen

Daenys 'the Dreamer’ Targaryen

Aegon Targaryen

Elaena Targaryen

Maegon Targaryen

Aerys Targaryen

Aelyx Targaryen

Baelon Targaryen

Daemion Targaryen

Aerion Targaryen

Visenya Targaryen

Aegon I Targaryen

Rhaenys Targaryen

Aenys I Targaryen

Rhaena Targaryen

Aegon 'the Uncrowned’ Targaryen

Viserys Targaryen 

Jaehaerys I 'the Wise’ Targaryen

'Good Queen’ Alysanne Targaryen

Rhaella Targaryen

Aerea Targaryen

Daenerys Targaryen

Vaegon 'the Dragonless’ Targaryen

Maegelle Targaryen

Viserra Targaryen

Saera Targaryen

Gael Targaryen

Aemon Targaryen

Daella Targaryen* (maybe had anxiety?)

Baelon 'the Brave’ Targaryen

Alyssa Targaryen

Rhaenys 'the Queen Who Never Was’ Targaryen

Viserys I Targaryen

Daemon 'the Rogue Prince’ Targaryen* (maybe suffered narcissism?)

Baela Targaryen

Rhaena Targaryen 'of Pentos’

Viserys II Targaryen

Aegon III 'the Younger’ Targaryen* (Had a temper, I guess?)

Jaehaera Targaryen (committed suicide, maybe? probably murdered)

Jaehaerys Targaryen (born with six fingers and toes?)

Aegon II 'the Elder’ Targaryen (Was cruel?)

Aemond 'One-Eye’ Targaryen (Was a shitty person, I guess?)

Daeron 'the Daring’ Targaryen

Elaena Targaryen

Septa Rhaena Targaryen

Daeron I 'the Young Dragon’ Targaryen

Daena 'the Defiant’ Targaryen

Aegon IV 'the Unworthy’ Targaryen (Was a shitty person, I guess?)

Naerys Targaryen

Aemon 'the Dragonknight’ Targaryen

Daemon I Blackfyre

Daeron II ’ the Good’ Targaryen

Daenerys Targaryen of Dorne

Maekar I Targaryen (Had a temper I guess?)

Aerys I Targaryen

Baelor 'Breakspear’ Targaryen

Matarys Targaryen

Valarr 'the Young Prince’ Targaryen

Brynden 'Lord Bloodraven’ Rivers (Was kind of a shitty person, I guess?)

Shiera Seastar (Was rumored to be a murdery sorceress?)

Aegor 'Bittersteel’ Rivers (Had a temper, I guess?)

Rhae Targaryen

Aegon V 'the Unlikely’ Targaryen

Daella Targaryen

Maester Aemon Targaryen

Daenora Targaryen

Aelor Targaryen

Maegor Targaryen (fears that he would inherit his father’s madness, I guess?)

Daeron 'the Drunken’ Targaryen

Vaella Targaryen (simple-minded or low IQ, I guess?)

Prince Duncan 'the Small’ Targaryen

Jaehaerys II Targaryen

Shaera Targaryen

Rhaelle Targaryen

Daeron Targaryen

Queen Rhaella Targaryen

Rhaegar 'the Silver Prince’ Targaryen

Rhaenys Targaryen

Aegon Targaryen (👶?) (or… may be Young Griff?)

Non-'Mad’ Offspring from Targaryen Mothers (11):

Laena Velaryon (gave birth to a deformed son, I guess?)

Jacaerys Velaryon

Lucerys Velaryon

Joffrey Velaryon

Joy Penrose

Jon Waters

Jeyne Waters

Viserys Plumm

Robin Penrose

Laena Penrose

Jocelyn Penrose

Targaryens who died as babies (11):

Vaella Targaryen 👶

Aegon Targaryen 👶

Gaemon Targaryen 👶

Valerion Targaryen 👶

Aegon Targaryen 👶

Maelor Targaryen 👶

Baelon Targaryen 👶

Jaehaerys Targaryen 👶

Aegon Targaryen 👶

Daeron Targaryen 👶

Shaena Targaryen 👶

Targaryen babies born with physical deformities (2):

Visenya Targaryen 👶 (twisted and malformed)

Rhaego 👶 (born deformed… likely the result of magic)

Equations and Conclusion:

If we want to get VERY generous and say that EVERY Targaryen baby who died young would end up mad, we’d be at 23 Targaryens out of 114 known Targaryens, or a madness rate of about 16%. That’s nowhere near the 45% chance of a coin toss.

