The Best Targaryen King - House of the Dragon and ASOIAF History 

I do hope the theory of Aegon IV killing his father is true, it really adds to how bad of a king he was, considering he robbed the realm of one of, if not its greatest king.

Viserys returning to king’s landing who was believed to be long dead was such a highlight for the traumatized Aegon III

While Daeron warred and Baelor prayed, Viserys ruled.

I think the only obvious error Viserys II made was pairing up his son Aegon with Naerys despite the two not liking each other. Aegon instead should've been betrothed to another strong house of the time

Also I find it touching how close Viserys and Aegon were to the point Viserys named his son after his brother.

There is a case to be made that Viserys II was, if not the best King of Westeros, the most capable administrator and politician, and a really great statesman. Although, I will say I think Aegon III was a pretty good ruler overall. While he was not the most charismatic and suffered from a serious case of depression, he genuinely seemed to want the best for the realm and I think his peaceful reign was really needed after the bloodbath that was the Dance of the Dragons. Plus, while his sons were very flawed, neither of them was anywhere near as bad as Aegon the 4th was, so there is that.

Viserys II was the 3rd best king, behind both Jaehaerys I and Daeron II. Jaehaerys v Viserys is literally a no brainer. Even GRRM considers Jaehaerys to be the quintessential monarch. In his words "my favorite targaryen king". He even shares a birthday with Jaehaerys. People heavily underestimate the importance of the sheer network of roads he built (the Kingsroad, the Roseroad, the Oceanroad, the Riverroad, and the Goldroad). The entire North could've starved to death during the long winter that followed the Dance if it had no access to the Reach's grain via the Kingsroad. Jaehaerys had dragons, yes. But he seldom used them as quick fixes. F&B literally tells how he was forced to spend the better part of his time sitting on endless council meetings, entertaining diplomats from across Planetos and going for inspections of his many critical infrastructure projects in person. Not to mention Jaehaerys quite literally ended 2 Dornish wars without suffering a single casualty. His stats as a king is rock-solid. His stats as a parent? Not so much, but still better than Viserys II lmao. Viserys quite literally pulled a Tywin Lannister on Aegon's first baby momma that forced him down a spiral of depravity. Not to mention the suffering he inflicted on Naerys and Aemon (Naerys suffering under Aegon and Aemon being forced to bare witness). Even Baelor, who fuckin' hated women, saw the pain Naerys was undergoing. Jaehaerys did none of this. Even when it came to Saera, F&B clearly stated he was never the same again after the whole debacle.

I think Jaehaerys had the best reign but Viserys II was the most experienced and well trained ruler of all Targaryens kings (although that doesnt mean he didnt commit mistakes like marrying Aegon IV and Naerys with each other).

Ever since i read F&B i have been preaching the viserys ii love, and now with the new show it has been in my head nonstop how good this guy was. Thank you for this!!

Really an underrated king who died of a sudden "illness"

I think a sequel to House of the Dragon could be focused around Viserys. Through him we see him help his family from his big brother to eventually his one year reign in his own cunning way. Also with the seeds of the eventual disaster that is his son Aegon and his strained relationship with his kids grow. And the sequel after that would be about Blackfyres

I get Henry the VII vibes this guy, intelligent King with a financial bent who turned cold after losing his wife but who is overshadowed by his son's antics.

“Viserys now that’s a name fit for a King.”

I think the viserys ii was a good king and if he had more time as king he would been the best king.

"It was a great year" I like this guy. He gets it.

FACTS! 100% agree. Viserys II was the best king! (Baelor Breakspear was the best heir and Bloodraven is the best Hand with Barth as a close second!)

While I get that everyone has their own view on who's the best King, when you look at the events of the time and the difficulty, I don't get how anyone could say the best King wasn't Jaehaerys, he had to manage a Kingdom for 50+ years and kept the status quo peaceful regarding the Faith of the Seven, the nobles, the peasantry, and foreign nations. Having a good council and dragons requires a special type of perosn to fully use

really great insight here

Aegon III Daeron II are my favorite kings.

