SPOILER WARNING
This page includes content relating to the Dunk & Egg novellas, and therefore contains potential spoilers for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, as revealed in George R.R. Martin's writings. Anyone wishing to remain completely spoiler free for this prequel series should avoid any pages displaying this tag. |
- "Aegon the Fifth tried to hatch stone dragon eggs with sorcery, and burned to death."
- ―Pycelle
King Aegon V Targaryen,[d] also known as Egg for short, was the fifteenth king of the Targaryen dynasty to rule the Seven Kingdoms. He was the father of the Mad King and his sister-wife Queen Rhaella; grandfather of Rhaegar, Viserys, and Daenerys Targaryen; great-grandfather of Jon Snow; and younger brother of Maester Aemon.
Biography[]
Background[]
As the youngest son of King Maekar and Queen Dyanna, Aegon was not originally expected to succeed his father to the throne, but after his older brother Aerion died, and his next older brother Aemon refused the throne due to his vows as a maester, the crown passed to him. Aemon then joined the Night's Watch to remove himself from the royal court, where he might be used as a political tool against his brother.[citation needed]
Starting as a child, Aegon V began an odd friendship with the hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall. He became Duncan's squire, and they had many adventures across Westeros. Eventually, after Aegon V came to the throne he named Ser Duncan to the Kingsguard, and in time he became its Lord Commander. He later sent his army to deal with Maelys Blackfyre during the War of the Ninepenny Kings.[citation needed]
After ruling for many years, Aegon V ultimately died along with Ser Duncan the Tall in the fire of Summerhall when he attempted to hatch new dragon eggs using fire and sorcery. Instead, it caused a fire that spread out of control and destroyed the entire palace. Aegon V died in the conflagration, and was succeeded by his son Aerys II Targaryen.[7]
Game of Thrones: Season 1[]
At Castle Black, Maester Aemon reveals to Jon Snow that his father was Maekar, and after their father died the crown passed to his brother Aegon, because Aemon refused the throne due to his vows as a maester. He also bitterly recounts how his brother's son, grandson, and great-grandchildren were all slaughtered during Robert's Rebellion, making Snow realize that Aemon is a member of House Targaryen.[2] Unbeknownst to them both, Jon is also descended from Aegon, though Aemon would not live to learn the truth about Jon's parentage.[3][8]
Game of Thrones: Season 4[]
Aegon V is mentioned in Duncan the Tall's entry in the Book of Brothers.[4]
Game of Thrones: Season 5[]
On his deathbed, Aemon fondly compares Little Sam to Egg. Later, as his mind begins to slip, he calls out to Egg, and says he had a strange dream that he was an old man.[3]
Game of Thrones: Season 8[]
Ser Duncan the Tall's deeds are recorded under his entry in the Book of Brothers, which the new Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Brienne of Tarth flicks through. It mentions how he took Prince Aegon V as his squire and defended him once.[9]
Family[]
Ancestors[]
Daemon I Blackfyre Deceased |
Rohanne of Tyrosh Deceased |
Daeron II Targaryen Deceased |
Myriah Martell Deceased |
Maron Martell Deceased |
Daenerys Targaryen Deceased | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Descendants Male line extinct |
Baelor Targaryen Deceased |
Aerys I Targaryen Deceased |
Aelinor Targaryen Deceased |
Rhaegel Targaryen Deceased |
Maekar I Targaryen Deceased |
Dyanna Dayne Deceased |
Son | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Daeron Targaryen Deceased |
Aerion Targaryen Deceased |
Aemon Targaryen Deceased |
Aegon V Targaryen Deceased |
Betha Blackwood[c] Deceased | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Descendants[]
Daeron Targaryen Deceased |
Aerion Targaryen Deceased |
Aemon Targaryen Deceased |
Aegon V Targaryen Deceased |
Betha Blackwood[c] Deceased | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Duncan Targaryen Deceased |
Aerys II Targaryen Deceased |
Rhaella Targaryen Deceased |
Daeron Targaryen Deceased |
Ormund Baratheon Deceased |
Rhaelle Targaryen Deceased | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Elia Martell Deceased |
Rhaegar Targaryen Deceased |
Lyanna Stark Deceased |
Viserys Targaryen Deceased |
Drogo Deceased |
Daenerys Targaryen Deceased |
Descendants | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rhaenys Targaryen Deceased |
Aegon Targaryen Deceased |
Jon Snow |
Rhaego Stillborn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Behind the scenes[]
For the TV series, the Targaryen lineage was simplified. In the books, there were seventeen Targaryen kings that ruled the Seven Kingdoms, rather than the show having sixteen. After the death of Aegon V, his son Jaehaerys inherited the throne as Jaehaerys II and ruled for three years before dying of grief. After Jaehaerys's death, his son the Mad King took over as the last Targaryen king. This would make Aegon V the grandfather of the Mad King, the great-grandfather of Rhaegar, Viserys, and Daenerys Targaryen, and great-great-grandfather of Jon Snow.
