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{{Spoilers}}
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{{Mature}}
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{{CTan
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|tab1 = Villain Overview
 
|tab3 = Gallery}}
 
{{Villain Infobox
 
{{Villain Infobox
|image = Rhaenyra.jpg
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|image = <gallery>
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Queen Rhaenyra HOTD.webp|Adult (TV Series)
|size = 200
 
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Rhaenyra Teen.webp|Teenager (TV Series)
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Rhaenyra.jpg|Adult (Novels)
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Young_rhaenyra_targaryen.jpg|Teenager (Novels)
 
</gallery>
 
|fullname = Rhaenyra Targaryen
 
|fullname = Rhaenyra Targaryen
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|alias = {{Scroll box|Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen<br>
|alias = Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, The Realm's Delight, the Whore of Dragonstone, King Maegor with Teats, Maegor's Teats, the Half-Year Queen, Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen
 
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The Realm's Delight<br>
|origin = ''A Song of Ice and Fire''
 
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The Whore of Dragonstone<br>
|occupation = Queen of the Seven Kingdoms (claimant, disputed), Princess of Dragonstone
 
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King Maegor with Teats<br>
|skills = Authority, charming personality
 
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Maegor's Teats<br>
|hobby = Ruling her kingdom.
 
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The Half-Year Queen<br>
|goals = Rule the Seven Kingdoms (failed), defeat her enemies (failed), protect her family.
 
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Rhaenyra the Pretender<br>
|type of villain = Tyrantess, Usurper, Traitor}} {{Quote|Daemon Blackfyre, the brothers Toyne, the Vulture King, Grand Maester Hareth... traitors have always paid with their lives ... even Rhaenyra Targaryen. She was daughter to one king and mother to two more, yet she died a traitor's death for trying to usurp her brother's crown.|[[Stannis Baratheon]], to Davos Seaworth}}
 
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The Black Queen<br>
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The Dragon Queen<br>
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The Bitch Queen<br>
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Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen<br>
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'''Claimed Formal Style:'''<br>
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Queen Rhaenyra of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lady of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm}}
 
|origin = ''{{w|A Song of Ice and Fire}}''
 
|occupation = Queen of the Seven Kingdoms <small>(claimant, disputed)</small><br>
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Princess of Dragonstone<br>
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Member of [[House Targaryen]]<br>
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Leader of the Blacks
 
|skills = Authority<br>
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Charming personality <small>(formerly; in her youth)</small><br>
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Dragonriding<br>
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Leadership<br>
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Political influence<br>
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Loving mother
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|hobby = Spending time with her loved ones.<br>
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Protecting her family.
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|goals = Rule the Seven Kingdoms.<br>
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Defeat her enemies <small>(both failed)</small>.<br>
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Protect her family <small>(partially succeeded)</small>.
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|type of villain = Paranoid Tyrant
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|crimes = War instigation <br>
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High treason <small>(TV series; implied in the novels)</small><br>
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Wrongful executions<br>
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Usurpation <small>(arguably)</small><br>
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Conspiracy<br>
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Abuse of power<br>
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Unlawful imprisonment<br>
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Torture<br>
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Mutilation}} {{Quote|When I am queen, I will create a new order.|Rhaenyra Targaryen to Rhaenys Targaryen.}} {{Quote|Everyone says Targaryens are closer to gods than to men, but they say that because of our dragons. Without them, we're just like everyone else.|Rhaenyra to her father Viserys I.}}
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'''Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen''', disputedly '''Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen''', is a major character in the ''{{w|Works based on A Song of Ice and Fire|A Song of Ice and Fire}}'' novel series and the main protagonist of the television adaptation ''{{w|House of the Dragon}}''.
   
