Isn't it strange that Cersei was Rhaegar's only marriage offer before he married Elia?

[Odej]

I mean, by the time Rhaegar was 10 years old even if queen Rhaella had gave him a living sister it will would be many years before she could married him. During Aerys's reign the targareyns could be counted on one hand, they really need expand their numbers and Rhaegar got married late by targaryen's standard. No other lord had the same idea as Tywin in offering a daughter, niece, granddaughter, whatever as a wife to the prince?

I wonder if this could be a Maester's conspiration thing (if there is one) and that somehow the lords were manipulated by their maesters into marrying their daugthers among other noble houses rather than seeking a royal marriage.

Or Martin could have just been lazy when he wrote the matter of Rhaegar's bride. 

Edited September 21 by Odej

[Lee-Sensei]

I think Martin was just lazy. I'm sure that Rhaegar had many other offers.

[Daeron the Daring]

I mean, it could be that there was just simple hesitation. Aerys clearly found everyone unfit to marry his son (until he was somewhat forced to settle for someone), and it may have been common sense to think that Tywin will propose a marriage between the two, so people just didn't want to step in the way. 

But Rhaegar was in a similar situation to Edmure. Neither him, nor Hoster was in a rush to find a match for the heir to the Riverlands, altough he was the last male in line, and much older than Rhaegar was.

Situations like this in medieval times weren't the rule, but they certainly weren't rare.

[BRANDON GREYSTARK]

I'm sure he had many , the one I find it hard to believe is that Steffon and Cassana Baratheon could not find a suitable dragonborn princess in Essos .

[SaffronLady]

Has anyone made a list of eligible known highborn matches for Rhaegar? Maybe we could get some answers to some other questions with this list (i.e. Why did Rhaegar choose Lyanna to be the ice in a song of ice and fire?)

[John Suburbs]

On 9/21/2023 at 2:17 PM, Odej said:

I mean, by the time Rhaegar was 10 years old even if queen Rhaella had gave him a living sister it will would be many years before she could married him. During Aerys's reign the targareyns could be counted on one hand, they really need expand their numbers and Rhaegar got married late by targaryen's standard. No other lord had the same idea as Tywin in offering a daughter, niece, granddaughter, whatever as a wife to the prince?

I wonder if this could be a Maester's conspiration thing (if there is one) and that somehow the lords were manipulated by their maesters into marrying their daugthers among other noble houses rather than seeking a royal marriage.

Or Martin could have just been lazy when he wrote the matter of Rhaegar's bride. 

No other lord had the standing of Tywin Lannister, Hand of the King. And even then, Tywin did not make the offer until the tourney at Lannisport in 276 when Rhaegar was 17 and Cersei was 10.

And it's not accurate to say that no other lord had the same idea as Tywin. I'm sure all the lords with eligible daughters began conspiring to wed the crown once it got the point that there would be no eligible sister, nor any Velaryons or Celtigars that we know of, for him to wed. None were as foolish as to make a public offer, however, given that the odds of rejection are high and the insult would be known across the land.