Aenys I Targaryen

WHO IS AENYS?

Aenys I Targaryen was the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and the second Targaryen king to sit on the Iron Throne. He was the eldest son of Aegon I Targaryen by his sister-wife, Queen Rhaenys.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Reign: 37 AD to 42 AD Full name: Aenys Targaryen, the First of His Name Titles: King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men Lord of the Seven Kingdoms Protector of the Territory Born: 7 AD, Dragonstone Death: 42 AD, at Dragonstone

FAMILY

Casa Real: Casa Targaryen Predecessor: Aegon I Targaryen Herdeiro(s): Aegon Targaryen Sucessor: Maegor I Targaryen Rainha: Alyssa Velaryon Filhos: Rhaena Aegon Viserys Jaehaerys Alysanne Vaella Pai: Aegon I Targaryen Mãe: Rhaenys Targaryen

APPEARANCE AND PERSONALITY

At birth, Aenys was small, with spindly limbs and small, watery eyes. He was weak, sickly, and slow to grow, but after being given the dragonling Quicksilver, Aenys began to grow stronger. Though not as a youth, by adulthood Aenys was as tall as his father, but at the same time slender and slight. His fingers were long and slender. He had violet eyes, lighter than his father's, and curly hair that fell to his shoulders in ringlets. He also wore a silky beard and moustache. Aenys dressed in the finest silks, samites, and velvets. His wardrobe included a cloak of lilac velvet lined with gold cloth and an ermine collar. On his fingers he wore rings of gold and precious stones. His crown was made of gold, much larger and more elaborate than his father's diadem. Aenys was a kind-hearted, courteous, charming, and soft-spoken man who desired to be loved by all and always sought to please. This made him indecisive, as he hesitated in his decisions, fearing that he would disappoint someone. He made friends easily, but he was also trusting and easily influenced. He was a dreamer and was enchanted by music and dancing, so much so that he became a patron of singers, mummers, and mimes. He was a good singer, with a "strong, sweet voice". A charming man, young girls adored him. A diligent student who did not lack courage, Aenys was an adequate fighter. However, he was not a warrior, and lacked the strength of his father. Training for battle eventually lost all appeal for him. Instead, he preferred the company of maesters and septons, and dabbled in alchemy, astronomy, and astrology. Aenys was an intelligent man, although he could not be considered a scholar. He also loved riding and was given steeds, palfreys, and warhorses. However, his favorite mount was always his dragon, Quicksilver.

HISTORY

Aenys was born on Dragonstone in 7 AC to King Aegon I Targaryen and Queen Rhaenys Targaryen. He was weak and sickly at birth, and cried constantly. He refused to nurse from wet nurses and would only nurse at his mother's breast. He was so unlike the king that rumors arose that the boy could not possibly be the son of Aegon the Conqueror, who was a peerless warrior, and that perhaps his father had been one of the singers or actors Rhaenys had so much admired. However, when Aenys was given the dragonling Quicksilver that same year, his condition improved rapidly, and "as the dragon grew, so did Aenys." The rumors that he was not Aegon's son were put to rest at that point. Aenys was three years old when Queen Rhaenys died in Dorne. His mother's death devastated him: he crawled again as a baby. Aenys was five years older than his half-brother Maegor. He was not close to Maegor growing up, as Aenys remained at his father's side in King's Landing, while Visenya and Maegor lived on Dragonstone. Aenys was trained by his father's Kingsguard, and while he was an adequate fighter, he lacked Aegon's size and strength. From time to time, Aegon allowed him to practice with the Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre. Aenys married Alyssa Velaryon in 22 AC. The marriage was a political alliance. Together, they had six children: three sons (Aegon Targaryen, Viserys, and Jaehaerys) and three daughters (Rhaena, Alysanne, and Vaella).[4] By all accounts, Aenys had a good and loving relationship with his wife and children.

HISTORY

Aenys accompanied his father to Sunspear to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the peace between the Iron Throne and Dorne. When King Aegon I turned sixty, Aenys assumed the royal advancements along with his wife, Alyssa. In 37 AC, when King Aegon I died of a stroke on Dragonstone, Aenys was at Highgarden. He quickly flew on Quicksilver to Dragonstone for the funeral and his coronation.[5] He was proclaimed king by Grand Maester Gawen. After Maegor delivered the eulogy for his father and Aegon was cremated, Aenys presented his brother with the sword Blackfyre, admitting that Maegor was more fit to wield the blade than he was. Aenys asked Maegor to take up the sword in his service and told his brother that they would rule together.

REIGN

Aenys received the blessings of the Faith of the Seven. However, some doubted his ability to rule. The Dowager Queen Visenya Targaryen shared a similar opinion, stating that by giving Blackfyre to Maegor, Aenys had admitted that he lacked the strength to rule. In the first year of his reign, uprisings led by four rebels broke out across the realm. The first occurred in the Riverlands, where an outlaw known as Red Harren claimed to be the grandson of Harren the Black. Harren and his men took Harrenhal and killed Lord Gargon Qoherys. In the Iron Islands, a man claiming to be Kingpriest Lodos began gathering followers, while in the Dornish Marches, the Vulture King began assembling an army of Dornishmen who wished to avenge the destruction visited upon Dorne during the First Dornish War. Finally, in the Vale, Lord Ronnel Arryn was captured by his own brother, Jonos Arryn. Convinced that the people loved him, Aenys could not understand why the people felt the need to rebel against him. He considered sending messengers to the four rebels to learn why they had rebelled. While Aenys could not decide how to deal with the rebels, the lords of the Seven Kingdoms took matters into their own hands. Lord Allard Royce gathered forces and cornered Jonos at the Eyrie, after which Prince Maegor flew to the Eyrie on Balerion to resolve the situation. Lord Goren Greyjoy sent his fleet to Old Wyk and Great Wyk, where thousands of Kingpriest Lodos's followers were slaughtered. Lodos himself was also killed, and his pickled head was sent to King Aenys in a jar. The greatest of the threats, the Vulture King, was largely ignored by Princess Deria Martell, though she assured Aenys that she was doing everything she could to put down the rebellion.

