House of the Dragon: Why Viserys Doesn’t Name Aegon as His Heir

Viserys I knows very well that Rhaenyra is a controversial choice, why does he refuse to choose his son?

Rhaenyra Targaryen is about to become the first queen in the history of House of the Dragon, Game of Thrones and the Seven Kingdoms, and Viserys seems to have very good reasons for not wanting to shrine his first daughter and give the place to his son, Aegon. , whom many see as the rightful heir to this story.

Viserys I chooses his daughter as his successor after his brother, Daemon, becomes a problem ( Matt Smith’s character is out of control from the start), knowing that he had no other heir and that it was necessary to appoint someone. But the king marries again and has his first child, everyone expects that decision to change, and that doesn’t happen.

The king assures his daughter that the same thing will not happen to her as Rhaenys Targaryen (who was skipped by her grandfather for being a woman, and thus the throne passed to Viserys) and that no one is going to supplant her, not even his brother, and it seems that this is not just a whim, but that there is a really powerful reason behind it all, or maybe more than one.

Why does Viserys prefer to name Rhaenyra as heir in House of the Dragon?

Loyalty to Aemma Arryn

It is evident that King Viserys I had a great marriage with Aemma Arryn, it was probably arranged as part of a political strategy, but their relationship was good and was nothing like that of his brother with his own wife (whom he ended up murdering) .

Rhaenyra is a product of that relationship and not one he was pressured into taking, so choosing his daughter as heir, even though he already has a son, can be a way of honoring his wife’s memory, as well as correcting the great injustice that was committed against his cousin and that led him to sit on the iron throne.Aegon the Conqueror’s prophecy and control of the Hightower

Viserys is very clear that Daemon can’t be king (he’s already a bit sick of power and sitting on the throne can make him a maniac), and Rhaenyra certainly seems like a better choice, but not everyone agrees with that.

Otto Hightower has already told his daughter that she must prepare Aegon to rule, and Rhaenys herself tells Corlys Velaryon that the princess’s right will be questioned (in preparation for her marriage to Laenor).

But Viserys’ choice may be connected to Aegon The Conqueror’s prophecy, which speaks of the coming winter and the importance of having a Targaryen on the throne. Aegon is Targaryen, but he is also Hightower and Viserys could want to prevent that family from gaining control of the throne, since this would be contrary to what the prophecy points out as the only way to save humanity from the great battle that is to arrive

Rhaenyra has the blood of the dragon, as Viserys tells his wife Alicent, so he may be thinking that his children need to pass through the throne for the prophecy to be fulfilled, he even makes a deal with the Velaryons so that the children carry their father’s last name, but have it changed to Targaryen once they take their place on the throne.

Of course, naming Aegon could avoid many conflicts, but Viserys is convinced that Rhaenyra is the only way, which is why he remains firm in his decision even though many ask him to change it.