'''Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen''' is an historical figure from ''A Song of Ice and Fire''. She was the first-born and only surviving child of King Viserys I's first marriage, to his cousin Aemma Arryn. To prevent his brother [[Daemon Targaryen]] becoming king, Viserys named Rhaenyra his heir when she was 8 and since then she expected to become the first reigning Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. However Viserys later remarried to Alicent Hightower, and had sons. Alicent tried to have her eldest son [[Aegon II Targaryen|Aegon]] named heir, but Viserys refused to change the succession. Rhaenyra was married to Ser Laenor Velaryon, heir to Driftmark, and had three sons, Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey Velaryon. However despite having two Valyrian-looking parents, all three had brown hair and pug noses, similar to Harwin Strong, their mother's rumored lover. This led to accusations they were bastards. Laenor was later murdered by Ser Qarl Correy, possibly his lover, who disappeared after the murder. Shortly after this Daemon married his niece (he was rumored to have paid Ser Qarl to murder Laenor, then murdered him). Daemon and Rhaenyra had two sons, the future Aegon III and Viserys II.
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Rhaenyra was the firstborn and only surviving child of King Viserys I's first marriage to his cousin Aemma Arryn. To prevent his brother [[Daemon Targaryen]] from becoming king, Viserys named Rhaenyra his heir when she was 8, and since then she had expected to become the first reigning Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. However, Viserys later remarried [[Alicent Hightower]] and had sons. Alicent tried to have her eldest son, [[Aegon II Targaryen|Prince Aegon]], named heir, but Viserys refused to change the succession.
   
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In ''House of the Dragon,'' she is portrayed by {{w|Emma D'Arcy}} as an adult and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milly_Alcock Milly Alcock] as an adolescent.
==History==
 
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__TOC__
[[File:Young_rhaenyra_targaryen.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Rhaenyra at the age of sixteen.]]When Viserys died Rhaenyra was on Dragonstone. Alicent and the Small Council decided Aegon should be King, as by the laws of succession a son came before a daughter. The only man who spoke for Rhaenyra, Lord Lyman Beesbury, was murdered by Ser Criston, though according to another account he died while imprisoned. On hearing of her brother's coronation Rhaenyra miscarried her daughter. Rhaenyra had her own coronation, her husband Daemon placing the crown on her head. She was supported by Laenor's father Lord Corlys Velaryon, Master of Driftmark and the richest man in the Seven Kingdoms.
 
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==Biography==
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Rhaenyra was the firstborn and only surviving child of King Viserys I's first marriage to his cousin Aemma Arryn. Rhaenyra became a dragonrider at the age of seven.
   
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To prevent his brother Daemon Targaryen from becoming king, Viserys named Rhaenyra his heir when she was 8, and since then she has expected to become the first reigning Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
Terms were sent to her by Aegon, offering her Dragonstone to be held after her by Jacaerys, and for Lucerys to be named heir to Driftmark. She refused. Jacaerys on his dragon was sent to gather the support of the Arryns, Manderlys, and Starks, and Lucerys on his dragon to Storm's End, in the hope Lord Borros Baratheon would support her. However though Jacaerys was successful Lucerys was not. He encountered his half-uncle [[Aemond Targaryen]], who had been sent to Storm's End for the same purpose. Borros forced Lucerys to leave, at which Aemond pursued Lucerys' dragon on his own dragon, and slew them both. In revenge Daemon sent the two men "Blood and Cheese" into the Red Keep, who murdered Aegon's heir Jaehaerys, fleeing with his head.
 
   
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However, Viserys later remarried to Alicent Hightower and had sons. Alicent tried to have her eldest son Aegon named heir, but Viserys refused to change the succession.
Aegon II was wounded at Rook's Rest in battle with Corlys wife Rhaenys Targaryen, who died in the battle. Jacaerys came up with the idea of recruiting dragonriders from the "dragonseeds", people who claimed illegitimate Targaryen blood. Corlys persuaded Rhaneyra to have Addam and Alyn, the sons of Marilda of Hull, legitimized as Velaryons and heirs to Driftmark, claiming they were the sons of Laenor. However due to Laenor not showing much interest in women and more in men, it is widely believed that Corlys was the true father of Addam and Alyn.
 
   
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Rhaenyra was married to Ser Laenor Velaryon, heir to Driftmark, and had three sons, Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey Velaryon. However, despite having two Valyrian-looking parents, all three had brown hair and pug noses, similar to Ser Harwin Strong, their mother's rumored lover. This led to accusations that they were bastards.
Among the dragonseeds were [[Hugh Hammer]], [[Ulf the White]], and Nettles. Jacaerys was killed in the Battle of the Gullet, however, and Viserys taken by the fleet of the Kingdom of the Tree Daughters, though Rhaenyra's son Aegon escaped.
 
