How to Save the Targaryen Dynasty

[@sydnitheromantictaylor112]

Awesome video. The Targaryen's would've done well had they made another way to make wealth and they should've created Cadette Branches to their house the same way House KarStark is a Cadette branch to House Stark. The Targaryen's could've bought land in any Kingdom in Westeros, gotten a castle built and been the Lord/Lady of that castle.

[@bintangyudha4777]

Well they create cadet branch and that cadet branch attemp to take the throne five times until last male of blackfyre died in the hand ser barristan

[@sydnitheromantictaylor112]

@@bintangyudha4777 the blackfyres wasn't really a Cadette branch but I get what you mean, I meant a cadet branch like how House KarStark is to House Stark

[@masterplokoon8803]

They ended up getting destroyed by a cadet branche (House Baratheon).

[@bintangyudha4777]

@@sydnitheromantictaylor112 nah i see you mean legitimate one not the bastard if it case it because most extended targaryen family is death eg the green in dance, daeron II son and grandsons is either died from accident (baelor the breakspear, rhaegal), ocd (daeron the drunkard) sickness (matarys), ignored tough didnt really died (maegor son of aerion) and drinking wildfire (aerion the brightflame) and egg son is ether death in wars or in sumnerhall tragedy

[@Californianbychoice]

That's, historically, what Feudal regimes actually did. Stationary Bandit theory is actually false. IRL, most French lords started their way as officials of the (Carolongian) Crown but as the king got weaker, they claimed their autonomy. The Targaryens act more like the Kings of Medieval Germany (i.e. the HRE), but that's exactly why the position of Kaiser and Rex Romanorum became elective within a few generations while in France and England it remained hereditary

[@celestialcass]

I agree that they definitely should've established more trade routes and other ways to make money, but selling dragon eggs was NOT a viable strategy. This is hinted at many many times, especially with the Lannisters desperately wanting Dragon Eggs and Valyrian Steel. Powerful symbols of power that double as weapons cannot just be sold like anything else, they must be carefully considered. Should any of those eggs hatch, that means you just sold someone a nuke and are just hoping they don't use it against you. The only way I see distributing eggs working is with the Velaryons, as other houses marrying INTO the Targ Dynasty have at least some reasons not to attack them with their dragons. A real way they could've made more money without actually having to produce anything and recouping some of the cost of feeding dragons is perhaps with a less powerful dragon rider being used as high-speed delivery service, or hiring their dragonriders and dragons out for shows, like Daemon and Laena in Pentos. I would guess many would pay for the privilege to see a dragon doing a choerographed show like that.

[@musicsoul4037]

or just make their house a mercenary company for hire using dragons for other houses to use with definitive contracts on how and how long will the dragons will be use.

[@maYTeus]

The critical was once they didn't have dragons anymore. Dragons alone were the resource they derived power from and power earned them income through taxes. When they lost their dragons they kinda just relied on houses being willing to maintain the status quo

[@ino7604]

You have to be of Valyrian ancestry to become a dragon rider. None of the other races can become dragon riders. So even if one of those eggs hatched to anyone other than a valyrian it isn't like selling a nuke to an enemy because they wouldn't be able to harness the power of that dragon

[@championjdg]

i agreee. they could have charge to let people go to look at the dragons in the dragon pit or on dragon stone. that could have made a lot of money. i never understood why there were no zoos or something like them.

[@Valentinianist]

@@ino7604there’s been non Valyrian dragon riders, like Nettles, who tamed a dragon by feeding it.

[@senrogas387]

They would have and should have never sold the dragon eggs for money, there are other people with valyrian blood(Lys) or knowledge (Asshaii) and you definitely don’t want another dragon power around you. Having the velaryons be the 2nd dragon house was risky enough, and in the show the lannisters are also interested in becoming one. Holding on to them is the best they can do

[@durrangodsgrief6503]

That's like selling a nuke and hoping no one gets the code to use it

[@McEventsTrailers]

The Lannisters are also interested in the books and tried to get eggs from Rheana Targaryen and her dragon Dreamfyre when she was at her lowest point.

[@thalmoragent9344]

The Velaryons have as much Targaryen blood as the Targaryens have Velaryon at this rate, so them and the Celtigars having Dragons wouldn't be as problematic as you guys proclaim

[@JohnDoe-vw4zf]

​@thalmoragent9344 I think it would be a bigger problem than you think so it would be the complete opposite of what you said. The only reason Valyrians had the custom of inbreeding was to literally concentrate power (the genetic traits to control dragons)in their own individual families. The Targaryens bloodline would never have been successful if the doom didn't not happen because they would need to fight other noble families with wealth and dragons and land and resources. The best thing that ever happened was that bottle neck situation now imagine a situation where like 5 different noble families acquire dragons and bastards also found some dragons and the Targaryens are still trying to subjugate the small folk and other religions and rebellious territories. You would just have a dance you would have a full scale doom of Valyria in Westeros because all of these different powerful families are burning everything and each other the religions people are using that powerful magic to release apocalyptic counter magic for their Gods and the small people are looking for any means necessary to kill these magical abominations. God knows what would happen if the ice zombie invade during or after that.

[@rhaenyraitargaryen6360]

This video essay is proof of Daenerys Targaryen's growing power in Essos as a great accomplishment and a chaos in the making at the same time. It is on the brink of a great war because of the abolishment of slavery, but if she deals with it correctly after coming back, she can re-establish the economy and commerce of the city. She is also most likely to come over to Volantis and deal with the uprisings as well. If she finally sets sail to conquer the Seven Kingdoms, she can install a firm trading route from Westeros to her cities in Essos and she can monopolize this for House Targaryen if she is to rule. It's all a full circle moment really if done well combined with the fact that she brought back dragons and can use them for military purposes when necessary.

