Summary
No matter how dramaticHouse of the Dragongets, it’s important to remember that the Targaryen dynasty will survive. The founding family of the Iron Throne existed before Rhaenyra and friends, and it will exist beyond them. The Targaryens will rule over the Seven Kingdoms for almost three-hundred years, and in that time, seventeen monarchs will sit the throne.
Not every one of those Kings was good, or even competent, at their job. That’s the nature of monarchy, unfortunately: sometimes the family tree has some bad apples. But some of the kings truly did earn their title. These are the best Targaryen monarchs to serve the realm.
131-157 AC
Mother
Rhaenyra Targaryen
Aegon III has a difficult reputation. He was terribly depressed for much of his reign, which makes sense as he was asurvivorof the Dance of the Dragons. He saw his mother eaten by adragonwhen he was just a child. That’d make anyone cold.
But despite his dark nature, Aegon III’s reign can best be summed in his own words: “Give the food to the hungry. Full bellies and dancing bears shall be my policy.” Aegon III wasn’t suited for politics but he ruled as fairly as he could, with a mind to the smallfolk. Considering the behavior of other Targaryens, that is admirable.
161-171 AC
Daenaera Velaryon
Baelor the Blessed is hard to describe. To some people, he is the finest king to ever sit the Iron Throne. To others he is just another example of the madness that runs in the Targaryen family tree. His piety is either holy or insanity.
But either way, it can’t be denied that Baelor did a lot for his people. He is the most beloved figure of the Targaryen dynasty by the smallfolk, and his kindness towards them is still remembered. Eddard Stark’s death on the steps of Baelor’s Great Sept has lasting repercussions in the main series because of Baelor’s saintly status.
1-37 AC
Valaena Velaryon
Aegon the Conqueror’s queens were essentially monarchs in their own right. They were the only queens who ruled independently of their king, and they sat the Iron Throne when Aegon was not in attendance. Visenya was the first bride of Aegon and the queen who ruled the longest at his side.
Visenya was both cold and passionate, just as comfortable in armor as she was in a dress. She served as counselor to her husband, and even founded the Kingsguard. She also served as advisor to her step-son, Aenys I, and was chief advisor to her son Maegor. While not kind or gentle, Visenya did rule competently and helped keep the kingdom united in the early days after the conquest.
1-10 AC
The second of the Conqueror’s brides, Rhaenys was gentle where Visenya was harsh. While Rhaenys was just as competent in war as her siblings, and an even better dragon rider, she chose to rule through diplomacy.
Under Rhaenys’s rule Westeros began to prosper. She took special pleasure in making marriages and helped unite the houses of their new kingdom together. Without her aid, the kingdom would have remained seven separate provinces. She also instituted laws against domestic abuse entirely on her own (Aegon was away at war). Rhaenys’s rule at Aegon’s side was short, but her influence would prove long lasting.
171–172 AC
Few kings of Westeros had as long or as strong a diplomatic career as Viserys II. Though Viserys II only ruled for one year as king, he spent over fifteen years as Hand to three kings. His wise rule ensured that his brother’s and nephews' reigns were as peaceful as they were.
Viserys, named for his grandfather Viserys I, was the second son of Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen. He spent much of his childhood as a hostage in Essos, having been thought lost during the Dance of the Dragons. He was a stern, shrewd man with a keen sense of diplomacy.
184-209 AC
Naerys Targaryen
Daeron II was everything that his father, the loathsome Aegon the Unworthy, wasn’t. He was gentle, kind, and above all clever. He was a great king, but he was almosttoodifferent from his father.
His only ‘flaw’ was that his paternity was in dispute. Daeron was the child of Queen Naerys Targaryen, but there was speculation that his true father was Aemon the Dragonknight. This doubt, combined with his father’s many bastard children, led to the First Blackfyre Rebellion. Daeron II was able to crush the Rebellion, but the Blackfyres would continue to haunt the Targaryens for the rest of their time on the throne.
48-100 AC
Alyssa Velaryon
There may have been no Jaehaerys the Wise without Alysanne the Good. Jaehaerys’s wife, consort, and love served as his most loyal advisor, his closest companion, and his dearest friend from the time of their union to her death three years before his own.
Alysanne was noted for her cleverness even as a child. She survived the reign of Maegor the Cruel and married her brother shortly after he became king. She was heavily involved in his rule, and forged diplomatic connections that held the realm together. She attempted to improve the standing of women at the risk of her own marriage, but never quite succeeded. Still, Alysanne was as much part of Jaehaerys’s rule as he was. She served as an example of Targaryen womanhood and became the queen many women hoped to model themselves on.
48-103 AC
Many characters in A Song of Ice and Fire believe Jaehaerys to be the best king to ever sit the Iron Throne. Jaehaerys was wise, able, and compassionate, and he succeeded where his own father and his uncle had failed.
As king Jaehaerys ruled over decades of peace. He served the small and large alike, and created a world where generations would thrive. Jaehaerys’s worst mistakes were as a father, not king. He failed to set up proper succession laws, although he cannot be blamed for the early death of his children. It is tragic that his wonderful reign had such an adverse impact on his family, but his successes can’t be taken away.
233-259 AC
Dyanna Dayne
Aegon V was the fourth son of a fourth son. He never should have inherited the throne, but he did. During his time as king he was beloved by the smallfolk, having launched many reforms to make their lives better.
However Aegon V’s downfall came from love. He allowed his children to marry for love, just as he had married aBlackwoodfor love, but these love-matches broke betrothals. House Targaryen continued to weaken with no allies, and Aegon made a desperate choice.
He tried to hatch dragon eggs, and wound up accidentally killing most of his family in the Tragedy at Summerhall. His legacy ended in blood and fire, but that doesn’t change that Aegon the Unlikely was the last truly great Targaryen king.
