| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Aemma and Rhaenyra Targaryen by ildraws | ||||
|
| ||||
| Titles | ||||
| Allegiances | ||||
| Culture | Valemen | |||
| Born |
82 AC the Eyrie[2] | |||
| Died |
105 AC King's Landing[1] | |||
| Father | Lord Rodrik Arryn | |||
| Mother | Princess Daella Targaryen | |||
| Spouse | King Viserys I Targaryen | |||
| Issue |
| |||
| Books |
| |||
| Played by | Sian Brooke | |||
| TV series | House of the Dragon: Season 1 | 2 | |||
Aemma Arryn was the queen consort and first wife of King Viserys I Targaryen, and a granddaughter of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and his sister-wife, Queen Alysanne Targaryen.[1]
In the television adaptation House of the Dragon, Aemma is portrayed by Sian Brooke.[3]
History
Aemma was the fifth child of Lord Rodrik Arryn, and the only one by his second wife, Princess Daella Targaryen, who was the daughter of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and his sister-wife Alysanne Targaryen. Aemma had four elder half-siblings from her father's first marriage, two unnamed half-brothers and her half-sisters Elys and Amanda. In 82 AC, Daella went into labor a fortnight too early, and had a long and troubled labor. Although Aemma was born healthy, Daella became ill and died from childbed fever within a day of her birth.[2]
In 93 AC, at the age of eleven, Aemma married Prince Viserys Targaryen, her cousin. The marriage was not consummated until Aemma flowered, two years later. In the early years of her marriage, Aemma became pregnant several times, but suffered multiple miscarriages and gave birth to a son who died in the cradle. Some maesters believed that these difficulties were because Aemma had been married and bedded too young. However, in 97 AC, Aemma gave birth to a healthy daughter, Princess Rhaenyra. Aemma and Viserys both adored their only living child.[1]
Viserys's father and King Jaehaerys's heir, Prince Baelon Targaryen, unexpectedly passed from an illness in 101 AC, leading to a succession crisis. During the Great Council of 101 AC, Viserys was chosen as King Jaehaerys's new heir, over a female cousin and her children. Upon her grandfather Jaehaerys's death in 103 AC, Aemma became Viserys's queen consort. Questions arose regarding the inheritance of the throne, with many opposing Viserys's younger brother and potential heir, the roguish Prince Daemon Targaryen. However, when asked about the subject, Viserys only answered that he expected Aemma would soon give him a son.[1]
In early 105 AC, Aemma became pregnant once more, which Viserys joyously announced to the court and small council. Late in the year, she gave birth to a son, Prince Baelon Targaryen. Unfortunately Aemma died during the birth, and her son died a day later, leaving Viserys bereft.[1]
Legacy
Aemma and Baelon's deaths led to a fall-out between King Viserys and his brother, Prince Daemon, after Daemon was reported to have drunkenly celebrated the "heir for a day". In 105 AC, Viserys proclaimed Rhaenyra as his heir over Daemon, naming her Princess of Dragonstone and having all the lords of the Seven Kingdoms swear fealty to her, promising to honor and defend her rights of succession. However, the small council still worried over the succession and Viserys and Aemma's only living child, and encouraged King Viserys to remarry. The new wife he chose was Alicent Hightower, daughter of the Hand of the King, Otto Hightower. Alicent soon gave birth to four children, including three sons, and Alicent and Otto's greens party often proclaimed their rights to the throne over Rhaenyra. Nevertheless, Viserys upheld the inheritance of Aemma's daughter Rhaenyra over Alicent's sons until the day of his death.[1]
Despite this fact, upon Viserys's death in 129 AC, Rhaenyra found herself in a struggle for the throne. The eldest of Alicent's children, Prince Aegon, was crowned king by Lord Commander Criston Cole.[4] This power struggle between Rhaenyra's blacks and Aegon's greens led to a war known as the Dance of the Dragons, which caused the deaths of both Rhaenyra and her half-brother Aegon, as well as most of Rhaenyra's children, and Aegon's siblings and sons.[5][6]
Aemma's daughter Rhaenyra had six children, one of them stillborn.[1][4] The youngest two of Rhaenyra's living children, Princes Aegon and Viserys, would later become kings, Aegon III and Viserys II. It would be the line of Viserys II that continued the line of House Targaryen kings. In addition, Aegon's daughter Daena and Viserys's son Aegon had a bastard son together, Daemon, who created House Blackfyre.[5][7][8][9]
Family
Arryn tree
| Darnold | Rymond | Unknown wife | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unknown first wife | Rodrik | Daella Targaryen | Daughter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Son | Son | Elys | Amanda | Aemma | Viserys I Targaryen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Targaryen tree
Behind the Scenes
George R. R. Martin's notes dating back to 1999 named Aemma Arryn as "Amma Arryn".[10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fire & Blood, The Long Reign - Jaehaerys and Alysanne: Policy, Progeny, and Pain.
- ↑ WarnerMedia Pressroom: House of the Dragon | Character Descriptions
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Blacks and the Greens.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Princess and the Queen.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon II.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon III.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Viserys II.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon IV.
- ↑ Westeros.org: Odds and Ends 01 (4 July, 2024)