The Iron Throne – ‘Game of Thrones’ Most Deadly Seating Option
The fight for Aegon I Targaryen’s massive, ugly symbol of conquest has gone on for centuries. Learn how the cutting Iron Throne became an object of desire.
The Iron Throne is made of blades taken from the dead on the battlefield or surrendered by the enemies of Aegon I Targaryen. The songs say it took thousands of blades to construct, and it was forged by the dragonflame of the king’s dragon, Balerion. In J.R.R. Martin’s books, the Iron Throne is stationed on a high platform in the Great Hall of the Red Keep, with the small council’s table at its foot.
The thrones in both HBO shows are simplified and short compared to the hulking seat in the book. Martin has held up Marc Simonetti’s version as the best visual of the throne and describes it as:
“HUGE, hulking, black and twisted, with the steep iron stairs in front, the high seat from which the king looks DOWN on everyone in the court. My throne is a hunched beast looming over the throne room, ugly and asymmetric. This Iron Throne is scary. And not at all a comfortable seat, just as Aegon intended.”
Spoilers for HBO’s House of the Dragon S1 Below
The Iron Throne’s Kings and Half-Year Queen
Aegon of House Targaryen, the First of His Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm (fantasy does love its long ass names/titles) was the first lord of the seven kingdoms. After a bloody conquest (which produced the swords for his throne), he unified a Westeros that didn’t exactly want unification.
He initially ruled from Aegonfort, then Red Keep, and the city that grew around it—King’s Landing. During his reign his queens Rhaenys or Visenya would sit on the throne if he was away from the capitol.
From its maker’s reign, it went to Aenys, his eldest son. The rules of succession for the throne differ from those for the other houses. When the line began, the throne was given to the firstborn legitimate male child. Over time, that changed as the Targaryen lineage grew and successors weren’t entirely clear, but it went to male members of the houses. It was taken by force several times.
A Civil War
It wasn’t given to a female until over 100 years after the throne’s creation. King Viserys disregarded the precedent and named his daughter and only child at the time, Rhaenyra Targaryen, as his heir. A choice he held to even when he had three sons from his second marriage. His decision led to the Dance of the Dragons, a civil war between his eldest son and his chosen heir. Highlight for a House of the Dragon spoiler: she lost, and her niece’s son was crowned. In court records, she’s only referred to as a princess.
After the Dance of Dragons, the rules of succession changed to avoid another conflict. Women came after all Targaryen men, meaning that the entire male line of House Targaryen had to be dead for a woman to be considered. Daenerys was the first to claim it after the rule, thanks to her brother, Prince Viserys Targaryen, proclaiming her Princess of Dragonstone. And then all that other stuff in that other HBO series (and that novel series George R.R. Martin hasn’t finished) happens. You know…
The Iron Throne’s Victims
Not counting what it takes to gain the right to the Iron Throne, there’s a risk just to sit on it. Rulers have to climb a set of steep iron steps flanked by rows of swords—no stumbling. Due to its rough construction of sharp objects, it can cut those that sit on it. It’s said that it shows its displeasure with those who don’t belong on the throne by harming or killing them.
King Viserys I Targaryen (given the throne instead of his sister) cut his hand to the bone, and King Aerys II Targaryen (aka the Mad King) was called King Scab due to the number of times he was sliced by the throne. It was said that Rhaenyra Targaryen was cut by the throne while wearing armor.
Others suffered worse fates, King Maegor I Targaryen was found dead on the Iron Throne with his arms slashed and a blade puncturing his neck. That’s what you get for being a tyrannical jerk with no heirs.
House of the Dragon
The on-screen throne has changed as the story has gone back in time. While it does not tower over the court, it does have more blades and a more haggard, unfinished look—a seat literally more dangerous than the one fought over in Game of Thrones.
In Season One, King Viserys was wounded multiple times by the throne. We’ll see how it treats its next ruler, Aegon Targaryen, in Season Two, which starts airing this Sunday.
