taste

Aegon III suffered from a depression/apathy that made him unbothered by visiting commonfolk suffering from a pandemic in King's Landing. He did more to repair the reputation of House Targaryen in King's Landing by sitting by the bedside of the sick and dying, leading many to attribute their recovery to the "King's healing hands."

He had a banging hot wife 😂😂 of course he managed to have kids

I think Maegor was worse than even Euron Greyjoy.

saved the dynasty from an early demise IMO

yea, I'm going to disagree here. Maegor actually held the Targaryen Dynasty TOGETHER! had he never been involved, the Faith would have unraveled that family with the quickness. was he cruel? you try dealing with rebellion as a new family who took over 6 quarrelsome regions, while trying to keep it together when an organization that has sway with 5 of those regions is poisoning your reign. the fact he couldn't get an heir was another problem for him, and he began to get desperate. one thing we KNOW, is Maegor was Aegons son, the same could not be said positively for Aenys. i think he is in at least the B tier.

@Valters Plūme With stuff that Euron's done so far? Maybe. But if you've read the Foresaken preview chapter I think by the end of the story, it'll be pretty clear that Euron is on a whole other level of evolution, leaps and bounds above anybody else.

@@MyUserTubeAccount I think Maegor might have just destroyed his family had he not been stopped (or killed himself). He was murdering, torturing, or hunting down all of his family members, and he would have been just as efficient had he protected and helped Aegon rule and rather than usurping and outright going to war with his nephews. Maegor was a menace for his own family, his usurping meant he'd have to wipe out his brother's line and he himself could not have children (+his paranoia got worse with time because of a situation he put himself in).

That’s a great argument! You’ve convinced me.

He also had Barristan's respect. Jaehaerys II was easily a decent person perhaps not the best King but he certainly was a qualified ruler that had he lives just a decade longer there is almost no way that Aerys II would have destroyed the dynasty...In my opinion.

Since Bloodraven*

the only negative thing I have to say about Jae II, which wasnt touched on in the vid, is that he Forced his children to marry one another, despite them hating each other. whether or not he did that purely for the sake of prophecy? we'll maybe see in F&B2, but even if that's the case... yeesh.

@@ccorvid That could have been the best thing he did as king if it led to the births of Rhaegar and Jon, bringing the Prince Who was Promised into the world. Jaeherys and his love for incest defeated the Others and saved the realm, change my mind.

They stayed away because they just lost a devastating war in the 3rd Blackfyre rebellion. They can’t just respawn armies they gotta recuperate.

@@aegonii8471 and they knew that the realm would only be more unified behind King Maekar instead of another Blackfyre Pretender. Maekar played a decisive role in the 1st Blackfyre Rebellion & led the realm into victory in the 3rd. Most people would rally behind Maekar more than ever if there was a 4th Blackfyre rebellion during his reign. It only was in the reign of his son Aegon V, who was chosen by a great council instead of being proclaimed heir, that they decided to attack.

@@raymond-reviews ew, Falseborn fans.

He's basically what Maegor could've been if Maegor wasn't insecure about his erectile dysfunction.

@@raymond-reviews Following a weakling like Aerys I and keeping Brynden Rivers as Hand, were enough to let the Blackfyres know Maekar I wasn't going to be a pushover.

That’s an excellent point, and great reasoning for putting Viserys above Aegon, however I still think they’re near the bottom of the barrel.

There’s a solid case to be made for this!

I never understood why his reign is often described rather negatively, at worst you could say that he was a mediocre king that left most of the ruling to his (insanely competent) hand viserys ||. Imo hes the most underrated king and a really tragic character

He didn’t build it back up, his brother did, that’s why he’s a terrible king. He couldn’t rule without his brother because he’d be too depressed, that much dependence on someone is a terrible trait.

he is bottom of D tier, worst king by a long shot

@@sachamason3116 worse than Aerys II? Substantiate!

@@BlueisNotaWarmColour Aerys lost the throne, but that was in large part due to his son, his counselors, and perhaps supernatural forces. Baelor was an awful person and anti-magic, and the stuff he did ensured the targarians demise.

