House of the Dragon
WARNING ! This article contains SPOILERS forHouse of the DragonandFire & Blood!AsHouse of the Dragon’sviewership keep to climb , sports fan are now several installment in after becoming hook on the Targaryen play , and they have a moderately in force idea of how the sequence difference of opinion got started . However , the track of the story is much more complicated , given the context of books , such as G.R.R.M.‘sFire & Blood .
Many fans have n’t record these supplementary stories , so they can come to flawed conclusion about the plot and characters . In particular , rooter have many misapprehension about King Viserys Targaryen , whose decision - making has lead to many the great unwashed questioning his competency to prevail . Despite how some sports fan see King Viserys from the show , some of the things he has done are much more intricate , whether to show loyalty or put duty over anything else .
Viserys Marrying Alicent For Love
After Aemma ’s decease , Viserys was push to wed again . The primary hint was that he we d Laena Velaryon , who was 12 at the sentence , but or else , he opt to marry Alicent Hightower , who he had formed a joining with . However , the fact that they shared this connexion does not make his decision illogical .
Alicent Hightower was the daughter of Otto Hightower , the Hand of the King , and the Bible state that " there could be no possible objection to the baron ’s choice of Bridget . " She was also old enough to consider and give birth to nestling right away , as she was 15 or 16 in the show , and 18 in the leger . His duty was to we d a woman of beneficial birth and have children with her — and that ’s incisively what he did .
He Wasn’t A Dragon Rider
Dragon riding was a decisive element of being a Targaryen , yet audiences never discover Viserys observe his own . For many fans , this seems like proof that he is not as honorable of a Targaryen as his brother and children . However , his story when it arrive to dragons is in reality more complicated than that .
Fire & Bloodnotes that Viserys ’s female parent deal him flying on her flying lizard , Meleys , when he was only nine day previous . ledger readers know that 16 - yr - sometime Viserysbonded with Balerion , Aegon the Conqueror ’s own dragon . Sadly , the dragon was old and go within the year , move Viserys to stop pilot wholly . Viserys ’s determination not to bond with another flying dragon designate his dedication , not his cowardice .
Viserys’s Fatal Flaw Was His Indecision
When looking for flaws with Viserys , lover tend to review his conclusion - fashioning . For example , Redditorassaulthelicoptersaid , " He has good intentions and a mild heart , genuine , but unable to make hard decision . He can not be fast and forward . " While Viserys is undermined by his words to his girl and married woman in the show , he acted decisively on a even foundation .
Viserys made a choice quickly and concretely with regard to Aemma ’s gestation , and whether fans like it or not , he followed through with it . When he learned what Daemon had done , Viserys made the shocking decisionto establish Rhaenyra as his successor immediately . He was n’t indecisive in his dealings before that , and he was just render to cover the billet delicately .
He Suffers From Illness Throughout His Life
One of the biggestchanges that the show made fromFire & Bloodis showing Viserys having aesculapian job from the first installment . This gave viewer the impression that he had been sick perpetually , without giving any genuine account of what was faulty with him . However , the book can bestow a lot of clarity here .
Viserys was not ill in the books until six years after the events of " The Princess and the Queen , " when he tripped and shorten himself deeply on the Iron Throne . This became infected , and while it was stopped from disperse , he never regain his wellness . In the series , he ’s see cutting his hand on the throne just after announcing Rhaenyra as his heritor . By either timeline , he should have been salubrious until that point .
Viserys Is A Bad King
While Viserys has become a sports fan - favorite character , many rooter guess that he is actually a bad king . He does n’t often have his own thought about the realm ’s problem , relying heavily on his Council , and his affirmative thought of life can make him seem unenlightened . However , he predominate for 26 years , with no internal wars .
Because of his decisions , the realm was stable and impregnable , which is about all his subjects could ask . He may be part creditworthy for the approaching war , but he kept Rhaenyra as heir for 24 years of that time , despite Aegon being born so before long after . Even if the show only includes the 13 years viewers have seen so far , that should have been enough to solidify the succession .
He’s Just A Frustrated Dad
On top of Paddy Considine get one ofthe best carrying out inHouse of the Dragon , Viserys has receive some first-class line so far in the show , including many conduct at Rhaenyra . Perhaps the best was when he told her that she was his political headache . Because of this , Viserys has become a meme , render as a tired father , just doing his best to keep his impetuous daughter in phone line . However , this is a vast over - simplification of events .
Rhaenyra bewilder a humor scene over his marriage to Alicent for three years , follow by mocking potential suitors . But as soon as it became a serious job , he arrange her to wed Laenor , which she did . Viserys knows how to opt his battles , which cave in him more might when he does exact his way .
Viserys Can’t Stand Up To Alicent
Alicent took mastery of her spot after her gullible dress instant , but her power as world-beater has convinced fans that Viserys gave up much of his power as king . However , his respect for Alicent ’s judgement does not think of she can get away with anything .
Alicent herself admits that Viserys " prohibit me to address of it , so I defy my tongue . " In the book , he proclaims that anyone ( including the imperial family ) who claims the boys are illegitimate will have " their tongues be take out out with hot pincers . " Viserys may let most issues go , but when he stands his earth , Alicent is saucy enough to mind .
He Is A Push-Over
Many things were up for argumentation inFire & Blood , but " all the chronicles agree that King Viserys hat dissonance . " This feature is extremely prominent in the show , where he attempt to cling to easy solutions to keep Alicent and Rhaenyra from attacking one another . However , it would be short - sighted to believe this try his want of resolve .
When the Small Council object to him hook up with Alicent , “ no amount of argument would sway him from his class . ” also , when he was pushed to replace Rhaenyra with Aegon as his heir , he stood unshakable : " The matter had been decided , so far as King Viserys was concerned ; it was not an issue His Grace cared to revisit . "
Viserys Is Too Weak With Daemon
Daemon pushed every boundary he could get , and Viserys by and large let him get out with it . This is often used as test copy that Viserys is too hereditary to be a good mogul , as he let his pal skid on everything . However , there ’s good reason to consider Viserys had legitimate rationality for giving Daemon a farsighted leash .
As Commander of the City Watch , Daemon had 2,000 soldiers serving under him , who were incredibly firm and eager for violence . He then had his own soldiers from his warfare in the Stepstones , and an alliance with Corlys Velaryon . On top of that , Daemon had Caraxes , his married woman had Vhagar , and their girl were learning to rally their own dragons . By humour him , Viserys keep the ataraxis .
He’s Exempt From All The Prejudices Of His Time
Perhaps becauseGame of Thronesprovided fans with such misfortunate examples of leaders , fans have clung to the idea of Viserys being a progressive and egalitarian power . As RedditorTristen_24put it , Viserys " chose a woman as his heritor , Allows his girl to select her own hubby , Is anti - state of war , [ and ] Is pro - choice . " While this is a reasonable argument , Viserys is still firmly a Cartesian product of his time .
In the show , Viserys was heroic for a son , constantly diminishing Rhaenyra in comparison to his unborn son . He was also extremely dismissive to the poor and low - bear . In the book , he threw money at Daemon ’s warfare , hop it would keep Daemon out of his way . Viserys may well be the upright king thatGame of Thronesfans have seen , but that is a far call from him being a beacon of equality .
NEXT : Every Lesson Viserys Taught Rhaenyra About Ruling In House Of The Dragon
