Editing Iron Throne (section)

===Succession===
[[File:Iron_throne_HBO.jpg|thumb|300px|The Iron Throne from ''[[Game of Thrones]]'']]
Inheritance customs for the Iron Throne differ from the inheritance customs in the rest of the [[Seven Kingdoms]]. Generally, like elsewhere in the kingdom, male-preference [[w:primogeniture|primogeniture]] is customary. [[Aenys I Targaryen|Aenys]], the eldest son of King [[Aegon I Targaryen|Aegon I]], the first king on the Iron Throne, was considered Aegon's clear successor. The birth of Aenys's first child, [[Rhaena Targaryen (daughter of Aenys I)|Rhaena]], brought forth the question as to who should stand next in line following Aenys: his daughter Rhaena, or his younger brother [[Maegor I Targaryen|Maegor]]? The birth of Aenys's son [[Aegon Targaryen (son of Aenys I)|Aegon]] settled the discussion of who should succeed Aenys, although it was not concluded whether Rhaena or Maegor stood earlier in the line of succession.{{Ref|FAB|The Sons of the Dragon}}

After Aenys died, his brother Maegor took the throne by force, ignoring the claim of Aenys's son Aegon. Following Aegon's death, his wife Rhaena feared for the safety of their eldest daughter, [[Aerea Targaryen|Aerea]], who stood Aegon's heir by the laws of the Seven Kingdoms. Aerea was eventually appointed as Maegor I's heir, until he would have a son of his own.{{Ref|FAB|The Sons of the Dragon}} However, Maegor the Cruel died childless, and several claims were discussed. As the only surviving son of the late King Aenys I, [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen|Jaehaerys Targaryen's]] claim was strong. However, his elder brother Aegon had claimed the throne before him, and if he were to be considered to have been the true king, the throne should pass to his eldest child, Aerea. Some even suggested that the claim of Princess Rhaena, as Aenys I's eldest child, was the strongest of them all. However, Aerea and her younger twin were discounted on account of their sex and young age, and Rhaena on account of her sex alone. As a result, Jaehaerys ascended the Iron Throne.{{Ref|FAB|Prince into King – The Ascension of Jaehaerys I}}

Jaehaerys I named his niece Aerea as his heir as well,{{Ref|FAB|The Year of the Three Brides - 49}}{{Ref|FAB|A Time of Testing - The Realm Remade}} a position she held for five years (with the exception of three days during {{Date|52}}), until the birth of Princess [[Daenerys Targaryen (daughter of Jaehaerys I)|Daenerys]] in {{Date|53}}.{{Ref|FAB|Birth, Death, and Betrayal Under King Jaehaerys I}} The title of heir apparent was given to Prince [[Aemon Targaryen (son of Jaehaerys I)|Aemon]] following his birth two years later,{{Ref|FAB|Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Their Triumphs and Tragedies}} upsetting Queen [[Alysanne Targaryen]].

Aemon remained heir to the throne until his own death in battle in {{Date|92}}. Aemon's death caused a crisis in the succession, as his only issue was a daughter, [[Rhaenys Targaryen (daughter of Aemon)|Rhaenys]]. Rhaenys was pregnant upon the death of her father, and when Jaehaerys appointed Aemon's brother [[Baelon Targaryen (son of Jaehaerys I)|Baelon]] over Rhaenys, Rhaenys proclaimed that the king had not only passed over her, but also her "unborn son". Upon Baelon's death in {{Date|101}}, Jaehaerys followed the advice of his only surviving son [[Vaegon Targaryen|Vaegon]] and called the first [[Great Council]]. There, fourteen claims were considered. Nine lesser claims were dismissed, including those of a man claiming descent from Lord [[Gaemon Targaryen (son of Aenar)|Gaemon Targaryen]] through a daughter; three [[bastard]] grandsons of King Jaehaerys through his daughter [[Saera Targaryen|Saera]]; a man claiming to be a bastard son of Maegor I; a hedge knight claiming to be a bastard son of King Jaehaerys; Archmaester Vaegon, Jaehaerys's only remaining son; Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Jaehaerys's grandchild through his eldest son, Aemon; and [[Laena Velaryon]], Rhaenys's eldest child. The two claims that remained belonged to [[Laenor Velaryon]], Rhaenys's son, and [[Viserys I Targaryen|Viserys Targaryen]], the eldest son of Prince Baelon. As Laenor descended from the king through the king’s eldest son, primogeniture favored him, but proximity favored Viserys, as Viserys was the king’s grandson, while Laenor was his great-grandson. Laenor's young age spoke against him, however, and the lords present voted for Viserys over Laenor twenty to one. Many felt that a male line was preferred over a female line, and believed that the decision of the Great Council set a precedent stating that the Iron Throne could not pass to a woman, or to the male descendants of a woman.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Targaryen Kings: Jaehaerys I}}{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