Still being a generous, we’ll lump together all the mad Targaryens, possibly mad Targaryens, all the non-mad ones with footnotes, and the deformed babies - we get 27 total, which would be about 24% - but this is including people who just have bad attitudes, anxiety, rumors spread about them, or FEARS of madness… is that fair? No, it’s not. Then literally every character in Westeros or Essos would be classified as mad.

If we aim to be a little fairer, including only the known 'mad’ Targaryens, the four debatably 'mad’ Targaryens, and the two babies who were born deformed but died young… then we’d be at a whopping 12 cases of madness out of 114 Targaryens, or about 9%.

However, provable cases of genetic madness? Fuck, I’ll even throw in Daenerys! That brings us up to SEVEN cases of madness out of 114 Targaryens.

…SEVEN ‘MAD’ TARGARYENS.

OUT OF ONE-HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN.

Which means that about *SIX PERCENT* of Targaryens have shown any actual 'madness’ in the hundreds of years they’ve inhabited Westeros.

[alaynemoonstone-blog]

Fire and Blood - German Preview Translation Part 1.

Disclaimer: it's been a while since I studied German, there's bound to be a few mistakes, any corrections are appreciated.

The Maesters of the Citadel, who preserve the history of Westeros, have been using Aegon's conquest as the starting point of their era for three hundred years. Births, deaths, battles and other events are either dated before Aegon's Conquest or after Aegon's Conquest.

The true scholar knows how imprecise such information is. Aegon Targaryen's Conquest of the Seven Kingdoms did not take place in a single day. More than two years elapsed between Aegon's landing and his coronation in Oldtown... and even after that the conquest was not yet complete because Dorne was not yet subjected. Occasional attempts were repeated during King Aegon's reign, even during the reign of his sons. Therefore, it is impossible to give an exact date for the end of the Wars of Conquest.

Even the start date is based on an erroneous idea. It is often mistakenly assumed that the reign of King Aegon I Targaryen began the day he landed at the mouth of the Black Water, at the foot of the three hills around which the city of King’s Landing would later rise. That's not true! The day of Aegon's Landing was celebrated by the king and his descendants, but the conqueror himself actually counted the years of his reign after the day he was anointed and crowned king in the Starry Sept of Oldtown by the High Septon of Faith. This coronation took place two years after Aegon's Landing, some time after the Targaryens defeated and won the three major battles in the Wars of Conquest. As you can see, most of Aegon's actual conquest took place one to two years before Aegon's conquest.

The Targaryens came from the purest Valyrian blood and were dragonlords of an old sex(?). Twelve years before the Doom of Valyria, Aenar Targaryen sold his possessions in the Free Hold and in the Land of the Always Summer and moved with his consorts, his possessions, slaves, dragons, siblings, children and relatives to Dragonstone, a desolate island citadel under a smoking mountain in the Narrow Sea.

At its peak, Valyria was the largest city in the known world, the center of civilization. Behind its glittering walls, forty rival houses vied for power and glory in court and council, and rose and fell in the endless, volatile and often violent struggle for dominion. The Targaryens were by far not the most powerful of the Dragon Lords, and their rivals condemned their flight to Dragonstone as an act of capitulation and cowardice. But Lord Aenar's virgin daughter, Daenys, who forever made history as Daenys the Dreamer, had foreseen the Doom of Valyrias by fire. And when, twelve years later, the fatality came over Valyria, the Targaryens were the only dragon lords to survive.

Dragonstone had been the westernmost outpost of Valyrian power for two centuries. It’s position across the throat allowed it’s masters to strangle the Blackwater Bay, so both the Targaryen and their close allies, the Velaryons of Driftmark (a lower house of Valyrian origin), were able to enrich trade in the region. The Velaryon fleet, along with another Valyrian house, the Celtigars of Claw Island, controlled the middle area of ​​the Narrow Sea, while the Targaryen ruled the sky with their dragons.

