‘House of the Dragon’: Who Is Aegon the Conqueror?
House of the Dragon Episode 4 mentioned Aegon the Conqueror several times. Aegon is a legend in the Targaryen dynasty, and King Viserys and Alicent Hightower named their son Aegon II after him. Here’s what you need to know about Aegon the Conqueror and how he ties in with Rhaenyra and Aegon II.
[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Episode 4.]
Aegon the Conqueror founded the Targaryen dynasty
Aegon the Conqueror, or King Aegon I Targaryen, founded the Targaryen dynasty. He was a dragon-rider who conquered Westeros and united most of the realm. Aegon the Conqueror also began constructing the Red Keep and created the Iron Throne.
In House of the Dragon Episode 4, Daemon Targaryen requests that Viserys wed Rhaenyra to him. He mentions that Aegon the Conqueror also had a second wife. Aegon I was actually married to both his sisters, Visenya and Rhaenys. Viserys, however, tells Daemon, “You are no conqueror. You are a plague sent to destroy me.”
Later in the episode, Viserys meets with Rhaenyra in the wake of her scandalous night out with Daemon. Rhaenyra notices an object in the fire. “That dagger once belonged to Aegon the Conqueror,” Viserys tells her. “Before Aegon’s death, the last of the Valyron pyromancers hid his song on in the steel.” Rhaenyra reads the words on the blade: “From my blood, come the Prince that was Promised, and his will be the Song of Ice and Fire.”
King Viserys saw visions of his and Alicent Hightower’s son
King Viserys and Alicent Hightower name their firstborn son Aegon II after Aegon the Conqueror. The Targaryens have a history of precognitive visions, and in episode 3, Viserys tells Alicent that he had dreamed of fathering a son.
“Many in my line have been Dragonriders – very few among us have been dreamers. What is the power of a dragon next to the power of prophecy? When Rhaenyra was a child, I saw it in a dream – as vivid as these flames I saw it. A male babe born to me wearing The Conqueror’s crown,” Viserys says.
“And I so wanted it to be true, to be a dreamer myself. I sought that vision again, night after night, but it never came again. I poured all my thought and will into it. And my obsession killed Rhaenyra’s mother.” According to comicbook.com, the “conqueror’s crown” refers to Aegon the Conqueror, from whom Aegon II takes his name.
Aegon II and Rhaenyra’s battle for succession will lead to the Dance of the Dragons
Fans who have read George R.R. Martin’s book know that dark times are coming for Aegon II and Rhaenyra Targaryen. The half-siblings will soon engage in the Dance of the Dragons, a civil war in which the pair battle for succession over their father’s throne, with disastrous consequences.
Aegon the Conqueror’s Prince that was Promised prophecy, ties in with Game of Thrones, which takes place centuries later. Melisandre’s searches for this figure in GOT lead her to realize that the prophecy may not be referring to a single person.
House of the Dragon airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