[@joshthaller4754]

Very much so and what the writers should have which could have saved the shows ending and their D&D careers

[@noahjohnson935]

I think Aegon V "the Unlikely" shows the paradox the Targaryens were in, especially after the Dragons died out. Egg (as he is known as a kid and as I'll call him for simplicity sake) was a reformer. He implemented many necessary reforms to win the love of the "smallfolk", and promote growth and trade by allowing small businesses to take off more. The problem is, with the way things were set up leading to his reign, of a very rigid Feudal and Manorial system with little mobility, multiple lords rebelled because of their lost privileges. This meant Egg spent a lot of his reign putting out these insurrections. These constant, unending petty rebellions made Egg desperate for a solution. Desperate enough to try and resurrect the Dragons. In his failure, he destroyed Summerhall (the Targaryens second seat of power later on, both a vacation home and a very rich and fertile area), and got himself and his son and heir burned alive. This left his sickly and a lot more traditional son Jaehaerys II in charge, and put his grandson Aerys (who would grow into the Mad King Aerys II) further up in the line of succession.

[@thalmoragent9344]

Yeah, the Targaryens needed numbers and Dragons to keep a whole continent in check

[@rashas9476]

Jaehaerys II was already egg's heir since his first son Duncan(who died in the fire of summerhall) was disinherited(from prince of dragonstone to prince of dragonflies). Aerys was the heir's heir ever since he was born.

[@aegonthedragon7303]

The reason for not selling dragon eggs is the same reason countries like the US don’t sell weapons to North Korea or other enemy states: danger/risk of war. If someone manages to hatch a dragon they effectively own a nuclear weapon.

[@danielallen4450]

On the other hand, Alyssa Farmen stole three eggs, and, if we assume it's those eggs that are Danny's it took centuries for them to hatch. And it's not like house Targaryen were the only ones to possess eggs during that time. He has a point. A big one.

[@tiringsarcasm]

@@danielallen4450It only took them centuries because shortly after they were stolen no one knew you needed to heat them up to hatch, so they just turned to stone. But just the possibility that anyone from the former Valyrian territories had the necessary knowledge to use the eggs was too much of a risk for them.

[@thegreatpage5912]

@@danielallen4450 Just because it took a century for someone to hatch them does not mean it's a risk worth taking, unless you can tell the future. For all they knew those eggs could have hatched the following week. The Targaryens may have been the only dragon lord family to remain intact following the Doom. But there is still a chance there are still those with dragon blood roaming around Essos. We can't assume the Valyria's didn't have a number of bastards in their colonies.

[@ianlachey1726]

I think it all comes back as dany being the ‘last true targeryan’ being grrm’s first intro for house targeryen in asoiaf. So many times in history the current legitimate targeryans where killed off in unlucky and straight up apocophisal ways to have dany be the last

[@durrangodsgrief6503]

Yeah that's where the story and history go against each other like the gardener death being one of the most convenient moments in story writing with no female descendants

[@ianlachey1726]

@@durrangodsgrief6503 you mean garth greenhand?

[@seanp2871]

@@ianlachey1726 I think they're talking about the Field of Fire. The Gardner kings who ruled the Reach were all killed off in the conflict with no males remaining.

[@mxflint1715]

I mean historically dynasties do die off because of unlucky stuff, no one is letting their dynasty die because they want to...

[@thalmoragent9344]

​@@seanp2871 True, all their men, not a single boy was around... somehow

[@OneOnOne1162]

5:00 - That sounds a little limited in thinking. King's Landing became the largest city on the continent. And Dragonstone is in a great position to control the trade routes to it. Also, while Dragonstone was their original seat their real seat after becoming a monarchy was King's Landing, which became the largest city on the continent. Which means quite a lot of economic power and a fair bit of population.

[@user-ti5cw1ug6l]

