Summary
The Targaryen civil war in House of the Dragon is split between Greens and Blacks, driven by family feuds.
Greens are aligned with Alicent and Aegon II, while Blacks support Rhaenyra in claiming the Iron Throne.
House of the Dragon shows the intense rivalry between Alicent and Rhaenyra, setting the stage for a Targaryen civil war.
House of the Dragon’s realm has been quickly separated between the “Green” and “Black” factions of Targaryen allegiance, which plays an important role in the series both before and after the war. Rather than depicting a larger war fought among several kings like in Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon’s conflict is primarily driven by the feuds within House Targaryen’s family tree that had been simmering for some time before King Viserys’s death. Since Westerosi lords will have to pledge their swords to one of two Targaryens’ claims to the throne, the entire realm will be split between those who support the greens and those who support the blacks.
House of the Dragon season 2 kicks off the Dance of the Dragons, which sees Rhaenyra Targaryen and Aegon II Targaryen fighting for the Iron Throne after their father’s death. As King Viserys I’s oldest child, Rhaenyra was considered his heir to the throne, but once his son Aegon was born, the line of succession became more complex. While Viserys maintained that Rhaenyra would be his heir, Alicent and Otto conspired for Aegon to usurp the Iron Throne, thus beginning the momentous Targaryen civil war. Since each family was already meant to be loyal to House Targaryen, joining either the Greens or Blacks is simply a matter of which Targaryen has the best claim or offers them the best prospects.
Why The Targaryen Civil War Is Split Between Greens & Blacks
The names are based on Alicent & Rhaenyra’s house colors
The Targaryen civil war’s Greens and Blacks refer to the house colors of Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen. Once Alicent married Rhaenyra’s father, Viserys, a feud between the two developed, primarily once Alicent discovered that Rhaenyra had slept with Ser Criston Cole and later sired children out of wedlock with Ser Harwin Strong. At Rhaenyra’s wedding feast, Alicent notably wore a green dress, which is the color House Hightower uses at Oldtown when they’re called to war.
At Rhaenyra’s wedding feast, Alicent notably wore a green dress, which is the color House Hightower uses at Oldtown when they’re called to war.
Thereafter, those who aligned with Alicent and Aegon were considered the “Greens” while those who supported Rhaenyra were dubbed the “Blacks.” House of the Dragon’s Greens and Blacks originally referred to the queen’s party and the princess’s party, but grew to be associated with the claim of Alicent’s son Aegon II Targaryen against the claim of Rhaenyra. As such, the Targaryen civil war between Aegon II and Rhaenyra is separated by the Green Party and the Black Party, even though it primarily referred to Rhaenyra and Alicent’s feud at court.
Rhaenyra Targaryen & Alicent Hightower’s Long Feud Explained
The feud truly began when Alicent married Viserys
While Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) are divided as adults in House of the Dragon season 1, the two begin their association as best friends. Alicent’s father, Otto Hightower, was the Hand of the King to both Jaehaerys I and his successor Viserys I, which meant young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) and young Alicent (Emily Carey) spent much time together at court, as they are both the same age. However, this all changed after the death of Rhaenyra’s mother, Aemma Arryn.
After Aemma died, King Viserys married Alicent Hightower, which was manipulated by Otto but seen as a massive betrayal by Rhaenyra. The sons that Alicent bore Viserys then continued to lessen the strength of Rhaenyra’s claim to the Iron Throne, with the two reaching a breaking point after Alicent discovered that Rhaenyra had slept with Criston Cole. After this point, Rhaenyra lived on Dragonstone and Alicent lived in King’s Landing. Of course, the feud was strengthened further upon the unspoken yet obvious truth that Rhaenyra’s three eldest sons were all fathered by Harwin Strong instead of her husband, Laenor Velaryon.
Nearly 10 years before the Dance of the Dragons, Alicent’s son Aemond and Rhaenyra’s son Lucerys engaged in a fight that ended with Lucerys taking out Aemond’s eye. Alicent then demanded that the same be done to Lucerys, with this incident inciting more separation between the families and fostering more animisity among the younger generation of Targaryens. Once the feud was inherited by their sons, there was never going to be an easy way to make amends between the Greens and Blacks.
Once the feud was inherited by their sons, there was never going to be an easy way to make amends between the Greens and Blacks.
While it seemed as if Rhaenyra and Alicent were heading on a path of putting their differences aside in House of the Dragon season 1, episode 8, Viserys’ death put a stop to this. Alicent misunderstood King Viserys’ last words as suggesting that their son Aegon should be crowned over Rhaenyra. Consequently, Otto and Criston arranged to keep Viserys’ death hidden and usurp the throne to crown Aegon II Targaryen as King of Westeros. When word reached Rhaenyra that Aegon II was officially crowned in a ceremony, her supporters quickly arranged a crowning of her own, launching the Targaryen civil war.
Rhaenyra Vs. Aegon II: Which HOTD Targaryen Has The Better Claim
Which Targaryen should sit on the Iron Throne
Under the typical laws of succession established over the past century through House Targaryen’s reign in Westeros, Aegon II would have been crowned king over Rhaenyra based on male primogeniture. However, never had one of the previous Targaryen kings maintained their eldest daughter would be the heir over a son until their death. While Rhaenys, Viserys I’s cousin, was considered by some to be the rightful successor to King Jaehaerys I due to her status as the eldest living heir of Jaehaerys’ eldest child, the Great Council at Harrenhal chose Viserys over Rhaenys to ascend the Iron Throne instead.