   
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Laenor was later murdered by Ser Qarl Correy, possibly his lover, who disappeared after the murder. Shortly after this, Daemon married his niece (he was rumored to have paid Ser Qarl to murder Laenor, then murdered him). Daemon and Rhaenyra had two sons, Aegon and Viserys.
Aemond had become regent and took most of King's Landing's forces to retake Harrenhal from Daemon Targaryen. However Rhaenyra took King's Landing, though her half-brother escaped. Yet when she took power many were executed, and taxes increased, leading to King's Landing turning against her. She was nicknamed "King Maegor with Teats", after [[Maegor I Targaryen|Maegor the Cruel]]. While King's Landing starved she held a lavish party to declare Joffrey Prince of Dragonstone.
 
   
 
When Viserys died, Rhaenyra was on Dragonstone. Alicent and the Small Council decided Aegon should be king, as by the laws of succession, a son came before a daughter. The only man who spoke for Rhaenyra, Lord Lyman Beesbury, was murdered by Ser Criston, though according to another account, he died while imprisoned. On hearing of her brother's coronation, Rhaenyra miscarried her daughter. Rhaenyra had her own coronation, with her husband, Daemon, placing the crown on her head. She was supported by Laenor's father, Lord Corlys Velaryon, Master of Driftmark and the richest man in the Seven Kingdoms.
Later Hugh and Ulf turned against Rhaenyra's forces at the Battle of Tumbleton, attacking her army and sacking the town. Rhaenyra then declared the Dragonseeds traitors. When Corlys helped his heir Addam Velaryon escape, Rhaenyra had him imprisoned. She sent a message to Lord Mooton ordering him to execute the dragon-rider Nettles, her husband's lover. However the Maester warned Daemon, and Nettles escaped. Daemon and Aemond then slew each other in the Battle over the God's Eye.
 
   
 
Terms were sent to her by Aegon, offering her Dragonstone to be held after her by Jacaerys and for Lucerys to be named heir to Driftmark. She refused. Jacaerys on his dragon was sent to gather the support of the Arryns, Manderlys, and Starks, and Lucerys on his dragon to Storm's End, in the hope Lord Borros Baratheon would support her. However, though Jacaerys was successful, Lucerys was not. He encountered his half-uncle, [[Aemond Targaryen]], who had been sent to Storm's End for the same purpose. Borros forced Lucerys to leave, at which point Aemond pursued Lucerys' dragon on his own and slew them both. In revenge, Daemon sent the two men "Blood and Cheese" into the Red Keep, who murdered Aegon's heir Jaehaerys, fleeing with his head.
A riot in King's Landing led to the deaths of all the dragons in the city, along with Prince Joffrey. Rhaenyra sold her crown to buy passage to Dragonstone. However Aegon had fled there and taken the island. He fed Rhaenyra to his dragon Sunfyre, before the eyes of her son Aegon. However Aegon II died the following year from poison, leading to Rhaenyra's son succeeding him as Aegon III.
 
   
 
Aegon II was wounded at Rook's Rest in battle with Corlys' wife, Rhaenys Targaryen, who died in the battle. Jacaerys came up with the idea of recruiting dragonriders from the "dragonseeds," people who claimed illegitimate Targaryen blood. Corlys persuaded Rhaneyra to have Addam and Alyn, the sons of Marilda of Hull, legitimized as Velaryons and heirs to Driftmark, claiming they were the sons of Laenor. However, due to Laenor not showing much interest in women and more in men, it is widely believed that Corlys was the true father of Addam and Alyn.
Though the current line of Targaryens is descended from Rhaenyra, the official histories do not refer to her as a Queen, and treat her as a usurper, even her descendant Stannis Baratheon, though Aegon II is not regarded well either. Both of them are generally remembered negatively in the history of Westeros.
 
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==Gallery==
 
 
Among the dragonseeds were [[Hugh Hammer]], [[Ulf the White]], and Nettles. Jacaerys was killed in the Battle of the Gullet, however, and Viserys was taken by the fleet of the Kingdom of the Tree Daughters, though Rhaenyra's son Aegon escaped.
<gallery captiontextcolor="#d63429" bordercolor="#000000">
 
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Rhaenyra_sigil.png|Rhaenyra's personal banner with the heraldry of the houses Targaryen, Arryn, and Velaryon.
 
