The Dance of the Dragons

This thread follows the rival claims of Rhaenyra and Aegon II from disputed succession through a civil war that devastates their dynasty.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Rhaenyra Named Heir

The Succession Is Declared A Vacant Heirship The death of Aemma Arryn and the infant Baelon leaves Viserys without a surviving son. Daemon’s behavior further alarms the king. A Public Oath Viserys names Rhaenyra heir and requires lords to swear to defend her rights. His choice establishes a legal claim but cannot settle how the realm will respond.

Two Courts Take Shape

Greens and Blacks A Royal Household Divides Alicent and Rhaenyra become rivals at court, while the king tries to maintain harmony and leaves the succession unchanged. Political Colors The queen’s green gown and the princess’s black-and-red dress give the factions names. Courtly rivalry becomes a visible political division.

Two Coronations

Rival Sovereigns A Secret Council The green council conceals Viserys’s death and crowns Aegon II. Rhaenyra, recovering from a stillbirth, learns that her claim has been rejected. A Counter-Coronation On Dragonstone, Rhaenyra is crowned with the old crown of Jaehaerys. Both sides now possess a claimant, a court, and the conviction that retreat means death.

The War Engulfs the Realm

War and Betrayal Envoys Become Targets The death of Lucerys turns negotiation into vengeance. Armies and dragons fight across the riverlands, Reach, and Gullet. A Costly Victory Rhaenyra captures King’s Landing, but rebellion, taxation, and the deaths of her sons erode her support. Her possession of the capital does not secure the realm.

Aegon’s Return and Death

A Broken Restoration The Dragonstone Trap Aegon II returns to power on Dragonstone after Sunfyre survives his wounds. Rhaenyra is captured and killed before her son. The Poisoned Crown With armies closing in, Aegon dies by poison. His death ends the central dynastic contest but leaves a boy king and a deeply fractured kingdom.

105 AC, after the death of Queen Aemma

111 AC, after Alicent’s green gown

129 AC, after Viserys’s death

129–130 AC, from the first dragon battles to the fall of the capital

130 AC, after Rhaenyra’s flight from King’s Landing