Aegon I Targaryen
| House / Order | House Targaryen |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | Valyrian |
| Status | Deceased |
| Origin | Crownlands |
| Born | Before the Conquest, on Dragonstone |
| Died | 37 AC, on Dragonstone |
| Weapon | |
| Fate | Died of a stroke; succeeded by his son Aenys I |
| Portrayed by |
Aegon I Targaryen, called Aegon the Conqueror and Aegon the Dragon, was the founder of the Targaryen dynasty and the first man to rule the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros from the Iron Throne. Riding his dragon Balerion the Black Dread, he united six of the seven kingdoms by conquest and a seventh through marriage, beginning the Targaryen line that would rule for nearly three centuries.
Aegon's Conquest
Aegon was lord of Dragonstone, a Valyrian house that had escaped the Doom of Valyria a century earlier. With his sister-wives Visenya and Rhaenys, and their three dragons Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes, Aegon landed at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush and raised a wooden fort that would grow into King's Landing.
His campaign broke the kings of Westeros one by one. At the Field of Fire, the combined hosts of House Gardener of the Reach and House Lannister were annihilated by dragonfire. King Torrhen Stark of the North bent the knee rather than face the same fate, becoming the King Who Knelt. Only Dorne resisted conquest and remained independent.
Reign
Aegon was crowned at Oldtown by the High Septon of the Faith of the Seven and forged the Iron Throne from the swords of his defeated enemies, said to number a thousand. He divided the realm among loyal lords, established the office of the Hand of the King, and largely left local custom intact. He reigned for thirty-seven years and was succeeded by his son Aenys.
Legacy
Aegon's Conquest became the starting point of the Westerosi calendar, dates being reckoned as "After the Conquest" (AC). His landing and the unification of the realm are recounted at length in Fire & Blood.
Screen note: in the HBO series Game of Thrones, Aegon the Conqueror is referenced as the founder of the dynasty but does not appear.