Aegon III Targaryen

**Aegon III Targaryen** also known as **Aegon the Younger** and later, **Aegon the Dragonbane** was the seventh Targaryen king to sit the Iron Throne.

He succeeded his uncle, Aegon II Targaryen at conclusion of the Dance of the Dragons which saw the victorious supporters of his later mother, Rhaenyra install him on the throne. When he was a child, his dragon was Stormcloud.

Aegon kept the kingdoms united following the divisions of the civil war with the aid of his brother Prince Viserys II Targaryen, whom he named Hand of the King when he came of age.

## Character

He had dark purple eyes and pale silver hair. He was pale, lean and never smiled because of the grief carried from seeing his mother Rhaenyra devoured by Sunfyre, the dragon of his uncle, Aegon II Targaryen.

He wore a short beard and his crown was a slender gold band. After the Dance of the Dragons, he became brooding, cold and melancholy. He always dressed in black.

## History

### **Early Life**

He was born during the last days of 120 AC to Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen. As per Targaryen tradition, a dragons egg was placed in his cradle and Stormcloud eventually hatched from this egg.

He was named after Aegon the Conqueror. He has three older half-brothers, Prince Jacaerys, Lucerys and Jofrrey Velaryon from his mother's first marraige to Laenor Velaryon and two older half-sisters, Princess Baela and Rhaena Targaryen, from his mothers second marriage to Prince Daemon. Two years after Aegon's birth, Rhaenyra gave birth to another boy, Viserys II Targaryen.

Aegon lived with his mother, father, brothers and half-sisters at Dragonstone, the ancestral seat of House Targaryen. When his grandfather died in early 129 AC, Aegon and his family were away from the capital as Rhaenyra was pregnant for the sixth time.

### **The Dance of the Dragons**

A war of succession began with the death of Aegon's grandfather, King Viserys I Targaryen. Though Aegon's mother had been named heir to the Iron Throne by Viserys, Aegon's half-uncle was crowned King Aegon II Targaryen in King's Landing. This resulted in the Dance of the Dragons.

In 129 AC, at the behest of their half-brother Jacaerys; Aegon and his younger brother Viserys were sent to Essos while their mother Rhaenyra secured the Iron Throne. During the journey their ship, Gay Abandon was captured by ships of the Triarchy. Aegon escaped by flying on his dragon Stormcloud for the first time but Viserys was captured by Sharako Lohar. Aegon clung to Stormclouds neck to reach Dragonstone where he shared the news. The experience was his first flight was so frightening and Aegon returned to Dragonstone pale, shaking and having lost control of his bladder. Stormcloud shortly died after by the wounds he had received during the flight. Aegon never rode a dragon again.

Upon learning what had happened, fearing for the life of his brother, Prince Jacaerys flew to the fleet on his dragon, Vermax, but both died in the Battle of the Gullet that ensued.

Unaware of the fall of Dragonstone, mother and son returned to see the charred corpses of the castellan, Ser Robert Quince and some others who had been loyal to Rhaenyra hanging from the gates. Aegon was the first to realize what it meant and cried, "Mother, flee!" but it was too late. They were brought into the courtyard where Aegon II was waiting. Young Aegon watched in horror as his uncles dragon, Sunfyre devoured his mother.

Aegon was forever mentally scarred and this event cemented his later fierce hatred for and terror of dragons. After Rhaenyra's execution, Ser Alfred Broome advised King Aegon II to kill the young Aegon, but the king decided to keep his nephew captive in the dungeon of Dragonstone.

The death of his mother did not end the war. Following the victory of Lord Kermit Tully and Lord Borros Baratheon at the Battle of the Kingsroad half a year later, Aegon II was murdered by his own men. Aegon inherited the throne as Aegon III in 131 AC.

### **Reign**

Since Ageon came to the Iron Throne aged eleven, several regents and hands ruled in his name at the beginning of his reign. Numerous political schemes, plots and assassinations happened in those fives years as the regents fought one another for political power. Aegon's only companion in these first years was Gaemon Palehair, a former pretender to the throne and now Aegon's servant, friend, whipping boy and eventual food taster.

Aegon married his cousin, Princess Jaehaera Targaryen in 131 AC. As Jaehaera was the only surviving child of the late Aegon II, the match was a political one, so both bloodlines could be seen to hold the throne in hope of uniting the Seven Kingdoms and the factions who fought for each side.

Since Jaehaera was eight at the time of the marriage and Aegon was eleven, it was not consummated. Two years later, the marriage ended childless when Jaehaera died of suicide or murder.

