The most interesting Targaryen king to read about

[James Steller]

For me, I’d say it’s Aegon III. I always thought he had a traumatic story, especially when I read World of Ice & Fire, but then Fire & Blood convinced me of it. He’s like a blend between Arya Stark and Stannis Baratheon, traumatized by the deaths of his family members, deeply distrustful of the upper class that spent years manipulating and bullying him, and now he’s not interested in playing any kind of game and simply wants to provide justice and peace to Westeros. He’s a tragic figure, but not without some hope in his refusal to be destroyed by the likes of Unwin Peake or his cronies.

[frenin]

Completely agree the Broken King was imo the best written part of F&B by far, it was a genuily surprised because the book was bit of a let down with Jaeharys and the rest was well known.

Aegon 3 and Maegor were the best for me.

[James West]

The Beggar King.  We know his backstory. 

[Back door hodor]

I quite enjoyed Jearyers I and Queen Alyasane personally, the conciliator had a lot more sand than I gave him credit for not knowing any details, and as awesome as he was, he couldn't have done it without his queen.

[Floki of the Ironborn]

Aegon V Targaryen. Easily the most interesting character in House Targaryen. I'd honestly sacrifice the sixth and seventh novels if it means GRRM gives us the Dunk & Egg series instead, and I would literally drink the tears of mourning ASOIAF fans as I read the new D&E books.

[HexMachina]

Speaking only about F&B and WOIAF, for Kings it has to be Aegon III. It would have been Jaehaerys if not for the somewhat irritating habit of the narrator to dwell overlong on scandalous and tawdry details (Coryanne Wilde ). As it stands the first half of Aegon III (i.e. the Regency) has been fascinating and can’t wait to hear more in part 2. 

I’m also both highly anticipating and slightly dreading reading about Aegon IV.

I found the few women GRRM cared to elaborate on far more interesting than any of the Kings though. Hard to choose a favourite. Baela, Rhaena and Alysanne are definitely up near the top but i think pride of place goes to Rhaena, wife of Aegon the Uncrowned, the Black Bride, Queen in the West. Such a fascinating, eventful and tragic life she lived. One of GRRMs best characters imo...and its hard to make a character feel so “real” when presenting it as a historical account rather than POV characters.

(other women in F&B were...not treat so decently by 5the author)

[Daemon The Black Dragon]

Both Jaehaerys and Aegon III. Although I'm really looking forward to Aegon IV and Daeron II chapters in F&B volume 2. More so for more details on the Great Bastards and the First Blackfyre rebellion then the actually Kings.

[Darth Sidious]

Maegor

[Back door hodor]

6 hours ago, HelenaExMachina said:

Speaking only about F&B and WOIAF, for Kings it has to be Aegon III. It would have been Jaehaerys if not for the somewhat irritating habit of the narrator to dwell overlong on scandalous and tawdry details (Coryanne Wilde ). As it stands the first half of Aegon III (i.e. the Regency) has been fascinating and can’t wait to hear more in part 2. 

I’m also both highly anticipating and slightly dreading reading about Aegon IV.

I found the few women GRRM cared to elaborate on far more interesting than any of the Kings though. Hard to choose a favourite. Baela, Rhaena and Alysanne are definitely up near the top but i think pride of place goes to Rhaena, wife of Aegon the Uncrowned, the Black Bride, Queen in the West. Such a fascinating, eventful and tragic life she lived. One of GRRMs best characters imo...and its hard to make a character feel so “real” when presenting it as a historical account rather than POV characters.

(other women in F&B were...not treat so decently by 5the author)

Agree 100 percent about Rhaena, much more interesting character than the majority of her family, male or female

[James Fenimore Cooper XXII]

On 10/29/2019 at 11:06 PM, Steve Womack said:

The Beggar King.  We know his backstory. 

King Viserys, the third of his name.  King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men.  Ancient history is just that.  Recent is better.

[The Young Maester]

Both Aegon III and V have an interesting story, and had quite a successful rule.

