Doctrine of Exceptionalism

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The Doctrine of Exceptionalism was the precept that Jaehaerys I Targaryen worked out with the Faith of the Seven in order for them to tolerate the continued practice of incestuous marriages by House Targaryen. It had been developed by King Jaehaerys himself, with help from Septon Oswyck and Septon Barth. It was called Exceptionalism for short, and its supporters Exceptionalists.

Doctrine

The Doctrine of Exceptionalism's basic tenet was elegant in its simplicity: the Faith of the Seven had been born in Andalos of old, where the laws laid down by the Seven in the holy texts decreed that incest was an abomination. All this the Exceptionalists confirmed, but with one caveat: the Targaryens were different. The Targaryens did not have their roots in Andalos, but in Valyria, where different laws and traditions held sway. For the Targaryens to wed brother to sister was to do as the Valyrians had always done, and since the gods must have made them this way, it was not for men to judge.

Moreover, the Targaryens and Valyrians were clearly different: they alone of all the men in the world had the power to tame and bond with dragons. One god had made all men and beats, but not all alike: He gave some gifts to the lion, others to the aurochs. A lion cannot be expected to live as an aurochs any more than an aurochs can live as a lion.