I'm sure I won't be the only one to point out that the King's peace of Aegon I and the King's road built during Jaehaerys I's reign greatly boosted the economy in Westeros and doubled the already massive population in a single reign. Under the Targaryen dynasty Westeros was more united than it ever was before. Remember, Westeros has a population of more than 40 million people which is insane for a country in the medieval period. Now, I understand the point you are making as well. The so called, "mad" Targaryens are generally the hyper Valyrian blood elitists that think the blood of the dragon means they are entitled to do whatever they want and that the King's words are above the law or customs. These are the Maegors, Daemons, Aemonds, and Aerys II's of the dynasty. Monarchs under a feudal system definitely had much less power because they needed the support of the nobles/vassals meaning they had to be generally lawful. Not even Balerion could exempt Maegor I from this fact. As time progressed in the middle ages the general logic became: "If the king doesn't follow the law, why should we see his reign as lawful". The King is the head of state and government, not a warlord. For a real world example of this Richard II was unanimously overthrown by the senior nobility for completely undermining all laws to extend his tyranny. He tortured and flat out stole the lands of Royal Dukes, members of his own royal family, without any real cause. If they weren't safe from his tyranny then nobody was. Nobles rebelled. Nobody doubted he was the true heir to the throne, but it didn't matter. You can conquer with Fire and Blood but you shouldn't always rule with it. For an in ASOIAF universe example, Aerys II broke faith with House Stark when he murdered the Lord of Winterfell and his heir for, in the eyes of all, no good reason. This is why most of the great lord's rebelled against Aerys II. If even Ned Stark saw deposing Aerys as legal and right then it probably was in the universe as well. Deposing Aerys II's heirs was another matter entirely and Ned Stark knew it too but I digress. These points make it clear that the fall of the Targaryens was far more because of massive key political blunders made by Aerys II and Rhaegar rather than economic factors. As a medieval King you can't afford to alienate or piss off your most senior nobles or they might just not show up to help you or flat out join the opposition. There are plenty of examples of this as well in medieval times. Sometimes said nobles might not join because they just don't like the King. Aerys II basically alienated all the paramount lord's. He humiliated Lord Lannisters, murdered Lord Stark for no reason, tried to murder Lord Baratheon and the new Lord Stark, who were like sons to Lord Arryn and were in direct alliance with Lord Tully. Rhaegar's supposed theft of Lyanna added fuel to the fire and shook people's faith in Rhaegar, the future of the Targaryen dynasty and it insulted the spurned houses even more, possible even hurting relations with Dorne. Keeping Elia and her children in the red keep was also stupid as they could've been spirited away just like Viserys and so was not bringing Ser Arthur Dayne to the Trident. Moving off from the topic of bad Targaryens, what made a good Targaryen king was their willingness to assimilate in customs with Westeros in order to seem more legitimate as rulers of the land and serve their subjects better. Aegon I, Jaehaerys I, Daeron I ,Baelor I (Though probably not for practical reasons), Viserys II, Daeron II, Aegon V, and Jaehaerys II all tried very hard to do this keeping law codes consistent with already present Westerosi laws, behaving like Westerosi lord's, converting to the Faith of the 7 and being crowned by them, trying to deliver Westerosi wishes for the subjugation of Dorne, and constantly going on progresses around the 7 Kingdoms. This respect, and treating the throne simply as an office that isn't above the law is generally was common in all the Targaryen kings who made their family such a successful dynasty. People severely overestimate how hard Targaryens were carried by dragons. All things considered, they were super merciful and tactical with the dragons considering how fast they conquered such a large continent. Even at the Field of Fire, where the enemy host was 55K strong, only 4K were killed by dragon fire, 10K were burned but lived, and 1K was killed by traditional warfare. Even in instances where a Targaryen supposedly goes all out like Aemond in the Riverlands, the Riverlands are able to mobilize their full might for Rhaenyra at the end of the war so how much damage could he really have done?? Targaryens are always careful to not do too much damage with their dragons as to not destroy the very wealth they are trying to secure. Real medieval kings did worse with torches and soldiers even being as diabolical as to destroy all the crops in a region. William the Conqueror killed 100K people in 1 winter like this because of a single rebellion. That was a significant portion of England's population at the time and was just a fraction of the overall Anglo-Saxon genocide that happened during his reign.

[@McEventsTrailers]

I ain’t reading all that, but yeah I mostly agree about Aerys.

[@oakleykim2885]

I agree with most of your points but I disagree that Maegor is a case of the Targaryens still being beholden to the feudal system. His downfall only came from pissing off other dragonriders (Jaehaerys, Alysanne, and Rhaena)-his feudal vassals were irrelevant. If Jaehaerys was alone he might've gone down just like Aegon the Uncrowned-if he was dragonless he probably wouldn't even have challenged Maegor.

[@draco9671]

Ion readin allat

[@whittenaw]

Really liked the music that accompanied this. It made it feel like a real live documentary

[@elisebrodeur-jacobs5215]

What? The GOT theme song? Yeah, it did

[@nidohime6233]

21:20 So according to that Drogon needs to eat the same amount of 200 men, which according to statistics they need at least 2,000 per day, maybe more since they are soldiers. One kilogram has around 1,300 calories, an the average cow weighs 700 kilos, an assuming the edible part of them are 500 kilos that would 650,000 calories, which means Drogon need at least one cow per day. As you might assumed that would be ridiculously expensive for a medieval society, even more when there are almost 20 of them during the Dance of Dragons.

[@Jacques_a_dit]

I mean, some of this points only apply to the blacks during the dance of dragons rather than the targeryan dynasty as a whole. The iron throne directly controls the crown lands which while not remotely the wealthiest kingdom is a large source of income and soldiers. And more importantly their actual seat, the red keep, dominates the kingdom’s largest city and arguably most important port. By the time of robert’s rebellion they could still raise a large royal army and ned says they left the coffers of the kingdom full. The targeryans downfall is definitely of their own doing and over a century in the making but their economics are not so black and white. We know the second richest family in the books is house Hightower and their wealth comes from the port of old town. Same with both the manderlys and the grafton being richer than their overlords by controlling important port cities. So controlling kings landing alone should provide plenty of economic power to the throne.

[@thickac7579]

I think the dance of dragons was proof of how they had no clue what they were dealing with. They desomated their house to the point of no recovery.

