The Best Kings (Game of Thrones) 

About King Robert Baratheon, I like what Barristan said on the show to Jorah. "Robert was a good man, a great Warrior, and a terrible King." That pretty much summed him up from my p.o.v..

If only Baelor Breakspear didn't die, he would have been one of the greatest Targaryen king

I swear ever time there is a good king there kids are either rebellious or something wrong is with them

The hand of the king is also an important role in the management of the kingdom 🤴👑and it's economy ......some Hand of kings were literally kings and had all the power like Brenden Rivers 😑 I would love to hear about all the hand of the kings and there achievements.

I liked Jaehaerys and Alysanne the most, but they were too blind to see that there were many conspirators behind their backs that made sure they had trouble naming an heir to the throne. Even the dragon eggs were poisoned.

man I love your videos, whycreate

cool video and all but we all know joffrey was the best king of all time. lol for real i loved this video my favorite king is Robert but the best king is definetly aegon the 1st in my opinion still good video keep up the great work and stay safe :) .

Robert Baratheon reminds me of Andrew Jackson (except that Jackson literally grew up from the slums and he was a loyal husband). On one hand he was known a great guy to know personally, loyal to his friends and countrymen but on the other hand he allowed corruption to set forth the Trail of Tears.

Ill tell you why not including Jeoffrey there is absurd. Things that happened after the murder of the Greatest King to ever sit on the iron throne, Jeoffrey Baratheon (bless his soul): Sansa getting kidnapped, His poor mother grieving to the point of craziness, Sept of Baelor getting blown up by wildfire, Death of Rickon, Wildlings invading the North, and ofcourse the White walkers. Not just the king we wanted, but the king we needed. 😤

I don't think Rhaenary's ever got a fair chance. She wasn't even considered a rightful monarch is the history books, although she was Visery's heir and her 2 sons to Daemon would become kings, with her son Visery's II carrying on her side of the Targaryen bloodline and not Ageon II's. In regards to her tax increases, she had to raise the taxes in Kings landing to support a war she never anticipated...a war she was pretty much thrown into. She had to raise the taxes because long before her and Daemon took control of kings landing, the Greens secretly stashed the crowns money away to different spots throughout Westeros, essentially leaving Rhaenary's and Daemon with nothing. So the only way to balance out the growing and seemingly never ending war debt was to increase the taxes... And although the increasing of executions seemed excessive, it's hard to find that righteous line between what's excessive and what's truly just and needed for a king or queen to do while trying to control millions of people, half of which want you, your husband and your children dead... So that said, although I don't think she belongs on THIS list of great rulers, I don't think Rhaenary's belongs on a list of terrible rulers either. She wasn't a good queen (for the limited time she was queen), but she wasn't that bad either. But that's just my opinion.

He is the blood of the dragon and his word is law. The dragon does not concern itself with the opinions of others.

Brynden Rivers (Bloodraven) is actually Aegon V great uncle. Aegons Grandfather was Daeron II, son of Aegon IV, and Aegon IV was also the father of Brynden. So Daeron’s sons were nephews to Brynden, and Daerons grandsons were great-nephews to Brynden.

I'd argue the Night King is the best king. He really keeps his people together.

Keep up the great work👍🏻

"baelord the blessed was a good king because, despise the fact that he did nothing, his hand and his image maintain peace in the kingdom. In fact, he is the third goodest king in my list. Robert was NOT a good king and has no place in the list of good kings because he did nothing and just his hand and his image maintain peace in the kingdom ....¿? What. I study history and let me tell you, both were neutral kings and there are examples of people like that. You can't use the same way of thinking and judge good a person and bad other that act the same

Shout out to Theon Stark 'the Hungry Wolf' & Garth VII Gardener

Baelor sounds like an actual Biblical figure oddly enough

viserys the second should be behind jahaerys.

I think viserys I Targaryen was a great/good king. He kept the process Jaeharys was doing and tried to align his house when it was clear a civil war was close at hand.

will you explain what makes the other 5 kings forgettable

Base born, doesn't mean bastard. Base born are just children of a commoner, bastards are born out of wedlock and they can be noble or base

Maybe Jaehaerys had a peaceful reign but is mysoginy cause the Dance of the Dragon

What about Viserys I? He was a great successor to the great Jaehaerys I and saw the realm continue the prosperity brought by his grandfather. I would say the only downfall of his reign would be the inability of him to stabilize Rhaenyra as his heir to the Iron Throne.

