Aegon IV Targaryen

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Aegon IV
House Targaryen crest.PNG
AEGON IV.jpg
Aegon IV by Amok©
Monarch
Reign 172 AC - 184 AC
Full name Aegon Targaryen Fourth of His Name
Title King of the Seven Kingdoms
Predecessor Viserys II Targaryen
Heir Daeron II Targaryen
Successor Daeron II Targaryen
Personal Information
Alias Aegon the Unworthy
Born or between 135 AC and 143 AC[1]
King's Landing
Died 184 AC
King's Landing
Family
Dynasty House Targaryen
Queen Naerys Targaryen
Issue Daeron II Targaryen
Daenerys Targaryen
Daemon Blackfyre
Aegor "Bittersteel" Rivers
Shiera Seastar
Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers
References
Books


Aegon IV, known as Aegon the Unworthy, was the eleventh Targaryen to sit the Iron Throne and is considered to be one of the worst Targaryen kings. He sired numerous bastards, legitimizing them on his deathbed, an act that started the Blackfyre Rebellion and almost ripped the Seven Kingdoms apart.

Character and appearance

Aegon began his reign when he was young, vigorous, robust and handsome but ended it old and corrupt. By the end of it he was bloated and fat. His eyes were almost lost in the fat of his face, his legs too weak to support his belly. He had a small mouth and a large beard used in an attempt to cover the fat of his neck and face. He had a new crown made, huge and heavy, red gold, each of its points a dragon head with gemstone eyes.[2] On his coinage, he was depicted with a beard.[3]

Biography

Early life

Aegon was the eldest son of the King's Hand, Viserys, and grew up during the rule of his cousin Daeron I and married his sister Naerys. Their marriage was an unhappy one, and once his son Daeron was born, she asked Aegon to release her from her vows so she could join the Faith, but he refused her.

When Baelor I became king, he dissolved his marriage to his sister-wife Daena and imprisoned her in the Maidenvault so the sight of her would not tempt him to carnal thoughts. Aegon was not under any such prohibition and developed a fondness for his cousin Daena. On one occasion he helped Daena escape from the Maidenvault and they conceived a child. Daena refused to say who the father was, and was dubbed 'Daena the Defiant' for her wilfulness. In time she gave birth to a son, Daemon Blackfyre, and Aegon noted with approval that he was growing up to be a strong warrior.

Eventually Baelor starved himself to death during one of his pious fasts and Viserys only ruled for a single year before passing himself, so the throne passed to Aegon, Fourth of His Name.

Reign

Aegon IV is generally considered to be one of the worst kings in the history of Westeros, and is dubbed 'Aegon the Unworthy' in history texts. Aegon's behavior caused great strife at court, especially with his brother Aemon, who was then the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, and his son Daeron.

He was a decadent, corrupt ruler who indulged his passions and whims at every opportunity. Being attractive, he was popular with women both highborn and lowborn. He had as many as nine mistresses and many bastards. Supposedly, he had any woman he wanted whether they were married or not. People often joked that the Targaryen words might be "Fire and Blood" but Aegon IV's motto was "Wash her and bring her to my bed."

From a young age, Aegon indulged himself with women and continued to do so after his marriage, even during his own reign.[4] He quite openly flaunted his mistresses at court, to the distress of his wife. As an example, on one of his many trips he gifted a dragon's egg to Lord Butterwell, after guesting at his castle and allegedly impregnating his host's three maiden daughters.[3] On another occasion he caught one of his Kingsguard knights, Terrence Toyne, sleeping with one of his mistresses and had both executed,[5]. This led to the death of his brother Aemon, who, despite their conflicts and Aegon's hatred and disrespect for him,[4] sacrificed his life to protect Aegon from Terrence's brothers' assassination attempt[3].

Blackfyre, the Valyrian steel sword of Aegon the Conqueror, was traditionally carried by the Targaryen kings who succeeded him. Aegon IV, however, gave Blackfyre not to his heir, Daeron, but to one of his bastards, Daemon, when he knighted Daemon at the age of 12. Talk of Daemon becoming Aegon's heir instead of Daeron began after this point.

Like many other Targaryen kings, Aegon was obsessed with regaining dragons for his house. Instead of trying to resurrect the dead dragons of his ancestors, Aegon tried to build new ones out of wood and iron, which he used to try and conquer Dorne. However, the attempt failed and his dragons burned.[6][7]

On his deathbed, Aegon legitimized his many bastards, causing five generations of strife as they and their descendants tried to claim the throne of Westeros.[8]

Mistresses

  1. Falena Stokeworth
  2. Merry Meg
  3. Cassella Vaith
  4. Bellegere Otherys, the Black Pearl of Braavos
  5. Barba Bracken
  6. Melissa (Missy) Blackwood
  7. Bethany Bracken
  8. Jeyne Lothston
  9. Serenei of Lys

Beside those nine "official" mistresses[9], Aegon had an affair with his cousin Daena in his youth, and took many other women to his bed. Per stories, they included the three daughters of Lord Butterwell.[3]

Great Bastards

Male Great Bastards.jpgShiera Seastar.jpg
Great Bastards: Bittersteel, Daemon, Bloodraven and Shiera

Among Aegon's bastards, several were of noble mothers, becoming known as the "Great Bastards." At present, there are only four known Great Bastards:

Name Description
Daemon Blackfyre Aegon's son from Princess Daena Targaryen.
Aegor "Bittersteel" Rivers Aegon's son from Lady Barba Bracken.
Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers Aegon's son from Lady Melissa Blackwood.
Shiera Seastar Aegon's daughter from Lady Serenei of Lys.

While on his deathbed, Aegon legitimized his bastard sons and placed them in his line of succession after his firstborn, Daeron II. A few years after Aegon's death, Daemon Blackfyre rose against his half-brother and attempted to take the throne in the Blackfyre Rebellion. He was defeated, but the Blackfyres continued to trouble the Targaryens for almost 100 years.

Among Aegon's other bastards was the daughter he fathered on Bellegere Otherys, who became the next Black Pearl of Braavos after her mother. Her daughter and granddaughter have been Black Pearls too.[10]

Quotes

Aegon was not called the Unworthy without cause.[11]

Arys Oakheart


Fire and Blood were the words of House Targaryen, but Dunk once heard Ser Arlan say that Aegon's should have been, Wash Her and Bring Her to My Bed.[12]


Family

 
 
 
Daena
Targaryen
 
 
 
 
Aegon IV
Targaryen
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Barba
Bracken
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Daemon I
 
Rohanne
of Tyrosh
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Aegon
 
 
Daemon II
 
 
Aenys
 
Two sons
 
 
Calla
 
Aegor
Rivers
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Aemon
 
Haegon
 
Unknown
wife
 
Daughter(s)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Daemon III
 
Son(s)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Daemon
 
Maelys
 


References and Notes