Ruling for 26 years, King Aegon III presided over a dull and dreary court, unable to move
past the traumas of his youth while facing the bitter challenge of reconciling the realm
after the terrible civil war.
Though the King was good hearted, and did his best to bring about peace and plenty,
he remained quiet and brooding all his life, struggling to forge friendships or make alliances.
Given his mistrust for noble lords and court advisors, Aegon relied on his brother Viserys
for council, eventually making him Hand of the King.
Together, the brothers put down the short lived rebellions which arose in the aftermath
of the Dance of the Dragons, including some led by men claiming to be Daeron Targaryen,
the youngest son of Viserys I and half brother of the king.
They made this claim because the boy’s body was never identified after supposedly dying
in the war.
But these rebels were soon proven to be imposters and their followers were defeated.
Uncomfortable with intimacy or being touched, it took Aegon many years to warm to his wife
Daenera Velaryon, but eventually they grew closer and had a fruitful marriage, producing
5 children starting with the heir and prince of Dragonstone Daeron Targaryen, then followed
by his siblings Rhaena, Elaena, Baelor and Daena.
Though Aegon largely succeeded in bringing stability and peace to the seven kingdoms,
his reign was remembered as a failure, due in part to the fate of the Dragons, which
went extinct in the years after the war, with so many of them killed in the fighting, and
the few that remained producing eggs which did not hatch or else birthed small, sickly
and misshapen creatures which did not survive long.
The King, who lost his own dragon Stormcloud during in the Dance, was no longer interested
in them, but knew he must try to hatch more eggs for the sake of his House, and so made
many attempts to bring them back into the world, even sending for mages from essos to
perform magic rituals.
But all these attempts ended in failure, and so Aegon III became known as the Dragonbane.
Following the death of the king from consumption at the age of 36 in 157 AC, his son and heir
Daeron I sat the throne.
Yet where his father was quiet and thoughtful, Daeron was boisterous and proud, coming into
his crown at the age of 14, but acting so confident and mature, he took power immediately,
and no regency was needed.
Choosing to keep his uncle Viserys as Hand of the King, Daeron was a warrior at heart,
determined to complete the conquest of his ancestor Aegon I, by invading Dorne and at
last bringing them into the seven kingdoms.
When his councillors objected to the idea, noting that the Targaryens no longer had dragons,
the king replied, “You have a dragon.
He stands before you.”
Proving a cunning strategist and fearless warrior, Daeron led his army in a great invasion
of the southern realm, and while estimates claim the Targaryen army lost roughly 10,000
men, they succeeded in defeating the nobles of Dorne, with even House Martell surrendering
in 158 AC.
Documenting the campaign in a book titled the Conquest of Dorne, Daeron’s monumental
victory brought him fame and prestige, leading many to name the Young Dragon.
However, the celebration proved premature as it was not just the nobility of Dorne which
valued their independence, but also the common people, and so when the Lords of the realm
surrendered, their subjects took up the cause, forming militias and rebel groups that launched
a devastating guerrilla war against the invaders.
Estimates claim the Royal army lost 50,000 more men during their occupation of Dorne,
leaving Daeron to return in 160 AC in the hopes of ending the rebellion.
But just one year later, the king was lured into a trap under the guise of peace talks
and was assassinated by Dornish forces, while his cousin Aemon the Dragonknight was taken
prisoner.
With their armies devastated, and House Martell once again ruling from sunspear, the invasion
ended in a colossal failure, yet still many Lords of Westeros wished to continue the war,
as they sought vengeance for their loved ones who perished in the fighting.
However their warrior King Daeron I was dead at the age of 18 having fathered no children,
and so was succeeded by his religious brother Baelor the Blessed, a man so committed to
the Faith of the Seven, he refused to consummate his marriage to his sister Daena Targaryen.
Wishing to bring about peace, Baelor decided to humble himself before the southerners,
walking barefoot and in rags to sunspear where he returned the hostages taken during the
war.
His obvious sincerity won respect from the Prince of Dorne, and so Baelor succeeded in
negotiating a peace treaty, signing a marriage pact, and even ensured the release of his
cousin Aemon from captivity.
Yet when Baelor arrived to retrieve the Dragonknight, House Wyl made him walk through a pit of vipers
to free him, resulting in a great many snake bites which nearly claimed his life.
Once returned to King’s Landing, Baelor showed little interest in the administration
of the realm, leaving the task to his small council and Hand of the King Viserys Targaryen,
who once again retained his position.
Yet while he cared nothing for the mechanism of government, he delighted in emptying the
treasury by starting construction on the Great Sept and through his charitable actions, providing
food and resources to the people of King’s Landing, thereby winning him the love of the
small folk.
Yet he also gained a great many enemies, when he made prostitution illegal and expelled
sex workers from the city.
His own marriage to Daena was dissolved by the High Septon, and in order to preserve
the innocence of his sisters, he locked all three of them away in the Maidenvault, so
they might not tempt or be tempted by the outside world.
As the years went on, he led efforts to burn books of ill repute and appointed an illiterate
stonemason as High Septon.
When that man died of fever, the King replaced him with an eight year old boy rumoured to
perform miracles.
In the year 171 AC, after fasting for 40 days, Baelor I collapsed and died, with many believing
he fell due to starvation, while others believe he was poisoned by his uncle Viserys, in order
to prevent the King from enacting a plan to convert the entire continent to the faith
of the seven, which would result in war with the North and Iron Islands.
Having died without children, Baelor was succeeded by his uncle, who became King Viserys II at
the age of 49, bringing with him decades of experience in the government, having served
as Hand under the last 3 rulers.