Mance is cool too

Simple rule: If a ruler's name appears more than once, the first ruler called that name is probably a good ruler, since everyone who is named after the original ruler's name would also want to be like them (eg. Aegon, Jaeherys). This also applies in real life too (Henry 1-8 in England, Louis 1-18 in France)

Aegon III should be on this list Dude was pretty good for being the Most Depressed Targaryen to ever exist

Jaehaerys II was the only king who united Westeros under one banner. During the war of the nine penny Kings. Even the iron Islands joined in the fighting.

I think Viserys II should be considered a good king. He managed the realm as hand of the king while Daeron was conquering Dorne and Baelor was praying. That's about 14 years, and then one more year as a king on his own.

Why isn't Maekar I also considered a good king, in fact considering his reign was peaceful and fair. The way he punished his sons for their mistakes and educate Aegon V to be better than his elder brothers does really mark good stuff about him.

my favorite king was Maekar but I appreciate Daeron's rule the most. He was dealt a way worse hand than Jaehaerys and in spite of that, did the best he could

I cant believe you forgot the great king Joffrey, First of his Name. His marriage united 3 great houses, he lead the defence of the city and the Faith from Stannis and his heathens. He was always willing to settle disputes between his people, and even provided jobs for failed knights. He was also a strong champion of the rights of dwarves, being kind enough to provide them employment, in a show of kindness for his beloved uncle, who also suffered from dwarfism. He was willing to forgive the family members of his enemies, and allowed the daughter of the traitor Ned Stark to live a safe and happy life in the red keep, even providing her a husband when it wasnt seen as appropriate for them to marry. Long live our beloved king, and may he rest in peace.

idk why people think Robert was a good king, because of him people like Littlefinger, Varys and Cersei gained an unhealthy amount of power and destroyed the realm, he should've been more involved and more strict on these people and his own son, he's the reason Ned is dead and the entire seven kingdoms are in war, a bit like Viserys the first, his reign was peaceful and pretty normal, but in the end he made some crappy decisions so when he died the world split.

I thought you'd include Maekar. I thought he was considered a good king. And I was surprised to see Baelor on here.

I still think Baelor Breakspear could’ve been the greatest king in Westeros if he lived.

The best king is always the inbred monstruosity we end up with in CK2-AGOT

I feel bad for Jaehaerys and his sons, Aemon and Baelon. Those two would have been nothing but good for the realm. Arguably even better than Baelor Breakspear.

I think king Baelor the blessed is highly overrated. He was basically the reverse of Maegor the cruel with his targaryen madness and perpetually bankrupted his realm and burned books with a lot of important stuff that would have helped future generations greatly. I actually wouldn't put him on the list at all.

I'm glad you stuck to your guns with Robert cause he's wasn't a good king other ppl ruled for him mainly Jon Arron and he was mainly a drunk and womanizer.

The best Targaryen ever in the dynasty is without a doubt Queen Alysanne.

Jaehaerys is my favorite

Your videos really great, but I think Baelor suffers from the same issues as Robert? Like Robert spent all the money on tourneys, Baelor regularly bankrupted the crown to try and pay some very small amount of the country rather than a wide spread tax reform or something to that effect which would actually help. Also, the same way Robert was only remembered as good because of his hand Jon Arryn, it is regularly stated that Viserys II was the true king under his nephews and was the reason they are remembered so fondly when they were off fighting wars or locking themselves away from the world. The only difference I really see is that one was pious, and the other a bit more selfish. I really like your videos, though, and this one was great. Just something I spotted because I was so engrossed 👍

I'd still personally say that Robert should be at least "neutral". Sure he wasn't a great king (I wouldn't even say "good") but he was still the king while the country experienced nearly two decades of peace. And he has to be credited for the quick dismissal of the Greyjoy Rebellion. Sure, a lot of credit for that peaceful time should go to Jon Arryn, and Robert DID put the crown into a lot of debt, but I think those things only prevent him from being a good king. I still think the actual peace that came with his rule should be enough to prevent him from being "bad".

Last time i was this early the targeryians still ruled

Do you think you could make a video about the smallest interactions with the largest implications in the Asoiaf universe? Such as Oberyn naming Balor breakwind leading to Elias death and war or Rhaegar crowning lyanna

I like how Baelor is considered a good king yet he locked all his sisters away in a tower for a decade because he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to control himself around them. wow. Great king!!

55 years as king. You can't be king that long without being good or liked.

Make a video on all the Queens of the Iron Throne (some are really interesting like Alysanne and Daenna)

Robert's actions didn't directly cause the crown's money problems. That was purposely done dy Littlefinger to weaken the realm. I wouldn't argue that Robert was a good king but he did liberate the realm of the Mad King and he at least tried to put capable people in power. His reign was more so tainted by negligence than ill will.