Nevertheless, for most of the first hundred years after the Doom (which is aptly called the Century of the Blood), Targaryen's eyes turned eastward rather than westward, showing little interest in Westeros. Gaemon Targaryen, brother and consort of Daenys the Dreamer, followed Aenar the Exile as Lord of Dragonstone and became famous as Gaemon the Glorious. Gaemon's son Aegon and his daughter Elaena reigned together after his death. They were followed by their son Maegon, his brother Aerys and Aerys' sons Aelyx, Baelon and Daemion. The last of the three brothers was Daemion, whose son Aerion eventually became Lord of Dragonstone.

Then Aegon, known to history as Aegon the Conqueror and Aegon the Dragon, was born in 27 B.C. on Dragonstone. He was the only son and second child of Aerion, Lord of Dragonstone, and Lady Valaena of House Velaryon, who was half Targaryen through her mother. Aegon had two siblings, an older sister, Visenya, and a younger sister, Rhaenys. For a long time it had been the custom of the Valyrian Dragonlords to marry brother to sister to keep the blood pure, but Aegon took both sisters to wife. By tradition, he would only have had to marry his older sister Visenya; Taking Rhaenys as a second wife was unusual, if not without historical precedent. Some said Aegon married Visenya out of duty, but Rhaenys because he desired her.

All three siblings had already proved themselves as Dragonlords before their wedding. Of the five dragons that had flown with Aenar the Exile to Dragonstone,only one lived in Aegon's days: the great beast Balerion the Black Dread. The other two, Vhagar and Meraxes, were younger and first hatched on Dragonstone.

Among the ignorant, is the myth that Aegon Targaryen never set foot on the continent's soil before the day he set sail to conquer Westeros, but this cannot be true. Years before this voyage, at Lord Aegon's behest, the painted panel had been carved and decorated: a huge wooden panel, about fifty feet long, in the shape of the landmass of Westeros, painted with all the forests and rivers and cities and castles of the Seven Kingdoms. Apparently, Aegon had long been interested in Westeros long before the events that drove him to war. There are also reliable accounts of a young Aegon and his sister Visenya's stay in the Citadel of Oldtown, as well as a visit to hawk on the Arbor as guests of Lord Rothweyn. He could have also visited Lannisport. Here contradict the sources.

In Aegon's youth, Westeros was divided into seven contentious kingdoms, and there were hardly times when two or three of these kingdoms did not wage war against each other. The wide, cold and stony north was ruled by the Starks of Winterfell. In the deserts of Dorne, the word of the princes of the House Martell was law. The gold-rich Westerlands dominated by the Lannisters of Casterly Rock, the fertile expanse the Gardener of Highgarden. The Vale, the Fingers and the Mountains of the Moon belonged to House Arryn. But the most wary kings of Aegon's times ruled the two kingdoms closest to Dragonstone - Harren the Black and Argilac the Arrogant.

From Storm’s End, the Storm Kings of House Durrandon once ruled the eastern half of Westeros from Eagle Cape to Crab Bay, but their power had been dwindling for centuries. The Kings of Reach had taken over areas in the west, the Dornish pressed them to the south, and Harren the Black and his Ironborn drove them away from the Trident and from the lands north of the Blackwater. King Argilac, the last Durrandon, was able to stop this decline for some time as a boy when turning back a Dornish invasion. Then he crossed the Narrow Sea, where he joined the great alliance against the "Tigers" of Volantis; Twenty years later he killed Garse VII, the King of the Reach, in the battle of Summerfield. But then age had caught up with Argilac: his famous black mane had turned gray and his strength in the fight had diminished.

North of the Blackwater, Harren the Back from House Hoare, the king of the Iron Islands and the Rivers, dominated the Riverlands with a bloody hand. Harren's grandfather Harwyn Hoare, an Ironborn, had taken over Trident from Argilac's grandfather Arrec, whose ancestors had cast down the last River King centuries before. Harren's father had extended his rule east to Duskendale and Rosby. Harren himself dedicated nearly forty years of his rule to building a huge castle on the God’s Eye, but as Harrenhal neared completion, the Ironborn were ready for new conquests.

No king in Westeros was more feared than Harren the Black, who was known in all Seven Kingdoms for his legendary cruelty. And no king in Westeros felt more threatened than Argilac the Storm King, the last Durrandon - an aging warrior whose sole heir was his virgin daughter. And so it came about that Argilac turned to the Targaryens on Dragonstone and offered Lord Aegon the hand of his daughter, with a dowry of all land east of the God's Eye from the Trident to the Blackwater.

