the storm king returns Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I think Aegon was very hasty in burning Harrenhal, here is this huge castle with walls so big no man could ever hope to take it by force in the middle of the 7 kingdoms you wish to conquer ..... A more prudent action would be to siege Harrenhal and starve king Harren out which would be easy since noone would be coming to his rescue not even the iron islands.After king Harren bent the knee or starved to death, Aegon now possess the greatest castle in all of the realm which he could take as his seat rather then build KL and the redkeep which obviously costs lots of money to build and your keep is in the perfect area to reach all 7 kingdoms, harrenhal should be a trading hub for the rest of the 7k the Targs would be rich beyound belief and untouchable since only Dragons can ever hope to take the castle which at the time only Aegon and his sister's had dragons.Was Aegon false to burn Harrenhal or was it the right move ? I understand it was smart to show your enemy there castles are useless but he could have burned casterly rock or SE or WF and proved the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Tommen Baratheon Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Generation after generation of incest probably doesn't help when it comes to long term thinking.I agree, although I'm not sure if Aegon I had the resources to have a successful siege of Harrenhall. Honestly, I think GRRM just thought a ruined castle would be cool. Or maybe Aegon I thought it would be cool to roast a bunch of people alive. Ya never know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobOsevens Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I think it was a very smart movelords and kings of 7K hadn't dealt with dragons so this shows what happens to a powerful lord with the most spectacular castle and also those who dont bend the kneeplus Harren was hated by his subjects in the riverlands so it also brought Aegon support and consolidated a bit of a powerbase for him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmnomnomPomelo Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I think Aegon wanted to show that nobody can fuck with him. Bend the knee or you die asap. He wanted a quick conquest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluetiger Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Aegon did it:- to show power- to "punish" Harren for arogance- to give revange to Riverlords- PR move Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balerion the kitten Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 No because if he'd did starve them out he would be there for years. Plus like you said harrenhall' s impregnable if he wasn't using his dragons they would have a MASSIVE advantage being inside harrenhall meaning they would attack him from the inside. Also he would be thought of as a craven since he just threatened king harren that he would burn his castle unless he yield to which harren laughed at. And how long do you think that siege would go on for, this is a man who is denouncing a lot of kings and like as not does have the potential to do. Other kings wouldn't just wait for him to starve harrenhall and simply wait their turn, they would send armies if he was just waiting outside harrenhall. And most importantly he needed to demonstrate that no one could stand against dragons, not even one of the most strongest castles in the realm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pod The Impaler Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Aegon could have besieged him for a decade and not starved him out.Burning his sorry ass was a smarter move, really. Time wise, and for the fact his enemy had no counter move for this, and yes as a demonstration that dragons > all. Field of fire emonstrated that as well. But there's no reason he could not rebuild it after. I think he should have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobOsevens Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I like that he left for a physical symbol/reminder of what happens when you dont bend the knee to the dragon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the storm king returns Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 I'd leave Harrenhal for last after the field of fire lords would know that they can't win the war with open field combat because it would be all fire and Blood then I would fly to SE or CR and if they hid behind there walls id burn them out CR and SE have no importance to Aegon, Harrenhal does since it is in the most perfect position Aegon could have asked for. After you defeat the other kings you have Harrenhal surrounded by your allies in the Vale and allies in the Storm lands since Aegons brother Orys is now Lord and the Reach is in Tyrell hands which are Aegons allies which means king Harren would starve or bend the knee, it wouldn't take long for king Hardens men inside the castle slit his throat and open the gates they don't like him after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Lannister Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 He flies down on a beast of legend and lays waste to the most powerful fortress man had ever built.... can you think of a better way to send the message to everyone that resistance is futile? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluetiger Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 If he didn't burn Harrenhall, King Torrhen wouldn't bend the knee so easily... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor227 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 The conquest relied on two things. Speed, and the aura of invincibility. Aegon needed to win, and win big and quickly, otherwise the entire realm would have gone all Dorne on him. Burning Harrenhal sent a message, a message that no castle was safe from him, and probably helped speed up the reckless move that the field of fire turned out to be, helping to build another crushing victory for him. He needed to shock everyone, and stun them into a state where they would limply give up their crowns to him. A prolonged siege does not accomplish that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluetiger Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Also, Aegon needed to gain support of Riverlords and get rid of Ironborn.I bet that after burning of Harrenhal and King Harren , remaining Ironborn fled Westeros as fast as they could. .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Arryn Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 He was on a clock. Not defending his morality; choosing to invade anywhere is choosing to kill countless numbers of people to satisfy your personal ambition...but that being a given, the choice makes sense. The more time you take there the more time the other people you've decide to kill or rule have to prepare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferocious Veldt Roarer Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Generation after generation of incest probably doesn't help when it comes to long term thinking.I agree, although I'm not sure if Aegon I had the resources to have a successful siege of Harrenhall. Honestly, I think GRRM just thought a ruined castle would be cool. Or maybe Aegon I thought it would be cool to roast a bunch of people alive. Ya never know. So, long-term planning and strategy were Aegon the Conqueror's weak points? This is a genuinely new thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aryagonnakill#2 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I would have torn Harrenhall down after I burnt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Lannister Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I would have torn Harrenhall down after I burnt it. Leaving it standing as it was, was perfect. It was a monument to how badass Aegon was and what would happen to anyone who opposed the Targaryens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aryagonnakill#2 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 ^True, but really only to those who saw it, and the castle caused an awful lot of grief over the years, what with the whole blood curse and all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Onion Kniggit Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Generation after generation of incest probably doesn't help when it comes to long term thinking. Aegon wasn't inbred. Well at least in the sense his parents weren't full siblings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oafkeeper Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Aegon was conquering a continent where his initial resources were less than a thousand men and three dragons. As soon as people began to doubt the limits of his dragons he'd be in trouble. Sitting outside of Harrenhall for months or years would cause major doubts, uprising, embolden resistance, weak new allies loyalties and tie Aegon and Baelarion down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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