Character from House of the Dragon by George R.R. Martin
The Old King, the Conciliator — the longest-reigning and arguably greatest Targaryen king, whose 55-year reign of peace and prosperity ended with a succession crisis that his grandson Viserys inherited and his great-grandchildren paid for in blood.
Jaehaerys I is the standard against which all subsequent Targaryen kings are measured, and all of them fall short. He ruled for fifty-five years, built roads that connected the kingdom, reformed laws, reconciled with the Faith, and maintained peace through diplomacy rather than dragon fire. He was wise, patient, and genuinely cared about governing well rather than simply holding power. But his final years were marked by tragedy and one catastrophic decision. His children died before him — some in war, some in childbirth, some from illness — and the succession became tangled. When his son Baelon died, Jaehaerys called the Great Council of 101 AC to decide the succession. The Council chose Viserys over Rhaenys — the male line over the female — and in doing so established the precedent that a woman could not inherit the Iron Throne. This precedent is the seed of the Dance. Jaehaerys did not intend to start a civil war, but he created the conditions for one by allowing the realm to vote on a principle that would be weaponized two generations later.
In his prime, tall and commanding with the classic Targaryen features — silver-gold hair, violet eyes, a fine-boned face that radiates intelligence and authority. In his later years, gaunt and frail, his hair white and thin, his body failing while his mind remained sharp until the very end. He wore his crown with such naturalness that people forgot he was wearing it. He rode Vermithor, the Bronze Fury, the second-largest dragon of his era.
Also known as: Jaehaerys, Jaehaerys I, The Old King, The Conciliator, King Jaehaerys