Game of Thrones was a series blessed with amazing characters and a fleshed-out world that was an absolute blast to explore. It's a shame that the last few seasons completely messed up the meticulous nature of the world and how it was crafted, but there's no denying that the world of A Song of Ice and Fire still has a lot of potential regardless. This is perhaps the major reason why House of the Dragon is still generating a ton of hype despite the sour taste that Game of Thrones left in the mouths of its fans.
The history of Westeros is a riveting one, with many kings and queens occupying the throne and carving out a great legacy of their own. Here are some of the best rulers in the history of this world that fans absolutely love.
Updated on December 24, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: The world of A Song of Ice and Fire is rich and full to the brim with a compelling history that fans are watching unfold in House of the Dragon. It's clear that the impact of Game of Thrones isn't going away anytime soon, and fans can't wait to see what the second season has in store for the spinoff show that has wowed fans with its very first outing. Westeros itself has a compelling line of rulers that have been fairly successful in their own right, with the best of the bunch being mentioned below.
10 King Robert Baratheon
Most people would be surprised that Robert Baratheon is on this list since he didn't really seem like one of the more competent rulers around. However, it was the competent job Robert did when it came to uniting the realm after the reign of the Mad King that makes him a worthy addition to the list.
It's a shame that Robert never really managed to maintain his reign for all that long, with a hunting accident leading to his demise. His death also sparked a wave of political turmoil for the entirety of Westeros, which further cemented the fact that his presence on the throne was maintaining the peace on its own.
9 Aerys I
For what it's worth, Aerys I was far from being a memorable ruler. However, given how power-hungry and poor some of the rulers of Westeros have been, perhaps the fact that Aerys I's reign was a quiet one isn't necessarily a bad thing.
He had a love of reading and preferred to educate himself instead of ruling his kingdom, which wasn't appreciated by many. However, he still ruled the throne wisely and passed away of natural causes at the end of his rule.
8 Aegon V
It was quite possible that Aegon V would've been a great ruler, but his reign came at an unlucky time. For starters, he ascended to the throne during a harsh winter that plagued Westeros.
Following this, Aegon V also had to deal with his fair share of uprisings. He didn't have the strongest presence around and had to acquiesce to the demands of these upstart lords quite a few times to maintain the peace.
7 Aegon The Conqueror
The first man to ever make and sit on the Iron Throne, the legacy of Aegon the Conqueror is a truly epic one. After conquering six of the seven kingdoms in Westeros. The legendary city of King's Landing originated under his powerful rule which shaped the entire history of Westeros itself.
The fact that Aegon kickstarted the dominance of the Targaryens in the world for almost 300 years shows just how impactful his reign really was. He was a powerful ruler whose iron will helped him become the ruler of Westeros in definitive fashion.
6 Jaehaerys The Wise
Jaehaerys the Wise is considered by many to be one of the best kings during the reign of the Targaryens. His rule lasted a whopping 55 years, making him the longest reigning Targaryen monarch and also helping him garner the title of "The Old King".
During his reign, Westeros enjoyed an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity. His intelligence helped carry out many rules that helped the population thrive while filling up the coffers of the kingdom substantially as well. The fact that the realm entered an era of unsustainability following his reign showed just how much of an impact he had on the populace.
5 Viserys I
Most people remember the Viserys Targaryen from the show as being nothing more than a power-hungry individual who would stoop to the lowest of the low in order to get what he wanted. He treated both his sister and the Dothraki with the utmost disrespect, with the latter pretty much cementing his demise after melting gold was poured on his skull.
So, it's rather surprising to find out that his namesake was actually a great king that fostered peace in the realm after a period of instability. That being said, he wasn't a strong kind and sought to please everyone instead of establishing his authority. As a result, he was forever known as "The Young King" and his legacy was marred with a pretty notable asterisk.
4 Baelor The Beloved
Out of all the Targaryen kings, Baelor was easily the most faithful of the lot. He held the teachings of the Sept in high regard and let his faith guide him throughout his tenure as a ruler. He was just and kind, loving both the royalty and peasants equally. His judgments were fair and his rule helped the Faith and the commonfolk enjoy a ton of prosperity.
However, most people thought that Baelor was blinded by his faith and too altruistic for his own good. The royalty wasn't sold on his reign at all, mainly because he didn't give them the special treatment that they had enjoyed for the longest time.
3 Viserys II
Viserys the Second's reign is the shortest of all the rules on this list. He held the Iron Throne for a paltry year and was constantly under the suspicion that he had poisoned his brother to ascend to the throne. However, while his reign was short, Viserys was adept during his rule and helped the lands prosper in a way that the rulers before him had failed to accomplish.
It helped that he'd served as Hand of the King to Aegon, Daeron, and Baelor. Most people surmise that the atrocities and failures during their reign would've been way worse had Viserys not been hard at work trying to amend their mistakes behind the scenes.
2 Daeron The Good
It's very rare for a king to be known for their good qualities, but that's precisely the case with Daeron II. He knew that peace was key to securing the future of the realm, and managed to accomplish the same by brokering a peace treaty with Dorne that essentially united all the lands of Westeros south of the Wall.
It's a shame that his realm was mired in civil conflict courtesy of his half-brother, Daemon Blackfyre. However, this was a minor aberration in an otherwise prosperous realm, and most people look at Daeron's realm as a time of peace and happiness for Westeros.
1 The Mad King
For the most part, all the rulers on this list are known for being great in their own ways. However, The Mad King feels like an exception to the rule due to the immense death and destruction brought about during his realm. It's a shame since Aerys' reign started off on a very promising note that had Westeros flourishing for a while.
However, a bunch of personal tragedies led to his mind slowly descending into madness and insanity. The contributors to this were definitely a string of miscarriages, his imprisonment during the Defiance of Duskendale, and the deaths of his sons.