[@nevaehaho61]

I feel like selling dragon EGGS would be a REALLY bad decision. That’s like selling someone a nuke. Sure, maybe whoever they sell it to wouldn’t be able to hatch them or control the dragons, but that rogue possible nuke is still out there waiting to come back to bite them. I feel like it would be slightly more plausible to perhaps sell dragonbone or dragon teeth. In the books, dragonbone is considered very precious and is often used in very powerful and decorated weapons since it’s so strong and rare. I get that they display the skulls of the dead dragons, but what are they doing with the rest of these huge skeletons? Why not sell some of the bone of these giant creatures for huge sums? Also the dragons’ scales are often compared to jewels. Maybe just take a few of those and sell them too? Maybe they could even invest in trying to figure out how to access all that old sorcery that made Valyria so successful. Try to start making some Valyrian steel maybe, or get their hands on some glass candles. Maybe they could even remember how to make fused stone for massive construction projects to promote their rule and advance their kingdom. Make fortresses and septs and statues and other buildings easily. Trade would probably be more reliable as they’re at the mouth of the Blackwater at King’s Landing in the Narrow Sea, but I feel like they’re just sitting on a potential resource here by ONLY relying on the dragons for intimidation and war and not using them to empower themselves in times of peace as well.

[@hassanhassan-os5oq]

Only people of Valyrians decent can Control dragons and things like dragon bone and teeth are invaluable for magic rituals in Esos especially asshia

[@9xprincess]

The Targaryens also should have codified succession laws as early as Aegon I; they honestly should have just followed Andal laws of succession to make it understandable and acceptable. In terms of the economy they should have built up several more major cities and towns in the Crownlands that acted as trading hubs with the money going directly to the central government & royal family. I wonder if they could have found a way to manipulate the lands of the Crownlands to make it more fertile and invest in agriculture.

[@nunyabiznes33]

I don't think they'd even do that. One of the reasons for the Duskendale incident was that King's Landing basically hogged all the business in the areas that became the Crownlands.

[@FabalociousDee]

The first thing I found interesting was that there were more dragons in Viserys I's time than at any other time...yet Viserys himself didn't have a dragon after Balerion's death. It really speaks volumes about Viserys' rule, and thus the economic effects on the Targaryens as a result.

[@gurnoorchouhan9560]

pretty sure that a person can only bond with one dragon, even if that dragon dies they cant get another one yk?

[@JohnDoe-vw4zf]

​@@gurnoorchouhan9560Why? A dragon can bond with another person after a rider dies and can reject a bond from a rider they dislike so it could be similar with riders.

[@gurnoorchouhan9560]

@@JohnDoe-vw4zf I personally think you only ever get 1 dragon. Dragonriders who have had their dragons die don't claim a new one. The reason dragons can have multiple riders is probably because they can live hundreds of years.

[@freesk8]

Great analysis! Thanks!

[@andrewwavington9025]

Great video I agree with almost everything except selling the dragon eggs, it’s like selling your nukes to a potential enemy.

[@justinehelene4831]

This is great quality. You should certainly do more 👏

[@TheInvisibleLens]

Thank you! Will do.

[@justinehelene4831]

@@TheInvisibleLens 👋

[@LeopardInALobby]

I love how you’ve used the GoT and HOTD soundtracks in the video. Beautiful!

[@dhruv9744]

Please look into Jaehaerys I Targaryen. The Targaryens aren't as flawed as you think they are in this manner.

[@Argos-xb8ek]

Jaehaerys was the luckiest Targaryen

[@dhruv9744]

@@Argos-xb8ek How so? He forged everything he was known for.

[@Argos-xb8ek]

@@dhruv9744 Did he? I feel Jaehaerys was the figurehead during the right time with everything in his early reign falling into place for him.

[@dhruv9744]

@@Argos-xb8ek not exactly, if Jaehaerys hadn't beent who he was, the targaryens would have been in trouble after the reign of Maegor the Cruel. Jaehaerys managed to maintain peace for half a century. That's not being lucky. He's called the concillator for a reason. Plus the construction of the Kings Road by Jaehaerys was vital in making Kings Landing the biggest city and main trade hub of westeros, there by increasing the value and wealth of house Targaryen. Infact he managed to pacify the great houses for so long that the dance was started not by a rebellious house, but by the royal family itself. He also negotiated and expanded trade with the free cities, increased the size and wealth of his house, more dragon riders and dragons as well. The Lannisters were kept at bay, Dornish diplomacy was improved, the Nights Watch got The Gift, and several vulture kings were stopped. The only failure in his reign were his unruly heirs. M not sure calling him lucky for almost 60 years of effort is fair.

[@realdaggerman105]

@@dhruv9744 Don’t forget he also orchestrated the Targ’s downfall through setting the precedent which saw the extinction of Dragons. And he was a right c*nt from what we hear of him, outside propaganda.

[@kanyihambageorge2766]

Thanks for your email..I'm glad it has brought me here .so happy to be part of this community

[@GraceLaurenTaylor]

You did amazing! Proud of everyone who worked

[@NomadBiedenkapp]

Great video! better than 99.9% of the videos about GOT out there

[@catherinemartinelli4758]

I think you have to remember how trauma affects the brain. On the timeline of the world the Valyrians got wiped like five minutes ago by the dance of the dragons. They’re in survival mode because their culture is more or less gone.

[@nevaehaho61]

Given how often dragonbone is used to make bows or the handles of blades in the books, why don’t they sell that? I know they keep the skulls and revere them, but what are they doing with these huge skeletons worth lots of money? Why not make some bank on the side with rare and expensive stuff we never hear of them actually using? And could dragon scales be used for the same purpose? They have been compared to precious gems after all, and the scales are probably rarer than the bones now that the dragons are gone.

