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 Daeron Targaryen, as depicted by Karla Ortiz in The World of Ice & Fire | ||||
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| Title | Prince | |||
| Allegiance | House Targaryen | |||
| Culture | Crownlands | |||
| Born | 228 AC[1] | |||
| Died | 251 AC[2] | |||
| Father | King Aegon V Targaryen | |||
| Mother | Queen Betha Blackwood | |||
| Lover | Ser Jeremy Norridge | |||
| Books |
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Prince Daeron Targaryen was the youngest son and fourthborn child of King Aegon V Targaryen and Queen Betha Blackwood.[2][3]
Appearance and Character
[edit]Daeron was a born warrior, who rejoiced in tourneys and battle. He and his siblings grew up to be as stubborn as their mother, Betha Blackwood, choosing to follow their hearts in matters of love.[2]
According to the illustration in The World of Ice & Fire, Daeron had dark silver hair, darker than his father's. He wore it long, and tied back in a ponytail.[2]
History
[edit]
Prince Daeron was the youngest son of Prince Aegon Targaryen and his wife, Lady Betha Blackwood. He had three older siblings, Duncan, Jaehaerys, and Shaera, and a younger sister, Rhaelle.[3] Daeron's grandfather, King Maekar I Targaryen, died in 233 AC, when Daeron was five years old, and the Great Council selected his father to be the new king, Aegon V Targaryen, called "Aegon the Unlikely" as he was the fourth son of a fourth son.[2]
When the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion erupted in 236 AC as the self-styled King Daemon III Blackfyre sailed across the Narrow Sea with Ser Aegor Rivers and the Golden Company, Daeron rode out to Massey's Hook to meet the invaders alongside his father and both his elder brothers.[2]
It had long been the custom of House Targaryen to wed brother to sister to keep the blood of the dragon pure, but Aegon V had become convinced that such unions did more harm than good. Instead, he chose to betroth his children to some of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms, in hopes of winning their support for his reign. In 237 AC, Daeron's mother Queen Betha arranged his betrothal to Olenna Redwyne of the Arbor, when both children were nine years old. However, Daeron's three older siblings broke their betrothals; Duncan fell in love with and married Jenny of Oldstones in 239 AC, and Jaehaerys and Shaera married each other in 240 AC. In 246 AC, corrupted by the example of his brothers, the eighteen-year-old Daeron broke his betrothal to Olenna as well.[2]
While his brothers had broken their betrothals for other women, this was not the case for Daeron, who remained unwed for the rest of his life. He preferred the companionship of Ser Jeremy Norridge, a dashing young knight who had been with Daeron since they were squires together at Highgarden.[2]
In 251 AC, Prince Daeron led an army against the rebels known as the Rat, the Hawk, and the Pig. Though they managed to quash the rebellion, Daeron was killed in battle, as was Jeremy, who died by his side.[2]
Recent Events
[edit]A Storm of Swords
[edit]When speaking with Sansa Stark in King's Landing, Lady Olenna Tyrell tells a tale of how she had once been betrothed to a Targaryen prince. Olenna claims that it was she who had not wanted the marriage, and that it was she who had ended it.[4]
A Dance with Dragons
[edit]Ser Barristan Selmy recalls how all three sons of Aegon V Targaryen had married for love, including Daeron, and how their father had let them have their way, resulting in tragedy and death.[5]
Quotes
[edit]
The Baratheons have always had some queer notions, to be sure. It comes from their Targaryen blood, I should think. They tried to marry me to a Targaryen once, but I soon put an end to that.[4]
—Olenna Tyrell, to Sansa Stark
All three of the sons of the fifth Aegon had wed for love in defiance of their father's wishes. And because that unlikely monarch had followed his heart when he chose his queen, he allowed his sons to have their way, making bitter enemies when he might have made fast friends.[5]
—thoughts of Barristan Selmy
Family
[edit]
Behind the scenes
[edit]Barristan Selmy recalls all three of Aegon V's sons wedding for love despite their father's wishes.[5] While his elder brothers' spouses are known, Daeron isn't known to have wed and instead favored the company of his companion, Jeremy Norridge.[2] It's unclear if this is a misrecollection on Selmy's part or if Daeron wed outside of the traditions of the Faith of the Seven, which disapproves of homosexuality[6] and dictates that a man may join only with a single wife.[7]
References
[edit]- ↑ See the Daeron Targaryen (son of Aegon V) calculation.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon V.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The World of Ice & Fire, Appendix:Targaryen Lineage.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 6, Sansa I.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 67, The Kingbreaker.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, Dorne: Queer Customs of the South.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Iron Islands.