 
Aemond had become regent and took most of King's Landing's forces to retake Harrenhal from Daemon Targaryen. However, Rhaenyra took King's Landing, though her half-brother escaped. Yet when she took power, many were executed, and taxes increased, leading to King's Landing turning against her. She was nicknamed "King Maegor with Teats" after [[Maegor I Targaryen|Maegor the Cruel]]. While King's Landing starved, she held a lavish party to declare Joffrey Prince of Dragonstone.
</gallery>
 
  +
 
Later, Hugh and Ulf turned against Rhaenyra's forces at the Battle of Tumbleton, attacking her army and sacking the town. Rhaenyra then declared the Dragonseeds traitors. When Corlys helped his heir, Addam Velaryon, escape, Rhaenyra had him imprisoned. She sent a message to Lord Mooton ordering him to execute the dragon-rider Nettles, her husband's lover. However, the Maester warned Daemon, and Nettles escaped. Daemon and Aemond then slew each other in the Battle over the God's Eye.
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[[File:Rhaenyra's death.jpg|thumb|275px|Rhaenyra burns to death on her half-brother's orders.]]
 
A riot in King's Landing led to the deaths of all the dragons in the city, along with Prince Joffrey. Rhaenyra sold her crown to buy passage to Dragonstone. However, Aegon had fled there and taken the island. He fed Rhaenyra to his dragon, Sunfyre, before the eyes of her son, Aegon. However, Aegon II died the following year from poison, leading to Rhaenyra's son succeeding him as Aegon III Targaryen.
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The Dance of the Dragons claimed the lives of Rhaenyra's three eldest sons, but her two youngest sons by her second husband and uncle, Prince [[Daemon Targaryen]], survived. The war was officially over when King Aegon II died in 131 AC with no male issue and was succeeded by Rhaenyra's and Daemon's son, Aegon III Targaryen, who had personally witnessed his mother's death by the dragon Sunfyre. After Aegon III's death, his sons Daeron I and Baelor I would also die without any issue, and thus Rhaenyra and Daemon's second son would succeed them as King Viserys II Targaryen. The current Targaryen and [[House Baratheon|Baratheon]] lines both have Rhaenyra as a direct descendant.
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=== Legacy ===
 
{{Quote|[[Daemon I Blackfyre|Daemon Blackfyre]], the brothers Toyne, the [[Vulture King]], Grand Maester Hareth... traitors have always paid with their lives ... even Rhaenyra Targaryen. She was daughter to one king and mother to two more, yet she died a traitor's death for trying to usurp her brother's crown.|[[Stannis Baratheon]] to Davos Seaworth.}}
 