[@hassanhassan-os5oq]

Because some random guy in a aashia would use it for Magical evil rituals

[@nevaehaho61]

@@hassanhassan-os5oq I don’t think we’ve ever heard of dragonbone being used in any ritual? We’ve heard of it being used in bows though, bows that happen to be praised by the Dothraki especially for their flexibility and strength

[@hassanhassan-os5oq]

@@nevaehaho61 dragon are magical creatures so it would only make sense that a being of magic body and Skelton would contain magic

[@chavela2235]

If they could have figured out how to create Valerian steel they could absolutely monetize that! From what I understand Valerian steel is supposedly only able to be forged in dragon flame (and possibly Valerian blood magic?) so if the Targs kept a monopoly on their dragons they also hold a monopoly over the most advanced weaponry in westeros. I imagine the introduction of Valerian steel to the realm would have serious consequences and probably result in a lot of violence but as long as the Targs kept their dragons and built a standing army ( fitted in their fancy new super armor of course ) they would still have the military advantage. Maybe they could even get guaranteed resources for the upkeep of their dragons but like loaning out pieces of Valeryian steel ? Like for example you give the Tyrells a suit armor or two and a blade with the caviat that they produce enough livestock for a single dragon per set amount of time - and if they don't said dragon burns their fields or castles 🤪ok i'm getting carried away and i'm no economist but if anybody has any thoughts comment i'm itching to talk out some ideas with other GoT nerds

[@Kushagra.j]

You can start selling valyrian steel swords, armour, Shields, axes, helmets, spears, etc to houses which had a history of loyalty and would pay massive sums.

[@hassanhassan-os5oq]

I mean the targs probably didn't know how to make valeryian steel since they were of a lower house in the freehold and probably didn't have a sorcery like the higher house's did

[@oldudejones4367]

Good stuff!! I look forward to more!

[@Roomee]

Loved the background music, always! 🙌

[@Dr_Sweendog]

Amazing video, earned a sub

[@Rhaenyssupporter]

The targaryens didnt lack wealth, they lacked friends. Kings landing is the biggest and wealthiest city in westeros, we read in AGOT that Aerys left a treasury full of gold upon his death but the targaryen practice of incest and a refusal to assimilate into Westerosi culture is what doomed them. Rather than closing themselves off they should of attempted to create stronger alliances with powerful houses.

[@yhvvcbhjjggjk-id1re]

Not really . They more or less assimilated into westerosy society if it wasn't for reyganr their dynasty would have survived

[@fallenaeon7084]

Firstly I'm afraid that selling Dragon Eggs is NOT a good thing however the Targaryens should've gave some not only to the Velaryons but also to the Celtigars through marriages as a surviving Valyrian Houses and Secondly, speaking of marriages, the Targaryens should've married to the Lannisters and the Tyrells because by bringing them into the Targaryens' family tree would boost their status not only as a family of sorcerers with living weapons of Mass Destruction but also in wealth considering the fact that the Lannisters and the Tyrells were the most powerful houses in Westeros in terms of Economy and I wish Aenys should've done this to some of his children during his reign.

[@sblinder1978]

Great video! A summer that goes on for ten years could stack up enormous agricultural surpluses, only to have dragons consuming the lot of it in the form of livestock fed those surpluses. Maybe it's a good thing the dragons got killed off before a major years-long winter hit...

[@kimberlyplatt2382]

Can you imagine how insane the Lannisters would have been with Dragons plus wealth, connections?

[@josephnarvaez9507]

Except they don't have any Targaryen blood

[@kimberlyplatt2382]

@@josephnarvaez9507 Wouldn't be impossible if they married into the dragon family and had children. I said imagine.

[@Startupsandsushi]

One of the Lannister ancestors did try to marry Rheanyras in House of the Dragon but she wasn’t so enthused on the idea lol. It seems in that era Lannisters were insignificant and much lesser than the ruling Targs.

[@siran424]

@@Startupsandsushi They were very far from being insignificant. Viserys even wanted Rheanyra to marry Jason Lannister. It's just that, Rheanyra refused anybody who isn't Deamon or Criston Cole.

[@Eff_It]

@@josephnarvaez9507 That’s what imagination is for. Imagine that they did have dragon blood (or whatever).

[@portgas4881]

Please make videos about the politics from Westeros, I’m sorry my bad English

[@jamesives4375]

7:35 great video but that detail is not correct. Valirya at its height had 40 dragon rider families, so you should imagine house Targaryen at its height x40. At one point in Valirya’s history, some roynish city beat some huge valiryan land army and in response the free city sent 300 dragon riders to go destroy them.

[@thetalesofelbek7042]

Not fully agree. Velaryons and Corlys achieved this all thanks to being close to the Targaryens. If Velaryons earn money they spend it for themselves or give some to Targaryens and it not fact that that gave it as tax to Targ thanks for being close to the royal house. While Targaryens being the royal house they have to spend money not only on themselves but on different kind of projects like building roads, improving city life in KL , food supply… Targaryens provided stability and unity that’s why kingdoms stayed until RR.

[@richardiv385]

Something that might have helped them a great deal would be establishing a Royal bank and banking system inspired by the iron bank. They could have even kept it's treasury on Dragonstone. If Jaeharis or Viseris had also established additional seats and towns at the crossroads of the Kings road, they could also have better established cadet branches while guaranteeing trade revenue. They probably would have been more successful long term. I find it a hole in the world building that large settlements hadn't established themselves in those places by the time of the books, rather than just villages and taverns.

[@chaunsiheatley9562]

What’s the song at 21:28?

