- "My father was Maekar, the First of his Name. My brother Aegon reigned after him, when I had refused the throne, and he was followed by his son Aerys, whom they called the Mad King."
- ―Maester Aemon
Maekar I Targaryen, full name Maekar of House Targaryen, the First of His Name, is a mentioned character in the first season. He died before the time of the series, and is not expected to appear. He was the fourteenth King in the Targaryen dynasty.
Maekar's personal sigil was the normal Targaryen sigil, quartered, so that it repeated four times.[1]
Biography
Background
Maekar was the fourth son and fifth child of King Daeron II Targaryen and Queen Myriah Martell. His siblings were Baelor, Aerys I, Aelinor, and Rhaegel.
He wed Dyanna of House Dayne with whom he had three sons: Aerion, who ultimately killed himself by drinking wildfire; Aemon, who would become a Maester at Castle Black and a member of the Night's Watch; and Aegon V Targaryen, who would succeed him to the Iron Throne.[2]
Although he was the fourth son, a rather grim chain of events ultimately led to his ascension to the Iron Throne. First, he accidentally killed his oldest brother Baelor in the Trial by Seven of Duncan the Tall, which was ironically provoked by his eldest son Aerion.[3][1] This led to the ascension of the second son, Aerys I, who died without issue. The third son, Rhaegel, either predeceased both Aerys and Maekar or was skipped over because he had succumbed to the "Targaryen madness" that has afflicted many members of House Targaryen due to multiple generations of compound inbreeding, hence the throne passed to Maekar instead.
Season 1
When revealing his true identity and origins to Jon Snow, Maester Aemon mentions the name of his father.[2]
Image gallery
Family tree
Template:House Targaryen family tree Blackfyre Rebellion era
In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Maekar Targaryen is the fourteenth Targaryen to sit the Iron Throne. He was the fourth son of King Daeron II and Myriah Martell. As the son of Daeron II, he was also the grandson of King Aegon IV Targaryen. Maekar was given the Targaryen seat of Summerhall, and was a capable army commander who served in the Blackfyre Rebellion. After a number of unexpected deaths in the royal family, he came to the throne in 221AL. He ruled until 233AL, when he fell in battle against a rebel lord.
He was the father of Daeron, Aerion, Aemon, Aegon, Rhae and Daella.
Maekar appears as a major character in the Tales of Dunk and Egg prequel novellas, and would appear in any potential live-action adaptation.
See also
Maekar Targaryen on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (spoilers from the books)
References
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