That polygamy thing (all over again)

[Lord Varys]

11 hours ago, Bloodraven’s Spider said:

1) Future Polygamy Targ marriages will happen without a doubt. I dont think Dany will ever lawfully divorce or put aside Hizdhar so she will have multiple spouses (wether the spouse knows about Hizdhar remains to be seen) I can see Dany marrying Aegon (who is legit) So right there 2 spouses (once Aegon dies she will marry Jon most like)

I'd expect that Hizdahr is not going to live to see Dany arrive in Westeros. But he could be still alive and her husband when she takes her next one in the Dothraki Sea or after her return to Slaver's Bay ... where she could actually marry Daario if he survives.

11 hours ago, Bloodraven’s Spider said:

2) Certianly. Dany’s alignment with whomever will drastically shape the plot. I think Aegon will take KL and disarm the faith (it wont be easy). Dany will marry him and together they will try and stop Euron. She may lose a dragon her or a husband. 

Oh, I don't think Aegon-Dany are going to happen, nor is the Faith going to be disarmed.

[DMC]

7 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:

If you have nothing to offer and don't want to offer anything, can you, perhaps, offer nothing by staying silent?

Heh.  Says the guy that can't respond to a simple point that Jon's legitimacy is primarily based on the fact of whether or not people think he's legit - not polygamy or anything else.  But go on fooling yourself little buddy!

[Van Gogh]

On 6/29/2020 at 7:25 PM, FictionIsntReal said:

Polygamy is banned by the Faith of the Seven, so the Conqueror had to have his marriages prior to converting and Maegor also used a traditional Valyrian ceremony for his second marriage. I don't think those Valyrian ceremonies survived all those years of the Targaryens following the Faith, so that's a possible obstacle to later polygamy.

Agreed.  The Faith is really strong atm.  Polygamy is not going to fly unless it's on a dragon.

[Van Gogh]

13 hours ago, TheLastWolf said:

Come on! Remember Daario? She is still a girl to hear Barristan put it. She could legitimize Jon if she fell in love(and if she gets the throne) ... and most probably Rhaegar and Lyanna married with some unknown secret witnesses. Any thoughts on this? 

She didn't marry Daario.  Hizdahr simply had more to offer and solved a problem.

[Mithras]

Old but gold.

LV is at his peak performance again.

[corbon]

3 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

If you have nothing to offer and don't want to offer anything, can you, perhaps, offer nothing by staying silent?

It has been profoundly said, and how true it is, that the only thing necessary for evil to exist is for good people to remain silent... Edmund Burke (1729-1797) 

[rotting sea cow]

My modest opinion

On 6/29/2020 at 11:51 PM, Lord Varys said:

Since I actually like this Targaryen polygamy thing as plot device thing which might become relevant in the future of the story, I wanted to ask you guys a couple of questions:

1. Do you think we are going to see any Targaryen polygamy marriages in the future, most notably involving Prince Aegon or Daenerys or Jon Snow (presumably after his true parentage is revealed to his own satisfaction)? Or do you think that's just a thing of the past, some ploy to make Jon Snow 'the legitimate princely son' of Lyanna and Rhaegar?

The later. But I don't think it will be too relevant overall. It will matter mostly for Dany. That is. If Dany claims being Rhaegar's heir, she has to  acknowledge Jon and be consistent with the Targaryen's  traditions, which is another reason why the lack of polygamy examples during the Targaryen's dynasty bugs me.

 

On 6/29/2020 at 11:51 PM, Lord Varys said:

2. If you think so, how do you think such ideas will shape the plot? Do you see any candidates for such polygamous marriages?

The only one who has ever considered that is Dany, but I don't think it will happen. The best possibility is that Hizdahr is still alive somewhere and Dany marries someone else, but I give it a too slim chance.

Aegon wll be too dependent on the Faith to attempt such a thing.