[@thalmoragent9344]

I think that, considering the Velaryons have as much Targaryen blood as Targaryens have Velaryon blood, them having Dragons wouldn't be an issue. It wasn't one at all the situation with Aemond and Rhaena beefing, but those are kids and the adults there were also pretty incapable. The Targaryens, Velaryons and Celtigars all having them and moslty only marrying each other could've meant all deagons had a rider, and were all in a traid of Dragonlords ruling over the Seven Kingdoms. As for Dragonstone, I respect it as their ancestral seat. All the Valyrian houses are on islands, but the Crownlands and The Red Keep as their ruling area still works well enough.

[@JohnDoe-vw4zf]

Do you remember what Cat said about Jon's sons? The more people with the power to control dragons and the right blood ties to other houses or kings the more chances to cause a family ending war. The Targaryens literally haven't survived 1 peaceful sucsession process in hotd and I don't know if they every had a peaceful transition at all from then to asoiaf.

[@abrahamel-gothamy6472]

Great job!

[@AVLJunio]

Wow! Great video!

[@markgleason2078]

The Targaryens also control the Crownlands region. This is home to nearly 30 noble families and landed knights. Estimates from the maps, show it’s bigger than Germany. So they have fealty from many noble homes from a region that was able to sustain an empire for centuries (HRE). Furthermore, the Crownlands have a much longer coast than Germany in a vaguely semi-Mediterranean climate zone ??? -ish ?. There are countless agricultural and demographic, let alone international trade resources to sustain and grow an Empire. The problem is moving from a “robber-baron” model with extorting lands from Dragon retribution to economic development.

[@tomsmith247]

Are you sure about the size? With sizes that big it would be impossible to controll the kingdoms of the south

[@matthewmoran1866]

I think one big thing the Targaryen's could have done to more firmly secure their power is to install their branch lines as noble's of important regions, marry their daughters and second sons to powerful regional houses like the Lannister's, Baratheon's and Tyrell's to make gain greater influence over those houses and their respective regions, hell they should have installed Targaryen's as rulers over defeated regions after the Conquest.

[@badyoutuber1986]

Dearon the second did this

[@danielcrump4404]

If you like GoT or HoD, I promise, you'll love an older show called Babylon 5. And that one, was masterfully made.

[@badyoutuber1986]

What's it about?

[@ayaangelicc]

Loved the video

[@morganleanderblake678]

It feels like their biggest flaw was that they couldn't do any commerce because the only thing they had that people wanted was dragons and that was the only thing they would never give up. Stealing and conquering was the only way to "get stuff" with dragons.

[@LamboGallardo560]

Great analysis, however selling dragon eggs would have been a horrible move. That would be like America selling off nukes at a time no one else had any. You might argue they don't have the infrastructure to use them anyway but even if there's a 1% chance someone figures out how to, your grip on power is gone.

[@Guinnessdrnkr1234]

If the Targaryens could scour essos for a text or a book with the secrets of making valyrian steel. That wood be worth more than gold.

[@carlossantiago1756]

Immaculate ending.

[@LucasPalma666]

Great video! All praise lord Daemon!

[@whatthefisfilipinx]

Don't give crown princes too much freedom. Trained them at Oldtown/Citadel for a year or two. Let them explore the domain of their kingdom. If not, it is like giving a car to a kid.

[@ftb11111]

Great content.

[@maaderllin]

Sell the eggs? As many mentionned before, it's dangerous. When you have access to only one ressource, you have to invest that ressource in something else. Dragons are an incredible military asset. Good. But instead of using them as a threat to force taxation upon the other lords, they should have used them as a kickstarter for a military fleet. As you say in your video, trade is the most important thing. Of course, they had fleet and the Velaryon family, but they should actually have made Dragonstone an important port of commerce from which all trade between Westeros and Essos would happen. Use the dragons as a starting point to facilitate the destruction of rival fleets and then establish their own fleets, military to protect the monopoly on trade route, and then a fleet for commerce.

[@Elle0865]

Good quality video

[@kevinkim3793]

Does the Iron Bank not have their own enforcement capabilities? While I do see funding the adversaries of the people that owe money to the bank as making sense, if too many borrowers fail to repay, I imagine there is a limit to how effective the technique would work depending on the number of factions available. You would think the Iron Bank would at least have their own private army of some kind.

[@tomsmith247]

They probably have connections to the faceless men

[@ArcturusPendragon]

You do know what the crownlands are right?

[@NoobKillerTM]

They really should have taken The Reach after the last gardener died. The wealth of that kingdom with the power of the dragons... Even after the loss of the dragons the Reach is the most powerful of the seven kingdoms.

[@nunyabiznes33]

True. Settling in Highgarden would have been a decent move since it's practically a port city despite being inland and is also a trade hub. Also settling in the Reach would allow them to keep an eye on the Hightowers and the Faith. As we'd see later, simply taking the High Septon hostage in King's Landing does not remove Oldtown's relevance to the Faith.

[@tomsmith247]

That would make sense

[@dennis12jose]

Interesting piece..

