King Viserys I Targaryen could also be useless following the occasions of HBO’s Home of the Dragon Season 1, however his legacy lives on as Season 2 kicks into full swing. Performed by Paddy Considine, Viserys is the fifth king of the united Seven Kingdoms following Aegon’s conquest over a century earlier. After ruling for over 20 years, Viserys died an early dying, his physique decaying quickly because of unknown causes.

Because the king who sat on the Iron Throne after Jaehaerys, one of many best Targaryen kings within the historical past of Westeros, and instantly earlier than the Dance of the Dragons, a civil battle that almost destroyed Home Targaryen and the nation itself, Viserys is usually overshadowed in Westerosi historical past. In Episode 2 of Home of the Dragon‘s second season, nevertheless, Viserys’s former Hand, Otto Hightower, appeared again wistfully on the oft-forgotten king’s reign, declaring it extra favorable than the reign of his son, Aegon II. Was the reign of Viserys I all that Otto Hightower made it out to be? Or, was Viserys a weak ruler whose mistake led to the fracturing of the nation?

Viserys Was A Flawed Ruler

Viserys Was At all times Seen In Jaehaerys’s Shadow

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Reigning from 103 to 129 AC (after Aegon’s Conquest), Viserys loved one of many longest guidelines upon the Iron Throne of any Targaryen king within the historical past of Westeros. In that point, he made many errors, each non-public and public, that might cloud views of his reign. When audiences first meet Viserys in Home of the Dragon, he’s proven to be so determined for a son that he’s keen to sacrifice the lifetime of his expensive spouse, Aemma, to lastly get an inheritor. Moreover, regardless of his brother Daemon persistently proving himself to be a harmful and untrustworthy patron, Viserys frequently forgave his trespasses and reinstated him all through his reign. This was towards the needs of most members of the Small Council, significantly Otto Hightower.

Viserys is most notorious for his selections that might ultimately result in the Dance of the Dragons, a civil battle fought over the succession of the Iron Throne after his dying. Viserys named his eldest daughter Rhaenyra as his inheritor when it grew to become clear that he would haven’t any sons. Nevertheless, after remarrying, Viserys ultimately lastly received sons by Alicent Hightower. Though he all the time maintained that Rhaenyra could be his inheritor, Viserys by no means quashed the rumblings that the Aegon, his eldest son, ought to take the Iron Throne as a substitute. The getting older king was conscious that the dominion didn’t absolutely again his resolution however did not set issues so as earlier than his dying, opening the door for some to query the road of succession. Though he didn’t stay to see the battle, a lot of Viserys’s selections led to the Dance of the Dragons that might tear the nation aside and spell the near-doom of Home Targaryen.

Viserys Had A Peaceable Rule

Viserys Maintained The Peace From Jaehaerys’s Rule

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For his many faults, Viserys had many good qualities as properly. His reign was largely peaceable, with even the long-running Dornish Wars comparatively uneventful throughout his time on the Iron Throne. Other than some skirmishes within the Stepstones, there have been only a few wars that Westeros was formally concerned with beneath Viserys. The hallmark of an ideal king is that his reign is boring, with only a few occasions that warrant pages within the historical past books. Such a reign signifies that issues have been calm and peaceable. Viserys inherited a secure kingdom from his grandfather Jaehaerys and was in a position to hold it as such, at the least till his reign had ended. It’s a noble factor to maintain peace in a kingdom, even when it does not make for nice songs or tall tales.

Within the eyes of historical past, Viserys is usually counted as a worthy successor to King Jaehaerys. He might have died questioning how he could be remembered given his few conquests and comparatively uneventful reign, however the younger king did not see simply how sturdy the realm was beneath his rule. Viserys confirmed how sturdy and peaceable Westeros might be when all homes have been united beneath the banner of a worthy king. Lots of the qualities that Viserys was identified for have been sorely missing in future Targaryen rulers, who would ultimately push the individuals away and spark rebellions on account of their bloodthirsty methods. Viserys was a flawed man, however he made for a terrific king.

Viserys’s Youngsters Show How Nice A King He Actually Was

Aegon II Proves That His Father Was A Higher King Than Most Thought

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Sadly, Viserys’s kids cemented his legacy within the worst method attainable. Via their frequent warring and poor selections, the subsequent era of Targaryens pressured the dominion to acknowledge simply how nice issues have been beneath the previous king. It’s already clear from the primary few episodes of Home of the Dragon Season 2 that Aegon II will make a horrible king, paling compared to his father and great-grandfather. The newly topped king too usually jumps from excessive to excessive, both taking his energy too flippantly or grievously abusing it. In just some brief days, Aegon’s rule has resulted within the deaths of many, with each ratcatcher in service to the crown hanged in public for one man’s collusion within the dying of the younger prince. George R.R. Martin’s Hearth & Blood reveals that issues will get no higher beneath Aegon II, whose each day on the throne proves how significantly better a king his father was.

Sadly, even Viserys’s daughter, the rightful Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, can not assist however convey dishonor to her father’s legacy. Although rather more like Viserys in temperament, Rhaenyra is pressured right into a civil battle that may depart the nation bloody and weak. She might have a greater declare to the throne than her half-brother, however she is pressured to do horrible issues to battle for it. Underneath completely different circumstances, Rhaenyra might have been an ideal successor to Viserys however is as a substitute remembered for the blood spilled on her behalf.

As battle breaks out throughout Westeros, the good homes flock to the protection of both Aegon or Rhaenyra. Even so, each kids show by way of their warmongering and bloodshed that their father, Viserys I Targaryen, was a much better ruler in a much better time. Otto Hightower is correct to reminisce about Viserys’s reign fondly, understanding that issues won’t ever be the identical in Westeros once more.

Home of the Dragon

Two centuries earlier than the occasions of A Recreation of Thrones, Home Targaryen—the one household of dragonlords to outlive the Doom of Valyria—took up residence on Dragonstone. 

Launch Date

August 21, 2022

Solid

Jefferson Corridor , Eve Finest , David Horovitch , Paddy Considine , Ryan Corr , Invoice Paterson , Fabien Frankel , Graham McTavish , Olivia Cooke , Gavin Spokes , Sonoya Mizuno , Steve Toussaint , Matt Smith , Matthew Needham , Rhys Ifans , Emma D’Arcy , Milly Alcock

Franchise

Recreation of Thrones

Characters By

George R. R. Martin

Cinematographer

Alejandro Martinez, Catherine Goldschmidt, Pepe Avila del Pino, Fabian Wagner

Creator

George R. R. Martin, Ryan J. Condal

Distributor

Warner Bros. Home Tv Distribution

Filming Places

Spain, England, Portugal, California

Principal Characters

Queen Alicent Hightower, Ser Harrold Westerling, Lord Corlys Velaryon, Grand Maester Mellos, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Ser Criston Cole, Lord Lyonel Sturdy, Ser Otto Hightower, Lord Jason Lannister/Ser Tyland Lannister, King Viserys I Targaryen, Mysaria, Lord Lyman Beesbur, Prince Daemon Targaryen, Ser Harwin Sturdy, Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, Larys Sturdy

Manufacturing Firm

Bastard Sword, Cross Plains Productions, Warner Bros. Footage, HBO

Sequel

Recreation of Thrones

Sfx Supervisor

Michael Dawson

Story By

George R. R. Martin

Variety of Episodes

10

Community

HBO Max

Streaming Service(s)

Max

Broaden