Game Of Thrones: This Overlooked Targaryen Could Be A Great King (No, Not Jon!) 

Summary:

• The main problem of House Targaryen is that its members tend to go insane due to their…unique blood status.
• This, among other things, led to Robert’s Rebellion that destroyed the Targaryens and established the new rule.
• However, Aemon Targaryen could have made a great king if needed: legitimate by blood, fair and just, and perfectly sane.

The entire plot of Game of Thrones is about the struggle for power in Westeros. Many men and women, noble and not, desired the Iron Throne for themselves, and just as soldiers and common folk were split in who they supported, fans of the TV show have never stopped arguing about who’d make the perfect ruler since the start of the War of the Five Kings.

Who Are The Most Popular Pretenders On The Iron Throne?

If we get to the very core of this debate, there are only three major fan groups supporting three different ways of seeing legitimacy in the Seven Kingdoms.

The first group supports House Targaryen as the rightful rulers of Westeros since it was the House of the Dragon who unified and ruled over the Seven Kingdoms for hundreds of years prior to Robert Baratheon's Rebellion that destroyed them.

The second group supports House Baratheon since King Robert I got the Iron Throne by the second legitimate right after the right of blood: the right of conquest. In their eyes, the Baratheons were the rightful rulers of the Seven Kingdoms.

Finally, the third group either despises both the Targaryens and the Baratheons or prefers a different House or pretender. Though lacking any legitimacy, their position is that another dynasty must have overtaken the Iron Throne.

But they’re all missing something — or, rather, someone — very important.

The One Targaryen Who Could Make The Perfect King

The main problem everyone has with House Targaryen? Its members’ inherent madness that can manifest at any time. If not for this side effect of intense centuries-long inbreeding, there would have been few issues to have with the House of the Dragon, save for the people who “really dig” the pre-Targaryen era…somehow.

Even Daenerys Targaryen, the girl half of the audience was rooting for throughout the eight seasons of Game of Thrones, finally lost it and revealed her insanity during the last battle for King’s Landing. But what if there was a true Targaryen who has never shown any signs of madness and was a noble, fair, and compassionate man?

Known by most as Maester Aemon, Aemon Targaryen relinquished his right to the Iron Throne when he took the black and joined the Night’s Watch. Even after his father and brother’s deaths, Aemon kept his vow and refused to pretend on the throne. The man spent decades serving the Watch with his knowledge and kindness.

Aemon Targaryen’s rule would have seemingly been the perfect outcome for most parties. Maester Aemon had the Targaryen’s right of blood — but didn’t show any symptoms of madness. He proved to be a wise and fair man, and he never even wanted the throne. With all his qualities combined, he could have made a great ruler.