So far, it has not been confirmed in the series if Aegon V's daughter Rhaelle did marry into House Baratheon, giving the Baratheons their claim to the throne in the TV series as well as in the books, or if the entire progeny of Aegon V has been replaced with just Aerys and Rhaella. The Book of Brothers confirms the existence of Duncan Targaryen in the TV show (making him Aerys and Rhaella's brother instead of their uncle), though in the Histories & Lore short "House Baratheon", Robert states that his claim to the throne was based on his descent from Orys Baratheon, said to be a half-brother of Aegon I Targaryen.
Another issue that could arise due to the removal of Jaehaerys II is the Mad King's insanity. In the books, Aegon V married Betha of House Blackwood. If this turns out to be the case in the TV series, it would be a stretch to say that Aerys succumbed to insanity due to multiple generations of incest as he would then be descended from three Targaryens who married outside the family (though Aegon V's brother, Aerion Brightflame suffered from the madness despite being the issue of a marriage between a Targaryen and a Dayne as did their uncle Rhaegel despite being the issue of a marriage between a Targaryen and a Martell). There remains a possibility that Aegon did have a sister he married in the TV continuity.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight[]
Egg is codenamed "Boy" in a casting call published in October 2023. The character description reads as follows:[10]
- "Aged 9-10. Physically small, the character is wise beyond his years, confident and witty. He has a neutral English accent, and is white with blue/green eyes and pale skin. Must be under 4'6 (137cm) and at least 9 years old by March 2024 for licensing."
In the books[]
Aegon V Targaryen is a major character in George R.R. Martin's Dunk & Egg novellas, which are set around ninety years before the events of A Song of Ice and Fire.
Aegon, using the alias "Egg", spent many years traveling the Seven Kingdoms as a squire in the service of Ser Duncan the Tall, a hedge knight. At their first meeting Duncan was unaware of Egg's true identity, until the young prince used his royal authority to save Duncan from being killed by his bullying older brother, Prince Aerion. Duncan was able to instead face Aerion on the tournament field and defeat him during a trial of seven. Unfortunately, Prince Baelor "Breakspear" Targaryen, the royal heir, was killed during the trial. Prince Maekar Targaryen - Aegon's father - despaired of Aerion's spoiled indolence and agreed to let Aegon serve as Duncan's squire to build character and gain experience of living in the "real" world.
Aegon ascended the Iron Throne in 233 AC, following his father's death, in which he fell in battle against a rebellious lord. Of Aegon's three older brothers, the eldest Daeron (who appears to have been omitted from the show) died of a pox, Aerion had killed himself by ill-advisedly drinking wildfire, thinking it might turn him into a dragon, and Aemon had disinherited himself by first joining the maesters and later the Night's Watch. As king, Aegon V ruled for twenty-six years. During this time he made Ser Duncan the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and secured an alliance between the Targaryens and House Baratheon by wedding his daughter Rhaelle to the then-Lord of Storm's End, Ormund Baratheon. She later became the grandmother of Robert, Stannis and Renly Baratheon, giving Robert Baratheon his claim to the Iron Throne when he would much later rebel against the Targaryens. Aegon V married Betha of House Blackwood and had three sons, Duncan (often called Duncan the Small), Jaehaerys, and Daeron, as well as two daughters, Shaera and Rhaelle.
Being the fourth son of a fourth son, Aegon V was known as "the Unlikely" because he was unlikely to have inherited the crown. Actually, given that two of his uncles had twin sons, Aegon was initially twelfth in line to the throne when he was born during the reign of his grandfather Daeron II. Even after his father was crowned, he was still fourth in line for many years.
Aegon V ruled wisely and well, but he had three major weaknesses. The first was that due to his years traveling across Westeros with Ser Duncan, he gained a great concern for the welfare of the smallfolk, yet opinions about this varied. Commoners remember him as a great king who was genuinely concerned about their well-being, who ensured their economic livelihoods by raising taxes on aristocrats and wealthy merchants, and who punished lords who abused the rights of the commoners they ruled over. The nobility of the Seven Kingdoms, meanwhile, grew to resent Aegon V - for exactly the same reasons.
Second, Aegon V indulged his sons: having married for love himself, he permitted his sons to do the same, although this was not politically wise and made him enemies within the Seven Kingdoms. The nobility was already growing to resent him for his liberal policies with the smallfolk, and a marriage-alliance with one of the Great Houses would have helped to stabilize Targaryen rule. Duncan the Small famously abdicated his place in the line of succession to marry a commoner, Jenny of Oldstones (a story which has become a favorite theme of romantic songs, which gave Sansa Stark an idealized vision of courtly love), breaking his betrothal to a daughter of House Baratheon, which caused a brief rebellion in the Stormlands because Lord Lyonel Baratheon felt Duncan had insulted his daughter (the revolt ended when Ser Duncan defeated Lyonel in a trial by combat, and Aegon agreed to betroth his daughter Rhaelle to Lyonel's son Ormund to smooth tensions, as well as sending Rhaelle to Storm's End to be first a cupbearer and then a lady in waiting to Lyonel's wife until she was old enough to wed). Shaera was supposed to marry Luthor Tyrell, Jaehaerys was supposed to marry a Tully girl, and Daeron was supposed to marry the young Olenna Redwyne. Aegon V was determined to put an end to the incestuous marriage practices of the Targaryens but this only seemed to encourage a forbidden romance between Jaehaerys and Shaera, who eloped and married without his permission. Daeron, a splendid and brave knight, did not want to marry Olenna either - and is heavily implied to be homosexual in The World of Ice & Fire. Thus after his two older brothers broke their betrothals he broke his as well, saying that his father could not rightfully force him to marry against his will when he had already relented for his two elder brothers. Olenna Redwyne was then free to marry Lord Luthor, becoming Lady Olenna Tyrell.