Aegon Targaryen rejected the offer of the Storm King. He already has two wives, he explained, and do not need a third. In addition, the offered dowry of the lands had already been part of Harrenhal for over a generation, so Argilac could not give it away. Obviously, the aging Storm King wanted the Targaryens on the Blackwater to be a buffer between his own lands and those of Harrens the Black.

But the Lord of Dragonstone made him a counter offer. He would take the lands offered to him if Argilac additionally left him Massey's hook and the forests and plains south of the Blackwater to the Wendwater and the Manders. The pact was to be sealed by the marriage of Argilac's daughter to Orys Baratheon, Lord Aegon's knight and childhood friend.

Argilac angrily rejected this proposal. It was rumored that Orys Baratheon was an illegitimate half-brother of Lord Aegon of low birth. The Storm King did not want to dishonor his daughter by giving her hand to a bastard. But the suggestion angered him beyond measure. Argilac cut off the hands of Aegon’s messenger and sent them back to him in a box. "These are the only hands your bastard will get from me," he wrote.

Aegon did not answer. Instead, he called his friends, vassals, and allies to Dragonstone. Their numbers was small. The Velaryons of Driftmark were bound by oath to House Targaryen, as well as the Celtigars of Claw Isle. From Massey's Hook came Lord Bar Emmon of Sharp Point and Lord Massey of Stonedance, both of whom were bound to Storm’s End by oath, but had closer ties to Dragonstone. Lord Aegon and his sisters conferred with them and even visited the castle sept together to pray to the Faith of the Seven, though Aegon had not been known for his piety until then.

On the seventh day, a flock of ravens flew from Dragonstone's towers, carrying Lord Aegon's word into the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The birds flew to the Seven Kings, to the Citadel of Oldtown, to lords large and small. All of them carried the same message: From that day on, there would only be one king in Westeros. Anyone who would bend the knee to Aegon Targaryen will keep his lands and titles. Those who raise arms against him will be cast down, humiliated and destroyed.

The reports of the number of men that started with Aegon and his sisters on Dragonstone are contradictory. Some call three thousand, others count only hundreds. This modest Targaryen army landed at the mouth of the Black Water, on the north shore, where three wooded hills rose above a small fishing village.

In the days of the One Hundred Kingdoms, many petty kings had claimed control of the estuary, including the Darklyns of Duskendale, the Masseys of Stonedance and the Ancient River Kings, whether Mud, Fisher, Bracken, Blackwood or Hook. Time and again, towers and festivals crowned the three hills, only to be destroyed in this or that war afterwards. Now only broken stones and overgrown ruins welcomed the Targaryens. Although both Storm’s End and Harrenhal claimed the estuary, it was not defended, and the next castles were held by lesser lords without great power or military strength, and Lords, who had little reason to love their lord, Harren the Black.

Aegon Targaryen fortified the highest hill with a wood and earth palisade and sent his sisters to subjugate the neighboring castles. Rosby surrendered to Rhaenys and her gold eyed Meraxes without a fight. At Stokeworth, some crossbowmen shot bolts at Visenya until Vhagar's flames set fire to the roofs of the castle. After that, they also surrendered.

The first real challenge for the Conqueror was represented by Lord Darklyn of Duskendale and Lord Muton of Maidenpool, who banded together and marched southward with three thousand men to throw the invaders back into the sea. Aegon dispatched Orys Baratheon, who was supposed to ambush her while he was on the move, while he himself plunged from the air with the Black Dread. Both Lords fell in unequal battle. Then Lord Darklyn’s son and Muton's brother handed over their castles and swore their swords House Targaryen. At that time, Duskendale was the most important port of Westeros on the Narrow Sea and rich in trade. Visenya Targaryen forbade the plunder of the city, but did not hesitate to claim its riches, which filled the conquerors' chests.

This passage might be worth a few words about the different characters of Aegon Targaryen’s his sister-wives and queens.

Visenya, the eldest of the three, was as ferocious a warrior as Aegon himself, and felt as much at home in a chain mail as in silk. She wore a Valyrian steel longsword, Dark Sister, whom she could handle with great expertise because she had been practicing weapons with her brother since early childhood. Although she was blessed with the silver-gold hair and violet eyes of Valyria, her beauty was rather harsh. Even those who loved her described Visenya as stern, serious and vindictive. Some even said that she played around with poisons and was involved with dark magic.