@@sachamason3116 he lost the throne because his paranoia and bloodlust upset any prospect of political stability, which was what triggered the actions of his son and counselors and the realm at large. Aerys didn't just lose the throne, he tried to blow it up

@@sachamason3116 so, most of the kings are rapist and murderers.

True! Though I give Viserys/Baelor a lot of credit for getting that ball rolling.

@@QuinnTheGM fair point

That’s true but Tywin warned him to not go to duskendale and aerys was well known for doing exactly the opposite of what his hand (Tywin) advised

also, as much as I wanna sympathize and agree with your reading of him, we can't forget all of his incredibly abusive treatment towards all the women in his life: Rhaella, Joanna, and his many mistresses. plus, the "kings being kings" mindset is exactly what makes for a terrible king. a king should not act rashly and do whatever he wants just because he sees other political powers for the vipers they are. he should still think, and act with a calm manner and grace, not just for courtesy's sake, but also because reacting harshly only adds fuel to the fire, which is something he actually loved doing in particular, you may recall. and he did suffer from mental illnesses, then with the medicines available to them in their society being unable to treat him, it means that he is simply not fit to rule. (which may then point us to seeing that monarchies and feudalism as systems in general may just be unfit for societies as well.)

Okay no. Aerys was antagonistic to Tywin, who was his friend at this point, long before Duskendale. He acted like a petulant child and what little he decreed was stupid. The realm was run by Tywin. Kings being kings is NOT an excuse. Especially not when the man they're treating like shit is a friend of theirs and the actual most powerful man in the realm. His trip to Duskendale was absurdly stupid and done just to spite others. If he could read others so well, he wouldn't have went now would he? All the lords goading the rebels into killing Aerys were justified in doing so as well. He was an utter failure as a king even before he went completely mad

Aegon The Uncrowned B tier Aerea C tier Aemon S tier Baelon S tier Daemon C tier Rhaenyra D tier Baelor Breakspear A tier Rhaegel D tier Aerion Brighflame D tier Daeron The Drunkard C tier Rhaegar C tier Viserys The Beggar C tier

@@nicksmithnutmilk Baelor Breakspear is a easy S and Aerion should be F Tier. Also Pre War Rhaenyra is at A Tier, so on average she is B Tier.

@@moritzl4024 Rhaenyra wanted to put a bastard on the Throne , even pre war Rhaenyra is a C at best mainly becuse of that . And I agree with Baelor , he was great . I forgot about Aerion's son . He was quite promising if I remember correctly even as a child . His name being Maegor and Aerion being his father are the only reasons the Great Council choose Aegon V instead of him

GREAT use of a Logan Roy quote there, sums it up perfectly.

Yeah fr I don't understand how Jaeharys is a villain in the Saera situation. He handled it like any rational monarch would. She hurt the family image and that shit is everything in that world. She jeopardized her family, by who's authority she was a pampered princess. She fucked around and found out

In the books remember, Jahaerys completely removes himself from the great council. The show makes it seem as though he had a major part, but in the book he leaves it completely to the lords to choose the heir. His worst acts I think are honestly his forcing of Daella to be married, leading to her death, and actively making Baelon heir over Rhaenys before Baelons Death. Saerra was not just a girl fooling around that he shamed, she was also a manipulative girl who didn’t care what happened to the people she fooled around with. And I think his last monologue to Alyssane about Saerra is actually extremely well argued, if not brutally honest and blunt.

I’d say that was more because of house Hightowers plotting

@@jakealter5504 like i said, thanks to his weakness. Daemon wasn't fooled, neither was Rhaenyra.

He had been Kingsguard since Aegon III. However, it is often those who forsook power that probably deserved it.

There are so many "What ifs" man. If Aemon hadn't stood where he stood and took an arrow on his neck. If baelon hadn't died. If Baelor breakspear hadnt died. so many what ifs.

He was a good knight and a good man but would he have been a good ruler?

@@judeconnor-macintyre9874 Raised by Viserys II, under the reign of Aegon III, I think he would have made a good ruler.

That’s entirely valid. At least due to Bloodraven on the first count!

@@QuinnTheGM all hail King Bloodraven lol

A thousand eyes and one!

