The world of Game of Thrones is full of people who do not use their power and influence as well as they should. But especially one king was so bad at his job that he nearly destroyed the Targaryen dynasty.
Which king is it? As the oldest son of King Viserys Targaryen, Aegon IV was destined for the Iron Throne. He was born in the year 135 after Aegon’s Conquest (AC). By the age of 18, he was married to his sister Naerys, who got along better with his brother Aemon (not the one from Game of Thrones).
In the year 172 AC, Viserys died under strange circumstances and Aegon IV became the new king. His reign was so influential that he went down in history – not as a good and smart king, but as one of the worst in the history of Westeros.
The consequences of his actions are also felt in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms:
A king consumed by greed
What was Aegon IV like as a king? In his youth, he was a handsome and fit prince, but his greed was a significant problem for him. He was ruled by it, which caused various problems during his reign. After all, he also earned the title the Unworthy
in English.
He was a prime example of corruption, and instead of caring for the country’s affairs, he did everything for his desires. He did not choose his advisors based on skill but rewarded those who entertained and gifted him. At the same time, he rewarded other lords with completely absurd gifts, such as a dragon egg.
His greatest issue was his womanizing. It did not matter who it was; if he desired a woman, she was his next target. He impregnated countless women and fathered many bastards with them, which later became a problem.
Although Aegon IV was the perfect opportunity for amusing stories from the outside, he was incredibly dangerous as a king due to his greed. If you stood in his favor, he was kind. But if you did something he did not like, he did not hesitate to resort to the death penalty. He brutally executed a knight and one of his mistresses after he caught them together. But that was not enough for him. He also killed the father of the woman.
In 178 AC, after the execution he ordered, an assassination attempt was made on him, which his brother Aemon, the Knight of the Kingsguard, prevented, despite their mutual hatred. Aemon died, and a year later, Aegon IV’s wife died during childbirth. Reportedly, the king did not feel much sorrow for the two.
In 184 AC, Aegon IV died from his unhealthy lifestyle. His excessive and unrestrained eating had destroyed his body, and he succumbed to a painful death. But just before his death, he made perhaps the dumbest decision for the Targaryen dynasty after him.
5 rebellions due to one decision
What did Aegon IV decide on his deathbed? Shortly before his death, Aegon IV legitimized all his bastards. At first glance, this seems like a good deed, at least for these children, who were officially recognized as relatives of the king. But this also sparked a claim to the Iron Throne and thus an ongoing rebellion.
After the death of his father, Daeron II., his oldest son, crowned himself king. Unlike his father, he relied on expertise and tried to be a good ruler. His half-brother Daemon, who had already been legitimized by Aegon IV and knighted at the age of 12, saw himself as the rightful king. He also received the sword Blackfyre
, which had been carried by Aegon the Conqueror and passed on to the kings, from his father.
Daemon founded House Blackfyre. With this, he initiated the first Blackfyre Rebellion in 196 AC, a major war. The land was divided into loyalists serving the king and the Targaryens, and rebels joining House Blackfyre.
During the first rebellion, Daemon and two of his sons died, but part of the family survived and fled. But that was only the beginning. Throughout history, there were further rebellions (Source: A Wiki of Ice and Fire):
- In the year 212 AC, Daemon’s third son, Daemon II., attempted to initiate a second rebellion at a tournament, but this was thwarted thanks to Brynden Rivers.
- In the year 219 AC, Aegor Rivers, the half-brother of Daemon I., launched another attack. He wanted Haegon I., another son of Daemon, to become king. In this war, Maekar, Aegon V., and Aerion, whom we now know from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, fought. However, Haegon I. was killed, but the escaped Aegor chose Daemon III. Blackfyre as the next king who belonged on the throne.
- In the year 236 AC, the fourth rebellion continued. But Daemon III. also lost and was killed by the Kingsguard.
- One last time, Maelys I. Blackfyre attempted in the year 258 AC. There, the
Brotherhood of the Nine
was founded in Essos. This group consisted of criminals and pirates. They promised to establish nine kingdoms. Two years later, Maelys wanted to attack Westeros, but the then-king Jaehaerys II. Targaryen sent an army before they could reach the land. Ser Barristan Selmy (who can be seen in Game of Thrones) killed Maelys, and thus the last member of House Blackfyre.
With just one decision, Aegon IV thus threatened the entire Targaryen dynasty after his death. However, there were also bastards of his who sided with the crown. Among them was the famous Brynden Rivers: An important Targaryen already lived in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, plaguing a key character 120 years later
