Baelor Daeron and Mariah

[Colonel Green]

Colonel Green,

the succession wasn't certain, though. Viserys wasn't Baelor's recognized or chosen heir, nor does he seem to have been Prince of Dragonstone. Thus we can't be sure that the Martells expected Daeron to become king.

Given that Viserys was Hand and a male in a society where ruling queens seem to have been virtually nonexistent, it seems like a pretty reasonable bet.

[Lord Varys]

Not in 161 AC, before the girls were confined to the Maidenvault. If Daena had remarried a great lord after the annulment (say, Alyn and Baela's heir) - and her sisters had taken powerful husbands, too - and Daena had given birth to a legitimate, Baelor could easily have recognized that child his heir. Especially if Baelor had lived to rule 20 or more years.

Female inheritance was not yet completely dead at that point, and I think Daena would have had a decent chance to claim the throne for herself had she not been imprisoned and given birth to a bastard.

Back in 161 AC nobody could foresee that Baelor would not father any issue on Daena, nor could anyone be sure that Baelor's sisters would not give birth to any legitimate issue while Baelor ruled.

[Rhaenys_Targaryen]

In fact, even in 171 AC, after ten years in imprisonment, there were still lords who believed Daena should be on the throne... They were few, however, and clearly did not succeed. But it does show that even after years of knowing that Baelor would never father legitimate offspring on his wife (marriage annuled, taken septon's vows), the succession was not crystal clear. People probably thought about it, had their own idea's about it, but without Baelor declaring an heir, nothing was set in stone.

[shockwave]

In fact, even in 171 AC, after ten years in imprisonment, there were still lords who believed Daena should be on the throne... They were few, however, and clearly did not succeed. But it does show that even after years of knowing that Baelor would never father legitimate offspring on his wife (marriage annuled, taken septon's vows), the succession was not crystal clear. People probably thought about it, had their own idea's about it, but without Baelor declaring an heir, nothing was set in stone.

exactly