Rhaenys, the youngest of the three, embodied the exact opposite of her sister. She was playful, curious, impulsive, and was fond of reverie. Rhaenys was not a true warrior, but she loved music, dance and poetry and supported singers, mimes and puppeteers. Still, it is said that Rhaenys spent more time on the back of her dragon than her brother and sister together, because she loved flying over everything. Once she is said to have said that before she died, she wanted to fly to Meraxes over the Sunset Sea to see what lay on its west coast. While no one ever questioned Visenya's loyalty to her brother's consort, Rhaenys surrounded himself with handsome young men and, it was whispered, had fun in bed with some of them when Aegon spent the night with her older sister. Despite these rumors, observers at court did not fail to notice that for every night Aegon spent with Visenya, he spent ten with Rhaenys.

Strangely enough, Aegon Targaryen himself was just as much a mystery to his contemporaries as he is to us. He was one of the greatest warriors of his time and wielded Blackfyre, a blade of Valyrian steel. Nevertheless, he had not much love for weapon acts and rode neither in the tournament, nor he fought in buhurt. His dragon was Balerion the Black Dread, but he only rode it for battle or to travel over land and sea. Thanks to his commanding manner, he found it easy to gather men to his banners, but apart from Orys Baratheon, the companion of his youth, he had no close friends. Women were attracted to him, but Aegon remained faithful to his sister-wives. As a king, he entrusted many tasks to his Small Council and his sisters, leaving them with much of the day-to-day affairs of government, but he did not hesitate to take matters into his own hands whenever he thought necessary. He went to court with rebels and traitors, but he was always generous to former enemies who bent the knee.

He proved this for the first time in the Aegonfort, the simple wooden and earth ramp he had erected on the mountain, which was now to be called Aegon's High Hill. After taking a dozen castles and securing the mouth of the Blackwater on both shores, he commanded the defeated lords to his side. They laid their swords at his feet, but Aegon helped them up and confirmed them in their lands and titles. He gave his oldest followers new honors. Daemon Velaryon, Lord of the Tides, called him Master of the Ships and gave him command of the Royal Fleet. Triston Massey, Lord of Stonedance, was appointed Master of Laws, Crispian Celtigar the Master of Coin. And he called Orys Baratheon "my faithful shield and retainer, my strong, right-hand man." Therefore, Orys Baratheon is considered the first Hand of the King.

Coat of arms had long been a tradition among the Lords of Westeros, but the Ancient Lords of Valyria had never used such a thing. When Aegon's knights unrolled his great battle standard of silk, showing a red, fire-breathing dragon with three heads on a black background, the lords took this as a sign that he had truly become one of their own, a worthy High King of Westeros. When Queen Visenya set her brother a ruby-studded Valyrian steel hoop on his head and Queen Rhaenys proclaimed him as "Aegon, the first of His name, King of all Westeros and Shield of His people," the dragons roared, and the lords and knights cheered ... but the loudest among them were the fishermen and field workers and women.

Only the seven kings Aegon intended to dethrone the dragon did not rejoice. In Harrenhal and Storm’s End, Harren the Black and Argilac, who had already called the arrogant, called the banners. In the west, King Mern rode from the Reach up the Ocean Road northward to Casterly Rock, to meet King Loren of House Lannister. The Princess of Dorne sent a raven to Dragonstone and offered support to Aegon in the fight against Argilac the Storm King ... but as an equal ally, not a subject. Another alliance offer came from the child king of the Vale, Ronnel Arryn, whose mother offered to support Aegon against Harren the Black, and in return demanded all lands east of the Green Fork of the Trident. Even in the north, King Torrhen Stark of Winterfell sat with his lords and advisors late into the night and discussed how to deal with this would-be conqueror. The whole kingdom was anxiously awaited Aegon's next move.

[sebeth]

Fire And Blood: Aegon (pre-Conquest)

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

  I started my re-read of the entire “Song of Ice and Fire” saga with “The World of Ice and Fire” book.  I’m at Aegon’s Conquest in the World of Ice and Fire which is also the beginning of “Fire and Blood”. So I’m going to bounce back and forth between the two books to cover the events from Aegon’s Conquest to the Regency of Aegon III (the Dragonbane).