Bealor wasn't great, he was a loon who had a good hand. Aside from the vipers, all good things he did can be attributed to his hand. He was a nut job who spent a bunch of money on a sept, if Aerys i isn't considered great, than neither is Bealor, both were preoccupied by things other than rule

Daeron II and Aegon the III are my two most underrated kings. They both got a bad reputation through no fault of their own. Both had some real parental trauma. And still with all the adversity they solidified their rules and brought stability in their reign.

About Jaehaerys I , I would have added that he was very well advised by people like queen Alysanne (probably the best queen in the history of Westeros and the one behind most of his reforms), septon Barth (the best hand of the king until now and his best friend), and good experts in handling money and accounts like Lady Florence Fossoway and Rego Draz.

The thing about Boaratheon is that we only see him from the perspective of his best friend, thus he seems quite likable.

1. Jaehaerys I the old king (he just did so much for realm and his family. the only thing I could say is that he had too many children and weird relationships with them) 2. Dearon II the good (he united dorne into the realm and did the best he could to have peace. defeating the first blackfyre rebellion was a win too) 3. Aegon I the conqueror (some say he is overrated bc he had dragons fighting with armies in horses and foot, but he was the first to conquer and set a standard. he was the king westeros needed to unite it) 4. Viserys II (he COULD’VE been a great king. He was an amazing hand, I have no doubt. He took charge for his brother and both nephews and for that year he ruled he tried to be like jaehaerys. Sad to say his reign was short) 5. Aegon V the unlikely (he was a good man and tried to be a good king. he was well liked by the small folk, but hated by noble houses. i give him this spot simply bc he couldn’t control his own children who at the end were the demise to his family’s dynasty) 6. Maekar I (10+ years of peace until he died in a rebellion) 7. Jaehaerys II (he defeated the last blackfyre rebellion and chose to go to them instead of letting them get to westeros and have innocent lives lost) 8. Aegon III the broken (nobody remembers this king much, only the fact that he had regents for a long time and his mother got eaten by a dragon. we don’t know much on his reign, but no big war was ever mentioned. his brother Viserys helped him rule. The loss of dragons brings him down a bit, but nobody can blame him for what he went thru. Also showing Dearon his heir the ropes or at least what not to do would’ve helped too) 9. Viserys I (I do think he was a good king, but he was very influenced on his decisions by his council. The dynasty was a it’s highest when he got the throne, but didn’t do anything on that matter. But the worst thing he did was not proclaiming his daughter the heir a better way. He simply just said she was and expected everybody to follow. He shouldn’t have gotten married again and have kids if he knew the consequences. Completely ignored the writing on the wall) 10. Baelor I the blessed (he was a good king, but his madness was shown at the end. all his decisions were head scratchers and by the end he more than likely would’ve started a war with the north and iron islands trying to convert everyone into the faith of the seven. not getting married and having kids also brings him. Could’ve saved the realm from a lot of trouble from aegon IV) 11. Daeron I the young dragon (he was terrible, but I give him a C for effort. He tried to conquer dorne and unite the realm. He did win, but eventually lost dorne and thousands of men. His ambition was too high and cost him his life) 12. Aerys I (he was a weak king, influenced by blood raven a lot. he didn’t seek his wife and didn’t try to have heirs of his own. a very forgettable king) 13. Aenys I (he was a weak king. He had all the power from his dragons and didn’t use it at all. He could’ve done this and that, but not single thing was done. He was too afraid, too indecisive. All he had to do was something, but he couldn’t even do that) 14. Aegon II (he stole the throne from his sister. he started a civil war that was the end of the family dragons. he was a cruel king and was going to do whatever it took to end his sisters line and was eventually poisoned by his own men who saw the madness of the terrible king) 15. Maegor I the cruel (I will say this: I do believe the targaryens needed maegor. He showed the faith what they needed to know a long time ago. They don’t rule, kings do. Maegor did just enough for jaehaerys to come in and make amends with the faith and realize that the iron throne will protect them, but I do believe it was only bc there wasn’t enough of the faith militant around bc Maegor killed a lot of them. BUT he was a cruel king. There’s no changing that. He was blood thirsty and was cursed by the gods. His line ended with him and that was it.) 16. Aerys II the mad king (madness… straight madness and stupidity. He was too ambitious, but never got anything done. With time he because erratic and mad, which eventually ended his dynasty.) 17. Aegon IV the unworthy (a piece of shit king. he for sure killed his father to gain the throne. the legitimized all his bastard in his death bed and with that caused trouble to the realm for 5 generations. THE WORST TARGARYEN KING)

The hang up seems to be “bad, king. Not bad king” a difference, Robert was an awesome character n well meaning man, but still, a bad king..