Though the current line of Targaryens is descended from Rhaenyra, the official histories do not refer to her as a queen and treat her as a usurper, though history would also not be kind to Aegon II. Both of them are generally remembered negatively as tyrants in the history of Westeros, with Rhaenyra being infamously remembered as a "grasping and vindictive woman" and "a queen as cruel as any king before her".
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Rhaenyra's time on the Iron Throne is remembered for countless mass executions and increasingly high taxes on the smallfolk, which led them to resentfully nickname her 'King [[Maegor I Targaryen|Maegor]] with teats.', which, a hundred years later, changed to 'Maegor with teats', which became a common curse over time amongst those living in King's Landing. According to Septon Eustace, during her short reign, it was noticed that after Rhaenyra descended from the Iron Throne, bleeding cuts were seen on her legs and on the palm of her left hand. Eustace claimed that while no one in the court dare speak the truth aloud, they nevertheless knew it in their minds; the Iron Throne had spurned Rhaenyra, and the days of her reign would not be long, which proved to be true.
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[[File:Rhaenyra Targaryen on the Iron Throne.jpg|thumb|325x325px|Rhaenyra sitting on the iron throne.]]
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When King [[Baelor I Targaryen]] died during his pious fasting, the line of succession became unclear, as Baelor didn't father any children. Some lords and smallfolk believed that the Iron Throne should pass to Princess Daena Targaryen, the eldest daughter of King Aegon III Targaryen. However, others recalled the troubled times during Rhaenyra's short reign, and they don't trust the idea of having a woman on the throne. As a result, the succession rights of Princess Daena and her sisters were dismissed, and their uncle, Prince Viserys Targaryen, was chosen to succeed Baelor as King Viserys II. Because Viserys was chosen over Daena, a permanent precedent was set. The royal succession laws were made to have all female heirs placed behind all possible male heirs and inherit the throne only when the entirety of the male line is extinct.
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The memory of Rhaenyra's life remains controversial as of the present; some, such as Stannis Baratheon, brand her as a traitor who tried to usurp her brother's crown, while to others she is seen as King Viserys' rightful heir. Ultimately, both Rhaenyra and King Aegon II proved to be unfit to rule, and the entirety of the Dance of the Dragons brought about nothing but mass death, destruction, and the near-annihilation of all the Targaryen dragons until they eventually went extinct during the reign of Aegon III, leaving a severely weakened [[House Targaryen]]. Despite this, the Targaryen Dynasty would continue to rule the realm for many years until it was eventually overthrown during Robert's Rebellion and replaced by the [[House Baratheon of King's Landing]].
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== Recent History ==
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=== ''A Storm of Swords'' ===
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Rhaenyra was mentioned by [[Stannis Baratheon]] as he named a list of those who died as traitors. Stannis mentions her as the daughter of one king (King Viserys I) and mother to two more (Aegon III & Viserys II), and she died a traitor's death for trying to usurp her brother's crown.
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=== ''A Feast for Crows'' ===
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Princess Arianne Martell cites Rhaenyra as a justification for her crowning of Princess Myrcella Baratheon.
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=== ''A Dance with Dragons'' ===
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[[Daenerys Targaryen]] recounts the Dance of the Dragons and how King Aegon III witnessed Rhaenyra being eaten by her brother's dragon.
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== Trivia ==
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*Rhaenyra rode Syrax at age seven.
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*In the history of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, up to the [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_Thrones present time], Rhaenyra is marked as a traitorous usurper rather than an heir.
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*So far in the television series ''House of the Dragon'', Rhaenyra seems to be slightly more noble than her novel counterpart, such as Daemon killing Vaemond Velaryon on his own instead of Rhaenyra having him do it and then feeding Vaemond's corpse to her dragon.
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**Given that the Dance of the Dragons has just started, the show may yet cover her descent into tyranny.
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==External Links==
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*[https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Rhaenyra_Targaryen Rhaenyra Targaryen] on the ''[https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Main_Page A Wiki of Ice and Fire]''.
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*{{Wiki|Rhaenyra Targaryen|Rhaenyra Targaryen|gameofthrones|''Game of Thrones''}}
   
== Notes ==
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==Navigation==
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{{A Song of Ice and Fire Villains}}
* Though Rhaenyra has sympathetic motives, having been declared her father's heir, her treatment of the dragonseeds and Velaryons, along with her tyranny means she is regarded as a villain.
 
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[[de:Rhaenyra Targaryen]]
 
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Latest revision as of 20:28, 10 March 2024

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Villain Overview

When I am queen, I will create a new order.
~ Rhaenyra Targaryen to Rhaenys Targaryen.
Everyone says Targaryens are closer to gods than to men, but they say that because of our dragons. Without them, we're just like everyone else.
~ Rhaenyra to her father Viserys I.

Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, disputedly Queen Rhaenyra I Targaryen, is a major character in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and the main protagonist of the television adaptation House of the Dragon.

Rhaenyra was the firstborn and only surviving child of King Viserys I's first marriage to his cousin Aemma Arryn. To prevent his brother Daemon Targaryen from becoming king, Viserys named Rhaenyra his heir when she was 8, and since then she had expected to become the first reigning Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. However, Viserys later remarried Alicent Hightower and had sons. Alicent tried to have her eldest son, Prince Aegon, named heir, but Viserys refused to change the succession.

In House of the Dragon, she is portrayed by Emma D'Arcy as an adult and Milly Alcock as an adolescent.

Biography

Rhaenyra was the firstborn and only surviving child of King Viserys I's first marriage to his cousin Aemma Arryn. Rhaenyra became a dragonrider at the age of seven.

To prevent his brother Daemon Targaryen from becoming king, Viserys named Rhaenyra his heir when she was 8, and since then she has expected to become the first reigning Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

However, Viserys later remarried to Alicent Hightower and had sons. Alicent tried to have her eldest son Aegon named heir, but Viserys refused to change the succession.