And while Viserys ruled only briefly, he reformed their code of law, established a new royal
mint, increased trade with foreign lands and kept the realm at peace.
Though many claim he had the potential to be another Jaehaerys Targaryen, he died in
172 AC, only a year into his reign, possibly from illness, though some have suggested he
was poisoned to death by his son and heir, King Aegon IV, also known as Aegon the Unworthy,
believed to be the worst ruler in their history.
Uninterested in the governing of his realm, Aegon spent his time indulging in women, wine
and food, becoming famed for his gluttony and dishonourable behaviour.
Married to his slender and pious sister Nearys, Aegon was a cruel and callous husband, who
made no attempt to hide his infidelity, fathering many bastard children on woman all across
the continent.
A man of extreme emotions, he was ruthless towards his enemies, and overly generous with
his friends, emptying the treasury to pay for extravagant gifts and parties, even giving
away a dragon egg to Lord Butterwell, after impregnating all 3 of his maiden daughters.
Having served in the War against Dorne, Aegon IV had a deep hatred for the southern realm,
and planned 2 separate invasions.
But his incompetence and poor planning led both expeditions to fail before they even
reached Dorne.
In addition to the numerous terrible decisions made by the King, his legacy of pain and violence
sprang primarily from the numerous children he had, of which only 2, Daeron and Daenerys
were legitimate, while the others were bastards, including a number born noble ladies who served
as his mistresses, with their offspring coming to be known as the Great Bastards.
Having terrorized his wife for years, the king’s brother Aemon the Dragonknight was
a constant thorn in his side, chastising him for his abusive behaviour.
In their youth Aemon and Naerys were close and wanted to be with each other, but they
were torn apart when she was forced to wed Aegon.
Yet his love for Naerys never lessened, and so Aemon defended her honor whenever he could,
even fighting a duel to the death with a man who accused the Queen of infidelity.
Aegon in turn hated both his brother and wife, and did not mourn when Nearys died in childbirth
and Aemon lost his life defending the king from an assassination attempt.
Despite living a life of greed and excess, it was the final days of Aegon IV’s reign
which caused the most damage to the realm, as he decreed from his deathbed, that all
his bastard children be legitimized, thereby sowing the seeds of civil war, as there would
inevitably be a confrontation over the succession.
After his death in 184 AC, Daeron II inherited the throne, the first born son of Aegon IV
and his lawful wife Naerys.
Yet while Daeron proved a wise, intelligent and progressive ruler, he was also a man of
peace, more comfortable around maesters and scholars then warriors.
As a result Daeron II focused his efforts on forming a marriage alliance with Dorne
in order to peacefully bring them into the realm.
Having already married a Dornish woman, he arranged for his sister Daenerys to marry
the Prince of Dorne Maron Martell, and at last the Seven Kingdoms were united.
But many in Westeros were outraged, having no interest in peace and instead wanting retribution
against the south for all those who died in last Dornish War.
Furthermore, controversy surrounded the rule of Daeron II, as some rumors suggested Naerys
was unfaithful to Aegon IV, and so the legitimacy of the king was uncertain.
All this and more led many to the banner or Daeron’s bastard half brother Daemon Waters,
now known as Daemon Blackfyre, the son of Aegon IV and Daena the Defiant Targaryen.
A charming, charismatic, honourable and valiant warrior, Daemon was beloved by friends and
respected by enemies, earning his knighthood at the age of 12 after achieving victory in
a squire’s tourney, impressing his father so much he was gifted the Valyrian Steel sword
Blackfyre, said to be the weapon of the king.
Seen by many as the chosen heir, he was called the King who bore the Sword and gained many
supporters, with the most fervent being his half brother Aegor Rivers, another of the
Great Bastards, who had a deep personal hatred for their sibling Brynden Rivers, who sided
with King Daeron.
By 196 AC, the conflict at last erupted into the First Blackfyre Rebellion, culminating
at the Battle of the Redgrass Field, where Daemon Blackfyre famously defeated Ser Gwayne
Corbray after an hour long duel.
Due to the King’s sense of honor, he could not allow such a worthy foe to pass away,
and so ordered that his opponent be taken off the battlefield and his wounds treated.
However this act of chivalry proved his downfall, as it gave time for the archer company of
Brynden Rivers, to rain fire arrows upon them, killing Daemon Blackfyre as well as his eldest
sons Aegon and Aemon.
Rallying the remnants of the Blackfyre army, Aegor Rivers, also known as Bittersteel stabbed
Brynden Rivers through the eye before leading a retreat to seek refuge in Essos.
Though over 10 thousands men died in the Battle, Daeron was victorious, but Aegor Rivers refused
to admit defeat and so during his years in exile, he settled House Blackfyre in Tyrosh
and founded the Golden Company, a mercenary group which earned a reputation for having
thousands of well-trained, disciplined soldiers who never broke a contract.
Despite the challenges of fighting civil war and the aftermath of reconciling a divided
continent, Daeron the Good was able to bring forth many years of peace and plenty, ensuring
the succession with his children Baelor, Aerys, Rhaegel and Maekar.
Unfortunately his son and heir Baelor Breakspear was killed participating in a trial by seven,
fighting on behalf of Ser Duncan the Tall, a man who would later become a famous knight
and mentor of Daeron’s youngest grandson Aegon Targaryen.
And so when Daeron II died during the great spring sickness of 209 AC, alongside his grandsons
Valaar and Matarys, his second son Aerys I inherited the crown.