House Of The Dragon Admits Its Entire War Was Caused By A 13-Year-Old Game Of Thrones Complaint

WARNING! This text incorporates SPOILERS for Home of the Dragon season 2, episode 3 and George R.R. Martin’s Hearth & Blood ebook, on which the present is predicated!

A protracted-standing criticism about Recreation of Thrones has satirically now had main penalties in House of the Dragon, because the franchise nitpick is partially accountable for inflicting the Dance of the Dragons. As Home of the Dragon season 2 progresses, either side of the warfare have begun to evaluate the basis causes of the Dance. Whereas Rhaenys argues that the actual instigating occasion not issues because the realm will use their very own causes to battle, comparable to the reason for the Battle of the Burning Mill, Rhaenyra is extra involved with whether or not her father really selected Aegon to interchange her as inheritor on his deathbed.

In House of the Dragon season 2, episode 3’s ending, Rhaenyra sneaks into King’s Touchdown disguised as a septa to talk with Alicent face-to-face. After they every deny involvement within the deaths of Prince Jaehaerys and Prince Lucerys, Rhaenyra asks Alicent in regards to the dying Viserys’ final phrases. Alicent states that Viserys spoke about “Aegon” and the “Prince That Was Promised,” which she misunderstood as that means that he wished their son Aegon to succeed him on the Iron Throne. Because the present itself admits, Alicent’s motive for usurping the throne from Rhaenyra was primarily based on a complicated trait that has lengthy been complained about in Recreation of Thrones’ franchise.

Recreation Of Thrones’ Households Always Reusing The Identical Title Led To Home Of The Dragon’s Warfare

Recreation of Thrones followers do not must really feel so responsible about mixing up the quite a few Aegon Targaryens

After being a supply of annoyance for viewers for nicely over a decade, the behavior of House Targaryen’s family tree typically reusing the title “Aegon” has come again to chew them. As Aegon is the title of the Targaryen who conquered Westeros, his moniker has been reused all through practically each subsequent Targaryen technology as a tribute to the highly effective, long-gone king. In Home of the Dragon, the confusion of so many Aegon Targaryens has grow to be so excessive {that a} mix-up of the title impressed a full-scale Targaryen civil warfare.

Associated

“It’s Too Late”: Why Alicent Refuses To Change Her Mind Despite Learning The Truth About Aegon’s Dream

Alicent lastly learns the reality about Aegon’s dream and her mistake with Viserys’ ultimate phrases, however is not prepared to alter her thoughts in HOTD season 2.

As Rhaenyra now lastly informs Alicent, when Viserys was talking about “Aegon” and the “Prince That Was Promised,” he was really referring to Aegon the Conqueror’s A Song of Ice and Fire dream – not his son. Contemplating there’s yet one more Prince Aegon Targaryen alive in Home of the Dragon, Rhaenyra’s elder son with Daemon, Alicent’s mistake turns into all of the extra irritating. With Viserys’ final phrases additionally mentioning “what [Aegon] noticed within the North,” it is all of the extra absurd that Alicent thought he was talking of their son, who probably has by no means been anyplace near the North.

Would The Dance Of The Dragons Have Occurred With out Alicent’s Title Combine-Up?

The Dance had arguably already begun lengthy earlier than Alicent’s mistake

Whereas it’s virtually comically ironic that Alicent’s justification for crowning Aegon is predicated on mixing up his title with Aegon the Conqueror, it isn’t the only real motive for the Dance of the Dragons. Alicent claiming that Viserys wished Aegon on the Iron Throne helped pace alongside Staff Inexperienced’s usurpation of the throne by boasting a “legit” declare from Viserys himself, however the warfare probably would have occurred regardless. Otto had laid the seeds of usurpation ever since Aegon’s beginning, and the feuding between the Greens and Blacks for round twenty years meant some battle was inevitable after Viserys’ demise.

The truth is, when Otto is removed as Aegon’s Hand of the King in Home of the Dragon season 2, Alicent’s father implies that he by no means believed Viserys wished Aegon to be king. Alicent’s declare about Viserys’ final phrases meant Otto and the Inexperienced Council had much less convincing to do to different noble homes, however he would have discovered causes to undermine Rhaenyra’s declare and seat Aegon both means. Viserys’ incapability to crush the Greens and Blacks’ feuds earlier than the brand new technology of Targaryens was born meant warfare was all the time coming, no matter Alicent’s grave mistake.