Finally, Aegon also had an overwhelming obsession with hatching the surviving Targaryen dragon eggs. He encountered so much resistance from the Great Houses over the years trying to enact reforms that would benefit the smallfolk that he came to believe that the only way to bring them all in line again was to enforce royal power with new dragons. These last two weaknesses culminated in 259 AC at the so-called "tragedy at Summerhall". This was a huge fire that got out of control and destroyed the castle of Summerhall, killing Aegon V, Ser Duncan the Tall, and Prince Duncan the Small. On the same night, Aegon's great-grandson Rhaegar Targaryen was born. Aegon V was succeeded by his son Jaehaerys II, who was the actual father of Aerys II.
Appearances[]
- – "Baelor" (mentioned)
- – "Robert's Rebellion - Petyr Baelish and Varys" (illustrated)
- – "Two Swords" (mentioned in text)
- – "Dragons" (illustrated)
- – "The Kingsguard - Jaime Lannister" (illustrated)
- – "The Gift" (mentioned)
- – "Robert's Rebellion - Barristan Selmy" (illustrated)
- – "War of the Ninepenny Kings" (mentioned)
- – "The Iron Throne" (mentioned in text)
- – Season 1
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Histories & Lore: Season 4, Short 11: "The Kingsguard - Jaime Lannister" (2015).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Game of Thrones: Season 1, Episode 9: "Baelor" (2011).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episode 7: "The Gift" (2015).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Game of Thrones: Season 4, Episode 1: "Two Swords" (2014).
- ↑ Histories & Lore: Season 1, Short 11: "Mad King Aerys - House Baratheon" (2012).
- ↑ Game of Thrones: Season 1, Episode 6: "A Golden Crown" (2011).
- ↑ Histories & Lore: Season 4, Short 3: "Dragons" (2015).
- ↑ Game of Thrones: Season 6, Episode 10: "The Winds of Winter" (2016).
- ↑ Game of Thrones: Season 8, Episode 6: "The Iron Throne" (2019).
- ↑ Redanian Intelligence and Westeros.org; October 20, 2023
Notes[]
- ↑ Conjecture based on information from George R. R. Martin's A World of Ice and Fire — A Game of Thrones Guide; may be subject to change.
- ↑ In "The Kingsroad," Tyrion Lannister states that Tywin Lannister was Hand of the King for 20 years. In "Mad King Aerys - House Lannister," Tywin states that he resigned as Hand after Jaime Lannister was appointed to the Kingsguard in 278 AC. "Robert's Rebellion - Barristan Selmy" established that the War of the Ninepenny Kings was waged during the reign of Aegon V Targaryen in 257 AC. In "The Rains of Castamere," Jaime states that the Reyne-Tarbeck revolt occurred upon Tywin's return from the War of the Ninepenny Kings; therefore, the fire of Summerhall and Rhaegar Targaryen's birth occurred in 258 AC.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Conjecture based on information from The World of Ice & Fire; may be subject to change.
- ↑ High Valyrian: Āegon V Targārien
External links[]
- Aegon V Targaryen on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (potential spoilers for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight)
Titles |
King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men · Lord of the Seven Kingdoms · Protector of the Realm · Protector of the Seven Kingdoms |
Targaryen dynasty |
Aegon I (1–?) · Aenys I · Maegor I (?–42) · Jaehaerys I (42–103) · Viserys I (103–132) · Aegon II (132–?) · Aegon III · Daeron I · Baelor I · Viserys II (?–172) · Aegon IV (172–184) · Daeron II (184–209) · Aerys I (209–?) · Maekar I · Aegon V (?–258) · Aerys II (258–281) · Daenerys I (305) |
Baratheon dynasty |
Robert I (281–298) · Joffrey I (298–301) · Tommen I (301–303) |
Post-War of the Five Kings |
Cersei I (303–305) |
Elected monarchs (Six Kingdoms) |
Bran I (305–present) |
Showrunner | |
Individuals |
Duncan the Tall · Egg |
Seasons | |
Episodes |
Episode 1 · Episode 2 · Episode 3 · Episode 4 · Episode 5 · Episode 6 |
Source material |