[frenin]

3 hours ago, The Young Maester said:

Both Aegon III and V have an interesting story, and had quite a successful rule.

Both rules seem to have been curse with treason and turmoil, definetely interesting but i wouldn't call them succesful.

[Adam Yozza]

On 11/1/2019 at 1:16 PM, frenin said:

Both rules seem to have been curse with treason and turmoil, definetely interesting but i wouldn't call them succesful.

No major wars, famine, drought, illness, plague etc. Sounds more successful than most

[Daemon The Black Dragon]

11 minutes ago, Adam Yozza said:

No major wars, famine, drought, illness, plague etc. Sounds more successful than most

Aegon V had to deal with the 4th Blackfyre rebellion, uprisings, Lyonel Baratheons rebellion and famine in the North. 

[frenin]

8 minutes ago, Adam Yozza said:

No major wars, famine, drought, illness, plague etc. Sounds more successful than most

We know that for Aegon 3 reign  the 6 year winter caused havoc and it indeed cause famine and illness, after thatthe man had to force his will upon malcontents vassals and we have yet to find out gow the dragons died, butin the meantime, the war in hte Vale and the Red Cracken were there too.

 

Order reestablished itself, with Munkun serving as Hand and regent for the rest of the remaining year until new regents were appointed and a new Hand was found. The time of the regency finally ended on the sixteenth nameday of the king, when he entered the small council chamber, dismissed his regents, and relieved his then-Hand, Lord Manderly, of his office. It was a broken reign that followed, for Aegon himself was broken. He was melancholy to the end of his days, found pleasure in almost nothing, and locked himself in his chambers to brood for days on end. He likewise came to dislike being touched—even by the hand of his beautiful queen. Even after she had flowered, he was long in calling her to his bed … but ultimately their marriage was blessed with two sons and three daughters. The eldest, Daeron, was named the Prince of Dragonstone and heir apparent. Though he strove to give the realm peace and plenty in the wake of the Dance, Aegon III proved unwilling to court his own people, or his lords. His might have been a very different reign were it not for that one flaw in him—his coldness when it came to those he ruled. His brother, Prince Viserys— who in his last years served as his Hand—had the gift of charm, but he himself grew stern after his wife abandoned him and their children for her native Lys. Yet together, Aegon and Viserys ably dealt with the remaining turmoil in the realm. One such incident was the troublesome appearance of several pretenders claiming to be Prince Daeron the Daring—the youngest brother of Aegon II who was killed at Second Tumbleton but whose body was never identified—leaving the door open for unscrupulous men to make their false claims. (But those feigned princes have since been conclusively shown to be imposters.) They even attempted to restore the Targaryen dragons, despite Aegon’s fears—for which none could blame him after witnessing his mother being eaten alive. He dreaded the sight of dragons—and had even less desire to ride upon one —but he was convinced that they would cow those who sought to oppose him. 

 

I certainly came to love Aegon 3 after FB, his reign (and his sons reigns) was vital for his dynasty and the Realm and even when one could say he was one of the succesful Targs i still don't see him as a very succesful king but yet again, only Aegon 1m Jaeharys and Daeron 2 had better reigns than him. 

The regency is also the best part by far of the book so prop for him.

 

Aegon 5 tho...

 

Aegon’s reign was a challenging one, starting as it did in the midst of a winter that had lasted three years and showed no signs of abating. There was starvation and suffering in the North, as there had been a hundred years before, in the long winter that reigned from 130 to 135 AC. King Aegon, always concerned for the welfare of the poor and weak, did what he could to increase the flow of grain and other food to the North, but some felt he did too much in this regard. His rule was also quickly tested by those whose affairs he had meddled in too often as a prince, attempting to reduce their rights and privileges. Nor had the Blackfyre threat ended with the death of Aenys Blackfyre; Bloodraven’s infamous betrayal had only hardened the enmity of the exiles across the narrow sea. In 236 AC, as a cruel six-year-long winter drew to a close, the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion saw the self-styled King Daemon III Blackfyre, son of Haegon and grandson of Daemon I, cross the narrow sea with Bittersteel and the Golden Company at his back, in a fresh attempt to seize the Iron Throne

