Aegon I Targaryen

Aegon I Targaryen, also known as Aegon the Conqueror and Aegon the Dragon, was the first Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and king on the Iron Throne, having conquered six of the Seven Kingdoms during the Conquest. The dragonlord was the founder of the ruling Targaryen dynasty of Westeros.

He was born in 27 BC, and died in 37 AC at Dragonstone. He ruled the Seven Kingdoms for 37 years from the Conquest until his death.

Appearance and Character
Aegon was tall, broad-shouldered and powerful in appearance, with purple eyes and short-cut silver-gold hair. He was very charismatic and commanding. During his Conquest he typically wore a shirt of black scales into battle and wielded Blackfyre, a bastard sword made of Valyrian steel. His crown was a simple circlet of Valyrian steel, set with big square-cut rubies.

Aegon was seen as an enigma. He was a solitary person whose only friend was Orys Baratheon. He was a great warrior but only rode his dragon, Balerion, for battle or travel and never entered tourneys. Aegon remained faithful to his sisters and left governance in their hands and only took command when necessary. While he was harsh with those who defied him, he was generous to those that bent the knee.

Aegon is not considered to have been particularly pious. According to a semi-canon source, he followed the Faith of the Seven for political reasons.

Early life
Aegon was born on Dragonstone in 27 BC to Lord Aerion Targaryen and Lady Valaena Velaryon. He had an older sister, Visenya, and a younger sister, Rhaenys. According to Valyrian and Targaryen tradition, Aegon married within the family; however, instead of taking only one sister to wife, as had been common, he married both of them. Aegon had claimed the dragon Balerion for his own prior to his marriage.

Aegon was born in the latter half of the Century of Blood, during which Volantis attempted to expand their power, as they saw themselves as the rightful heirs to the remains of the Valyrian Freehold. The other Free Cities rose up against Volantis, and when Pentos and Tyrosh asked for his aid in their struggle against Volantis, Aegon flew to Pentos atop of Balerion to meet with the Prince of Pentos and the city's magisters. Aegon next flew to Lys, where he burned a Volantene fleet before it could attempt to invade the city. Shortly after, Aegon returned to Dragonstone.

The Conquest


While the Century of Blood came to an end, Aegon's interest in Westeros grew. He had previously visited the Citadel of Oldtown and the Arbor in the Kingdom of the Reach with his sister Visenya, and might also have visited Lannisport in the Kingdom of the Rock. A huge wooden table, cut in the shape of Westeros, with a map painted upon the surface. No borders were painted upon the Painted Table, however, as Aegon believed it should be one realm instead of seven.

Storm King Argilac Durrandon reached out to Aegon, proposing a marriage between Aegon and his only daughter, Princess Argella. All the lands east of the Gods Eye from the Trident to the Blackwater Rush were offered as her dowry. Even though the lands did not belong to Argilac, the offer was an attempt to create a buffer between his own kingdom, and that of Harren Hoare. Aegon spurned the offer, stating he had no need of a third wife, and offered his close friend and rumored bastard half-brother Orys Baratheon instead, in return for lands. Insulted, Argilac cut off the hands of Aegon's envoy and sent those back to Dragonstone, upon which Aegon called his councilors together. After six days of consulting, Aegon sent forth ravens to every lord in Westeros, declaring his claim to the throne.

Aegon landed with his army on the eastern coast of Westeros at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush, where he constructed the wooden Aegonfort. House Rosby and House Stokeworth surrendered to him quickly, and House Mooton and Darklyn were quickly defeated in the first battle. Making use of their three dragons (Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar), Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya conquered or subjected six of the seven kingdoms of Westeros. Only Dorne remained untaken. Aegon established the riverlands as a separate region from the Iron Islands, and placed them under the rule of House Tully.

Aegon chose to date the beginning of his reign from the day the High Septon anointed him in Oldtown. Rather than ruling from Oldtown or Dragonstone, Aegon chose to make his seat King's Landing, the new settlement growing around the Aegonfort. He also took the swords of his defeated enemies, forging them into the Iron Throne. Aegon also created the offices of the small council as well as that of the Hand of the King, with Orys Baratheon becoming his first Hand.

In 2, Aegon finally turned his attention to the Iron Islands, where the Ironborn had been fighting for two years over the kingship. Aegon landed on Great Wyk with Balerion, and a war fleet to deal with the contenders. Aegon personally cut down Qhorin Volmark, while the priest-king Lodos walked into the sea, drowning himself. The other contenders quickly bend the knee. Aegon ignored the suggestions of making the ironborn vassals to the Tullys of Riverrun or the Lannisters of Casterly Rock, as well as the suggestion to exterminate the ironborn by dragonflame. Instead, Aegon allowed the ironborn to name their own lord paramount, for which the ironborn chose Vickon Greyjoy.

First Dornish War


Aegon turned his attention back on Dorne in 4. The king launched a new invasion, hoping to complete his conquest. The First Dornish War lasted nine years, and knew many deaths and tragedies. One of these tragedies was the capture and mutilation of Aegon's friend and Hand of the King, Orys Baratheon. Following his release from the two-year captivity, Orys returned home lacking a swordhand – as did the men who had been taken captive with him. Aegon, intend on revenge, released his dragons and burned the castles of the defiant dornish lords. Yet the greatest loss Aegon faced was the death of Queen Rhaenys Targaryen at Hellholt in 10, when her dragon Meraxes fell from the sky (with Rhaenys upon her back) when a shot from a scorpion took her in the eye. The two years that followed are known as the Dragon’s Wroth, as Aegon's wrath after Rhaenys's death knew no bounds.