He did but Baelor arranged the marriage alliance of Daeron and Daerons sister and made peace with Dorne from Daerons war. So he definitely gets credit for starting the process

Aenys and Viserys are both responsible for massive civil wars because of their weakness, with the latter being the direct cause for the beginning of the downfall for the dynasty. At least Maegor disarmed the faith militant

@@Chadius_Thundercock The civil war wasn't even inherently his fault, that was the force of others who wouldn't just give up their ambitions as well as the mix of the sexist culture of Westeros (or I suppose the medieval world in general). He rules for some 30+ years of pure peace before that. Sure it was his Grandfather who forged that for him, but keeping it up for 3 decades??? That's nothing to scoff at. And Aenys while incredibly weak, didn't do anything wrong. Maegor is an incredibly evil person, and the only good thing he did was disarm a religious militant order...that's it. That's literally it. Just because Maegor *did* something does not make him a good leader. And it sure as shit doesn't make him a better one the the other 2 considering how evil he is. Especially considering he literally had EVERY Lord except a handful of unfortunate fools aid him in the end. And he went out like a coward. Killing himself on his throne. Because we know damn well they throne doesn't have a mind of its own, and who else would have killed him? 👀

Found yo punk ass

Wait, people felt sympathy for Saera?? Wtf lol. I didn't feel any pity for her at all. She knew the cost of being a pampered and privileged noble. Suck it up. And Stinger deserved what he got too, the audacity to fuck the kings daughter in Kings Landing. That boy had it coming. Jaeharys was a BAMF

@@Captain_Insano_nomercy Saera was a problem and deserved punishment, as I said, but the issue was not that Jaehaerys handled it, it was *how* he handled it. Instead of actually attempting to get to the cause of the problem (which, by the way, does not happen over night. 'She knew the cost of being pampered and rich and noble' did she? She was born that way. If you don't want your kid to be stuck up being brought up in that setting, its on you to intervene before they become so. Jaehaerys seems a large part of why she became so spoiled) he publicly humiliated her and made her watch as he murdered her lover. Was she a spoiled brat? Absolutely she was, as a lot of royals are. However, everything she does reads more as a teenage girl acting out than anything genuinely malicious. She has a couple boyfriends, gets drunk, responds stubbornly when dad tells her to pull her head in. Jaehaerys was part of why she ended up how she did and then rather than actually attempting to deal with it, he blew up and essentially shipped her off so he didn't have to actually take meaningful action. As for Jaehaerys being a BAMF, he was quite clearly a sexist (and not just in the regular way that all ASOIAF men are sexist lmao, I'm not expecting them to have modern values), and not only that, but it's pretty easy to see he regretted what happened with Saera. He refused to hear her name, forbade Alysanne contact with her and all sources say losing her changed him as a person. Not only that, but of all his lost daughters - Daenerys, Alyssa, Maegelle, Daella and Gael, all of whom were far better behaved and model daughters - it was Saera he saw in Alicent's face. Fire and Blood speaks of how he spoke remorsefully to her, believing it to be Saera. Does any of that sound like a man who was happy with his actions, or satisfied in their justification?

@@einherjar9364 he did what he had to bro. Hard times require hard men. You wanna be weak like Aerys II? Your family gets ousted from power and massacred to boot okay, people followed strength in the medieval world. Jaeharys did what he had to, and actually the world was very sexist, and he wasn't particularly more sexist at all in my opinion, he just knew the way the wind was blowing. His two sons were upright children of the crown, Saera was a deviant Actually most of his kids were upright members of the royal family, even Viserra wasn't as bad

Yes. He did the smart thing and passed over rhaenys. And not only by an order but by vote. Viserys did not do it in rhaenyra's case and look what happened. Stop trying to seep modern world morals into fiction. The fact that Alysanne or visenya had so much influence is a miracle in mediaval times. That should tell you how much Aegon and Jaehaerys were NOT as sexists at the men of that time.

@@Captain_Insano_nomercyagreed. Out of all 13 of his kids only 3 of them had some personality issues and of those 3 Saera was the worst one by far

Visarys 2 had the potential to be a great king but he never realized it due to him dying.

Jaehaerys was easily the best King, got the most shit done

He doesn’t have anything that puts him above Aegon I or Jaeherys I

Agreed with Baelor above Daeron in retrospect.