 

On 6/29/2020 at 11:51 PM, Lord Varys said:

3. Do you believe historically Targaryen polygamy (practiced in Westeros only by Aegon I and Maegor the Cruel) actually had the same or a similar standing with the people as the traditional Targaryen incest, i.e. do you think if Rhaegar-Lyanna had married publicly or their marriage had been revealed to the public during their lifetimes such a marriage would have been accepted or rejected on principle?

This bugs me. A lot. I understand that polygamy is undesirable for the Westerosi society because it messes up the rules in inheritance, very important in a feudal society (Valyrians didn't have that problems, riding a dragon was all what mattered probably). Besides that, I don't find evidence of being a sin, unlike incest, which was nevertheless repeatedly allowed by the Faith.  Yet, we don't see other polygamy examples during the Targaryen rule.

I think that Rhaegar and Lyanna married with witnesses present. Probably a few of Rhaegar's friends, a maester and maybe, maybe some septon and on front of a tree. Otherwise, I don't think the nature of the marriage was widely known.

 

 

On 6/29/2020 at 11:51 PM, Lord Varys said:

4. And for the future: How do you think a King Aegon VI taking two or more wives after/at his coronation would be seen by the people of Westeros? Would this be seen, say, as a positive image, a recreation of Aegon the Conqueror and his sister-wives and thus a symbol of hope and future prosperity, or would you think the opposite is more likely? Do you even think the new High Septon with a rearmed Faith would accept a king with more than one wife at the same time? If so, why do you think that?

I don't think he will. But in the hypothetical case, it will draw him in unnecessary problems with a more assertive Faith.

 

On 6/29/2020 at 11:51 PM, Lord Varys said:

5. The same for Daenerys: How do you think she would be greeted/seen in Westeros if she came as a queen with multiple spouses, mimicking Aegon the Conqueror in this regard, who also came to Westeros with two wives who were fellow dragonriders?

In that hypothetical case, she will be seen in even worse light. A barbaric queen with two spouses at the front of an horde of eunuchs and savages.

 

On 6/29/2020 at 11:51 PM, Lord Varys said:

6. Finally - do you think for the Westerosi only Targaryen pretenders could or would entertain polygamy or could you also see Euron Greyjoy, Stannis Baratheon and any other pretenders to the Iron Throne who might pop up in the future to entertain such ideas?

Stannis, certainly not.

Euron maybe. The ironborn culture has more room for these things.

 

On 6/29/2020 at 11:51 PM, Lord Varys said:

The reason I'm asking this is because quite a few people - myself included - have pretty strong opinions on those matters, and I'd like to see how many people feel similarly (or completely different) about this matter. Is this something you care about much or at all?

There is also the fact that we are not likely to ever see a Targaryen incest match during the remainder of the series (unless it turned out that Tyrion and Dany were half-siblings and would marry each other) whereas the possibility for polygamy is always on the table. And if one looks the Targaryen history as discussed in the ASoIaF series proper then polygamy comes up pretty often, always when Aegon and his sister-wives come up, but also with many discussions of Maegor the Cruel.

 

[Bloodraven’s Spider]

@Lord Varys You think the faith wil remain armed for the remainder of the series?

[Darth Sidious]

We are having this conversation on the belief that the current feudal structure of Westeros will remain.  If not then everything and anything can happen.  Let us say this feudal system collapses during the winter.  The question of what constitutes a legal marriage no longer applies.  Bastardry will no longer be a thing.  People will worry instead about basic survival.  The strong can do what he or she wishes at this point.  Mance Rayder wins under these conditions.  

[norwaywolf123]

On 6/29/2020 at 11:51 PM, Lord Varys said:

1. Do you think we are going to see any Targaryen polygamy marriages in the future, most notably involving Prince Aegon or Daenerys or Jon Snow (presumably after his true parentage is revealed to his own satisfaction)? Or do you think that's just a thing of the past, some ploy to make Jon Snow 'the legitimate princely son' of Lyanna and Rhaegar?

The most likely but still slim posibillity is that Daenerys marries two dragon riders. More likely she would be involved with them without marrying, or being married to one but not the other.