Dude this video is awesome I’m totally going to subscribe

He actually does show up in HOTD as a baby

finally, some love for my favourite targaryen king 🙏

"And her spoilery husband" really got me

My headcanon is thar Viserys II was a great politician but a bad father, which was his fatal flaw. I think he did poison Baelor for the good of the realm, but that act planted the seed in his son's mind to do the same to him later on, which is tragically ironic.

Jahaerys also had Queen Alysane, who was arguably a better ruler than he was. And also Septon Barth, who is smarter than any Grand Maester we have seen. I guess there's a good argument to be made that Jahaerys himself is a bit overrated. Viserys II had a lot less to work with and of course, no dragons.

You give Stannis Baratheon some love at the end there was great

People disagree with Jahaerys Jahaerys - What color is your dragon

6:14. Probably not considering it was Viserys who likely saved his ass multiple times. Baelor was just mad.

And yet he should have named his grandson Daeron as his heir, the realm would have then skipped the castastrophy of Aegon IV's reign.

So both Viserys's died of illness? Interesting.

Viserys II was great there’s no doubt about it. He ruled while his brother brooded and his nephews warred and prayed. And his short reign was a glimpse of what could’ve been a second golden age like that of Jaehaerys…but his reign was simply far too short to be called the best. Jaehaerys is undeniably the best. Decades of peace and stability. Financial reform and prosperity. Making peace with the faith, getting them to to submit and disarm while making an exception for incest. Appointing wise councilors as listening to his wife and giving her autonomy. Creating a united code of law. Creating the ever so important kings road. Making reforms to King’s landing. Winning two wars against the Dornish in major propaganda wins. His reign simply isn’t comparable to any other Targaryen king. He’s the reason the Targaryens became an established dynasty. His house and Westeros prospered greatly under his rule and nothing comes close to it.

Lys? Interesting. Maybe in the HoTD show he'll be fostered by totally not Laenor. :P

I truly hope House of the Dragon ends with Aegon Reuniting with his long lost brother. That would be such an emotional moment to end the series with rather than have it end on a downer note.

Great video pal. I really hope this becomes part of the show in like season 3 or 4 and ends with Aegon the unworthy. Aemon the dragon knight will be everybody’s favorite character. Dude was bad ass

jaehaerys the conciliator has to be the best king. One could argue he was more effective in establishing a dynasty than even Aegon the conqueror himself....and did it more or less peacefully. I love your video but come one its Jaehaerys

Viserys never brought Dorne into the fold though. Neither did his son Aegon. It wasn't until his grandson Daeron that Dorne was brought into the realm.

What do you think about the fact that Viserys had Aegon when he was 13? That's pretty wild. In all likelihood, he made Aegon when he was 12.

The stannis part of the video made me subscribe 😁

Viserys II's back must have been sore from carrying the Targshits

There's only one only one king I meant to bent my knee to that's Stannis the mannis Baratheon

You say that a member of the crew found Viserys, but I think what you meant to say is: A member of the crew of the GAY ABANDON found Viserys while he was hiding as a cabin boy of the GAY ABANDON aboard the GAY ABANDON. He was then removed from the GAY ABANDON by the crew of the GAY ABANDON and shipped to Lys, which is a city, not a ship like the GAY ABANDON.

Poor V2 spent years in exile only to be hated by xenophobics and accused of murdering his nephew His family tore itself apart in war so this accusation is unthinkable

He is very underrated. He would have been the greatest king in the history of the dynasty if he had had more time. I love Viserys II!

I don't think that we know enough of his reign to make such a decision. He seems to be among the better ones though. One of his biggest issues is that he didn't prepare his succession very well (Aegon IV started a civil war), which seems to me like an important part of being a good king. Although the other good kings have big failings as well (Aegon I and Jaehaerys I have the same issue, actually). I'd probably agree that he was the better king (although with a big asterisk because of the lack of information), but more because of the failings of the other kings than because of his own accomplishments, which still seem very impressive.