I have to disagree with Baelor the Blessed. Ass you have pointed out yourself Viserys II was his Hand and did all the political work while he was out on his stroll and praying. The Great Sept of Baelor probably costed a lot more then Robert's feasts.

Stannis the mannis is the greatest king Westeros will ever have

You're wrong about robert, he was an average king. He very efficiently put down the greyjoy rebellion, and it is implied that while he induced debt, that littlefinger deliberately made the crown in far more debt than necsacary, and it wasn't roberts doing. he wasnt good, but nor was he bad

Uhhhh and what about King Bran??? He does have the best story after all

My current ranking from best to worst 1. Jaehaerys I 2. Aegon I 3. Daeron II 4. Viserys II 5. Jaehaerys II 6. Maekar I 7. Viserys I 8. Aegon III 9. Daeron I 10. Baelor I 11. Aegon V 12. Aerys I 13. Aegon II 14. Maegor I 15. Aenys I 16. Aerys II 17. Aegon IV

I dont agree with Robert Baratheon being a bad king. He was kind of the same as Viserys I, only more of a warrior and he had people in his small council who were actually good at what they did. I think he should be neutral. Also Baelor was a lunatic who had a very good (second only to Tywin imho) hand. I think he should be neutral, or even be one of the bad ones. Also Viserys II below Daeron the Good? Is that because of his short rule? Because the books say that if he lived longer, he wouldve probably been a second Jaehaerys.

I have only watched the show and reading all the comments down here about the kings that have been or people who would have made a good king (whose names I have never head of) really confuses me. At the same time, however, it really excites and just boggles my mind what kind of incredible world-building George R R Martin managed to pull off in his books. Truly remarkable. He and Tolkien are gifted writers. Too sad that George will probably not finish the books though, if only he was a couple years younger and had his passion again 😪

Aegon the Fifth is easily one of the best kings Westeros has seen. He meant well and did so much right.

Hey man great video just one thing, brynden rivers (bloodraven, 3 eyed raven) wasn't King Aegon Vs cousin, he was his great uncle( grandfather's half brother) I get it these family trees can get confusing, especially the targaryen one, but other than that keep up the good work 👍

With Viserys II, he didn't just rule as king, but while acting as Hand to three different kings, some say he is credited to keeping the Seven Kingdoms stable while the respective kings may have been occupied with other things or agendas.

I kind of feel like Aegon the Conqueror could have easily been called Aegon the Uniter. Depends who you ask.

If Viserys II didn't die so soon he probably would've been the second best Targaryen King after Jaehaerys.

See how charisma is so important for leaders? Robert was a bad king, but he had charisma, was fun to be around and was fierce. For a lot of the fans, all this overshadows how bad he was. You can even see it in the comments how people are still trying to "defend" him. That's the danger of charismatic leaders. GRRM knew what he was doing.

Any Aegon V fans?

Great video....I didn’t know a lot of the back stories of the kings 👍

Baelor? Really?

Bobby Baratheon should have been placed among the neutral kings, in my opinion. He wasn't dedicated to ruling, but he was good at inspiring people and was a great warrior. That being said, I was surprised to see a madman like Baelor among the best kings.

Aegon to me is the best king he United people who were at war with one another for centuries. Who can say that?

I think Robert should be in a neutral category. He wasn’t great but putting him in the same category as Aegon IV. or Maegor isn’t accurate, he wasn’t an evil man and didn’t enjoy cruelty. Even Cersei, who literally killed him, said so.

You must remember Aegon dreamed that his line would save all Westeros from the long night, so realistically he conquered for absolute good ( in his mind )z

Robert would have made an awful ruler, which is why, as king, he left it in the hands of Jon Arryn, who was far more capable. Compare that to other kings, who brought the realm to its knees because they were jealous of their Hand or wanted to wield the full power of a king. It's a little hypocritical for Jaehaerys to be considered a "good" king in part because of his formation of a group of men who could hold expertise he couldn't, as well as put that expertise in practice, yet also declare Robert a bad king for appointing the best and leaving them to use their expertise as they saw fit. Yes, he indebted the realm. That's an unquestionable black mark. But overall, Robert _was_ a good king because he didn't try to involve himself where he didn't belong.