[@godemperorofmankind3.091]

ally themselves more with the strongest and richest houses. push harder for marriages to the Lannisters and Tyrells. for example if Rhaenyra did marry Jason Lannister, it would have secured themselves the help of the three richest houses on the continent. follow that with alliances with the free cities and none could challenge them

[@madambutterfly1997]

I would put season eight Drogon around the size of Syrax maybe even smaller

[@GlenDivo]

So, while I appreciate the value of trade and independent wealth creation as being an essential component of dynasty-making and securing power… I disagree with parts of this analysis. 1. Valyrians generally started out in very much the same place as Targaryens with very little resources and they used innovation, magic and technology to build on the power and might that the dragons bought them, the conquest of a good portion of Essos and establishment of the free cities and establishing trade routes led them to great prosperity. The Targaryens at different points was doing much the same in Westeros with much less dragons and a smaller family with the codification of laws, the development of the roads and raising of Kings Landing as a major trade port. If they had not imploded, who knows what further innovations they would have brought to the continent. 2. As you showed in the video, wealth creation through trade is volatile, by the start of GOT, the Velaryons are largely irrelevant and in the show, the mines of Lannisters are empty. The power that comes with wealth is not as stable as we believe it to be, without proper management of resources. 3. The North is difficult land to live on and the Starks have been able to maintain power for centuries through much the same conquest as the Targaryens did. The Targaryens didn’t create the feudal system of Westeros, just merely installed themselves on top of it as a unifying force driving innovation and development and enforcing peace. I think what the Targs did wrong was simply cannabalize themselves by not managing access to the power of dragons effectively and the minute that power became less consolidated, there was a civil war that destroyed everything and they kept doing it even without dragons, by fostering more divisions and weakening their hold on power. Wealth by itself would not have kept their competing houses from toppling them without sufficient power to keep them at bay I.e. dragons. Daenerys’ rise to power is proof of this.

[@ryanharris1052]

Interesting video but what about Kings Landing and the Crown Lands? Similarly to any other major Lord the Targaryen’s until the end of Roberts rebellion control this territory, which must be considered a source of independent wealth? More importantly as the largest city in Westeros surely Kings Landing would generate significant revenue from Trade and from its massive taxable population? I mean they were proactive in establishing a capital and turning it into the largest city. Furthermore as the largest city, and being across the narrow sea from the free cities surely that would make the capital the main destination for most trade from the East? While not as large in terms of overall man power as the larger houses the crown lands, it is still considerable. You could say they do not control all these lands but then again neither do other powerful lords who generally also have vassals under them. But I do agree that compared to the Valeryons who are proactive in investing in trade, the Targaryens are far to reactive. Surely they could have conquered or at least turned the free cities into vassals bound to pay taxes and tribute in return for autonomy? Perhaps the Targaryens viewed such things as beneath them, as you mentioned they had a massive hubris since the dragons provided near limitless power, or so they thought. Very interesting video. 😀

[@Foralltosee1623]

I think part of this video completely misses the Faith Militant Uprising which is sad. People rose up even though there were Dragons backing House Targaryen

[@bensonfang1868]

Pre conquest Targaryens actually made good money with trade in tue narrow sea

[@neutronshiva2498]

25:30 WTF did his dragon just randomly eat another dragon with his relative on it? Duuuuude....

[@whitecloak11]

Daemon takes Aemond under his wing.

[@Kushagra.j]

Stationary bandit theory

[@TheInvisibleLens]

slay

[@jeroensomers4189]

Am I the only one checking whether I had the video playing at 0.75x speed?

[@OneOnOne1162]

This feels very libertarian as an analysis. Something Martin definitely is not. Not to say that there isn't some contrast between the self-made man and inheritance. This idea of inheritance in the context of monarchy, that birth is enough of a justification for being a ruler, being a bad thing is definitely something Martin was playing with (Joffrey would be the prime example). And the contrast between the new tradesman and the old landed nobility was a conflict that took place at the end of our Middle Ages too, so I wouldn't be surprised at it showing up. But I think this analysis goes a bit too far. If this was truly some sort of parable about the idea of building strength on your own two feet and through wealth vs. "stealing" money as an inherting lord then you'd have expected the Targaryens to collapse and the Velaryons to flourish. But they don't.

[@DaveyFish1]

Damn good video!!

[@Randoff411]

aren't most volcanic islands abundantly fertile?

[@JonathanVegaa]

I’m still of the belief that the Targeryans should’ve always married their second sons into the main houses granted it could’ve cost succession issues but just reserve the dragons for the direct royal family

[@Elle0865]

More videos mate

[@vagabanda11]

Always been obvious. Targaryan were always very unintelligent. They just had the biggest stick in westeros.. There is a reason why they were a minor house in Valarya.

[@augustonian3522]

Great video though i do disagree with a point others have said about how they had pretty good finances and how dragon eggs cant be sold but id like to bring up another point in that the targaryian really Didn't need the dragons to rule without others uprising the faith did it before but also people generally actually really like the targaryians in history westeros had never seen such a long lasting peace or at least tame in comparison when it comes to wars, as well as my final point towards tgen not needing dragons the dragons were only around for like 100 to 150 years after conquest At very most I'm forgetting exact dates but the targaryians ruled for like at least 300 years half of that without dragons.

[@Coolbreeze2863]

I see alot of similarities between the Targaryen's and the U.S.A

[@fernandomiranda3479]

Brabissimo tá

[@christiangwenner6384]

Why GRRM tells you that life's NOT about economics. This video is an incredible effort. Totally missed the point anyway. Jon, Dany, Arya. The whole point of GoT is that the really important things in life aren't wealth and power. And when push comes to shove, money won't buy you anything (insert a picture of Little Finger here). In HotD on the other hand, all the economic fortunes in Westeros wouldn't change a thing. If the dragon riders ever figured out how to live together in peace, they wouldn't have needed to ever produce anything of their own. All of these books deal with the inevitable demise of any system of ruling that lacks a sustainable idea of ​​balance and accountability. Which is why GoT's most unforgivable mistake was laughing at the suggestion of some form of democracy that GRRM dreamed up for the finale of his books.