Recreation Of Thrones’ Largest Twist Proves Home Targaryen By no means Realized Its Lesson

Home Targaryen does not cease utilizing the title Aegon after the Dance of the Dragons

Even though this trait results in a devastating civil warfare, by the point the timeline reaches Jon Snow, aka Aegon VI Targaryen, there are literally 12 known Aegon Targaryens in Game of Thrones historical past. It is clear that Home Targaryen by no means discovered its lesson after Alicent’s Aegon mix-up had such catastrophic penalties, however it’s additionally attainable that neither Alicent nor Rhaenyra ever instructed anybody the reality about her mistake. Alicent shall be intent on defending her ego regardless of her mistake in Home of the Dragon, whereas Rhaenyra must disclose the key of Aegon’s Track of Ice and Hearth dream in an effort to clarify Alicent’s mistake.

Following Rhaenyra’s son Aegon the Youthful, there are not less than 5 extra Aegon Targaryens within the household’s lineage, with the fnal one being Jon Snow as Aegon VI Targaryen. In fact, Jon may all the time select to start going by his beginning title after Recreation of Thrones‘ ending, and, in that case, may later have a son who he names after none apart from Aegon Targaryen. However, if there’s one other wheel that the Targaryens ought to have damaged for good in Recreation of Thrones, it is their obsession with the title Aegon. Since Jon Snow’s Game of Thrones sequel show is no longer happening, whether or not one other Aegon Targaryen is ever born might by no means be recognized.

Why Home Targaryen Reuses The Title “Aegon” So A lot In Recreation Of Thrones Historical past

Home of the Dragon provides a brand new motive for this custom

The straightforward clarification for why Home Targaryen typically makes use of the title Aegon is that it is custom to call their kids after legendary figures of their lineage. This is not only a custom adopted by Home Targaryen, as House Stark’s family tree consists of a number of Rickons, Home Lannister has a number of Tyrions, and Home Greyjoy even has a number of Theons. The names which can be typically repeated are ones that date again to a determine with unbelievable affect and significance in a home’s historical past, with the names of kings usually being essentially the most frequent monikers handed down.

Nonetheless, Home Targaryen’s use of Aegon is way extra recurrent of their household tree than different Westerosi homes’ repeated names. It is because Aegon is a reputation related to the best energy, energy, and affect the household has ever recognized beneath the exploits of Aegon the Conqueror. Maybe partially primarily based in superstition, the Targaryens with the title Aegon are anticipated to have a certain quantity of energy and energy worthy of bearing the Conqueror’s moniker, which is why so many kings name their firstborn sons Aegon. Moreover, by frequently passing down “Aegon,” every new Westerosi technology is reminded of the Conquest and energy of Home Targaryen.

Associated

How Aegon’s Dream Just Changed Game Of Thrones History (Again) Is What I’ve Been Waiting 2 Years For

Home of the Dragon season 2, episode 3 makes one other point out of Aegon the Conqueror’s A Track of Ice and Hearth prophecy, and it is a very good selection.

Given the context of Aegon’s A Track of Ice and Hearth dream, there’s but another excuse for utilizing his title a lot. Aegon had a dream {that a} Targaryen sitting the Iron Throne would unite humanity towards the useless and the chilly deep within the North, however had no thought whether or not that will come throughout his technology or after his demise. With every Targaryen inheritor being instructed the dream and its significance, they probably believed that the title Aegon can be integral to fulfilling the prophecy.

Home of the Dragon‘s Viserys names his son Aegon, his inheritor Rhaenyra names her son Aegon, her son Viserys names his son Aegon, and the cycle goes on. A number of generations later, the Prince That Was Promised seems to be Aegon VI Targaryen in Recreation of Thrones, as Jon Snow fulfills Aegon’s prophecy and unites the realm towards the White Walkers to avoid wasting humanity. Although there are nonetheless debates about whether or not Daenerys, Jon, or both are the Prince That Was Promised, it does not appear coincidental that the prophecy was not less than partially fulfilled by a Targaryen bearing the Conqueror’s title.

New episodes of Home of the Dragon season 2 launch Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

House of the Dragon

Happening about 172 years earlier than the occasions of Recreation of Thrones, Home of the Dragon tells the story of the rise of the Targaryens, the one household of dragonlords to outlive the Doom of Valyria. The favored HBO spinoff present first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower earlier than they had been changed by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older variations of the characters. Additionally starring within the sequence is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.

Launch Date

August 21, 2022

Seasons

2

Administrators

Miguel Sapochnik , Clare Kilner , Alan Taylor , Greg Yaitanes , Geeta Vasant Patel , Andrij Parekh

Showrunner

Ryan Condal

Increase