The Targaryen Civil War Explained: How the War Begins and Who Wins – The plot of HBO’s House of the Dragon features many references to Game of Thrones and is set during the height of the Targaryen dynasty during a pivotal Civil War. Following the contentious Game of Thrones series finale in 2019, HBO revealed that many spinoffs based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels might be produced.
While a few prequels, like The Long Night, have already been shelved, production on House of the Dragon has already begun to revive interest in and loyalty to the Game of Thrones universe among viewers. While Game of Thrones frequently gave the strong houses of Lannister and Targaryen a back seat, the series still paid close attention to the legendary House Stark.
After Rhaenyra and her half-brother, Aegon, both tried to seize the Iron Throne for themselves, and the Targaryen Civil War broke out. Aegon’s supporters in King’s Landing acted rapidly to have him crowned as Aegon II after King Viserys passed away, keeping Rhaenyra out of the loop while she was away at Dragonstone, getting ready for the birth of a child. When she eventually learned that Aegon II had been crowned, she hurriedly planned her own coronation to assert her right to the Iron Throne. However, Aegon and his supporters refused to acknowledge Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne, and soon an all-out war broke out.
Recommended: House of the Dragon: The Targaryen Family Tree Explained!
The Targaryen Civil War Explained
The Dance of the Dragons was a crucial civil war in the Seven Kingdoms’ history. Despite having just begun, it is already being set up in House of the Dragon. As the subject of who will replace King Viserys on the Iron Throne after he had previously named his daughter Rhaenyra as his successor has been hotly discussed, the iconic conflict has already been alluded to. It was established that the ruling Targaryen dynasty was bound by the customary Westerosi law of male primogeniture. Many House of the Dragon fans is interested to see who will finally win the Dance of the Dragons because the series’ future is now at the forefront of their minds.
The Dance of the Dragons results from the issue of who will rule following King Viserys’ passing. The major characters in HOTD’s Dance of the Dragons are Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, her former best friend-turned-stepmother Queen Alicent Hightower, and Prince Daemon Targaryen, brother of King Viserys. In opposition to women being heirs, Viserys chose Rhaenyra to succeed him after the death of his first wife. Aegon is one of Viserys’ four extra offspring from his second marriage to Queen Alicent.
Following the passing of King Viserys, the Queen and the Lords of Westeros seated Aegon on the throne of Rhaenyra. Westeros became a civil war due to the Princess’ and Prince Daemon’s retaliation (Rhaenyra’s uncle and husband). Dragons are on two sides of the Targaryen conflict. The dragons engage in battle under the command of their Targaryen and Velaryon-blooded riders, kill one another, and eventually fall extinct. It is hard to say who won the horrific fight, given this loss and the cost of human lives. Even though the Targaryen dynasty continued to rule, The Dance of Dragons was a disaster for almost everyone.
In the HBO series Dance of the Dragons, there were two competing factions: the Greens and the Blacks. Each team was given a name after a competition to mark the fifth anniversary of Viserys and Alicent Hightower’s union. Rhaenyra wears black and red, while Queen Alicent sports a Hightower green dress. From that moment on, those who supported Rhaenyra were known as the Blacks, and those who supported Alicent and her son Aegon were known as the Greens. Aegon, Halaena, Aemond, and Daeron are among Queen Alicent’s Green group members, along with Ser Criston Cole, Ser Otto Hightower, her father, and many of Westeros’ most affluent and influential families.
Aegon the Younger and Viserys, the children of Rhaenyra from her first marriage to Laenor Velaryon and her second marriage to Daemon and Lord Corlys Verlaryon and his family, were notable Black supporters in addition to Rhaenyra. Because they control the Dragonstone, Rhaenyra’s side has more dragons and dragonriders. The Targaryen Civil War started when Rhaenyra and her half-brother Aegon each attempted to claim the Iron Throne for themselves.
After King Viserys passed away, Aegon’s friends at King’s Landing moved quickly to have him crowned as Aegon II, keeping Rhaenyra out of the loop while she was away at Dragonstone, preparing for the birth of a child. The moment she discovered Aegon II had been crowned, she hastily began planning her own coronation to establish her claim to the Iron Throne. But Aegon and his allies refused to accept Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne, and soon a full-scale conflict started.
Who Wins The Dance Of The Dragons?
Despite the fact that both Rhaenyra and Aegon II died in the battle. The balance of power shifts several times during the Dance of the Dragons. It seems as if Rhaenyra will win the conflict after the Blacks’ successful seizure of King’s Landing and her eventual ascent to the Iron Throne. Helaena Targaryen, Aegon II’s beloved wife and sister, died in King’s Landing, sparking a rebellion as the conflict stretched.
Rhaenyra could flee to Dragonstone, but when she got there, one of her allies betrayed her and gave her to Aegon. King Aegon II will have essentially won the war when his dragon, Sunfyre, burns and devours Rhaenyra. Later, he issued an order to have it recorded in history that Rhaenyra was never the rightful king of Westeros.
Rhaenyra was killed, but her allies persisted in the fight, so the conflict continued. Lord Cregan Stark’s forces from the North continue to arrive despite Rhaenyra’s death. He sustained severe disfigurement at the Dance of the Dragons. Aegon II had little fortifications when the Blacks’ soldiers in King’s Landing finally began closing in on him, and many of his allies tried to persuade him to give up and join the Night’s Watch, but he resisted.
The weak and resentful King Aegon II was later found dead after eating poisoned wine. Twenty-two people were detained on suspicion of killing the monarch, notwithstanding this. Exactly who poisoned him is unknown. It is thought that his advisors were responsible for his murder. Aegon II’s death ended the Dance of the Dragons. Because Rhaenyra’s son Aegon the Younger, was crowned King Aegon III, Rhaenyra’s side prevailed despite the bloody and catastrophic combat that occurred along the road.
The Dance of the Dragons results in the deaths of the bulk of the dragons, including Prince Daemon, Queen Rhaenyra, Lady Rhaenys, Queen Helaena, and her offspring Aemond, Daeron, and all three of Rhaenyra’s children from her first marriage. The severe damage done to House Targaryen made it difficult to tell who had won the conflict.
Since both claimants died in the battle, neither side that started the war technically won. It’s clear that Rhaenyra’s bloodline won because all of Alicent’s kids perished in the Dance. Fortunately, Aegon III and his descendants kept the family expanding through their countless progeny, though never quite to the same proportions as before the conflict.