On 6/29/2020 at 11:51 PM, Lord Varys said:

2. If you think so, how do you think such ideas will shape the plot? Do you see any candidates for such polygamous marriages?

I don't see it f

On 6/29/2020 at 11:51 PM, Lord Varys said:

[I myself have speculated that Aegon might end up marrying both Arianne Martell and Sansa Stark as well as suggested that Dany could take a or multiple Dothraki khal(s) as spouses in addition to Hizdahr who is still her husband right now (this would then not only be 'Targaryen polygamy but perhaps also 'Dothraki polygamy' depending how prevalent polygamy is in their culture). For Dany there is also the chance that she is going to marry whoever ends up riding her other two dragons (believing them to be the other two dragon heads), which could result in two more marriages, followed by others as her dragons pass from rider to rider.]

3. Do you believe historically Targaryen polygamy (practiced in Westeros only by Aegon I and Maegor the Cruel) actually had the same or a similar standing with the people as the traditional Targaryen incest, i.e. do you think if Rhaegar-Lyanna had married publicly or their marriage had been revealed to the public during their lifetimes such a marriage would have been accepted or rejected on principle?

Absolutly not

On 6/29/2020 at 11:51 PM, Lord Varys said:

4. And for the future: How do you think a King Aegon VI taking two or more wives after/at his coronation would be seen by the people of Westeros? Would this be seen, say, as a positive image, a recreation of Aegon the Conqueror and his sister-wives and thus a symbol of hope and future prosperity, or would you think the opposite is more likely? Do you even think the new High Septon with a rearmed Faith would accept a king with more than one wife at the same time? If so, why do you think that?

If the faith of the seven is going to be one of his major supporters then no.

On 6/29/2020 at 11:51 PM, Lord Varys said:

5. The same for Daenerys: How do you think she would be greeted/seen in Westeros if she came as a queen with multiple spouses, mimicking Aegon the Conqueror in this regard, who also came to Westeros with two wives who were fellow dragonriders?

Danerys is a woman, but she does have dragons. Still i doubt it.

[Lord Varys]

7 hours ago, corbon said:

It has been profoundly said, and how true it is, that the only thing necessary for evil to exist is for good people to remain silent... Edmund Burke (1729-1797) 

Spam is spam, regardless how you do it.

19 minutes ago, Bloodraven’s Spider said:

@Lord Varys You think the faith wil remain armed for the remainder of the series?

I think so, yes. There is a reason why George introduced the whole Faith Militant plot, and that is not, I think, to have arms for a fortnight only to be crushed afterwards. They will help bring down the Lannister-Baratheons, and then they will take a share in Aegon's new government. How long they can function as a political power in the longer run would depend on how the wars and battles go after that, of course. But I don't think Aegon will be able or willing to disarm the Faith if they help him win the throne.

12 hours ago, rotting sea cow said:

The later. But I don't think it will be too relevant overall. It will matter mostly for Dany. That is. If Dany claims being Rhaegar's heir, she has to  acknowledge Jon and be consistent with the Targaryen's  traditions, which is another reason why the lack of polygamy examples during the Targaryen's dynasty bugs me.

Nor sure what you mean there - Dany claims to be her father's heir, not Rhaegar's.

12 hours ago, rotting sea cow said:

The only one who has ever considered that is Dany, but I don't think it will happen. The best possibility is that Hizdahr is still alive somewhere and Dany marries someone else, but I give it a too slim chance.

We do have her specifically consider to marry those two other dragon heads, not just as part of Jorah's sex/marriage fantasies but also as part of how she herself interprets the House of the Undying prophecies. She is going to offer her hand in marriage to whoever ends up with one of her dragons ... unless she really has issues with those people.

12 hours ago, rotting sea cow said:

Aegon wll be too dependent on the Faith to attempt such a thing.