 

There were other battles during the time of Aegon V, for the unlikely king was forced to spend much of his reign in armor, quelling one rising or another. Though beloved by the smallfolk, King Aegon made many enemies amongst the lords of the realm, whose powers he wished to curtail. He enacted numerous reforms and granted rights and protections to the commons that they had never known before, but each of these measures provoked fierce opposition and sometimes open defiance amongst the lords. The most outspoken of his foes went so far as to denounce Aegon V as a “bloodyhanded tyrant intent on depriving us of our gods-given rights and liberties.” It was well-known that the resistance against him taxed Aegon’s patience—especially as the compromises a king must make to rule well often left his greatest hopes receding further and further into the future. As one defiance followed another, His Grace found himself forced to bow to the recalcitrant lords more often than he wished. A student of history and lover of books, Aegon V was oft heard to say that had he only had dragons, as the first Aegon had, he could have remade the realm anew, with peace and prosperity and justice for all

 

It had long been the custom of House Targaryen to wed brother to sister to keep the blood of the dragon pure, but for whatever cause, Aegon V had become convinced that such incestuous unions did more harm than good. Instead he resolved to join his children in marriage with the sons and daughters of some of the greatest lords of the Seven Kingdoms, in the hopes of winning their support for his reforms and strengthening his rule.

 

The Prince of Dragonflies loved Jenny of Oldstones so much he cast aside a crown, and Westeros paid the bride price in corpses. All three of the sons of the fifth Aegon had wed for love, in defiance of their father's wishes. And because that unlikely monarch had himself followed his heart when he chose his queen, he allowed his sons to have their way, making bitter enemies where he might have had fast friends. Treason and turmoil followed, as night follows day, ending at Summerhall in sorcery, fire, and grief.

 

Egg's rule would be def a very interesting one, but the man was far from succesful.

[Rose of Red Lake]

I enjoy reading about Targaryen fuck ups and failures, so most of them were interesting. Jaehaerys was a benevolent tyrant (if one can even exist—debatable) and he was the best that house could do with their power as brittle as it was, “sneer of cold command” and all that.

[Adam Yozza]

15 hours ago, frenin said:

We know that for Aegon 3 reign  the 6 year winter caused havoc and it indeed cause famine and illness, after thatthe man had to force his will upon malcontents vassals and we have yet to find out gow the dragons died, butin the meantime, the war in hte Vale and the Red Cracken were there too.

 

Order reestablished itself, with Munkun serving as Hand and regent for the rest of the remaining year until new regents were appointed and a new Hand was found. The time of the regency finally ended on the sixteenth nameday of the king, when he entered the small council chamber, dismissed his regents, and relieved his then-Hand, Lord Manderly, of his office. It was a broken reign that followed, for Aegon himself was broken. He was melancholy to the end of his days, found pleasure in almost nothing, and locked himself in his chambers to brood for days on end. He likewise came to dislike being touched—even by the hand of his beautiful queen. Even after she had flowered, he was long in calling her to his bed … but ultimately their marriage was blessed with two sons and three daughters. The eldest, Daeron, was named the Prince of Dragonstone and heir apparent. Though he strove to give the realm peace and plenty in the wake of the Dance, Aegon III proved unwilling to court his own people, or his lords. His might have been a very different reign were it not for that one flaw in him—his coldness when it came to those he ruled. His brother, Prince Viserys— who in his last years served as his Hand—had the gift of charm, but he himself grew stern after his wife abandoned him and their children for her native Lys. Yet together, Aegon and Viserys ably dealt with the remaining turmoil in the realm. One such incident was the troublesome appearance of several pretenders claiming to be Prince Daeron the Daring—the youngest brother of Aegon II who was killed at Second Tumbleton but whose body was never identified—leaving the door open for unscrupulous men to make their false claims. (But those feigned princes have since been conclusively shown to be imposters.) They even attempted to restore the Targaryen dragons, despite Aegon’s fears—for which none could blame him after witnessing his mother being eaten alive. He dreaded the sight of dragons—and had even less desire to ride upon one —but he was convinced that they would cow those who sought to oppose him. 