Rhaenyra and Daemon's son :)

You gave an accomplishment to Viserys II, that he did not do. He didn’t bring Dorne into the fold, rather it was his grandson, Daeron II. Taking that away, that leaves him as third best king. Behind Jaeherys and Daeron, as they both showed excellency during peace and wartimes. Something Viserys did not have to do

YES, I love Viserys the 2nd, dude ruled the realm for years as hand, and if Aegon hadn't killed Baelor and Viserys the realm would have continued to benefit from Viserys

No way Quinn lol!! He wasn’t King very long so idk if he even qualifies, and he was the Father of the absolute worst with The Unworthy. So my opinion is the best is Jahaerys, possibly Aegon the Conquerer. I liked Egg too but we don’t know enough about his rule yet

Was there a young Targaryen that locked himself as an act of rebellion? If so, can you explain what occurred, what calculated moves were made and foreign correspondents established.

My theory is that Aegon IV poisoned both Baelor and his own father Viserys in order to get the Throne.

Aegon V is my favorite king

Who do you think is the best Targaryen Hand of the King whitout considering Viserys II? Maegor, Baelon, Baelor Breakspear, Valarr or Brynden Rivers?

Sometimes the best people have the least written about them. Then again, Viserys II was the grandfather of the Blackfyre Rebellion by insisting on maintaining the Targaryen tradition of incest.

Viserys defnitely had to have been at least 21 by the time he was named hand. Since according to lore. When Aerys appointed Tywin Lannister as hand, upon the former's ascension to the iron throne as king. Tywin was only 20. Making him the youngest hand of the king in history.

I also saw similarities in Tyrion and Viserys II, their both sorta unsung rulers and peacekeepers.

Saving to watch later like six years from now when it won’t be a spoiler lol

Baelor is my personal favorite King...... He's crazy but in a good way he helped alot of people

To me he is one of my favorite king along with Maekar

If i were like Daeron I, who is a great General, i would do the same. Put a trusted Hand to rule the Kingdom and go to lead in the frontlines. People love war heroes (like Caesar and Napoleon). Robert did the same, but Tywin had his own ambitions and his wife Cersei was just the worst.

The little boy Rheanyra shows to her dad?

STANNIS ❤‍🔥

I think the way he treated naerys was pretty shitty, he should've let her follow her heart and be a septa, even if we only consider the strategical side it would be better if aegon married someone outside of the targaryen family and created an alliance with another house, in that way I think he inherit the worst part of jaehaerys: being garbage with his female relatives

If part of the comparison for best king takes Fatherhood into account, like the outro cartoon does, comparing Jaeherys's handling his daughters, then we can't discount that Viserys II was father to Aegon the Unworthy, who he married his poor daughter to. Part of Visery II's character flaw was likely that he was so busy ruling Seven Kingdoms, he neglected governing his family. His wife returned to Lys, not speaking Common Westerosi amongst her many languages, feeling isolated at Westeros Court, whilst Aegon's vices set the stages for generations of wars. Though given how moral Viserys II's other two children were renowned, Aegon the Unworthy might be an exception rather than rule. Still, like someone else pointed out, Viserys shouldn't have burdened his daughter with marrying the repugnant Aegon IV. It seems both Jaehaerys and Viserys II weren't the best fathers to daughters. Viserys II easily could have gotten a woman of Valyrian descent from Lys for Aegon IV's bride, though maybe due to his captivity in Lys, Viserys had negative feelings about the people from there.

Daemon is his dad so that a lot of point as well

Off topic but I just realized Winterfell was Going to be Cat's Home Regardless Ned was the visitor 😂😂 She was already intended to live there with Brandon before he was killed by the mad 🔥King... Question for anyone who would Ned have to marry if His Brother had lived🤔

I can see what you mean but he I don’t think is better than Aegon The Conquerer, Jaehaerys I, Aegon V, probably Daeron II and arguably Jaehaerys II and Aegon III. Definetly not a bad king but he just didn’t do enough good. Had he ruled longer he may have been on track to do better, but it’s hard to know.