That could be ... but the Faith can be pragmatic. The main issue with Targaryens not practicing polygamy is not just that the Faith may have frowned upon that practice, but also that the Targaryens themselves found that distasteful and perverse, basically. Aegon the Conqueror himself repeatedly rejected more wives and didn't allow/offer his sons more than one wife, King Aenys wasn't forced to disapprove of Maegor's second marriage, he did that all by himself, forcing him into exile and going to great lengths to repair Maegor's true marriage, Jaehaerys I's abhorred by Saera's suggestion to take more than one husband, and the kings after him never even considered polygamy as a way to settle the succession or resolve family matters.

In that sense, the Targaryens themselves didn't like or wanted to do this, not even the most corrupt specimen.

If the Faith were to herald or cheer Aegon as Aegon the Conqueror come again they might not have that many issues with him having more than one wife.

But of course - if they had issues with that then Aegon taking two or more wives could also be the beginning of his descent into tyranny.

I'd consider that an interesting plot since we are not going to get any Targaryen incest unless Tyrion and Dany are half-siblings and marry (although that is never going to be 'conclusively proven', so people might not view it as incest even if it happened), so perhaps George is going to use polygamy as a controversial marriage practice that's going to cause things to go haywire.

Dany-Jon are aunt and nephew, something that barely qualifies as incest by Westerosi standards.

12 hours ago, rotting sea cow said:

This bugs me. A lot. I understand that polygamy is undesirable for the Westerosi society because it messes up the rules in inheritance, very important in a feudal society (Valyrians didn't have that problems, riding a dragon was all what mattered probably). Besides that, I don't find evidence of being a sin, unlike incest, which was nevertheless repeatedly allowed by the Faith.  Yet, we don't see other polygamy examples during the Targaryen rule.

Oh, there is such evidence:

Quote

The accord between the Faith and the Iron Throne continued all through the reign of Aegon I. From 11 AC to 37 AC, six High Septons wore the crystal crown; His Grace remained on good terms with each of them, calling at the Starry Sept each time he came to Oldtown. Yet the question of incestuous marriage remained, simmering below the courtesies like poison. Whilst the High Septons of King Aegon’s reign never spoke out against the king’s marriage to his sisters, neither did they declare it to be lawful. The humbler members of the Faith—village septons, holy sisters, begging brothers, Poor Fellows—still believed it sinful for brother to lie with sister, or for a man to take two wives.

It is not played up as much as incest but this is hardly surprising - incest is the real Targaryen tradition, the thing they really want to do and feel they have to do. However, it is quite clear that the Faith as practiced in Westeros views polygamy as sinful.

And I honestly don't think polygamy would be a problem for most Westerosi kings or lords if they could do it with impunity ... or rather: if the religious and moral and legal framework of the society they lived in allowed polygamy. What powerful man doesn't want a harem? Succession is dealt with by primogeniture as it always was. And it is not that a couple of wives at the same time produce more heirs three or four wives in succession do.

There is also this striking interpretation of Jaehaerys I about the cause of the Faith Militant Uprising which indicates that the Faith viewed Maegor's second wedding as worse than the marriage of Aegon and Rhaena:

Quote

With secrecy finally at an end, the king and his court waited to see how the realm would respond. Jaehaerys had concluded that the violent opposition that had greeted his brother Aegon’s marriage had several causes. Their uncle Maegor’s taking of a second wife in 39 AC, in defiance of both the High Septon and his own brother, King Aenys, had shattered the delicate understanding between the Iron Throne and the Starry Sept, so the marriage of Aegon and Rhaena had been seen as a further outrage. The denunciation thus provoked had lit a fire across the land, and the Swords and Stars had taken up the torches, along with a score of pious lords who feared the gods more than their king. Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaena had been little known amongst the smallfolk, and they had begun their progress without dragons (in large part because Aegon was not yet a dragonrider), which left them vulnerable to the mobs that sprung up to attack them in the riverlands.