 

I certainly came to love Aegon 3 after FB, his reign (and his sons reigns) was vital for his dynasty and the Realm and even when one could say he was one of the succesful Targs i still don't see him as a very succesful king but yet again, only Aegon 1m Jaeharys and Daeron 2 had better reigns than him. 

The regency is also the best part by far of the book so prop for him.

 

Aegon 5 tho...

 

Aegon’s reign was a challenging one, starting as it did in the midst of a winter that had lasted three years and showed no signs of abating. There was starvation and suffering in the North, as there had been a hundred years before, in the long winter that reigned from 130 to 135 AC. King Aegon, always concerned for the welfare of the poor and weak, did what he could to increase the flow of grain and other food to the North, but some felt he did too much in this regard. His rule was also quickly tested by those whose affairs he had meddled in too often as a prince, attempting to reduce their rights and privileges. Nor had the Blackfyre threat ended with the death of Aenys Blackfyre; Bloodraven’s infamous betrayal had only hardened the enmity of the exiles across the narrow sea. In 236 AC, as a cruel six-year-long winter drew to a close, the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion saw the self-styled King Daemon III Blackfyre, son of Haegon and grandson of Daemon I, cross the narrow sea with Bittersteel and the Golden Company at his back, in a fresh attempt to seize the Iron Throne

 

There were other battles during the time of Aegon V, for the unlikely king was forced to spend much of his reign in armor, quelling one rising or another. Though beloved by the smallfolk, King Aegon made many enemies amongst the lords of the realm, whose powers he wished to curtail. He enacted numerous reforms and granted rights and protections to the commons that they had never known before, but each of these measures provoked fierce opposition and sometimes open defiance amongst the lords. The most outspoken of his foes went so far as to denounce Aegon V as a “bloodyhanded tyrant intent on depriving us of our gods-given rights and liberties.” It was well-known that the resistance against him taxed Aegon’s patience—especially as the compromises a king must make to rule well often left his greatest hopes receding further and further into the future. As one defiance followed another, His Grace found himself forced to bow to the recalcitrant lords more often than he wished. A student of history and lover of books, Aegon V was oft heard to say that had he only had dragons, as the first Aegon had, he could have remade the realm anew, with peace and prosperity and justice for all

 

It had long been the custom of House Targaryen to wed brother to sister to keep the blood of the dragon pure, but for whatever cause, Aegon V had become convinced that such incestuous unions did more harm than good. Instead he resolved to join his children in marriage with the sons and daughters of some of the greatest lords of the Seven Kingdoms, in the hopes of winning their support for his reforms and strengthening his rule.

 

The Prince of Dragonflies loved Jenny of Oldstones so much he cast aside a crown, and Westeros paid the bride price in corpses. All three of the sons of the fifth Aegon had wed for love, in defiance of their father's wishes. And because that unlikely monarch had himself followed his heart when he chose his queen, he allowed his sons to have their way, making bitter enemies where he might have had fast friends. Treason and turmoil followed, as night follows day, ending at Summerhall in sorcery, fire, and grief.

 

Egg's rule would be def a very interesting one, but the man was far from succesful.

Holding my hands up, my memories of the timeline are apparantly not as strong as it could be. I'd though the fourth blackfyre rebellion had been under Maegor, but having gone and researched it turns out I was thinking about the Peake uprising. 

As for Aegon III: while technically, his reign does include the period of regency, I wasn't really counting that as his failure, due to the distinct lack of power he had under the regents. And every King will face minor conflicts; Jahaerys had to deal with a Vulture King, Lyseni pirates seizing Tarth and an attempted Dornish invasion, but his reign is remembered as a peaceful one. I doubt any of the fake Daeron's ever get enough traction to become a threat any bigger than the Kingswood Brotherhood. Troublesome, but not a war. In fact same goes for Lyonel Baratheon's 'uprising'. It ended bloodlessly and ended almost as soon at it began.