Rhaenyra was married to Ser Laenor Velaryon, heir to Driftmark, and had three sons, Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey Velaryon. However, despite having two Valyrian-looking parents, all three had brown hair and pug noses, similar to Ser Harwin Strong, their mother's rumored lover. This led to accusations that they were bastards.

Laenor was later murdered by Ser Qarl Correy, possibly his lover, who disappeared after the murder. Shortly after this, Daemon married his niece (he was rumored to have paid Ser Qarl to murder Laenor, then murdered him). Daemon and Rhaenyra had two sons, Aegon and Viserys.

When Viserys died, Rhaenyra was on Dragonstone. Alicent and the Small Council decided Aegon should be king, as by the laws of succession, a son came before a daughter. The only man who spoke for Rhaenyra, Lord Lyman Beesbury, was murdered by Ser Criston, though according to another account, he died while imprisoned. On hearing of her brother's coronation, Rhaenyra miscarried her daughter. Rhaenyra had her own coronation, with her husband, Daemon, placing the crown on her head. She was supported by Laenor's father, Lord Corlys Velaryon, Master of Driftmark and the richest man in the Seven Kingdoms.

Terms were sent to her by Aegon, offering her Dragonstone to be held after her by Jacaerys and for Lucerys to be named heir to Driftmark. She refused. Jacaerys on his dragon was sent to gather the support of the Arryns, Manderlys, and Starks, and Lucerys on his dragon to Storm's End, in the hope Lord Borros Baratheon would support her. However, though Jacaerys was successful, Lucerys was not. He encountered his half-uncle, Aemond Targaryen, who had been sent to Storm's End for the same purpose. Borros forced Lucerys to leave, at which point Aemond pursued Lucerys' dragon on his own and slew them both. In revenge, Daemon sent the two men "Blood and Cheese" into the Red Keep, who murdered Aegon's heir Jaehaerys, fleeing with his head.

Aegon II was wounded at Rook's Rest in battle with Corlys' wife, Rhaenys Targaryen, who died in the battle. Jacaerys came up with the idea of recruiting dragonriders from the "dragonseeds," people who claimed illegitimate Targaryen blood. Corlys persuaded Rhaneyra to have Addam and Alyn, the sons of Marilda of Hull, legitimized as Velaryons and heirs to Driftmark, claiming they were the sons of Laenor. However, due to Laenor not showing much interest in women and more in men, it is widely believed that Corlys was the true father of Addam and Alyn.

Among the dragonseeds were Hugh Hammer, Ulf the White, and Nettles. Jacaerys was killed in the Battle of the Gullet, however, and Viserys was taken by the fleet of the Kingdom of the Tree Daughters, though Rhaenyra's son Aegon escaped.

Aemond had become regent and took most of King's Landing's forces to retake Harrenhal from Daemon Targaryen. However, Rhaenyra took King's Landing, though her half-brother escaped. Yet when she took power, many were executed, and taxes increased, leading to King's Landing turning against her. She was nicknamed "King Maegor with Teats" after Maegor the Cruel. While King's Landing starved, she held a lavish party to declare Joffrey Prince of Dragonstone.

Later, Hugh and Ulf turned against Rhaenyra's forces at the Battle of Tumbleton, attacking her army and sacking the town. Rhaenyra then declared the Dragonseeds traitors. When Corlys helped his heir, Addam Velaryon, escape, Rhaenyra had him imprisoned. She sent a message to Lord Mooton ordering him to execute the dragon-rider Nettles, her husband's lover. However, the Maester warned Daemon, and Nettles escaped. Daemon and Aemond then slew each other in the Battle over the God's Eye.

Rhaenyra's death

Rhaenyra burns to death on her half-brother's orders.

A riot in King's Landing led to the deaths of all the dragons in the city, along with Prince Joffrey. Rhaenyra sold her crown to buy passage to Dragonstone. However, Aegon had fled there and taken the island. He fed Rhaenyra to his dragon, Sunfyre, before the eyes of her son, Aegon. However, Aegon II died the following year from poison, leading to Rhaenyra's son succeeding him as Aegon III Targaryen.

