Who is Aegon Targaryen in House of the Dragon? Everything you know about Aegon II Targaryen

In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, the Targaryen Civil War, known as the Dance of the Dragons, will begin in full swing. The war will be fought between the Blacks and the Greens. The leader of the Blacks is Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, while Aegon, the eldest son of King Viserys, leads the Greens.

Aegon II Targaryen, also known as Aegon the Elder, became King of the Seven Kingdoms after his coronation at the end of Season 1. However, Rhaenyra already had a claim on the throne. This was one of the primary reasons that the war for succession happened.

As the leader of the faction and claimant for the throne, Aegon II is the most important member of the Greens. This article details the entire life of Aegon II Targaryen and his role during the Dance of the Dragons.

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Who is Aegon II?

Credits: HBO

Aegon was born in 106 AC to King Viserys I Targaryen and Queen Alicent Hightower. His sister Rhaenyra was supposed to be queen, but his mother wanted him to be king. This caused a lot of fighting between their families and the realm’s lords.

Aegon was quick to anger and did not forgive easily. When he was fifteen, he was lazy and grumpy, and he loved eating and drinking.

He often drank too much, especially when things were going badly for him. He drank to forget his pain and worries. When Aegon was thirteen, he bonded with a dragon named Sunfyre.

He married his sister Helaena and had children with her, but he also had other kids with different women. Even when he was young, he would flirt with the serving girls.

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Aegon II in House of the Dragon

Credits: HBO

In House of the Dragon, Actor Ty Tennant portrays the adolescent version of Aegon, while Tom Glynn-Carney plays his adult version.

In the series, Aegon was initially seventh in line to the throne. After the death of King Viserys, the Green Council helped him become king, even though his sister Rhaenyra and her children were next in line.

In House of the Dragon Season 1, King Viserys celebrates Aegon’s second birthday with a hunt. Though there is talk about making him the heir, Viserys disagrees. During the hunt, a white hart is spotted, which many say is a sign that Aegon should be heir.

To Viserys’ relief, the stag captured during the hunt is not white. The white hart instead shows itself to Princess Rhaenyra and Ser Criston Cole. Otto Hightower suggests Aegon should marry Rhaenyra, but Viserys is enraged and tired of all the arguing.

Later, Queen Alicent Hightower tells Aegon to be ready to rule because there would be chaos in the realm if Rhaenyra became queen.

As a young man, Aegon accompanies his brother Aemond and nephews Jacaerys and Lucerys to the Dragonpit to learn about dragons. Along with Jace and Luke, Aegon teases Aemond for not having a dragon and gets in trouble with Queen Alicent. At Laena Velaryon’s funeral, Aegon argues with his family about his marriage to his sister, Helaena, and gets drunk.

After Viserys’s death, Aegon’s family plans to crown him but finds him missing. Prince Aemond, Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk track him down and rescue him from Mysaria, who has kidnapped him.At the end of Season 1, Aegon is crowned king.

Aegon II during the Dance of the Dragons

Credits: semla1

Prince Aemond killed Prince Lucerys Velaryon, which started the Dance of the Dragons. When Aemond returned, Aegon celebrated his success with a feast. Queen Alicent and Otto Hightower, however, feared the consequences of his actions.

In revenge for Lucerys’s death, Prince Daemon arranged for the death of Aegon’s son, Prince Jaehaerys, by the assassins Blood and Cheese. This caused Aegon’s wife, Queen Helaena, to sink into madness and despair.

Blood was caught and killed, but Cheese got away. Aegon was so angry that he ordered all the rat catchers in the city to be hanged. After this, Aegon and his wife slept in separate rooms, and Aegon took to drinking heavily.

As the war went on, Aegon’s side started losing battles. Ser Otto tried to get more allies by sending letters and hiring soldiers, but Aegon thought he wasn’t doing enough. Aegon drank more and more to forget his worries.

With Corlys Velaryon blocking King’s Landing, Aegon got rid of Ser Otto as the Hand of the King and gave the job to Criston Cole. Under Criston’s advice, Aegon punished people who supported Rhaenyra by making them swear loyalty to him or killing them.

Aegon wanted to attack Dragonstone, but his advisors stopped him. Aegon was badly hurt in the battle at Rook’s Rest. He had many burns, a broken hip, and broken ribs. He was in so much pain that he slept most of the time and wished for death.

Only his mother and Ser Criston talked to him. Aegon’s brother Aemond took over as ruler while Aegon was sick. Aegon stayed bent and twisted for the rest of his life, with scars covering half his body from the burns.

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Aegon II during the Fall of Dragonstone

Credits: HBO

After Rhaenyra took over King’s Landing and became Queen in 130 AC, there was a big battle above the Gods Eye Lake. During it, Aemond and Daemon Targaryen fought each other, and both died. Criston Cole also died in a battle called the Butcher’s Ball.

Before Rhaenyra could capture Aegon and his children, Larys Strong helped them escape secretly. Aegon’s children, Maelor and Jaehaera, were taken away safely, while Aegon himself escaped on a fishing boat. Later, he went to Dragonstone and convinced people there to join him.

During the Fall of Dragonstone, Aegon fought against Baela Targaryen on dragonback. During the fight, Aegon fell from his dragon and broke his legs.

He was in a lot of pain but refused to take any medicine from the Grand Maester because he didn’t trust him. Instead, he ordered the Grand Maester to be fed to his dragon, Sunfyre.

Aegon was helped by a knight named Ser Marston Waters, who he later made a member of his Kingsguard. Meanwhile, Aegon’s wife, Helaena, killed herself in the capital, and his son, Maelor, was killed by a group of people in Bitterbridge.

After the Storming of the Dragonpit, Rhaenyra fled to Dragonstone. When she arrived, Aegon captured her, proclaimed her a traitor, and fed her to his dragon Sunfyre while her son Prince Aegon ‘the Younger’ watched. Some people wanted to kill Rhaenyra’s son, but King Aegon did not allow it.

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The Death and Legacy of Aegon II

Credits: Douglas Wheatley

Even after Rhaenyra died, the fighting in the Dance of the Dragons continued. Aegon II, wanting to make peace with House Velaryon, promised to forgive them if Alyn Velaryon, the heir, agreed to support him.

Aegon cried when his dragon Sunfyre died while he was on Dragonstone. He initially wanted to execute Princess Baela Targaryen, as she was the cause of Sunfyre’s death. Instead, he held her hostage and threatened to behead her if Alyn didn’t show up. Meanwhile, Corlys Velaryon agreed to support Aegon and became the master of ships.

Even though Lord Corlys advised Aegon to forgive those who supported Rhaenyra, the king did not listen. He captured many lords who didn’t support him and took their children as hostages. While the Riverlords and the Vale of Arryn’s army were getting ready to fight him, Aegon tried to hatch dragon eggs, but it did not succeed.

As the enemies closed in on King’s Landing, Aegon realised he was in trouble. Lord Kermit Tully defeated Lord Borros Baratheon, and with no more armies supporting him, Aegon knew he would lose. He refused to give up his crown, so he ordered his nephew’s ear cut off and sent to Lord Tully as a warning.

After a meeting with his advisors, Aegon felt tired and asked to go to the royal sept. On the way there, he drank wine to ease his pain. But when they arrived, Aegon II was found dead in his litter, with poison on his lips. With Aegon II gone, his nephew Aegon the Younger became king and married Aegon II’s daughter, Jaehaera.

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