In combination with Jaehaerys I's drastic reaction to Saera's suggestion she could have three husbands:

Quote

“I will be married,” the princess [Saera] said. “Why shouldn’t I be? You were married at my age. I shall be wedded and bedded, but to whom? Jonah and Roy both love me, I could take one of them, but they are both such boys. Stinger does not love me, but he makes me laugh and sometimes makes me scream. I could marry all three of them, why not? Why should I have just one husband? The Conqueror had two wives, and Maegor had six or eight.”

She had gone too far. Jaehaerys rose to his feet and descended from the Iron Throne, his face a mask of rage. “You would compare yourself to Maegor? Is that who you aspire to be?” His Grace had heard enough. “Take her back to her bedchamber,” he told his guards, “and keep her there until I send for her again.”

When the princess heard his words, she rushed toward him, crying, “Father, Father!” but Jaehaerys turned his back on her, and Gyles Morrigen caught her by the arm and wrenched her away. She would not go of her own accord, so the guards were forced to drag her from the hall, wailing and sobbing and calling for her father.

as well as the way as Queen Alysanne dealt with Lucamore Strong:

Quote

Then Queen Alysanne spoke up, saying, “You made a mockery of your oaths as a knight of the Kingsguard, but those were not the only vows you broke. You dishonored your marriage vows as well, not once but thrice. None of these women are lawfully wed, so these children I see behind you are bastards one and all. They are the true innocents in this, ser. Your wives were ignorant of one another, I am told, but each of them must surely have known that you were a White Sword, a knight of the Kingsguard. To that extent they share your guilt, as does whatever drunken septon you found to marry you. For them some mercy may be warranted, but for you … I will not have you near my lord, ser.”

This makes it clear that in the eyes of one (or even the) greatest queen House Targaryen ever gave to Westeros a polygamous marriage is invalid by default. There is no indication that she would have a different view if Ser Lucamore had been a Targaryen by birth.

12 hours ago, rotting sea cow said:

I think that Rhaegar and Lyanna married with witnesses present. Probably a few of Rhaegar's friends, a maester and maybe, maybe some septon and on front of a tree. Otherwise, I don't think the nature of the marriage was widely known.

I think if there was a wedding there, it must have been more public and the cause for their disappearance ... and in no small part the cause of Robert's Rebellion. Even if it wasn't a big public wedding with many guests and all, Rhaegar and Lya must have announced it afterwards the way Maegor and Alys did after their wedding for it to have an effect.

Having just a secret wedding which was never revealed to the public during both their lifetimes would defeat the purpose of there being a wedding.

12 hours ago, rotting sea cow said:

Euron maybe. The ironborn culture has more room for these things.

Oh, with Euron I'm thinking more about multiple rock wives/normal wives. He seems to be the kind of guy who wouldn't care about convention at all. No idea who he could marry besides Cersei (while Dany is not available).

[Mordred]

15 hours ago, rotting sea cow said:

The later. But I don't think it will be too relevant overall. It will matter mostly for Dany. That is. If Dany claims being Rhaegar's heir, she has to  acknowledge Jon and be consistent with the Targaryen's  traditions, which is another reason why the lack of polygamy examples during the Targaryen's dynasty bugs me.

Rhaegar was never, not at any time, a king.  Daenerys is the direct heir of King Aerys II and King Viserys III.  Rhaegar has been kicked out of the picture.  She does not have to claim a Rhaegar anything.  Rhaegar does not count towards anything that she will need.  

[FictionIsntReal]

15 hours ago, rotting sea cow said:

I think that Rhaegar and Lyanna married with witnesses present. Probably a few of Rhaegar's friends, a maester and maybe, maybe some septon and on front of a tree.

Why a maester?

[Frey family reunion]

16 hours ago, rotting sea cow said:

I think that Rhaegar and Lyanna married with witnesses present. Probably a few of Rhaegar's friends, a maester and maybe, maybe some septon and on front of a tree. Otherwise, I don't think the nature of the marriage was widely known.

Where is the caterer and wedding planner?

[rotting sea cow]

13 hours ago, FictionIsntReal said:

Why a maester?

Someone had to write a registry

 

15 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

Nor sure what you mean there - Dany claims to be her father's heir, not Rhaegar's.

my bad. Still she has to recognize Rhaegar's heirs.

