Part of that seismic change occurs in the climax knight of the seven kingdoms‘First season: The sudden death of Prince Baelor Targaryen during the tournament at Ashford Meadow in 209 AC. The death of the heir apparent alters the Targaryen line of succession and results in the loss of a widely popular political leader at a time when House Targaryen was dealt a blow due to their declining numbers. as we look inside knightIn the season one finale, the mantle of Daeron the Good’s successor was passed to Baelor’s son, Prince of the Valar.
But Valar never takes the throne. Neither does his brother, ending the line of Baelor – and not by war, or political assassination, or even accident, but by the simple fact that even dragon blood could not survive the deadliest plague in Westerosi history.
What was the great spring disease?
The plague known as the Great Spring Sickness (named for the seasonally transitory period preceding a period of relatively fair climate for Westeros, in which the winter of the next notable years did not arrive until 231 AC) broke out in the year 209 AC and lasted for nearly two years – killing thousands in the process. The Great Spring Sickness spreads very quickly and kills even more quickly: it was said that victims could show symptoms in the morning and be dead by nightfall.
Naturally, the virulence of the disease made the major cities of Westeros the epicenter of the disease, while its spread slowed in more rural areas. In Dorne and the Vale, in particular, the disease was largely kept at bay due to initial responses to shut down all travel and trade across their borders (Ser Duncan and his young companion Aegon “Egg” Targaryen both survived the plague, traveling in Dorne at a time when its borders and ports were closed).
But while most of the area suffered damage, King’s Landing was hit hard by the plague. The reigning King Daeron II Targaryen died within a year of the disease’s outbreak, as did both the Princesses Valar and Mataris, leaving the line of succession in disarray. The Dragonpit, once famous for many generations before the extinction of the Targaryen family, was filled with the bodies of the dead and filled with wildfire – pyres were burning throughout the city to such an extent that a quarter of the capital was destroyed by fire during the disease.
consequences of the great spring disease
The death of Daeron II, as well as the deaths of the Valar and Mataris, significantly moved the line of succession. Daeron’s brother Aerys became the first to take the Iron Throne following the deaths of his brother and his great nephews, and although he would rule for over a decade, he produced no direct heirs, leaving the Targaryen succession to Daeron II’s surviving son, Makar.
House Targaryen was not the only notable body to be disrupted by the plague’s reach – Daemon Lannister, ruler of Casterly Rock, died of the disease, and the Faith of the Seven suffered massive losses due to the challenges in treating the disease, with the High Septon, several of the Church’s most prominent clergy, and almost all of the Silent Sisters, a sect dedicated to caring for the bodies of the dead in the faith, all also defected.
But Aerys’s unlikely rule (combined with an obsession with books and prophecy that regularly distracted him from the difficulties of governing the realm) also led to several major crises for the Seven Kingdoms during his reign, with Aerys’s hand, Brynden River the Bloodraven, largely ruling in his stead. After the relative peace of Daeron II’s reign, crossing Westeros became dangerous, partly due to the lawlessness, but also due to the combined effects of disease and a short summer, which brought a two-year drought over the same period.
The deaths of several hostages held in the wake of the Blackfyre rebellion prior to the Great Spring Sickness also played a key factor in the plan to escalate to a second rebellion in 212 AC, led by Lord Gormon Peak and Daemon Blackfyre’s successor Daemon II, with the Crown having less influence against Blackfyre’s supporters and Aerys’ interests largely focused elsewhere. Although the Second Blackfyre Rebellion would be quashed before it could begin in earnest, the Third Rebellion would begin seven years later during Aerys’ rule.
But rebellions aside, it was actually the influence of the Targaryen royal line falling with Prince Makar’s line, rather than Baelor’s, that would have a lasting impact on the era of House Targaryen’s decline. George RR Martin has often called the death of Prince Baelor a defining moment in Westerosi history, having been one of the most beloved kings in all the generations of House Targaryen’s rule. The Great Spring Sickness also struck his sons, leaving Baelor’s legacy almost completely destroyed in just a few years – setting the stage for a very different path to the ultimate fall of House Targaryen.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
<a href