Aegon later married Lady Daenaera Velaryon. She was only six years old when Aegon's half-sisters presented her to him, the last of a thousand maids at the great ball in 133 AC. The ball had been declared by the Hand, Lord Unwin Peake, after the regents stopped his efforts to betroth his own daughter to the king. However, Lord Peake did not give up his attempts and was greatly frustrated by Aegon's choice of Daenaera. His efforts of the marriage were put aside and the Hand resigned in 134 AC. Later, an attempted poisoning was made on Aegon and Daenaera which resulted in the death of Aegon's friend, Gaemon Palehair.

Aegon only had one true joy during his reign which was the return of his younger brother, Prince Viserys II in 135 AC. It was the thought that his brother had been killed and Aegon never forgiven himself for abandoning his brother when he fled on Stormcloud. Viserys was eventually recovered from Lys by Admiral Alyn Velaryon where he had been held in secret by merchant princes. The ransom was enormous, but Visery's release was a joy regardless and he was the only person Aegon ever fully trusted.

When Viserys came to King's Landing with his new wife, Larra Rogare and several of her kin. The ambitious Rogare family soon became embroiled in the conflicts of Aegon's regency. Although the Rogares at the Red Keep were apparently gulty of some crimes, their rivals in King's Landing blamed them for many more. In 135 AC, Lord Thaddeus Rowan was tortured in an attempt to find evidence against the Rogares and Ser Marston Waters, the Hand of the King, sent men to capture Larra after arresting her brothers. Aegon and Viserys refused to surrender Larra and the case against the Rogares collapsed.

After Aegon came of age in 136 AC, he dismissed the regents and his Hand of the King and named Prince Viserys as his Hand. Viserys served as Hand during the remaining years of Aegon's reign and during the reigns of both Aegon's sons. The crown dealt with several pretenders claiming to be Daeron Targaryen, who perished during the Second Battle of Tumbleton but whose body had never been found or identified.

As King, Aegon III strove to give the realm peace and plenty, but his coldness kept him from courting his lords and people. Aegon is often blamed for the death of the last dragon, having a great distaste for dragons after the tragic death of Stormcloud and because he witnessed his mother being devoured by Sunfyre. Although the maesters may have played a part in the death of the last dragon. At the urging of his brother, Prince Viserys, Aegon brought nine mages from Essos to attempt to hatch a clutch of dragon eggs with magic, but it ended in failure.

Aegon was regarded as a broken king who ruled over a broken reign. His brother, Viserys did the majority of the ruling as his Hand. Aegon was melacholy to the end of his days, found pleasure in almost nothing and locked himself in his room to brood for days on end. He likewise came to dislike being touched, even by his beautiful wife, Daenaera. Though their marriage was eventually fruitful, it was said that Aegon took a long time to come to her bed, even after she flowered. his marriage to Daenaera gave him two sons, Daeron I and Baelor I and three daughters, Daena, Rhaena and Elaena Targaryen.

The reign of the Broken King ended with Aegon's death at 36 from consumption in 157 AC. Many of his subjects thought him far older for his age and the melancholy king was not remembered fondly.

## Small Council under Aegon III

During the reign of King Aegon III, his small council had the following members:

### Hand of the King

* Lord Cregan Stark
* Lord Tyland Lannister
* Lord Unwin Peake
* Lord Thaddeus Rowan
* Ser Marston Waters
* Grand Maester Munkun
* Lord Torrhen Manderly
* Prince Viserys II Targaryen

### Council of Regents

The regency council of Aegon III, as originally constituted:

* Lady Jeyne Arryn (131 - 134 AC)
* Lord Royce Caron (131 - 132 AC)
* Ser Torrhen Manderly (131 - 133 AC)
* Lord Manfyrd Mooton (131 - 134 AC)
* Grand Maester Munkun (131 - 136 AC)
* Lord Corlys Velaryon (131 - 132 AC)
* Lord Roland Westerling (131 - 133 AC)

Subsequent replacements:

* Lord Unwin Peake, replaced by Lord Corlys Velaryon
* Lord Thaddeus Rowan, replaced by Lord Roland Westerling
* Ser Corwyn Corbray, replaced by Lord Manfryd Mooton

## Quotes by Aegon

> *I mean to give the smallfolk peace, food and justice. If that will not suffice to win their love, let Mushroom make a progress. Or perhaps, we might send a dancing bear. Someone once told me that the commons love nothing half so much as dancing bears. You may call a halt to this feast tonight as well. Send the lords home to their own keeps ad give the food to the hungry. Full bellies and dancing bears shall be my policy.*
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