But yeah I had forgotten about the long winter and connected famine V inherited. My bad.

[frenin]

5 hours ago, Adam Yozza said:

 As for Aegon III: while technically, his reign does include the period of regency, I wasn't really counting that as his failure, due to the distinct lack of power he had under the regents. And every King will face minor conflicts; Jahaerys had to deal with a Vulture King, Lyseni pirates seizing Tarth and an attempted Dornish invasion, but his reign is remembered as a peaceful one. I doubt any of the fake Daeron's ever get enough traction to become a threat any bigger than the Kingswood Brotherhood. Troublesome, but not a war.

 

We don't know how will die the dragons or even what will happen with Alys Rivers, we literally know nothing and less about Aegon 3 post regency reign bar it would be a widespread malcontent.

 

Egg had to fight his vassals most of his reign, the man did not have minor conflicts, those conflicts, remember that the Westerlands falls miserably in anarchy under his reign, will mark his whole reign.

5 hours ago, Adam Yozza said:

In fact same goes for Lyonel Baratheon's 'uprising'. It ended bloodlessly and ended almost as soon at it began.

I would never understand why people keep saying this when it's clearly false, the only thing people got right is that the rebellion was short, but the rest...

 

The Prince of Dragonflies loved Jenny of Oldstones so much he cast aside a crown, and Westeros paid the bride price in corpses. All three of the sons of the fifth Aegon had wed for love, in defiance of their father's wishes. And because that unlikely monarch had himself followed his heart when he chose his queen, he allowed his sons to have their way, making bitter enemies where he might have had fast friends. Treason and turmoil followed, as night follows day, ending at Summerhall in sorcery, fire, and grief.

 

Even that could not restore the peace, nor win back the friendship of Storm’s End, however. The father of the spurned girl, Lord Lyonel Baratheon of Storm’s End—known as the Laughing Storm and famed for his prowess in battle—was not a man easily appeased when his pride was wounded. A short, bloody rebellion ensued, ending only when Ser Duncan of the Kingsguard defeated Lord Lyonel in single combat, and King Aegon gave his solemn word that his youngest daughter, Rhaelle, would wed Lord Lyonel’s heir. To seal the bargain, Princess Rhaelle was sent to Storm’s End to serve as Lord Lyonel’s cupbearer and companion to his lady wife. Jenny of Oldstones—Lady Jenny, as she was called by courtesy—was eventually accepted at court, and throughout the Seven Kingdoms the smallfolk held her especially dear. She and her prince, forever after known as the Prince of Dragonflies, were a favorite subject of singers for many years.

 

It was def an uprising, it was def a bloody one and it was def a serious one, people read the single combat part and forget to read the rest.

[Lord Varys]

Regardless of the wars he had to fight - Aegon V is one of the greatest kings of Westeros, period, simply because he bettered the lives of the commoners.

It doesn't matter that he had to fight against the bloody nobles throughout most of his reign. A peace with the nobility at the price of them grinding the common man other their heel is no peace at all.

[frenin]

1 hour ago, Lord Varys said:

Regardless of the wars he had to fight - Aegon V is one of the greatest kings of Westeros, period, simply because he bettered the lives of the commoners.

It doesn't matter that he had to fight against the bloody nobles throughout most of his reign. A peace with the nobility at the price of them grinding the common man other their heel is no peace at all.

A great King?? Sure, a succesful one?? Nope, that and  the fact he had to fight his nobles and  most of his reign was just fire and  steel don't better the life of no one if said nobles don't oblige in their lands, which most of them wouldn't do anyway and which should be the point of his policies, the fact that he proved unwilling to rule over his children and let them have his way in a moment he desperatly needed the support of those bloody nobles to carry on with his policies also don't say much good about him, even his son got to overrule  his father and  married Aerys and  Rhaella.

Egg is an earlier version  of the Stannis "King who cared" meme, it seems that failing miserably is a common trope of the meme.