Was Viserys a Good King in the “House of the Dragon”? – King Viserys I Targaryen’s actions will have a significant impact on the action when House of the Dragon’s plot picks up speed. Paddy Considine had played King Viserys.
The major conflict in the House of the Dragon series is being caused by the King, who probably shouldn’t have been king in the first place, who named his daughter Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) as the successor to the Iron Throne, defying centuries of tradition because she is a woman. If you want to know that King Viserys is good ruler or not, keep reading below to know.
Who is King Viserys I Targaryen in House of the Dragon?
HBO’s House of the Dragon is a new spin-off prequel to Game of Thrones. When we first encounter him in House of the Dragon, King Viserys I Targaryen, the fifth Targaryen king, is in charge of the Seven Kingdoms.
“A warm, generous, and decent guy, Viserys merely wishes to continue on his grandfather’s heritage,” according to HBO. “However, as we’ve seen from Game of Thrones, good men do not necessarily make for great kings.”
King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, the Old King (and Viserys’s grandfather), passed away before he could ever ascend to the Iron Throne, therefore he was selected by the lords of Westeros. Viserys is undoubtedly descended from noble stock because Jaehaerys was Aegon the Conqueror’s grandson, who united Westeros and created the Iron Throne.
All is not well in Viserys’ family because he wasn’t really expected to be the true heir to the throne, despite his attempts to carry on his grandfather’s incredibly prosperous – and mostly peaceful – rule of 50 years.
Despite the fact that Jaehaerys’s children were all died, his son, Prince Aemon Targaryen’s daughter named Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), who would have had a stronger claim to the throne if the right bloodline had been followed. The “Queen Who Never Was” was disfavored by the lords because she was a woman (although it was actually a popularity vote to prevent her son Laenor Velaryon, who isn’t entirely of Targaryen blood, from becoming king). It’s also obvious that House Velaryon is unhappy about being ignored.
To make matters worse, only the daughter Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock, Emma D’Arcy) was born to King Viserys and his bride, Queen Aemma Arryn. He demands that the throne be transferred to a male, that would be the King’s next male family member, in light of the dubious methods used to secure Viserys’ ascension.
Was Viserys a Good King?
Viserys can be considered a dormant king. He never done anything on House of the Dragon that deliberately upset his kingdom’s balance, essentially keeping things as they were. Overall, this is excellent for House Targaryen, but there is a case to be made that it amounts to providing the basic necessities and only avoiding confrontation rather than genuinely benefiting the populace.
Viserys was fortunate in that the country was in fine form when he became king, so all he had to do was keep it that way. In spite of this, it may be argued that his acts during the last decade his reign, such as marrying Alicent and designating Rhaenyra as his heir, did in fact pave the way for division and civil war, even though they did not directly incite violence or insurrection.
The Dance of the Dragons, a civil war between rival House Targaryen sects, is one of the crucial incidents that will be covered in more depth in upcoming seasons of House of the Dragon. Viserys will regrettably be remembered most for what actually took place while he was in power because of this. While he might not have been directly responsible for the Dance of Dragons, he was powerless to prevent it from turning into one of the bloodiest conflicts in Westeros history, which would have a lasting impact on many noble families, most notably House Targaryen. Even though Viserys is not exclusively to blame for the House Targaryen’s demise, the demise did start with him.
Is Viserys a horrible king after all this? Yes. Even though some could consider his decision to be more unlucky than others, he still didn’t offer the best. King Viserys is near the centre of the list of kings who have occupied the Iron Throne, possibly among the top half. His individual behaviour as a man, a husband, and a father finally caused discord and split within House Targaryen.
Otto Hightower and members of the Small Council aggressively planned to steal the throne behind Viserys’ back, as we witnessed in the season finale of House of the Dragon. Despite the fact that he governed during a period of peace, King Viserys was ultimately unable to ensure it for his replacement.
You can stream all episodes of House of the Dragon on HBO.
