Jump to content

Why Did Viserys 1 Choose Rhaenyra ?


redtree

Recommended Posts

While i think that Rhaenyra would make a better ruler compare to Aegon 2, i think it's odd that Viserys chose her over his sons by Alicent. Considering the Targaryen law that favor uncle/male cousin over daughter, his decision was unusual. He legally made Rhaenyra his heir after Aemma passed away, called all lords and made them pledged to Rhaenyra and not giving any thoughts that he might be having other sons by other woman. He seemed unmoved over Alicent's and Otto's begging (later became annoyance) to him and 100% fixed on his decision to the point that he fired Otto. From TRP it also seemed that he had had enough of Alicent

 

There is rumor that said that Alicent was Viserys's mistress when Aemma was pregnant, did that affect Viserys mind ? Like, maybe he thought that he was just a mistress whom he never planned to be serious with and he married her only because Aemma who has Targaryen blood passed away, so he didn't think that his children by Alicent worth the Iron Throne.

Or maybe Alicent was never a mistress and Viserys just loved Aemma more than he lusted over Alicent ?

What do you think ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the following reasons are possible:

 

1) She was his first born and held a special place in his emotions.

 

2) He was stubborn and did not like to be challenged in his decisions and wanted to prove he could do as he pleased.

 

3) He just liked her better.

 

4) He thought she would be the better ruler.

 

5) It allowed for a really cool story with a civil war with a really cool name (Dance of the Dragons).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1. She was better than Aegon.

2. She was groomed to be the Queen.

3. She had more Targ blood than Hellicent's spawns.

4. She had better conections.

5. She was the one who was married to his biggest opponent.

6. He loved her more.

7. He didn't trusted Hellicent.

8. She was the one who was named "Realm's delight".

9. She was born as the heir.

10. She was his precious little princess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

She was his first daughter, they one he trained to be his heir and Queen.

 

It's not like, for example, Cersei's case in which Tywin told her "you will marry a Prince and be Queen!" and did absolutely nothing to prepare her for such and then we're suffering the consequences of her idiocy. Rhaenyra was educated since she was young to rule after her father. The fact she later lost her mind was due to others taken away what it was her by right (unlike Cersei) and the murder of her children and her own people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While i think that Rhaenyra would make a better ruler compare to Aegon 2, i think it's odd that Viserys chose her over his sons by Alicent. Considering the Targaryen law that favor uncle/male cousin over daughter, his decision was unusual.

 

My theory is: Viserys I in year 107 for some peculiar reason hadn't read books written by Archmaester Gyldayn roughly a hundred, maybe a hundred and fifty years later, and thus was unaware of the so-called "Targaryen law".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Likely.

 

I mean, unlike Aerys, we do have historical proof of why she became so unstable later. Her "paranoia" was totally justifiable.

I find it very curious how the seemingly healthy Viserys happened to die during Rhaenyra's *confinement* when she couldn't return to take her Throne.

 

I totally agree. Someone, not here, tried to say that Rhaenyra was like Cersei when I think that Cersei is Hellicent2.0 but less smart that the original was.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I totally agree. Someone, not here, tried to say that Rhaenyra was like Cersei when I think that Cersei is Hellicent2.0 but less smart that the original was.


While I think Alicent works as a better parallel to Cersei, there is definitely a similarity between her and Rhaenyra too.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't see any similarity.

 

Losing children deteriorated her mind.

 

Also, there is the thing of they both being "stripped" from the power they believed they deserved. Although, in Cersei's case, it was nothing but delusion (she said "it's my time, finally", lol). Of course, people feared them both in power due to the men behind them (Daemon/Tywin)

 

They were also considered the most beautiful women in Westeros. Although I can't remember anyone not Lannister saying that about Cersei.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
Losing children deteriorated her mind.
 
Also, there is the thing of they both being "stripped" from the power they believed they deserved. Although, in Cersei's case, it was nothing but delusion (she said "it's my time, finally", lol). Of course, people feared them both in power due to the men behind them (Daemon/Tywin)
 
They were also considered the most beautiful women in Westeros. Although I can't remember anyone not Lannister saying that about Cersei.


The children thing was what I had in mind. Both turned more vicious when they started losing children. Since Cersei still has 2 more to lose, expect things to get nasty.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Viserys I had to name Rhaenyra his heir and Princess of Dragonstone in a very pompous ceremony because there was uncertainty whether she, as his only child, was even his Heir Presumptive at that point, or whether that was Prince Daemon by the more rigid interpretations of the Great Council that many people shared at that time - especially Daemon himself.