He was never a legitimate king! Viserys the usurper stole the throne from the rightful Queen Daena the Defiant, and then passed it on to his unworthy son whom he'd forced to wet a woman he hated rather than Daena.

That was only part of the problem, you’re overlooking the large part that Otto Hightower played in the war happening

@@jakealter5504 when did I do that? I know Otto may be the one at the biggest fault for the Dance lol.

@@miguelsanchez825 true

Only problem with that is that Rhaena chose not to make a claim for the throne after Maegor died

Probably B tier. The realm was peaceful and prosperous under his rule but that was thanks to Jon Arryn.

Ooh that’d be a fun one.

Aegon II was a warrior no doubt about that he had 4 to 13 dragons and 28 to 53 Houses and still managed to Win.

Great questions. If we’re judging by temperament and ability to rule, I’d say both of them would be A or B. However, I’d need to see exactly what they do in the books to make a more concrete judgement call.

Still this Aerys is worse, at least the realm survived the Blackfyre rebellions.

@@QuinnTheGM Aegon IV was not the worst only because of his final decision to legitimize his bastards, pretty much each and every decision he made during his reign was terrible

@@QuinnTheGM One thing you have to note, this Aerys already had a weak empire and his mistake just destroyed it but Aegon IV had a powerful empire which he weakened it by pure mistakes after mistakes. The Targaryan dynasty would have survived the mad king if they had dragons and had power like before but they did not. I also think Jahaerys I is the best. Personally he and Aegon I is tied for #1. Under Jahaerys I ruler the Targaryan dynasty really reached great power. He basically solidified Targaryan rule and made the realm prosperous and powerful. Also on that note, Aerys was a pretty good ruler economically as when he was deposed of there were lots of wealth left.

@@QuinnTheGM Aegon the Unworthy was still the worst, George said so himself. If Aegon didn't weaken the realm so terribly with the Blackfyre Rebellions, Aerys would be able to defeat Robert. It was also Aegon IV who weakened the legitimacy of the throne and introduced the idea that the Targeryens could be replaced - without that, not as many Lords would support Robert's rebellion. In a world without Aegon the Unworthy, Aerys continues to be the mad King for a couple years and then gets supplanted by Rhaegar.

He was prince regent, not king.

@@QuinnTheGM oh ok i wished that he was king much better than his brother

Thanks!

Allowing Otto to return as his hand after Strong’s death was pretty bad.

@@QuinnTheGM No arguments he made terrible decisions. I just think the moment Rhaena forfeited her claim, and Jahaeryes picked Baelon over Rhaenys, the Dance was guaranteed regardless of anything Viserys did.

He could of had Prince Jace marry Princess Halaena (probably spelt that wrong) and it would of given both sides what they wanted: the throne.

@BooplaBoop Except when the inevitable happens and one of Jace’s legitimate cousins or brothers uses his parentage to try and take the throne… I amend what I said, Jahaeryes and Rhaneyra’s decisions caused the dance. It was going to happen regardless of anything Viserys did.

He could simply not have married for the second time. If Rhaenyra remained as his only child, the only other posible candidate would be Daemon, and I find highly unlikely that anyone would rally for his cause so there would ne no war.

The only flaw with your point about Rhaenyra’s kids through Laenor is that Viserys still accepted them. Plus they were still of Targaryen blood since they all were dragon riders

@@jakealter5504True on the first point but that's basically an impossible scenario for Viserys. Either pretend everything is fine and run the risk of war once he's dead, or revoke Rhaenyra's title as heir, thereby disgracing himself and his reign which would likely lead to war anyways as Corlys wouldn't stand idly by while his family name gets passed over again and his family is humiliated. On the second point, it doesn't matter because trueborns take priority in all scenarios in Westeros (except Dorne)

@@domskillet5744 unless they are legitimatized. There is one thing that viserys could’ve done but it would’ve caused issues with his queen, he could’ve not brought Otto back to court. The only other thing that viserys could have done was have the lords renew their vows to support rhaenyra as his heir. Unless viserys dealt with Otto earlier in his reign there was very little he could’ve done to prevent the dance of the dragons from happening. It probably would’ve eventually happened regardless of how the great council of 103 went either

That wedding took place under Baelor.