[@realdaggerman105]

I disagree. The Targaryen’s didn’t really have money issues. It’s stated that when Robert took over, king Aerys’ coffers were full to bursting. They also did facilitate trade. The lords of Duskendale, a prosperous port city and keep tried to petition the king for the right to charge lower shipping fees than King’s Landing. This is because it was, as the capital and the highest population centre in the continent, so dominant in trade it strangled the more local ports. Also, Targaryen dragon eggs weren’t just useless stones. As much as a crown or a sword, the egg of a dragon is a symbol of not just empty prestige but legitimacy. They also were too severe a risk to sell to other countries. If Volantis, or Lys, or Pentos or basically any of the free-cities got these, they might hatch. Even if there’s a 0.0001% they hatch, that’s a 0.0001% chance they not only get nukes, but the ability to reproduce more nukes.

[@Freeman265]

Beautiful 🎉

[@mehrasa3892]

I'm sorry but as far as Dance of the Dragons goes, economy had nothing to do with it. It could have been avoided if Viserys had not remarried or made Aegon heir. That was all it would have taken to prevent the Dance and the extinction of dragons. And if dragons hadn't gone extinct, Targaryans would have never lost their power.

[@mcgruff7355]

Bad Times make Strong Men Good times make weak Men. Nothing new under the Sun. We See that irl too.

[@evakleijn686]

He was the great emperor….he ruled over a great city that he made of oily stone. Because he turned to black magic he was cursed by the children. Also cursing all the black oily stone city’s he made. Also cursing his children by turning their hair white and their eyes different colors. Could explain why all the Targaryens en valerians are not really lucky in the game of thrones and house of dragon

[@JoshuaKevinPerry]

Selling Dragon eggs would be selling a nuke to Japan after Hiroshima and Nagasaki

[@Cacicacique]

Oh na this is lit

[@ayiza8511]

Yea no do you really think the Targaryens would have lost Roberts rebellion if they had dragons? They wiiuld have won and knowing Aryes madness Arryn stark and Baratheon houses would have gone extinct

[@mehrasa3892]

I'm sorry but as far as Dance of the Dragons goes, economy had nothing to do with it. It could have been avoided if Viserys had not remarried or made Aegon heir. That was all it would have taken to prevent the Dance and the extinction of dragons. And if dragons hadn't gone extinct, Targaryans would have never lost their power. Also selling dragon eggs?? Have you lost your fucking mind? What if they hatch???

[@braedenrodriguez7046]

i think the biggest blunder of the targaryens was right at the beginning. they should have killed the lannisters for marching on them in the field of fire, and then taken lannisport/casterly rock as their seat. lannisport is one of the biggest city’s in westeros and casterly rock is an impenetrable castle. can you imagine the targaryen’s dragons in addition to the lannister wealth. and with an impenetrable castle… it’s a wrap for the rest of westeros

[@eons8941]

Casterly rock or King's landing .It's only takes a mad king to open the gates like Aerys did for tywin

[@abdulmalikfolami2742]

👏👏👏yoooo

[@rogueshadow7]

Your wrong selling the dragon eggs only is like selling nuclear secrets

[@augustinefaithdefender]

They should have reconquered esso, built another capital there lol

[@rhaellla]

when aemond did that he truly started the war and rhaenrya wouldnt hold back this time

[@augustinefaithdefender]

dragon could eat fish, whale, dolphin, shark, so they might hunt their own food!

[@axolotl1777]

They were a bunch of psychos with dangerous weapons they needed to go

[@ronaldbanks-mw2ou]

Yes of course M'lady. If it please your majesty I can have season seven and season eight completely re-done in a fortnight M'lady? What shall we be if not for ourselves, In which I lay bare before thowest with a burning passion a 'fire betweest my shivering legs my love, on A'blaze deep into the deepest of part of my female loins. OHHH (with British accent) your love runs so deep in me hitting the spots needed striking. He struck all night I awoke to the aroma of burnt bacon and fish sticks with warm beer and deer hooves soup. Yum

[@eszterbalogh5252]

Don't, they can die.

[@Roach4-l7x]

Let me give you one idea Less incest

[@augustterzi8955]

Wow, sounds like what Russia is doing now. The same strategy

[@DarkHorseSki]

Hmmm... this almost makes me want to watch the House of Dragons. I watched GoT and enjoyed it, but I heard about plenty of woke nonsense infesting the prequel and did not care to subject myself to that.

[@TheInvisibleLens]

It’s really good!

[@DarkHorseSki]

@@TheInvisibleLens I don't know enough about your past rating experience to judge how good you are at this. Tell me what you thought of the Hobbit movies, as well as each season of GoT on HBO. Rank the Star Wars movies and TV shows from best to worst.

[@LucasPalma666]

@@TheInvisibleLens And bring me a sushi plate after that too

[@TheInvisibleLens]

We will have a video talking about SW soon, so be sure to check it out! ;)

[@DQABlack]

There's really not anything "woke" in the sense of anything being illogical or out-of-character, at least in my opinion. Even the race issue that folks had concerns about, because it is logical that the family in question would have darker skin due to having Summer Isles ancestry. I'd say compared to GoT it compares to the middle seasons - not as good as the stuff completely written by GRRM, but very entertaining and sensible and not at all like the illogical mess of the later seasons. But it is more spectacular than the majority of GoT because they have a bigger budget, which is good. Makes you feel the weight of the royal family. I don't really even remember the Hobbit movies tbh, because I didn't really enjoy them. Haven't seen a lot of the recent star-wars stuff because what I did see disappointed me most of the time, but I did like Rogue One and Andor.