The “Green” and “Black” Targaryen allegiance factions will swiftly divide the “House of the Dragon’s” realm, which will play a key role in the story even before the Civil War. “House of the Dragon’s” struggle is mostly driven by feuds inside House Targaryen’s family tree that had been boiling for quite some time before King Viserys’ death, rather than presenting a wider war fought among numerous kings like in Game of Thrones. Because Westerosi lords must commit their swords to one of two Targaryen claims to the throne, the country will be split between supporters of the Greens and supporters of the Blacks.
The Dance of the Dragons, which will see Rhaenyra Targaryen and Aegon II Targaryen fight for the Iron Throne after their father’s death, is the most crucial event in “House of the Dragon“. Rhaenyra had long been regarded as King Viserys I’s heir to the throne, despite her uncle Daemon’s belief that he was the legitimate heir. The succession of the throne grew more problematic once Viserys remarried and finally had a son. While Viserys insisted that Rhaenyra would be his heir, Aegon II’s mother Alicent Hightower, grandfather Otto Hightower, and a number of other lords conspired to grant him the crown, igniting the Targaryen Civil War. The war, which lasted about three years, plunged Westeros into one of its most terrible conflicts in history, especially because it was one of the few times when both sides had access to dragons.
Unlike Game of Thrones’ War of the Five Kings, the affiliations of the main houses such as the Starks, Tullys, Lannisters, and Baratheons will be much easier to track in “House of the Dragon’s” Civil War. Due to the fact that there were only two sides to choose from, pledging swords to the Blacks or the Greens frequently included more personal negotiations, alliances, or allegiances. Because each family had already pledged their allegiance to House Targaryen, it was just a matter of determining which Targaryen had the greatest claim or provided them the best opportunities. While the Dance of the Dragons would mark the precise moment when the realm was split in half, Westerosi support for the Greens and Blacks had been rising for years.
Why Is the Targaryen Civil War Divided Into Greens and Blacks?
The Targaryen Civil War’s Greens and Blacks relate to Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen’s respective house colors. A feud between Alicent and Rhaenyra’s father Viserys arose after Alicent married the king’s young wife and gave him a male heir. Alicent wore the green of House Hightower at the 111 AC great tourney in King’s Landing, while Rhaenyra wore the black and red of House Targaryen. Those who backed the queen were known as the “Greens,” while those who supported the princess became known as the “Blacks.” The Greens and Blacks of the “House of the Dragon” initially referred to the queen’s and princess’s parties, but it came to be connected with Alicent’s son Aegon II Targaryen’s claim against Rhaenyra’s claim. As a result, the Targaryen Civil War between Aegon and Rhaenyra was split between the Green and Black parties, despite the fact that it was principally about Rhaenyra and Alicent’s dispute at court.
The Long Feud Between Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower Is Expounded
While Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) will swiftly become enemies in Season 1 of House of the Dragon, the two started off on amicable terms. Because Alicent’s father, Otto Hightower, was the Hand of the King to both Jaehaerys I and his successor Viserys I, young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) and young Alicent (Emily Carey) spent a lot of time at court together because the former was just nine years younger than the latter. While the two had a friendly connection following Alicent’s marriage to Viserys of the “House of the Dragon”, the sons she bore him continued to weaken Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne. Since Viserys I had declared Rhaenyra to be his legitimate heir to the Iron Throne, she was eager about defending her claim, but Alicent and her father, Otto, believed that her son Aegon II deserved it more.
Even though she was 16 and her half-brother was just six, Alicent had suggested Rhaenyra marry her son Aegon, despite the fact that the two had never gotten along. Viserys accused Alicent of only seeking to gain a position on the Iron Throne for her own offspring, despite the king’s refusal to marry her. The idea that only one of them would be considered the highest lady at court, with Rhaenyra as the heir to the throne or Alicent as the king’s wife, had long fueled the rivalry between Rhaenyra and Alicent. When Rhaenyra married her uncle Daemon Targaryen, the “House of the Dragon” figures’ problems grew even worse, as Matt Smith’s character was known for his scorn for Alicent and her offspring.
Alicent’s son Aemond and Rhaenyra’s son Lucerys fought nearly ten years before the Dance of the Dragons, with Lucerys cutting out Aemond’s eye. Alicent then asked that Lucerys be treated similarly, prompting King Viserys to split the families, keeping Alicent and her children at court, and sending Rhaenyra and her children to Dragonstone. The final straw for Alicent appeared to be Rhaenyra’s first son by Daemon, who was called Aegon, a name she mistook for her own eldest son of the same name. When King Viserys I died in 129 AC, Alicent and Criston Cole of the “House of the Dragon” convened a small council to prepare the crowning of Aegon II over Rhaenyra. As a result, when Rhaenyra learned that Aegon II had been crowned in a ceremony, she hastily organized her own, igniting the Targaryen Civil War.
Which HOTD Targaryen has the better claim? Rhaenyra vs. Aegon II
Aegon II would have been anointed king of Rhaenyra under the traditional laws of succession established during the preceding century during House Targaryen’s reign in Westeros. Until their death, none of the previous Targaryen kings had insisted that their firstborn daughter would be the successor above a son. While some thought Viserys I’s cousin Rhaenys Targaryen to be the true heir to King Jaehaerys I due to her status as the eldest living heir of Jaehaerys’ eldest child, the Great Council at Harrenhal picked Viserys instead. However, Jaehaerys had not named Rhaenys as his heir, and if he had, the Old King’s backing for her claim would have been stronger. Viserys I, heir to the Iron Throne, was officially dubbed “House of the Dragon’s” Rhaenyra, with the king unwilling to reverse his order even when Alicent bore him sons.
Viserys even summoned a number of noble lords to court to pledge their allegiance to Rhaenyra as his successor, demonstrating that the “House of the Dragon’s” monarch had gone to great lengths to ensure her seat on the Iron Throne. Since she was a child, Rhaenyra had been trained and raised in preparation for her accession to the Iron Throne, with the realm had long planned for her to inherit the throne as Queen Rhaenyra I. “House of the Dragon” characters Alicent and Otto colluded to put Aegon II on the Iron Throne without even holding a Great Council to determine among the most powerful lords and ladies of Westeros, going directly against the king’s decree and the man by whom Aegon supports his claim in the first place. While Aegon II had a strong claim to the kingdom as the eldest male child, Rhaenyra Targaryen was stripped of the throne that had been firmly established as hers simply because she was a woman. In “House of the Dragon”, Rhaenyra Targaryen had a stronger claim to the throne than Aegon II, but as Game of Thrones revealed, such a claim only matters if someone with more power doesn’t try to usurp it.
The Iron Throne Story of “House Of The Dragon” Has One Major Advantage Over Game Of Thrones