Ironically, it was Prince Viserys, by then crowned king, who disregarded these precedents in {{Date|105}} by naming his daughter and only remaining child at the time, [[Rhaenyra Targaryen]], as his heir. Despite the birth of three healthy sons during his second marriage in the years that followed, Viserys remained intent that Rhaenyra should succeed him.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Targaryen Kings: Viserys I}} Viserys's decision would eventually lead to the civil war known as the [[Dance of the Dragons]], where his eldest son [[Aegon II Targaryen]] claimed the throne, ignoring Rhaenyra’s status as heir. During the war, Aegon II's sons, [[Jaehaerys Targaryen (son of Aegon II)|Jaehaerys]] and [[Maelor Targaryen|Maelor]], died, as did Rhaenyra's eldest three sons ([[Jacaerys Velaryon|Jacaerys]], [[Lucerys Velaryon|Lucerys]], and [[Joffrey Velaryon]]), while her youngest son, Prince [[Viserys II Targaryen|Viserys]], was presumed dead.{{Ref|tpatq}}{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Targaryen Kings: Aegon II}} In an attempt to end the war, Lord [[Corlys Velaryon]] ensured that Aegon II's only remaining heir, his daughter [[Jaehaera Targaryen|Jaehaera]], was betrothed to Rhaenyra's son, [[Aegon III Targaryen|Aegon the Younger]], and that both were named Aegon II's heirs.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Short, Sad Reign of Aegon II}} Following Aegon II’s death, Aegon III was crowned.

The agnatic principle laid down in the Great Council of 101 AC was slightly modified after the Dance of the Dragons. Thereafter, according to a semi-canon source, ''women came after all men in the Targaryen succession,''<ref>[[So Spake Martin]]: [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Comic_Con_San_Diego_CA_July_20_232/ Comic Con San Diego (July 23, 2006)]</ref> i.e., women could only succeed if the entire male line of House Targaryen became extinct. Nonetheless, several females claims have since been considered. In {{Date|171}}, following the deaths of Aegon III's sons [[Daeron I Targaryen|Daeron I]] and [[Baelor I Targaryen|Baelor I]], both childless, the claims of Aegon's three daughters were considered. However, with the Dance of the Dragons still fresh in their minds, the claims of the three women were passed over and Aegon's brother [[Viserys II Targaryen|Viserys II]] ascended the throne.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Targaryen Kings: Viserys II}} Another few decades later, King [[Maekar I Targaryen]] died without a clearly established heir. His simple-minded granddaughter [[Vaella Targaryen (daughter of Daeron)|Vaella Targaryen]], the only child of Maekar's [[Daeron Targaryen (son of Maekar I)|eldest son]], was seen as a possible claimant. However, her claim was quickly dismissed.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Targaryen Kings: Maekar I}}{{Ref|ACOK|6}}

In {{Date|283}}, the [[Sack of King's Landing]] during [[Robert's Rebellion]] led to the death of King [[Aerys II Targaryen]]. His sister-wife, Queen [[Rhaella Targaryen]], pregnant with Princess [[Daenerys Targaryen|Daenerys]], was at [[Dragonstone]] with Aerys's surviving son, Prince [[Viserys Targaryen|Viserys]], who was declared king on the island fortress.{{Ref|AWOIAF|Rhaella Targaryen}} [[Robert I Baratheon]], however, acceded the Iron Throne by right of conquest,{{Ref|ACOK|22}} chosen as claimant by the rebels due to his Targaryen descent,{{Ref|AGOT|30}} as he was the grandson of Princess [[Rhaelle Targaryen]], the youngest daughter of King [[Aegon V Targaryen]],{{Ref|AFFC|35}} which gave him the better claim among the rebels. Nonetheless, the exiled Viserys declared his sister Daenerys his heir, naming her [[Princess of Dragonstone]],{{Ref|AGOT|3}} and following Viserys's death, Daenerys has declared her own claim for the Iron Throne.{{Ref|ACOK|40}}