However, Jaehaerys hadn’t ordered Rhaenys as his heir. If he had, then perhaps the Old King’s influence would have better supported her claim. House of the Dragon’s Rhaenyra, on the other hand, was officially named Viserys I’s heir to the Iron Throne, with the king refusing to remove his decree even when Alicent bore him sons. Rhaenyra had also been trained and raised in anticipation of her ascension to the Iron Throne ever since she was a child, with the realm having long prepared for her to take the crown as Queen Rhaenyra.
Related Who Wins The Dance Of The Dragons? It’s Complicated
In the Dance of the Dragons, Targaryens fought Targaryens in a blood feud that consumed Westeros. But who really won that game of thrones?
Without even calling a Great Council to decide among the most significant lords and ladies of Westeros, House of the Dragon characters Alicent and Otto conspired to put Aegon II on the Iron Throne, going directly against the decree of the king and man that Aegon justifies his claim by in the first place. While Aegon II may have had a strong claim in terms of being the eldest male child, Rhaenyra Targaryen was robbed of the throne that had been securely established as hers to take. Rhaenyra Targaryen had a better claim to the throne than Aegon II in House of the Dragon, but, as Game of Thrones demonstrated, such a claim only matters so far as another with more power doesn’t try to take it away.
While Aegon II may have had a strong claim in terms of being the eldest male child, Rhaenyra Targaryen was robbed of the throne that had been securely established as hers to take.
The Show Heralded The Greens Beautifully
House of the Dragon season 1 beautifully adapts its first big Greens vs. Blacks moment
In House of the Dragon, Alicent Hightower first appears in green at Rhaenyra’s wedding to Ser Laenor Velaryon. The queen enters the wedding feast noticeably late, in order to make a statement and a big entrance. Her choice of dress color is even commented on by an Ser Larys Strong, who says, “The beacon on the Hightower, do you know what color it glows when Oldtown calls its banner to war?” The answer is: green.
Related Rhaenyra & Alicent’s Complex Relationship Explained by HotD Showrunner
House of the Dragon showrunner Miguel Sapochnik shares his opinion on the complicated dynamic between Alicent Hightower and Rhaenyra Targaryen.
This is Alicent’s own declaration of war against Rhaenyra. Prior to her wedding to Ser Laenor, Rhaenyra finds herself following her uncle Daemon to a brothel, where he almost takes her virginity. She then goes back to the castle where she propositions Ser Criston Cole to have sex with her. He obliges, but then accusations start to fly about Rhaenyra and her uncle as she was spotted by onlookers. Both Rhaenyra and Viserys vehemently deny these claims, and at first, Alicent takes her side as well — until she speaks to Criston Cole.
Since Rhaenyra lied and Alicent knows about it, she wears green to Rhaenyra’s wedding as a clear declaration of war against her former friend. Tensions then grow after Rhaenyra has bastard children with Harwin Strong, as they have their own claim to the throne. Alicent then begins to plot with her father to get make her son Aegon II the King. The moment that Alicent appears in green in House of the Dragon is one that is heavy with symbolism. It marks the first declaration of war between the two women and foreshadows what’s to come.
Who Is On Team Green & Who Is On Team Black
How the realm is divided in House of the Dragon
In House of the Dragon season 2, the loyalties between the Greens and Blacks truly begin to take form around the realm. Within House Targaryen, the Blacks are split by Rhaenyra, Daemon, their children, and Velaryon relatives, while the Greens primarily consist of Alicent and her children, Criston Cole, and Hightower relatives. As pacts are made and loyalties are tested, the rest of the realm follows suit, with the battles quickly nearing as – based on the book – the North and the Vale go to Rhaenyra, while Aegon takes much of the Crownlands and the Reach.
Greens
Blacks
King Aegon II Targaryen
Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen
Alicent Hightower
Daemon Targaryen
Aemond Targaryen
Jacaerys Velaryon
Helaena Targaryen
Baela Targaryen
Otto Hightower
Rhaena Targaryen
Criston Cole
Rhaenys Targaryen
Jason/Tyland Lannister
Corlys Velaryon
Boros Baratheon
Cregan Stark
Larys Strong
Jeyne Arryn
Arryk Cargyll
Erryk Cargyll
Jasper Wylde
Mysaria
House of the Dragon
Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.
Cast Jefferson Hall , Paddy Considine , Fabien Frankel , Ryan Corr , Eve Best , Gavin Spokes , Graham McTavish , Steve Toussaint , Olivia Cooke , Sonoya Mizuno , Bill Paterson , Matthew Needham , Emma D’Arcy , Matt Smith , Rhys Ifans , David Horovitch
Release Date August 21, 2022
Seasons 2
Directors Miguel Sapochnik , Clare Kilner , Alan Taylor , Greg Yaitanes , Geeta Vasant Patel , Andrij Parekh
Showrunner Ryan Condal
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