Reign of Aenys
When King Aegon dies, his son Aenys I takes the throne. Although Aenys was essentially a good man, he was weak to many. He was not a warrior like his brother Maegor, but a conciliator. As a child, he was fragile and sickly. For this reason, they thought that his mother, Rhaenys, had been conceived by someone else and not by Aegon. But these claims were utterly dispelled when Aenys’ dragon egg was broken, and the dragon Quicksilver accepted him.
During his reign, Aenys gives his father’s sword, Blackfyre, to his brother Maegor. This gesture, made as a gesture, was interpreted as weakness. Maegor possessed both his father’s sword and his dragon, Balerion.
Aenys was so unpopular that riots broke out in Westeros. Red Harren, the grandson of Harren the Black, takes Harrenhal. Jonos Arryn revolts in Vale, kills his brother Ronnel Arryn and takes the throne. In the iron islands, a man who says he came out of the sea and came from the side of the Drowned God begins gathering people around him. But the real problem appears in Dorne. A man called the Vulture King gathers 30,000 men and attacks Westeros. Although Deria Martell says they have nothing to do with the war and are trying to prevent it, no one believes them.
Although Aenys tries to resolve the issue not with violence but with the letters he sends, he cannot succeed. For this reason, Maegor steps in. Reuniting with the Royce family in Vale, Maegor regains the throne, and in the Iron Islands, the Greyjoys stop the noise by killing Lodos, who claims to have come out of the sea.
The army of 30 thousand people from Dorne is only stopped by the reunification of 6 different families. But when his king’s hand is killed by Red Harren in the battle in the Riverlands, king Aenys makes his brother Maegor the king’s hand. Although 2 years pass quietly, the fact that Maegor does not have a son creates a new problem. When Maegor’s first wife, Ceryse Hightower, could not have children, Maegor married Allys Horroway. But Maegor makes the second marriage before finishing the first. This causes serious trouble for the lords and the council, and Maegor is exiled from Westeros in the 40th year after the Conquest. Taking his wives and his dragon, Maegor settles in Pentos.
In the 41st year, another problem arises. The king’s daughter Rhaena and her son Aegon decide to marry, as is their custom. But this decision does not please the High Septon and the faithful. Saying they tolerate King Aegon, the High Septon openly expresses their opposition to a new incest relationship. But Aenys makes the marriage happen despite everything. Thereupon, the High Septon declared the king abominable and started a rebellion with the militants of the faithful. Unable to respond to the uprising, king Aenys flees to Dragonstone. Aenys still refuses, even though her mother’s sister, Visenya, says he’s a coward and should shrug off like the Targaryens. Unable to find a solution to the problems, Aenys gets worse day by day, gets sick, and dies within 5 years. Allegedly, Visenya poisoned and killed him day by day. After all, the first thing Visenya does after Aenys’s death is to go to Pentos and bring back her son Maegor.
Maegor’s Cruelty
With Aenys dead, the king was supposed to be Aegon. But it was Maegor who could answer the riots in the city and Westeros. Rhaena and Aegon were under siege at the time. Arriving at King’s Landing, Maegor challenged the faithful. A duel, known as the Judgment of the Seven, was held, with 7 knights on each side selected. The faithful had 7 knights ready. But Maegor had to choose his knights from among the volunteers. At the end of the fight, everyone dies except Maegor. But he falls into a coma. After being in a coma for a long time, when Maegor awakens, it is thought to be a sign for the kingdom. But Maegor wakes up with great hatred and desires to burn anyone who opposes him. It is during this period that Maegor earns his nickname, The Cruel. Riding on Balerion, Maegor burns the temple of the faithful and everyone in it one by one.
After these events, Maegor built the Red Keep, a castle with many secret tunnels inside. After the end of the castle, Maegor gives a 3-day banquet to everyone who works in it and then has them all killed one by one.
The problems were endless. Maegor’s becoming king angered Aegon. Desiring the crown he deserved, Aegon marched to King’s Landing with his dragon and the armies he had pursued. Confronting in God’s Eye, the two Targaryens took their dragons and attacked each other. But Quicksilver didn’t stand a chance against Balerion. Along with the dragon, Aegon died. Thus, the first sibling massacre among the Targaryens took place.
Maegor still had no children. He took a sixth wife to have a child. One of them was Rhaena, the wife of the deceased king. Rhaena remained silent so that her children, Aerea and Rhaella, would not be harmed. In the 44th year after the Conquest, Maegor’s mother, Visenya, dies. His sword, Dark Sister, is stolen by Aenys’ wife, Alyssa Velaryon, and given to her son, Jaehaerys.
Maegor becomes crueler and crueler over the years. The lords of Westeros, tired of his oppressive regime, gather and start a campaign for Jaehaerys to become king. Rhaena also takes her dragon, flees from King’s Landing, and joins them to claim her brother’s throne. Even though Jaehaerys and his brother and future wife, Alysanne, ride their dragons and come to King’s Landing with the army behind them, they find Maegor dead. It is still unknown who killed Maegor, who was found dead while sitting on his throne.
Sources and Further Information
- R. Martin, George. “A Game of Thrones,” Bantam (2002)
- R. Martin, George. “A Clash of Kings,” Bantam (2002)
- R. Martin, George. “A Storm of Swords,” Bantam (2003)
- R. Martin, George. “A Feast for Crows,” Bantam (2011)
- R. Martin, George. “A Dance with Dragons,” Bantam (2011)
- R. Martin, George. “Fire & Blood,” Bantam (2018)
- A Wiki of Ice and Fire
- Wiki of Westeros
- Alt Shift X, YouTube
- Whycreate, YouTube