The Dance of the Dragons claimed the lives of Rhaenyra's three eldest sons, but her two youngest sons by her second husband and uncle, Prince Daemon Targaryen, survived. The war was officially over when King Aegon II died in 131 AC with no male issue and was succeeded by Rhaenyra's and Daemon's son, Aegon III Targaryen, who had personally witnessed his mother's death by the dragon Sunfyre. After Aegon III's death, his sons Daeron I and Baelor I would also die without any issue, and thus Rhaenyra and Daemon's second son would succeed them as King Viserys II Targaryen. The current Targaryen and Baratheon lines both have Rhaenyra as a direct descendant.

Legacy

Daemon Blackfyre, the brothers Toyne, the Vulture King, Grand Maester Hareth... traitors have always paid with their lives ... even Rhaenyra Targaryen. She was daughter to one king and mother to two more, yet she died a traitor's death for trying to usurp her brother's crown.
~ Stannis Baratheon to Davos Seaworth.

Though the current line of Targaryens is descended from Rhaenyra, the official histories do not refer to her as a queen and treat her as a usurper, though history would also not be kind to Aegon II. Both of them are generally remembered negatively as tyrants in the history of Westeros, with Rhaenyra being infamously remembered as a "grasping and vindictive woman" and "a queen as cruel as any king before her".

Rhaenyra's time on the Iron Throne is remembered for countless mass executions and increasingly high taxes on the smallfolk, which led them to resentfully nickname her 'King Maegor with teats.', which, a hundred years later, changed to 'Maegor with teats', which became a common curse over time amongst those living in King's Landing. According to Septon Eustace, during her short reign, it was noticed that after Rhaenyra descended from the Iron Throne, bleeding cuts were seen on her legs and on the palm of her left hand. Eustace claimed that while no one in the court dare speak the truth aloud, they nevertheless knew it in their minds; the Iron Throne had spurned Rhaenyra, and the days of her reign would not be long, which proved to be true.

Rhaenyra Targaryen on the Iron Throne

Rhaenyra sitting on the iron throne.

When King Baelor I Targaryen died during his pious fasting, the line of succession became unclear, as Baelor didn't father any children. Some lords and smallfolk believed that the Iron Throne should pass to Princess Daena Targaryen, the eldest daughter of King Aegon III Targaryen. However, others recalled the troubled times during Rhaenyra's short reign, and they don't trust the idea of having a woman on the throne. As a result, the succession rights of Princess Daena and her sisters were dismissed, and their uncle, Prince Viserys Targaryen, was chosen to succeed Baelor as King Viserys II. Because Viserys was chosen over Daena, a permanent precedent was set. The royal succession laws were made to have all female heirs placed behind all possible male heirs and inherit the throne only when the entirety of the male line is extinct.

The memory of Rhaenyra's life remains controversial as of the present; some, such as Stannis Baratheon, brand her as a traitor who tried to usurp her brother's crown, while to others she is seen as King Viserys' rightful heir. Ultimately, both Rhaenyra and King Aegon II proved to be unfit to rule, and the entirety of the Dance of the Dragons brought about nothing but mass death, destruction, and the near-annihilation of all the Targaryen dragons until they eventually went extinct during the reign of Aegon III, leaving a severely weakened House Targaryen. Despite this, the Targaryen Dynasty would continue to rule the realm for many years until it was eventually overthrown during Robert's Rebellion and replaced by the House Baratheon of King's Landing.

Recent History

A Storm of Swords

Rhaenyra was mentioned by Stannis Baratheon as he named a list of those who died as traitors. Stannis mentions her as the daughter of one king (King Viserys I) and mother to two more (Aegon III & Viserys II), and she died a traitor's death for trying to usurp her brother's crown.

A Feast for Crows

Princess Arianne Martell cites Rhaenyra as a justification for her crowning of Princess Myrcella Baratheon.

A Dance with Dragons

Daenerys Targaryen recounts the Dance of the Dragons and how King Aegon III witnessed Rhaenyra being eaten by her brother's dragon.

Trivia

  • Rhaenyra rode Syrax at age seven.
  • In the history of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, up to the present time, Rhaenyra is marked as a traitorous usurper rather than an heir.
  • So far in the television series House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra seems to be slightly more noble than her novel counterpart, such as Daemon killing Vaemond Velaryon on his own instead of Rhaenyra having him do it and then feeding Vaemond's corpse to her dragon.
    • Given that the Dance of the Dragons has just started, the show may yet cover her descent into tyranny.

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