The World of Ice and Fire was written by Maester Yandel and Fire and Blood was authored by Archmaester Gyldayn.

Yandel’s tome was a gift for the Baratheon kings while Gyldayn’s book is a history of the Targaryens in Westeros.

“Aegon’s Conquest” contains material I’ve covered in the “World of Ice And Fire” so a quick recap:

·         Dates in Westeros or AC (After the Conquest” or BC (Before the Conquest).

·         Such dating is imprecise as there is no specific ending date for the Wars of Conquest.

·         Aegon the Conqueror dated the start of his reign from “the day he was crowned and anointed” and not the day he began his conquest two years earlier.

·         Most of the actual Conquest took place in 2 – 1 BC.

·         Valyria was the greatest city in the known world, the center of civilization.

·         Dozens of rival houses “vied for power and glory in court and council”.

·         The Targaryens were pure-blooded Valyrian dragon lords of an ancient lineage but far from the most powerful of the lords.

·         Twelve years before the Doom of Valyria (114 BC), Daenys “the Dreamer” Targaryen had a dream that foretold the destruction of Valyria.

·         Aenar Targaryen, the father of Daenys, sold his holdings in the Freehold and the Lands of Long Summer, gathered all “his wives, wealth, slaves, dragons, siblings, kin, and children” and moved to Dragonstone, an island off the coast of Westeros.

·         Dragonstone had been the “westernmost outpost of Valyrian power for two centuries”. The Targaryens along with the Velaryons of Driftmark and the Celtigars of Claw Isle (two Valyrian houses of lesser descent) used Dragonstone to dominate the trade traffic of the middle reaches of the Narrow Sea.

Did Aenar forewarn anyone else of the upcoming destruction of Valyria? Was he doomed to be a Cassandra-type figure – warning of destruction only to be ignored? Or did he simply not care and used the future destruction of Valyria as the most ruthless move in the “game of thrones” ever?

Were the Velaryons and the Celtigars located on Driftmark and Claw Isle before the Aenar’s migration of did they arrive with him?

Back to the recap:

·         The hundred years after the Doom of Valyria is called the Century of Blood. House Targaryen ignored Westeros.

House Targaryen’s leadership during the Century of Blood was as follows:

1.       Aenar “the Exile” Targaryen

2.       Gaemon “the Glorious” Targaryen & Daenys “the Dreamer” Targaryen (Aenar’s children)

3.       Aegon & Elaena Targaryen (Gaemon & Daenys’ children)

4.       Maegon Targaryen (Aegon & Elaena’s son)

5.       Aerys Targaryen (Aegon & Elaena’s son)

6.       Aelyx Targaryen (Aerys’s son)

7.       Baelon Targaryen (Aery’s son)

8.       Daemion Targaryen (Aery’s son)

9.       Aerion Targaryen (Daemion’s son)

Aerion would wed Lady Valaena Velaryon, who was half-Targaryen on her mother’s side. They would have three children: Visenya, Aegon, and Rhaenys.

Aegon wed his elder sibling, Visenya, as custom dictated, and Rhaenys, his youngest sibling, because he felt like it.

“The custom amongst the dragonlords of Valyria to wed brother to sister to keep the bloodlines pure.” I understand the reason for the post-Doom inbreeding (lack of Valyrian options) but why was it the custom pre-Doom? Wouldn’t another non-related pure-blooded Valyrian dragon lord work as well as a sibling minus the nasty inbreeding aspects? Was it really a custom in Valyria or was it simply a falsehood stated by the Targaryens to justify the ongoing sibling marriages?

 ·         Only one of the five dragons that accompanied Aenar to Dragonstone survived to the beginning of the Conquest: Balerion the Black Dread. Vhagar and Meraxes hatched on Dragonstone.

·         A common myth states Aegon never stepped foot on Westeros before the Conquest but it is untrue. There are reports of Aegon and Visenya visiting the Citadel of Oldtown and as guests of Lord Redwyne on the Arbor. Aegon may have visited Lannisport as well.

Up next, a recap of the Seven Kingdoms pre-Conquest and the differences between Aegon, Visenya, and Rhaenys.