What makes him better than Jaehaerys I?

Views vs Subs is weird. You watch, you sub. It won't hurt.

Great content and analysis, sadly the narrator seems to be racing to finish the video. So rushed

Quinn the GM, I think you were very unfair to Daeron the Young Dragon here. After his cowardly assassination under a peace banner, even Viserys the 2nd wanted to continue the war, and avenge his nephew by killing the Dornish hostages. He was only stopped by Baelor's interference.

The best Targeryan king was Jaehaerys The Conciliatior.

10:08 I’d put forcing his daughter to marry Aegon as just as bad as what Jaehaerys did tbh

I would argue jaehaerys is the greatest ever then Viserys II would come aftet

My favorite targaryen kings Jaehaerys the first Daeron 2 Viserys the first Viserys the 2

He was better conquerer than Aegon

I like that Viserys II basically reenacted what the Greens did in the Dance to his Mother, he took the throne over the rightful female heir, this time nobody gave a shit though.

I don’t know why you say like that because the seven kingdoms have never been seven kingdoms the serving represent the seven kings that fell but the real itself when it was for it had eight kingdoms not seven and then later after they recruited the Dorn it became nine but for some reason the maester can only count up to seven and if I have to guess it would probably have to do with their faith

Daeron the good?

Jaehaerys l was the greatest Targaryen king.. Viserys ll had the potential but he didn't live long enough to surpass his ancestor.

to bad his son fcked everything up that took like some 80 years to fix

Jahaerys had some troublesome children it’s true, and his pullout game was gods awful, but Aemon and Baelon (his eldest two sons) were both brave and honorable unlike Viserys II who fathered the worst Targaryen king of all time… for me it’s a tie, bc Vermithor and Silverwing made life much easier for Jahaerys, so did having a brilliant queen Alysanne to help him. Viserys’ wife returned to Essos and abandoned him, and he never had a companion to support him or his children. If he had, Aegon might have turned out different.

A king for a year

I disagree. The best king was Jaehaeris, Viserys II could have been but was not. For 30 years the office he held was Hand of the King under 3 different kings so he will have to be compared to other hands. His own reign was short so he stands behind a lot of options but looking at history even in that 1 year was way better than a lot of the Targeryen Monarchs. And as hand, probably he, bloodraven and Tywin Lannister go neck to neck for the top post.

Viserys should have marry Naerys to Aemon instead. Who knows maybe Daeron II was Aemon’s child. Explain his nature.

The one from House of Dragon would be a good ruler on paper, but in practice he was horrible. He’s the reason why his house fell apart, and the dragons were basically extinct.

The best king was Maegor first of his name

Is the ship called the 'Gay Abandoned'?

A great king would prepare their heir for the responsibility of King. Viserys II did not do that. That's some negative points to him. The Old King in my opinion was the better king. Maybe even Aegon V was a better king because of this fact

What are you talking about he was a king for less than a year

The best King was Jahaerys I, and it's not even close. Viserys II is known as the second coming of Jahaerys, not the other way around.

God I want Aegon the VI aka jon snow to be king

Against religious crusades to make the seven kingdoms ONE TRUE FAITH but supporting the Mannis?

The biggest mistake that viserys the 2 made was marrying his son aegon to Narys because he was a horrible husband to her she should had married aemon but he was a great hand of the king and a great king

not a hater here but I had problem understanding your spellings. You run a pretty good channel try not to swollen words for the sake of speed.

Bro, slow down your speech. You keep slurring your words. calm your nerves and slow down buddy. Great video other then that. I gave you a like and Sub for the algorithm. Good luck with your channel.

wrong, the best Targaryen was Alysanne.

Unlike his namesake viserys 1 the incompetent!!!😂

The Best King was Egg or Aegon V the Unlikely, by far.

sorry but jaehaerys the conciliator is the greatest king. roads man, roads.

He Fathered Aegon the 4th so he is terrible king for unleashing his offspring on the world