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A “Dance of the Dragons” Primer

Josh H
4 min readAug 21, 2022

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Prepare for tonight’s “House of the Dragon” Premiere on HBO/Max

Photo provided by HBO/Max

Well, we are back, after a few years, for more Game of Thrones fun. The new HBO/Max series “House of the Dragon” starts tonight at 9 PM EST and will be covering the period known as “The Dance of the Dragons”

What was the Dance of the Dragons?

A two-year civil war that drastically reduced the power of House Targaryen and cost them almost all of their dragons.

What Caused the Dance of the Dragons?

Dueling claims to the Iron Throne by Princess Rhaenyra (daughter of King Viserys by his first wife Aemma) and by Aegon (son of King Viserys by his second wife Alicent Hightower).

Could the Dance of Dragons have been Prevented?

Yes, except it is a fictional world, and creating drama was kind of GRRM’s point (I suspect).

There were many moments throughout the fifty years preceding the Dance where any number of people or events could have changed the event that began the rapid decline of the power of the Targaryens.

First, King Jaehaerys could have recognized his recently deceased son Aemon’s daughter Rhaeny’s claim to being heir to the Iron Throne before recognizing the claim of one of his other sons, Baelon. This choice actually…

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Josh H
Josh H

Written by Josh H

Author, Criminal Justice Reform Advocate, Co-Host of the "Decarceration Nation" Podcast, Television critic and Movie Reviewer, OnPirateSatellite.com

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