Aegon and Visenya placed bounties on the heads of Dornish lords after Rhaenys's death and in turn the Dornish put bounties on the Targaryens. Aegon and Visenya were assaulted on the streets of King's Landing and if not for Visenya and Dark Sister they would have been killed. This attack led to the forming of the elite royal bodyguard known as the Kingsguard in 10. Visenya personally chose the men herself. The First Dornish War came to an end in 13The attempted conquest of Dorne was called to an end in 13, after a visit from Princess Deria Martell, the daughter of Prince Nymor Martell, the ruling Prince of Dorne. She brought the skull of Meraxes and a letter with her, which was given to Aegon. After reading the letter, Aegon flew on Balerion to Dragonstone. He returned the next day, and agreed to a peace between Dorne and his kingdom.

Aegon would keep up good relations with Princess Deria, and is known to have visited Sunspear together with his eldest son, Aenys, in 23 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the peace between the Iron Throne and Dorne.

Further Reign
The remaining twenty-four years of Aegon's reign were peaceful. He spent much of his time consolidating his power by traveling throughout the Seven Kingdoms and building his capital at King's Landing. Aegon devoted half of every year to making these royal progresses. During his rule he tread carefully with the Faith of the Seven, so they would not oppose him. Aegon built a grand sept on Visenya's Hill and agreed to the construction of an even grander one known as the Sept of Remembrance on Rhaenys's Hill.

King's Landing initially lacked walls, and the likely reason is that the Targaryens likely believed no one would attack a city which housed dragons. However, when he learned about a pirate fleet sacking Tall Trees Town in the Summer Isles in 19, Aegon came to the realization that he and Visenya were not always in the city. As such, he ordered the construction of massive walls to be built around the city. Construction began in 20, and was completed in 26.

After Aegon celebrated his sixtieth name day in 33, the royal progresses continued, but were now made by his son Aenys and his wife Alyssa, while the aging king remained at home. By this point late in his reign, Aegon decided that the ramshackle Aegonfort was not a suitable seat for a king, so the structure was torn to the ground in 35. Aegon moved his family and court back to Dragonstone, while he commanded the construction of what would later be called the Red Keep. Visenya was placed in charge of the building of the Red Keep, and it was rumored that Aegon had done this so that he would not have to suffer her presence on Dragonstone. The Iron Throne remained at the build site instead of Dragonstone, since it was too heavy to be moved.

The Sons of the Dragon
In 7, Aegon became a father for the first time, when his younger sister-wife Rhaenys gave birth to a son: Aenys. However, Aenys was a sickly boy, and Rhaenys's death in 10 shattered him. Aegon grew desperate, and there were worries about whether or not Aenys would even live. As Aenys had troubled health, there were rumors that he had been fathered by a singer instead of Aegon. However, when Aenys bonded with his dragon Quicksilver, his health improved, and the rumors faded away.

As Visenya by then had not gotten pregnant yet, some believed she was barren, and during the times when Aenys's health was still troubled it was rumored at court that Aegon might take another wife. Although Aegon refused to speak his mind on the matter, many lord and knights brought their young daughters to court. In 11, Queen Visenya announced her pregnancy, and the next year she gave birth to Aegon's second son, Maegor.

Aegon raised Aenys at King's Landing, and took him with him on his progressions. Occasionally, he let Aenys train with his Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre. Lacking daughters, he married Aenys to a cousin, Lady Alyssa Velaryon, the daughter of his master of ships, in 22. Aenys would have six children with Alyssa, five of whom were born during Aegon's reign.

Death
In 33, Aegon made his final progress throughout Westeros, during which he visited Winterfell. Afterwards, Aenys and his wife would make the progresses in Aegon’s stead.

In 37 on Dragonstone, while telling his two eldest grandsons Aegon and Viserys the tales of his conquest at the Painted Table, Aegon died from a stroke at the age of sixty-four. Aegon was cremated on Dragonstone, and his funeral pyre was set aflame by Vhagar. Blackfyre was burned along with him, but later retrieved from the pyre by Aenys.

Although Aegon’s reign had largely been peaceful, many of his subjects desired to go back to the days of old, when there were still seven Kingdoms. Others wanted vengeance for the deaths of their loved ones in wars, and yet others saw the Targaryens as abominations. Because of this, the reigns of both Aenys and Maegor were tumulus, and filled with battles and chaos.

Small Council under Aegon I
Although the small council would only be formed during the reign of Aegon's grandson Jaehaerys I, Aegon had established his councillors early on. The following members are known:

Quotes by Aegon
"From this day forth there would be but one king in Westeros."

"A king should never sit easy."

"When the sun sets, your line shall end." – Aegon, to Harren Hoare

Quotes about Aegon
"Aegon the Conqueror brought fire and blood to Westeros, but afterward he gave them peace, prosperity, and justice." – Daenerys Targaryen

"Aegon once stood here as I do, looking down on this table. Do you think we would name him Aegon the Conqueror today if he had not had dragons?" – Stannis Baratheon, to Davos Seaworth

Behind the Scenes
According to a semi-canon source, William the Conqueror is an inspiration for Aegon.