The Green Coup

Lore & Background

The coup was not merely a change of leadership but a fundamental rejection of Viserys I's decades-long efforts to secure his daughter Rhaenyra as heir. The Green faction, led by Queen Alicent and her father Otto Hightower, operated under the belief that male primogeniture outweighed the King's specific designation of a female successor. They argued that Aegon II, Alicent's eldest son, was the rightful ruler by ancient custom, viewing Rhaenyra as an illegitimate obstacle to stability.

The execution of the plot relied on secrecy and timing. After Viserys I died, Otto Hightower delayed publicly announcing the king's death and convened the Small Council, whose other members had secretly plotted to crown Aegon as king. By controlling the narrative before Rhaenyra could arrive or even confirm her father's death, they manufactured a fait accompli. This bold gamble transformed a political dispute into an existential war for the survival of the dragonlords.

Reader's Guide

The event begins with the sudden death of King Viserys I. Before his daughter Rhaenyra can be informed or return to the capital, Queen Alicent and her father Otto Hightower mobilize their forces within the Red Keep. Ser Harrold Westerling resigns as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard rather than carry out an order to execute Rhaenyra and her children, and Ser Criston Cole is named to replace him. Otto summons several lords and ladies of the realm and coerces them into breaking their pledges to Rhaenyra and swearing allegiance to Aegon; those who refuse are imprisoned or put to death.

With the small council and key military leaders under their control, they bypass the legal process entirely. Ser Criston Cole and Prince Aemond help Alicent find Aegon, who has fled the Red Keep. The climax comes when Aegon II is crowned at the Dragonpit, where Princess Rhaenys breaks through the floor on her dragon Meleys and interrupts the coronation before flying away to Dragonstone. This act forces the loyalists into open rebellion, as there is no peaceful path to resolve the conflicting claims.

The immediate impact is the total division of the Seven Kingdoms, setting the stage for a brutal conflict where dragons are used as weapons of mass destruction.

The Succession Crisis and Civil War

Upon Viserys I's passing, the stability of the realm fractured when Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower orchestrated a coup to seize power from Rhaenyra. Citing her gender and bastard children as disqualifiers, Alicent crowned Aegon II instead, sparking the Dance of the Dragons. Rhaenyra was proclaimed queen by her Black supporters on Dragonstone, while the Greens ruled King's Landing. The conflict escalated violently when Lucerys Velaryon died battling Aemond Targaryen over allegiance at Storm's End.

In retaliation, assassins were sent to kill Aegon II's heir, halting peace talks. Although Rhaenyra eventually captured the capital, her rule collapsed under harsh taxation and paranoia following Daemon's death. Starved citizens rioted, slaughtering dragons in the pit before she fled. Betrayed during her escape, she was presented to Aegon II, who ordered Sunfyre to burn and consume her alive, marking a brutal end to her reign while the war persisted under her surviving sons.