The sixth season of “Game of Thrones” has concluded, and Cersei Lannister has emerged as the queen of Westeros. After countless devious plots and terrifying battles, she has finally achieved her long-desired goal of sitting on the Iron Throne. While many may follow Cersei, it is certain that she has created enemies across all factions. The saddest part for Cersei is that she is alone, without any dragon children beside her, like the first woman to sit on the throne, Rhaenyra Targaryen.
Although Cersei is the first official queen of the Seven Kingdoms, she is not the first woman to occupy the royal seat of Aegon the Conqueror. The title belongs to Rhaenyra Targaryen, who once briefly ruled King’s Landing during the Targaryen Civil War, famously known as the “Dance of the Dragons.”
Before discussing the civil war for the throne between Rhaenyra and her half-brother Aegon II, let’s delve into the background of this first queen.
Rhaenyra Targaryen, the First Woman to Sit on the Iron Throne
Rhaenyra was born in 97 AC (Aegon’s Conquest), the only surviving child of King Viserys and his first wife, Aemma Arryn. Her first son died shortly after birth, while Queen Aemma and her second son also perished during childbirth.
Artwork of Rhaenyra Targaryen
In 105 AC, to prevent the throne from passing to her younger brother Daemon, King Viserys declared Rhaenyra as his heir, making her the first female claimant to the Iron Throne. Rhaenyra was named Princess of Dragonstone and always had her father by her side. In her youth, Rhaenyra was renowned for her beauty, with her Valyrian features being admired, often referred to as “The Realm’s Delight.” However, she also had a strong and proud character.
King Viserys had been adamant about choosing a successor after 105 AC, and he had been seated on the Iron Throne only after being crowned by the High Septon. However, a year later, the king took a second wife, Alicent Hightower, daughter of the current Hand of the King, Otto Hightower, and a clandestine rivalry began to brew that Viserys was unaware of. After a year of marriage, Queen Alicent gave birth to a son (107 AC) – Aegon II, followed by a daughter and two more sons.
Despite having a son to carry on the line, King Viserys refused to revoke the heirship he had granted to Rhaenyra. Otto Hightower, concerned about the king’s decisions, eventually lost his position as Hand of the King. The growing resentment between the queen and the princess further divided the realm into two factions: “Black” for Rhaenyra and “Green” for Alicent.
The two most important figures in Rhaenyra’s court were her uncle Daemon and Ser Criston Cole. Their relationships were highly complex, intertwined with the events that unfolded thereafter.
Criston Cole
At a young age, Criston Cole and Rhaenyra (then only 12 years old) developed a deep bond. Cole referred to Rhaenyra as the “Princess of his heart,” and the princess, in turn, requested that the king name him her personal guard. Later, Cole was appointed to the Kingsguard and became the Lord Commander. However, by the age of 16, Rhaenyra had lost her virginity to her uncle Daemon (the Targaryens had a tradition of intermarriage to preserve their bloodline). It was unclear whether this was a betrayal or not, but King Viserys was soon aware of his brother’s transgressions.
Afterward, Cole expressed his feelings for Rhaenyra and wanted to be with her, but this only caused her to doubt his loyalty, as he had been willing to break his vows as a Kingsguard. The details of what transpired between the two remain unclear, but Cole ultimately became a staunch supporter of the “Green” faction, aiding Queen Alicent.
Eventually, Rhaenyra reluctantly married Ser Laenor Velaryon, a man she believed to be of noble lineage… though he was actually the son of another Targaryen. Despite this, they had three sons together (though officially they were said to be the children of Rhaenyra and a different noble).
After Ser Laenor’s death in a skirmish with his friends, Rhaenyra remarried her uncle Daemon, creating a powerful alliance that left King Viserys infuriated. Following this, the couple had three more children. However, the crown did not change hands, and a civil war erupted when Viserys died in 129 AC, resulting in the demise of all of his dragon children.
At this point, Rhaenyra was residing at Dragonstone. Queen Alicent was busy maneuvering against Rhaenyra and the support she had among the lords of Westeros. Almost every lord in the realm had pledged loyalty to King Viserys, but soon there were rumors of Aegon II’s rising power for various reasons (including Rhaenyra being a woman). However, Rhaenyra had a significant advantage in having more dragons compared to Aegon II and the “Green” faction.
A bloody civil war was inevitable, especially after Aemond – Aegon II’s brother – rode the dragon Vhagar and brutally killed Lucerys, Rhaenyra’s son, along with his dragon Arrax at Storm’s End.
We cannot delve deeply into the “Dance of the Dragons,” but we know that during this period, Westeros was engulfed in fire and bloodshed. King Aegon II claimed victory, but he suffered severe losses that left him weakened shortly thereafter. This conflict caused countless casualties, nearly decimating the Targaryens on both sides.
Aemond kills Lucerys
Rhaenyra had not yet secured her rule in this war: no clear ruler existed in the realm, and she had already lost far too many dragons. However, she still managed to sit on the Iron Throne.
While the Green faction was retreating from King’s Landing, Rhaenyra and Daemon confidently marched in and claimed the city, where Rhaenyra soon found herself crowned on the Iron Throne. The circumstances surrounding her rule were fraught with difficulty, as the Iron Throne is said to be a seat that does not easily accept its occupants; it is rumored that those who sit upon it do so at a great personal cost.
During her brief reign, Rhaenyra was viewed with disdain by many, as they saw her as a tyrant, responsible for the deaths of four dragons in the Dragonpit, along with her dragon Syrax. Not long after, Rhaenyra lost all three of her sons, forcing her to flee back to Dragonstone, where she was left to mourn and plot against her brother Aegon II, the “usurper.” She suffered flames and torment at the hands of Aegon II’s dragon, Sunfyre (one of the last two dragons still alive), before the eventual downfall of her son (who was also named Aegon).
King Aegon II
Not long after, King Aegon II was assassinated without a known heir, allowing Aegon – Rhaenyra’s son – to ascend as King Aegon III. He is remembered by the name Aegon the Dragonsbane, for during his reign, the last of the Targaryen dragons had perished (up until the time of Daenerys, 150 years later). Many believe that he himself was the orchestrator of their deaths due to his hatred of dragons after witnessing them kill his mother. However, there are also theories suggesting that this was caused by the maesters of the Citadel.
Another child of Rhaenyra – Viserys II, who had previously died but later returned and ultimately sat upon the Iron Throne. This means that Rhaenyra was the mother of two kings in the history of House Targaryen. Rhaenyra could potentially be the first woman to sit on the Iron Throne, but she never truly ruled over all of the Seven Kingdoms; although “the Half-Year Queen” had a profound impact, it is clear that without the widespread support of the people of Westeros, her reign would not be sustainable.
Rhaenyra eats Sunfyre
So Queen Cersei, with no clear legitimacy, no firm alliances, and no dragons, how long can she maintain her position on the Iron Throne, especially when another Targaryen queen is riding her own dragons towards King’s Landing to reclaim her birthright?
According to Nerdist
