HBO's Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon premiered in August 2022 and took the pop culture landscape by storm. It tells the tale of a civil war that erupts after the death of the Targaryen grandsire, King Viserys I. Although the late King had ensured order and stability by naming his firstborn child as his successor, the events of his demise ultimately left the realm in political uncertainty, sowing the seeds of chaos. As a matter of fact, King Viserys I decreed Rhaenyra Targaryen to be his heir in House of the Dragon season 1, episode 1, "The Heirs of the Dragon."
Lord Lyonel Strong unsuccessfully objected to breaking precedent, saying, "No queen has ever sat the Iron Throne." Regardless, all the lords of Westeros including Rickon Stark of Winterfell publicly pledged their loyalty to Rhaenyra. House of the Dragon premiere also featured Viserys passing down Aegon I Targaryen's prophecy to his daughter. This key incident was followed by Viserys' marriage to Alicent Hightower, primarily born out of his duty to the realm. He and Alicent were first blessed with a son, Aegon II, and this development fueled the dispute over the heir to the Iron Throne.
The Lead-Up To The Dance
While the illegitimacy of Rhaenyra's first three sons is an open secret, it's mostly overlooked out of King Viserys' fear. Corlys Velaryon's younger brother, Vaemond, for example, lost his head at Viserys' court after he dared to call Rhaenyra's children "bastards" before the King in House of the Dragon. People know that Ser Harwin Strong, not Rhaenyra's first husband, Laenor Velaryon is the real father of Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey Velaryon. Open secret or not, Rhaenyra's illegitimate children give a moral sheen to Alicent's children. Furthermore, Alicent believes that if Rhaenyra sits the Iron Throne, her firstborn son, Jacaerys would be an illegitimate king masquerading as legitimate.
Aegon II's coronation and the assassination of Rhaenyra's son, Lucerys Velaryon set the stage for the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. Lucerys was killed midair by his uncle, Aemond's she-dragon, Vhagar while riding out of Storm's End. The catastrophic climax of House of the Dragon season 1 not only exacerbates the Dance but paves the way for Daemon Targaryen's Blood and Cheese plot. The latter event earns a gruesome reputation even by the House of the Dragon standards. The storyline will see Daemon orchestrate the murder of a son of the Greens as retribution for the murder of Lucerys - the son of the Blacks.
Blood and Cheese are the aliases of a butcher and a ratcatcher familiar with the secret passage to the Red Keep. The Blood and Cheese plot could be placed anywhere in the upcoming House of the Dragon season, but the fact remains Aegon II's firstborn son, the six-year-old Prince Jaehaerys will be killed on orders of Rhaenyra's uncle and second husband, Daemon Targaryen. While Lord Lyonel Strong feared that merely naming a girl heir would prove to be a threat to the "order and stability" of the realm, Rhaenyra's disregard for rules and Otto Hightower's meddling sparked a bloody conflict between her and Aegon II.
Aegon The Younger Ascends The Iron Throne
It is pertinent to mention that Rhaenyra and Alicent Hightower were close childhood friends. Their relationship suffered with the changing political environment and soured after Alicent's marriage to King Viserys I. While Aegon II represents the Green faction and has the support of powerful houses such as Baratheon, and Lannister; Rhaenyra has the support of House Velaryon, per the climax of House of the Dragon. That said, Lord Cregan Stark of Winterfell, Lord Kermit Tully of Riverrun, Lord Forrest Frey of the Crossing, and Lady Jeyne Arryn of the Vale will throw their weight behind Rhaenyra's cause.
The civil war causes the deaths of key members, take say, Daemon (played by Matt Smith on House of the Dragon), and most of the dragons. Aegon II eventually feeds Rhaenyra to Sunfyre, but the Dance still goes on. Aegon's ally, Lord Borros Baratheon is defeated in the Battle of the Kingsroad by Kermit Tully, Lord of Riverrun. His defeat is more imminent when the Lads, the Valemen, and the northern army of Lord Cregan Stark march on the capital. Rejecting his advisor's counsel to surrender and join the Night's Watch, Aegon II instead orders to have his nephew, Aegon the Younger's ear sliced off and sent to Lord Tully as a warning. Knowing Aegon II is beyond help, he's poisoned (allegedly by Lord Velaryon, Lord Larys Strong, and Ser Perkin the Flea), and found dead within his litter.
At the end of the Dance, Rhaenyra, and Matt Smith's Daemon's son, Aegon the Younger ascends the Iron Throne. He marries Aegon II's daughter, Princess Jaehaera, thereby effectively ending the war and uniting House Targaryen. If the rival factions' loss and the catastrophic consequences of the Dance are factored in, it's obvious that there are no clear winners of the war. That said, there is no denying that the Targaryen prince, born from Rhaenyra's bloodline, Aegon the Younger inherited the Iron Throne in the end.
Aegon The Unlucky's Reign
King Aegon III, aka "Aegon the Unlucky," "Aegon the Unhappy," "the Broken King," and "the Dragonbane" was installed on the Iron Throne in 131 AC. He inherited a realm ravaged by war and bore the brunt of his predecessors' actions. While he maintained political unity, the Dance of the Dragons had cast a gloom on him. Aegon seldom laughed and had little interest in tourneys, reading, dancing, singing, or swordplay. He rarely displayed emotions, and he would fly into a rage at the mention of dragons. The latter trait sets him apart from key Targaryen characters known for their love of dragons in House of the Dragon.
Aegon III married Daenaera Velaryon after his first wife, Jaehaera's tragic death. The last dragon died during his rule, thus earning him the name "Dragonbane." He died of consumption in 157 AC and was succeeded by his fourteen-year-old son Daeron I Targaryen. The names "Unlucky," and "Unhappy" make it clear that history is not kind to Aegon III Targaryen. He did, after all, sit the Iron Throne after turmoil, bitterness, hatred, and greed consumed his family. House of the Dragon meanwhile has dived into this disastrous civil war which has far-reaching consequences.