 

After that, there was no really good way back to Alicent's sons. Unless Viserys wanted to look like changeable fool demanding that his lords and knights disregard the vow they swore to Rhaenyra and instead swear a new vow to Aegon (no idea why that should then be more binding than the first vow). Not to mention that Viserys would lose the love of his darling daughter if he ever did that, and would perhaps even have to annul her marriage, proclaim her sons bastards, and give her to the Faith to ensure that she would never challenge Aegon's ascension after his death.

 

But more importantly, Rhaenyra was ten years older than Aegon, and trained to rule. If Viserys had died early Aegon would still have been a small boy while Rhaenyra was old enough to rule in her own right, supported by the Velaryons.

 

The Greens only become an important/powerful faction when Viserys is foolish enough to recall Otto Hightower as Hand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The children thing was what I had in mind. Both turned more vicious when they started losing children. Since Cersei still has 2 more to lose, expect things to get nasty.

 

Cersei was cruel from childhood.  Rhaenyra wasn't.  At worst, you could say that Rhaenyra was a bit spoiled, but probably no more than any other heir presumptive.

 

Rhaenyra only became cruel, under the stress of having her Throne stolen from her, and her son murdered.  Even then, she didn't hire people to murder dwarfs, or give people over to be experimented on in the Black Cells.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rhaenyra is very different from Cersei or any ordinary woman. Her sex life is proactive, like that of a male heir. She takes what she wants and has affairs like a male (or a Dornish heir like Arianne) would. She also does not have to steep as low as 'a chaste and honorable woman' like Alicent - who very much is a more competent version of Cersei. Perhaps also a better person. Alicent isn't the root of all evil. Her father Otto, and Hightower ambition to marry into the Targaryen dynasty is. This project goes back to the Conquest.

 

First Manfred Hightower wanted Aegon to take his maiden daughter as a third wife. He was turned down. Then Ceryse Hightower was married to Maegor which didn't work out well, either. Perhaps she was actually groomed as potential wife for Prince Aenys, considering that she was that much older than young Maegor. Then finally comes Alicent, who is first thrown at the Old King, then at Viserys' apparent Heir Presumptive, unhappily married Prince Daemon, and then finally at King Viserys himself.

 

This is a pattern, not coincidence.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Losing children deteriorated her mind.

 

Also, there is the thing of they both being "stripped" from the power they believed they deserved. Although, in Cersei's case, it was nothing but delusion (she said "it's my time, finally", lol). Of course, people feared them both in power due to the men behind them (Daemon/Tywin)

 

They were also considered the most beautiful women in Westeros. Although I can't remember anyone not Lannister saying that about Cersei.

The children thing was what I had in mind. Both turned more vicious when they started losing children. Since Cersei still has 2 more to lose, expect things to get nasty.

I would say that on this situation Rhaenyra was more like Cat. Poor Jinglebell.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is definitely a parallel. A parallel doesn't mean it has to be the same, or for the same reasons.

 

Rhaenyra had a certain life, as pointed out above. She was able to make certain choices due to her position.

 

Cersei WANTED to live that life, despite she had nothing to support it. And no, I don't mean it was because she was a woman. Rhaenyra was the daughter of the King: she had RIGHTS to the throne. Cersei THOUGHT she had rights to rule because Tywin told her so, and because she was a Lannister of Casterly Rock (read that with Peter Dinklage's accent).

 

Rhaenyra went mad because there was a coup against her that costed her children's lives. In her case, the reasons for people not wanting her on the throne were those that Cersei BELIEVES are the reason people don't want her on the throne. Rhaenyra was well educated to rule, but her enemies immediately thought "yeah, this woman will be dominated by her terrible uncle".

 

Cersei started to lose her sanity in the moment someone told her "no, you won't be Queen forever", despite no law or reason or logic dictated she was meant to be a Queen. She has gone as far as saying that the Gods wanted her to marry Rhaegar. She kept saying "I had to play the role of an innocent maiden and cope with awful people until my moment!!". What moment? :dunno: The power was for Joffrey or Tommen, not hers.

 

Cersei is losing her sanity because she's clinging to something that was never hers and some people are rightful trying to get from her. Rhaenyra lost her mind because people were wrongly and totally biased about her becoming Queen. They're opposites despite their lives have many parallels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...