House Of The Dragon: Every Targaryen To Sit The Iron Throne

As Aegon's heir and the second Targaryen to rule over Westeros, King Aenys was everything his father was not. Whereas the Conqueror earned the affection of the common folk, and the respect of his subjects, Aenys didn't. He simply expected that same appreciation to automatically pass onto him after his father's death.

Instead, Aenys was seen as weak. Despite being five years older than his half-brother, Queen Visenya passed Blackfyre, the ancestral Targaryen sword, to Maegor. Possibly testing the new King's resolve, several uprisings sparked in the Riverlands, the Iron Islands, Dorne, and the Vale.

The biggest battle Aenys fought however, was against the Faith. The King fathered six children with his Queen, Alyssa Velaryon, and was confused by the outrage that followed his announcement that his son, Aegon, would marry his daughter, Rhaena. Though his father had married his two sisters, this did not happen in Westeros, where customs were very, very different.

After only five years of ruling, with the realm almost completely turned against him, Aenys fell ill and died at just 35 years of age. Many believe the King was poisoned by his Aunt Visenya, as this allowed her son Maegor to step in and take the crown from his brother.