The Iron Throne is a defining aspect of the Game of Thrones lore. It is the seat from which the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms dispenses justice, and addresses the lords and ladies of Westeros. It symbolizes the authority, power, and prestige of the crown. Even though the last dragon, Drogon destroyed the Iron Throne in the Game of Thrones series finale, its impact cannot be erased from the history of the Seven Kingdoms. The Mad King, Aerys II's only-remaining children, Viserys and Daenerys both wanted to take the Iron Throne. While Viserys turned against his sister and her husband, Khal Drogo, Daenerys went mad in its pursuit. The Iron Throne has allured rulers, and rebels, alike, and while very few characters sat on it, a lot many wanted it.
Many a time in Game of Thrones, the Iron Throne is synonymously used with the monarchy. It was forged at the orders of the founder of the Targaryen dynasty of Westeros - King Aegon I Targaryen, also known as Aegon the Conqueror. Quite obviously, the first king of Westeros and the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms passed orders and addressed his subjects from his throne. This tradition continued from King Aegon I until the time of Queen Cersei Lannister. Even though Daenerys Targaryen took the Seven Kingdoms, she never got to sit the Iron Throne. Complex though the Iron Throne appeared to be in design, the question remains of how it was forged.
Aegon I Targaryen's Victory
The Iron Throne is a metonym and is often substituted for the feudal monarchy that imposes its rule across the Seven Kingdoms. It's served as the seat of the kings ever since the warring kingdoms of Westeros were forged into a single realm. King's Landing became the capital of the Seven Kingdoms and the Iron Throne became Aegon's seat. Besides the ruler himself, the Hand was also allowed to sit the throne. As such King Robert's Hand, Lord Eddard Stark briefly sat the Iron Throne in Game of Thrones season 1, episode 6 "A Golden Crown," while the king was busy hunting. He passed judgment on the petitions of Riverlanders who came to the court to seek justice. Ned was able to do so primarily because he acted as the King's representative on the throne. The most noteworthy rulers who sat on the Iron Throne include Targaryen kings, such as Aegon V (named after Aegon the Conqueror), Jaehaerys I, and Viserys I.
After concluding her victory speech in the Game of Thrones season 8, episode 6 "The Iron Throne," Daenerys was last seen in the ruins of the throne room, walking towards the Iron Throne. She placed her hand on it and experienced an intense surge of emotions. She gazed in awe at the most majestic seat in the Seven Kingdoms when Jon Snow arrived. "When I was a girl, my brother told me it [the Iron Throne] was made with a thousand swords from Aegon's fallen enemies," remarked Daenerys. A similar statement also was made in the throne room by Lord Petyr Baelish in Game of Thrones season 3, episode 6, "The Climb." Both Daenerys and Baelish were fascinated with the Iron Throne, but their stories didn't end well.
How The Iron Throne Was Forged
The Iron Throne was allegedly made from a thousand swords of the Aegon the Conqueror's enemies who swore fealty to him. It was forged using his mount, Balerion the Black Dread's fire, and beaten and bent into the shape of a throne, with twisted swords protruding from the ground. Its steps were decorated with twisted steel. Furthermore, the Game of Thrones lore says that sometime before or during the reign of the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen, many of the throne's swords were removed, thereby giving it a more symmetrical design. Aerys II was infamously known as King Scab because his arms and legs were always covered with injuries and half-healed cuts caused by the Iron Throne during the last days of his reign.
The Iron Throne was neither the most comfortable seat in the Seven Kingdoms nor the safest. For rulers who aimed to rule with utmost sincerity, the Iron Throne was a huge imposition, simply because they assumed the responsibility of the Seven Kingdoms. Paddy Considine's King Viserys I Targaryen described it as the most dangerous seat in the realm in House of the Dragon. In the Game of Thrones finale episode, Daenerys Targaryen stated that as a little girl, she'd imagined the Iron Throne was a mountain of swords, too high to climb. After being consumed by the rage and grief of losing his mother, Daenerys, the Iron Throne became a target of Drogon's ire in the Game of Thrones finale. Before flying away with Daenerys' corpse, the beast breathed fire at the Iron Throne, melting its blades, while Jon stood in awe.