The issue here is more than legal. I don't think that Jon will ever try to claim the throne. I don't think either that Jon's parentage will be widely known or people will flock to his banner. I think the issue will be more personal. For Dany, he will represent an hypothetical  legal threat and a clash with her perceptions of Rhaegar. For Jon a confrontation with his identity.

 

15 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

That could be ... but the Faith can be pragmatic. The main issue with Targaryens not practicing polygamy is not just that the Faith may have frowned upon that practice, but also that the Targaryens themselves found that distasteful and perverse, basically. Aegon the Conqueror himself repeatedly rejected more wives and didn't allow/offer his sons more than one wife, King Aenys wasn't forced to disapprove of Maegor's second marriage, he did that all by himself, forcing him into exile and going to great lengths to repair Maegor's true marriage, Jaehaerys I's abhorred by Saera's suggestion to take more than one husband, and the kings after him never even considered polygamy as a way to settle the succession or resolve family matters.

Well. What you describe is the issue I have with the polygamy thing. The Targaryens married brother and sister for generations, still we don't find more examples of polygamy in the complementary works, despite that it's a clear way out for Rhaegar-Lyanna marriage. Much better solution than an annulment, which would paint Rhaegar in very very bad light. 

 

15 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

If the Faith were to herald or cheer Aegon as Aegon the Conqueror come again they might not have that many issues with him having more than one wife.

Aegon VI is not the Conqueror. We know that.

15 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

Oh, there is such evidence:

Thanks for the quote. As I said. It's really an issue with the complementary works re the main series. Isn't the reason why you are asking?

 

15 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

And I honestly don't think polygamy would be a problem for most Westerosi kings or lords if they could do it with impunity ... or rather: if the religious and moral and legal framework of the society they lived in allowed polygamy. What powerful man doesn't want a harem? Succession is dealt with by primogeniture as it always was. And it is not that a couple of wives at the same time produce more heirs three or four wives in succession do.

primogeniture is already complicated with a single wife. What if the older brother is an idiot and the second a capable guy? This is the argument of Tarly re:Sam. Now imagine this with two o more wife. And in the end it doesn't matter for whoever lustful and powerful Lord. He can have all the women he wishes without these complications.

 

15 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

I think if there was a wedding there, it must have been more public and the cause for their disappearance ... and in no small part the cause of Robert's Rebellion. Even if it wasn't a big public wedding with many guests and all, Rhaegar and Lya must have announced it afterwards the way Maegor and Alys did after their wedding for it to have an effect.

I don't think so. Otherwise more characters should be aware of that which doesn't seem to be the case. I know GRRM can dance around big things to be revealed later but I don't this is the case.

15 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

Having just a secret wedding which was never revealed to the public during both their lifetimes would defeat the purpose of there being a wedding.

Probably, Rhaegar wanted to reveal that weeding after a time he can manage whatever political gymnastic he wished to perform. He never got a chance.

 

[rotting sea cow]

13 hours ago, FictionIsntReal said:

Why a maester?

Someone had to record the whole damn thing if they ever wanted to have some sort of credibility.

[Bloodraven’s Spider]

@Lord Varys Why would the faith want to help Aegon? They can have total control of the crown without him if they were to depose of Lannister/Baratheon power.

[Lord Varys]

Just now, Bloodraven’s Spider said:

@Lord Varys Why would the faith want to help Aegon? They can have total control of the crown without him if they were to depose of Lannister/Baratheon power.

This has to do with the sparrow movement as such.

They are all commoners, even the new High Septon. They worship Blessed Baelor and look for a savior. The High Septon won't see himself as that savior, rather as his prophet or guiding hand - a John the Baptist to Jesus, if you will.

And the way the High Septon has now antagonized both the Lannisters and the Tyrells - which neither power would forget, even if the issues with the queens were resolved to to satisfaction of both houses - means he might need a powerful new ally. Mace Tyrell could openly attack the Faith now that Ser Kevan is dead.