Aegon V could have easily outdone jaherys, only if he had much loyal family who actually obeyed and listened to him, he lost control of his family , he was slipping, that's why all that dragon dreams took his life

Although Baelor did sue for peace early in his reign, Viserys II was the true ruler of the realm ever since he was appointed Hand by his brother, Aegon III. It said somewhere in the world book that while Aegon brooded, Daeron warred and Baelor prayed, Viserys ruled.

i feel like if baelon hadn't burned all the books on dragonlore and valyrian blood magic then aegon the fifth might have been able to bring the dragons back

Robb stark

None of them were good kings. All did what they did for the benefit of themselves m

I wouldnt put Baelor in that list. He was dellutional. All the good things during his reign was for Viserys II who was his HotK. Similar with Jon Arryn and Robert. Viserys was rulling while Baelor saw visiones and burned books.

You cant forget about the best king of them all the one true king Stannis

Dorne still made Baelor walk thru snakes and vipers , they weren’t THAT touched by Baelor’s walk.

Robert was definitely not a good king but I think he would be better categorized as neutral.

Very glad to see Viserys I isnt here. Despite ruling during the peak of Targaryen power, he 100% was the reason for the Dance of Dragons. But you didn't even include Gaemon Palehair and Tristayne Truefyre :o shocking

Great video. Robert wasn't a great king, you're right. Which maybe prompts a video about every Hand of King

Robert did unite the country after a brutal civil war and ended the hostilities between houses that just got done killing each other

robert was neutral, he was a drunk and bankrupted the trhine but it was peace and he didnt cause any big rebellion like he did against aerys targaryen. He was macked through the seven kingdoms but he held the peace. And i dont blame him for joffrey or the wars after because we have seen before that even great kings before cant make sure that there are peace after they died

Targaryen dynasty is kinda like the Plantagenet dynasty but not the same. Loss of great power and trying to regain but failed

Just watched House of the Dragon when they were young and read a bit of the dance of dragons, I think Rhaenyra would have been a controversial but good queen if Alicent and her devil spawns didn’t happen. The only reason her short reign was bad was because she was paranoid because of the war, and the greens basically bankrupted kingslanding by the time she reclaimed it forcing her to raise taxes.

Next there should be a list of The King’s Hands!

I do appreciate the fact that you put Aegon I as a good King. His proposals did pacify the Seven Kingdoms, and his use of violence was selective, and mostly addressed to armies.

Fun fact: Tywin and Robb Stark meet before everything goes.to shit... Twinn: I want my son back. Robb: I wanted my Dad back. Still want my sisters. Tywinn: We lost one. The younger one. Robb.:Dude... Tywinn: I know... Robb: I want a full pardon, we get Sansa back, and you send out a huge bounty for Aryas safe return. If shes dead, you owe us the reward. Twice that actually. Twinn: That is waaaaaaaaay cheaper then paying 2 armys and making a third. Why do i feel a catch?? Robb: I want Joffrey. Twinn:And...? Robb:I wan a kill him, Tommen can be King. Twyinn: Is that all!? And then they all.lived happily ever after... Until Dany came.

So the next one is going to be the top meh kings

I think aerys 1 was pretty shite

Do a video on the top worst queens, which one do you think is the worst?

What about Garth the green?

I think you meant to say Jahaerys the FIRST, my friend. There is no better king than The Conciliator in his prime.

I’m sorry but looking back now, I definitely would not rank Baelor the Blessed above Viserys II. We don’t know how he felt about the Ironborn or the North Men who did not believe in the Seven. Viserys II was more interested in doing right by the realm and was Hand of the King under Baelor’s reign

I totally agree on the top 4 here, but given how obvious the top 3 are maybe that isn't saying much. Baelor I the Blessed as a good one is laughable. He was probably the maddest Targ there was, and if not for his uncle keeping things from going off the rails he'd have been a true disaster. And as much as we want to like him because of our collective view of him as a person, Aegon V The Unlikely was unimpressive. The model of a middling king. That he failed so entirely to implement the progress he wanted and also oversaw the potential madness of whatever exactly caused the tragedy at Summerhall even risks putting him in red. But both of these are subject to change with Fire and Blood 2 filling in more info. Baelor the would have been 2nd Breakspear almost deserves an honorable mention among the good ones. His twelve years as hand+prince of dragonstone in one about equate to king, and certainly warrant the status of being called out as a very good era of leadership. Similarly as a pseudo-king honorable mention, Cregan Stark's role in the post Dance regency and restoration of the kingdoms likely warrants a spot. Bonus points even for having the sense to exit as soon as he could from kings Landing politics.