Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Season 1 of House of the Dragon.
Being a monarch is no easy thing. People often see a throne and immediately think of all the good things that come with it, like stability, riches, and undeniable authority. But good kings and queens are made of something almost no one talks about when thinking of them, and that is responsibility. Being a monarch is a task, a duty no one else can take, and the season finale ofHouse of the Dragon, “The Black Queen,” saw Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) take up that burden and take the first steps as queen of the Seven Kingdoms, albeit a disputed one.
Nowadays, the term “statesman” is too easily said by people who don’t really understand what it means and given to those who don’t really fit its definition. A statesman is not necessarily a person who sees a nation through war, but someone who thinks about its strengths, weaknesses, and needs in order to shape a country’s future. It requires an eye for potential, a will to focus and stability, and, most of all, respect for the throne itself — which is often demonstrated by one’s unwillingness to sit upon it.
InGame of Throneslore, unfortunately, no monarch has ever fully fit that bill, as the story is almost always set in times of war, but Rhaenyra is off to a good start by preparing for war, while refusing to start it, as it might bring death upon her subjects. She expresses her concern for the people of the Seven Kingdoms, and understands that, as queen, it’s her duty to keep the peace as good as possible and keep death and casualties to a minimum. There is someone, though, who not only thought similarly but also acted on it: Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane).
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Stannis, the King in Dragonstone
Curiously (or not), both Rhaenyra and Stannis took part in civil wars in the Seven Kingdoms while based on Dragonstone. Rhaenyra has a more objective conflict to deal with, focusing on only one side to defeat, while Stannis had at least four other self-proclaimed kings in Westeros to defeat. Apart from that, they hardly have anything in common as characters. While Rhaenyra is warm and likable, Stannis is cold and prudish. As monarchs, though, they do share a pragmatic view of their jobs, as well as approaching the throne as what it actually is: an inherited duty.
Stannis was perhaps the only king in the infamous civil war known as the War of the Five Kings that had any legitimate claim to the Iron Throne. Given that Robert Baratheon’s (Mark Addy) children were technically bastards, the throne should pass to him as the king’s next brother and male heir. He often claimed that this was a role he didn’t ask for and wouldn’t choose for himself, but that he would pursue it because it’s a burden that falls to him. Indeed, he does unspeakable things in order to eliminate some of his enemies — among which is his own younger brother Renly (Gethin Anthony) — and shows no mercy towards those who oppose him, but times of war often call for extreme measures.
After his defeat at the Battle of Blackwater Bay, Stannis and his supporters find new meaning when the Wall calls for aid to face the threat of the Others. He is the only one of the self-proclaimed kings to answer the call issued by the Night’s Watch, convinced by a single argument by his most trusted advisor, ser Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham): “A king protects his people, or he is no king at all.”
The Others bring with them the threat of annihilation and endless winter for all Westeros, and Stannis understands that, in order to face this and survive, the Seven Kingdoms have to be united, and attempts to start this process in the North. He gains the trust of Jon Snow (Kit Harrington), makes deals with the wildlings, and tries to gather the support of the lesser houses, even though they still cling to the idea of having a Stark as King in the North after the death of Robb Stark (Richard Madden) in the Red Wedding.
So, while the other kings in the war were willing to sacrifice everything, Stannis was thinking strategically and in terms of a single, unified realm to defend. He may not have been a true statesman, but is perhaps the person who was closest to it in all the series — both on television and in the novels. In the end, he gave in to the madness of war and lost his way precisely when he chose to sacrifice everything, including his daughter and heir, Princess Shireen (Kerry Ingram), for the throne. We still don’t know about his fate in the novels, but, hopefully, it’s one that doesn’t see him betraying his principles like that.
Rhaenyra, the Queen in Dragonstone
“When dragons flew to war, everything burned. I do not wish to rule over a kingdom of ash and bone.” This quote by Rhaenyra immediately reminds us of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) saying she didn’t want to be “queen of ashes” in Westeros. Unfortunately, we all know how that worked out for Dany inGame of Thrones, but her fate in the novels ofA Song of Ice and Fireis still open.
But, despite the obvious similarities with Daenerys, at this point, Rhaenyra’s attitude resembles mostly that of Stannis. She sees the Iron Throne not as her birthright (even though it is), but as her duty. Like Stannis, she expresses more than once that she didn’t ask to be named heir to the throne by Viserys (Paddy Considine), and fully expected her father to turn his attention to his male children as soon as he got them. She had so many doubts that she was really meant to be queen, that she actually got to the point of asking Viserys to defend her claim, which he did. From that moment on, being queen was not something she saw as a desire, but rather as an obligation.
Another common point with Stannis is the fact that Rhaenyra has her eyes on another prize, one far more important than sitting on the Iron Throne. As future queen, Viserys granted her access to highly classified information regarding the Song of Ice and Fire, the prophecy by Aegon, the Conqueror, that a threat would eventually rise from the north. Her task, then, is not to conquer or strengthen her house’s position, but to ensure that there will be a Targaryen on the Iron Throne when the time comes because it’s a matter ofsurvivalfor the realm.
Like Stannis, she is thinking strategically and in terms of a single, unified realm to defend — the Dance of the Dragons being the obstacle she faces to that end, the same as the War of the Five Kings was for Stannis. She may not be a true stateswoman, and we will find out if she will eventually earn that status, but she is perhaps the person who is the closest to it inHouse of the Dragon— and one of the most deserving so far in all the franchise’s television works.