In such a scenario Aegon and the Faith could enter into a powerful new alliance, with the Faith Militant effectively becoming a strong part of Aegon's new force.

Things like that are very subtly prepared, for instance, with Bonifer Hasty and his Holy Hundred gaining control of Harrenhal. Hasty was the man Queen Rhaella was in love with and he is a very pious fellow now. He and his men are likely going to join the Warrior's Sons and, due to their numbers, should be able to shape the policy of the order, pushing it very strongly into Aegon's camp.

I'm not sure that's going to result in Aegon gaining enough power and authority to enter into a polygamous eventually, but it certainly will ensure that we are going to see Aegon as a king wielding as much authority as Baelor the Blessed had over the Faith.

There is a reason why a Targaryen king is one of the most pious and worshipped saints in the history of the Faith (in fact the only 'saint as such' we get for the Faith is Baelor the Blessed). This gives them informal/spiritual capital a Targaryen pretender could exploit. And Aegon was trained in the Faith by Lemore.

[Bloodraven’s Spider]

1 minute ago, Lord Varys said:

This has to do with the sparrow movement as such.

They are all commoners, even the new High Septon. They worship Blessed Baelor and look for a savior. The High Septon won't see himself as that savior, rather as his prophet or guiding hand - a John the Baptist to Jesus, if you will.

And the way the High Septon has now antagonized both the Lannisters and the Tyrells - which neither power would forget, even if the issues with the queens were resolved to to satisfaction of both houses - means he might need a powerful new ally. Mace Tyrell could openly attack the Faith now that Ser Kevan is dead.

In such a scenario Aegon and the Faith could enter into a powerful new alliance, with the Faith Militant effectively becoming a strong part of Aegon's new force.

Things like that are very subtly prepared, for instance, with Bonifer Hasty and his Holy Hundred gaining control of Harrenhal. Hasty was the man Queen Rhaella was in love with and he is a very pious fellow now. He and his men are likely going to join the Warrior's Sons and, due to their numbers, should be able to shape the policy of the order, pushing it very strongly into Aegon's camp.

I'm not sure that's going to result in Aegon gaining enough power and authority to enter into a polygamous eventually, but it certainly will ensure that we are going to see Aegon as a king wielding as much authority as Baelor the Blessed had over the Faith.

There is a reason why a Targaryen king is one of the most pious and worshipped saints in the history of the Faith (in fact the only 'saint as such' we get for the Faith is Baelor the Blessed). This gives them informal/spiritual capital a Targaryen pretender could exploit. And Aegon was trained in the Faith by Lemore.

Thats all true but Aegon is not nearly as pious as Baelor. He understands the faith and will recognize their importance. He also knows his history and knows how dangerous an armed faith militant can be for the crown. Perhaps they forge an alliance but I’m more then certain all his advisors will council him to disarm the faith as quick as possible.

[corbon]

6 hours ago, rotting sea cow said:

Someone had to record the whole damn thing if they ever wanted to have some sort of credibility.

I don't think so.

Think about if Rhaegar had won at the Trident and ended the rebellion, as was surely his aim and expectation (see his chat with Jaime as he was leaving).
He returns home. He brings out Lyanna and his child. He declares she is his wife, and this is his son, and he treats them as such. He has witnesses of high rank and impeccable character (Dayne and Whent) to the marriage.

There will be none who can credibly argue against it.
Any who try will be calling the Crown Prince (possibly regent or king by then), Ser Arthur Dayne of the Kingsguard, and Ser Oswell Whent of the Kingsguard liars, Lyanna Stark a liar and whore and the baby a bastard. 
Who exactly is going to do that And what for? Rhaegar's just defeated the rebels and ended the rebellion. Robert has lost, Ned Stark (or Benjen) isn't going to call Lyanna a whore and liar and destroy her status and their new access to power and the Martell's aren't going to go against the rest of the 7 kingdoms alone, and still have Aegon as Rhaegar's heir anyway.