Jaehaerys I - Tumblr Posts

[6/20] ASOIAF power couples → Jaehaerys I Targaryen x Alysanne Targaryen

Though young to the throne, Jaehaerys revealed himself from an early age to be a true king. He was a fine warrior, skilled with lance and bow, and a gifted horseman. He was a dragonrider as well, riding upon Vermithor. Decisive in thought and deed, he was wise beyond his years, always seeking the most peaceable ends.

Among Jaehaerys’s accomplishments was creating the first unified code, so that from the North to the Dornish Marches, the realm shared a single rule of law. Great works to improve King’s Landing were also implemented, and the Conciliator began the construction of a great network of roads, understanding that to knit together the realm it must be easier to travel amongst its regions. Yet some say the most important achievement of the rule of Jaehaerys and Septon Barth was a reconciliation with the Faith.

His queen, Alysanne, was also well-loved throughout the realm, being both beautiful and high-spirited, as well as charming and keenly intelligent. Had she been a boy, she would surely have been sent to the Citadel to forge a maester’s chain, Septon Barth would say of her, for that wise man esteemed her even more than her husband. Some said that she ruled the realm as much as the king did, and there was some truth to that. It was at her behest that King Jaehaerys at last forbade the right of the First Night, despite the many lords who jealously guarded it. And the Night’s Watch came to rename the castle of Snowgate in her honor, dubbing it Queensgate instead, in thanks for the jewels she gave them to pay for the construction of a new castle.

Though the forty-six-year marriage of Jaehaerys and Alysanne was mostly harmonious, two estrangements are recorded. The Second Quarrel is of note, as it was due to Jaehaerys’s decision in 92 AC to pass over his granddaughter Rhaenys — the daughter of his deceased eldest son and heir, Prince Aemon — in favor of bestowing Dragonstone and the place of heir apparent on his next-eldest son, Baelon the Brave. “A ruler needs a good head and a true heart,” Alysanne famously told the king. “A cock is not essential. If Your Grace truly believes that women lack the wit to rule, plainly you have no further need of me.” And thus Queen Alysanne departed King’s Landing and flew to Dragonstone on her dragon Silverwing. She and King Jaehaerys remained apart for two years before being reconciled by their daughter, Septa Maegelle, but never reached accord on the succession.

CANON DAENERYS CHALLENGE || Targaryen legacy: Dany’s Targaryen Line of Descent Since the Conquest

asoiaf + “wise beyond their years” :

“You might do well to pray yourself.” “For victory?” “For wisdom.”   —   A Clash of Kings

for @aegontheconquerorwithteats

The known wielders of Dark Sister

“Near the end, [King Jaehaerys] grew certain [Alicent] was his daughter Saera, returned to him from beyond the narrow sea.”

artist: @riotarttherite

I had the great pleasure of commissioning, in my opinion, one of ASOIAF fandom’s greatest artists on this gorgeous piece. I had never commissioned any artwork before and didn’t know what to expect, and this far exceeded my expectations. The attention to detail is beautiful and the overall piece conveys exactly what I was envisioning in my head, so I wanted to start off with a big thank you.

The idea for this art piece was originally a “what if” or AU where Saera either didn’t get caught at the brothel or was brought back from the Silent Sisters as was allegedly Jaehaerys’s plan (or if she had bonded with Balerion and gotten to stay! Would have loved that for her) so she stays in King’s Landing and becomes his caretaker in his old age instead of Alicent Hightower. As his daughter, she would have significantly more influence in being able to “speak for him” instead of a caretaker for another House, so although I do not take Saera as someone particularly obsessed with power, I do find it very interesting to imagine her deciding to cause chaos as the Old King’s mouthpiece. The streets of King’s Landing are burning as we speak! Even before Jaehaerys seemed to succumb to dementia, Saera did appear to have a strange influence over him, so once Alysanne passed away, it only makes sense that Saera would become the person in his ear. Not all that great for the smallfolk or even Lords of the realm, but great for drama and storylines. And Saera, of course! I’m sure she would have paraded everywhere, weighed down by jewelry and the finest wines. Perhaps she would have had a full menagerie, as she appeared to love animals. Definitely an elephant there somewhere.

As this piece was being worked on, however, I did think of a second meaning to the art that I also think is really neat. You could also view this as what Jaehaerys is seeing as Alicent is caring for him. He did believe her to be Saera in the end, as his mind was being lost. His Saera had come back to him, and although I do not like Jaehaerys and think he probably deserved worse, he most likely died happy at that thought, believing Saera was reading to him. So if you prefer to interpret this as viewing things through Jaehaerys’s mind, I welcome you because I love it at least equally to the first idea.

Lastly, the detailings are beautiful so I wanted to touch on them and give them the attention they deserve for the moment. I asked Riot to have a caring but sinister vibe, that she is caring for him for a plethora of reasons but certainly that includes self-serving reasons. I believe this was captured really well! I wanted it to be illustrated that Jaehaerys had lost his wits a while beforehand, so he has a vacant look, and Saera has the keys, showing that she is the real power behind the Crown. She has several expensive jewelry pieces (she has many from her lovers, but she doesn’t bother with them, leaving them to collect dust, only thinking gifts from the King are worthy to wear), but my favorite was one I specifically requested. Her jeweled bodice, which contains replicas of the King’s jewels that are present on his crown. Dare I say, she had her mother’s crown repurposed for herself? The intention is clear, Saera is effectively the Queen now, not in name, but Queen nonetheless. As for the general fashion, I told Riot that my favorite era of fashion was the Tudor era, more broadly 1300s- 1550s. As you can see, this was more than delivered and extremely beautifully inspired by historical fashion. GRRM doesn’t always describe his character’s outfits, and the GOT and HOTD outfits were often lackluster. This was exactly the type of beauty I was looking for. The dragon embroidery on Saera’s sleeves? Mwah!

Anyway, thank you so much for geeking out with me! The Saera/Jaehaerys dynamic is one of the most interesting dynamics to me. There’s simultaneously so little and so much there. It’s complex and layered, I can’t stop thinking about it. If you have been on my tiktok, you may have heard about my extensive theory regarding that dynamic, iykyk. If you ever want to talk about them, absolutely feel free to inbox me. More commission ideas coming this year definitely, at least a couple more of this dynamic, but I don’t know how a piece could be any more perfect <3

Jaehaerys I Targaryen Queen Alysanne Targaryen

Viserys I Targaryen 

Aegon II Targaryen Alicent Hightower

Rhaenyra Targaryen Prince Daemon Targaryen  Finally posting these! I’m trying to draw every Monarch of the seven kingdoms! sitting on the iron throne and looking iconic, from king Aegon I to little king Tommen I’m drawing them alllllllll- maybe. Hopefully my art stays consistent  for that long.