REIGN

Eventually, the lords of the Marches resolved the situation, defeating the Vulture King's followers and capturing him at the end of the famous "Hunt for the Vulture". Red Harren was the last of the rebels to be defeated, but he too was later defeated. Aenys sent his Hand of the King, Lord Alyn Stokeworth, to hunt down Harren with a few hundred men. Harren was eventually killed by Lord Alyn's squire, Bernarr Brune. When all these uprisings were finally over, King Aenys rewarded all the lords and knights who had led his forces against the rebels with gold, titles, and lands. Bernarr Brune was personally knighted by Aenys as a reward for his service. Aenys granted Goren Greyjoy "any favor he desired" as a gesture of gratitude, a decision Aenys would later regret, as Goren demanded that he be allowed to expel the Faith of the Seven from the Iron Islands, much to the fury of the church. With Lord Alyn Stokeworth having been killed by Red Harren, Aenys appointed his brother Maegor as his new Hand of the King. Despite their differences, the brothers ruled together amicably for two years. In 39 AC, shortly after the birth of Aenys's sixth child, Vaella (who died in the cradle), a new crisis arose. Prince Maegor announced that his wife was barren and that he had therefore taken a second wife. Aenys and Maegor quarreled bitterly over the polygamous marriage. The High Septon denounced the marriage, and many of the pious lords of the realm condemned it in kind. Feeling he had no other option, an enraged Aenys gave his brother a choice: either abandon Alys Harroway or go into exile for five years. Maegor chose the latter and set out for Pentos in 40 AC with Alys and Balerion. Aenys asked his brother to return Blackfyre before he left, but Maegor refused.

REIGN

In an attempt to appease the Faith, Aenys appointed Septon Murmison as his new Hand of the King. However, the High Septon continued to voice his dissatisfaction, while the lords of Westeros began to call Aenys weak and unfit to rule. Aenys was oblivious to these criticisms. In 41 AC, Aenys announced that his eldest daughter, Princess Rhaena, would marry his eldest son and heir, Prince Aegon. The negative reactions to the announcement took Aenys by surprise. The Faith condemned the planned incestuous marriage as an obscenity. Aenys, though normally indecisive, this time decided to stick to his decision and go through with the wedding. On the wedding day, the Warrior's Sons frowned and took the names of the guests as they entered the Sept of Remembrance. At the feast that followed the ceremony, Aenys named Aegon Prince of Dragonstone, a title previously held by his brother Maegor. The dowager queen Visenya left the feast in protest. Aenys decided to send Aegon and Rhaena on a royal procession through the realm to win the people's favor, remembering the acclaim of the smallfolk when he himself made his own progressions. He refused Rhaena's request to take her dragon Dreamfyre with them, not wanting her son Aegon to appear less masculine riding a horse while his wife rode on the back of a dragon. However, Rhaena and Aegon were booed wherever they went. For performing the wedding ceremony, Septon Murmison was expelled from the Faith. When Aenys petitioned the High Septon to restore Murmison, explaining the long history of Valyrian marriage customs practiced by House Targaryen, he received in return a denunciation, addressed to "King Abomination".

REIGN

The pious lords of the realm, and even the smallfolk who had once loved Aenys, turned against him. When the High Septon declared Aenys a fraud and a tyrant who had no right to rule the Seven Kingdoms, the Faithful answered his call. Within two weeks, Septon Murmison was quartered, signaling the beginning of the Faith Militant Revolt. The Warrior's Sons fortified the Sept of Remembrance on Rhaenys's Hill. Aenys decided to depart for Dragonstone with his family, for safety. Three days before they were to set sail, a knight of the Kingsguard saved Aenys's life when two Poor Fellows scaled the walls of the king's manse on Visenya's Hill and snuck into the royal apartments in an attempt to assassinate the king. At Dragonstone, the Dowager Queen Visenya advised him to bring "fire and blood" to the Starry Sept and the Sept of Remembrance. Aenys refused to do so, but at the same time was unable to decide how else to act. Eventually, the king fell ill. By late 41 AC, most of the realm had turned against him. Thousands of Poor Brothers prowled the roads, threatening and killing anyone who supported the king, while dozens of lords took up arms against the Iron Throne. According to Grand Maester Gawen, Aenys looked like a man of sixty, though he was only thirty-five. The maester despaired of improving his condition. When the Dowager Queen Visenya took over his care, Aenys improved briefly, but suffered a relapse upon learning that his eldest son and daughter were besieged at Quail Hall during their annual progression.

DEATH

Aenys died in 42 AC, after reigning for only five years, at the age of 35.[1] He was cremated at Dragonstone, with his widow, Alyssa Velaryon, singing a dirge for him.[2] Years later, some people suggested that the dowager queen Visenya Targaryen was the real culprit in Aenys's sudden death. They cited Visenya's preference for her own son Maegor, her ambition to place him on the throne, and the fact that she nursed the ailing Aenys when he apparently disgusted her as her reasons. Due to Visenya's actions after Aenys's death, the Iron Throne passed to Aenys's half-brother Maegor rather than Aenys's eldest son Aegon.

Position: Hand of the King: 37 AD - 37 AD Lorde Alyn Stokeworth 37 AD - 39 AD Prince Maegor Targaryen 40 AD - 41 AD Septão Murmison Grand Master 37 AD - 42 AD Gawen