Fixing Westeros’ Weakest King

King Aenys I: How Weakness, Indecision, and Missteps Shaped Westeros

King Aenys I Targaryen’s reign is remembered not for great deeds. It is noted for a series of critical errors, indecisions, and misplaced trusts. His reign shows the disastrous consequences when a ruler lacks decisiveness. It highlights the failure to understand his subjects. It also includes the mishandling of crucial relationships, particularly with his ambitious brother, Maegor. Aenys’s mistakes altered the political landscape of Westeros profoundly, setting the stage for civil strife and weakening the Targaryen dynasty.

Indecision and Delay

If one were to name King Aenys’ one defining trait it would be crippling indecision. His hesitation often turned manageable problems into crises. The rise of Harren the Red is a prime example. This self-proclaimed heir to Harren the Black terrorized Harrenhal and the Riverlands. Aenys faltered instead of taking immediate military action and prove himself his father’s son.

Instead he lingered at Riverrun in uncertainty. He missed the opportunity to swiftly crush the rebellion. This allowed Harren to escape and only emboldened other dissidents.

Aenys’s indecision further paralyzed his ability to respond effectively during simultaneous rebellions in the Vale and Dorne. By continually reversing decisions—ordering armies mobilized only to recall them—he squandered critical momentum. Each delay weakened his authority, encouraging further defiance and rebellion across Westeros.

Mismanagement of Military Affairs

Aenys’s military missteps severely weakened the crown’s authority. During the rebellion of the Vulture King in Dorne, he was unable to respond decisively. This failure allowed the insurgency to swell dangerously. Reliance upon independent lords, like Savage Sam Tarly and Orys Baratheon, showcased a troubling lack of central authority. Though the rebellion was ultimately quelled, the king’s hesitation prolonged the conflict, resulting in unnecessary casualties and diminished royal prestige.

Similarly, in dealing with Jonos Arryn’s rebellion in the Vale, Aenys’s uncertainty caused fatal delays. Only after Prince Maegor intervened (probably to everyone’s horrific surprise, as far as I know this was his first time sighted on Balerion) by flying Balerion up to the Eyrie and moving to ruthlessly restore order did things cool down. There, he executed Jonos and all his co-conspirators by hanging. This starkly highlighted how Aenys himself sorely lacked decisive military action.

Alienating Allies and Misunderstanding His Realm

Aenys consistently misjudged the effects of his decisions. On the Iron Islands, for instance, a man claimed to have risen from the depths of the sea. He claimed he was Lodos the Twice-Drowned, sent by the Drowned God himself. His uprising gripped the Iron Islands until Lord Goren Greyjoy stepped in and crushed it with swift brutality.

Lord Greyjoy sailed a hundred longships to Old Wyk and Great Wyk, the heart of the rebellion, and slaughtered thousands of Lodos’s fanatics. To mark his victory, Goren sent King Aenys a grisly gift: Lodos’s head, preserved in brine. Pleased, what does Aenys do? He offers Goren any boon within his power. A giant mistake, of course, for Goren asked to purge the islands of the septons and septas spreading the Faith of the Seven. Aenys, unwilling—or unable—to deny him, agreed. From that day on until the present, the Ironborn are free to worship their own Drowned God ans his Watery Halls.

Empowering Maegor the Cruel

Perhaps most significantly, Aenys disastrously mismanaged his relationship with his younger half-brother, Maegor. Aenys, weak and indecisive, admired and relied heavily upon Maegor’s martial prowess. Aenys sought his approval and support. He foolishly elevated Maegor’s position by naming him Hand of the King following a slew of rebellions. He also bestowed upon him the ancestral Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre, previously wielded by their father, Aegon.

This act placed tremendous power in Maegor’s hands, both symbolically and practically. Already wielding Dark Sister, Maegor now possessed both legendary ancestral blades of House Targaryen. Furthermore, Aenys’ misguided decision to suggest co-rulership with Maegor diluted his own authority and set the stage for Maegor’s usurpation.

Mismanagement of Religious Conflict

Aegon the Conqueror fine-tuned and balanced Targaryen traditions with sensitivity to Westerosi religious customs. Yet here, his son Aenys failed disastrously as well. Notably when confronted by religious backlash to his family’s incestuous traditions.

Initially, Queen Visenya suggested wedding Maegor to Aenys’s eldest child, Rhaena, to preserve Valyrian purity. Yielding instead to religious pressures, Aenys arranged Maegor’s marriage to Lady Ceryse Hightower, niece of the High Septon. This move was intended to placate the Faith. However, it only sowed deeper resentment.

Aenys’s eventual approval of Maegor’s second, polygamous marriage created an explosive scandal. A wiser ruler might have decisively forbidden it or openly embraced and defended it. Yet here Aenys dithered as well, making him look even weaker.

The brothers had clashed bitterly over the issue. Though, ultimately, Aenys caved. He exiled Prince Maegor in a half-measure that pleased neither the Faith nor his own blood. Later, his choice to marry his own children (Rhaena and Aegon) incited outright rebellion. This act branded him “King Abomination” and irrevocably alienated the Faith and populace.

Additionally, Aenys’s repeated assumption that he was beloved blinded him to brewing resentments. His naivety led him to dismiss threats from within. He was left stunned when lords and smallfolk alike turned violently against him. His optimism, without tactical realism, repeatedly undermined him.

Flight and Abandonment of Responsibility

In King’s Landing, religious fanatics attacked the royal family directly. In this dire moment, Aenys abandoned the city. He chose not to demonstrate resolve, crack down, or fortify his capital. Instead, he retreated to Dragonstone and failed to reassert royal authority through military or diplomatic means. Even when Visenya advised decisive dragonfire retaliation against the Faith Militant, Aenys hesitated. He chose flight over action. This only reinforced the narrative of his weakness and incompetence.

The Ultimate Price of Weakness

Aenys’s weak governance destabilized the realm dramatically.

Rebellious lords rose during his reign. Religious radicals were emboldened. He empowered his ruthless brother Maegor, ultimately plunging the kingdom into chaos. His indecision culminated tragically in his premature death, possibly hastened by Visenya, leaving Westeros vulnerable to Maegor’s tyrannical rule.

The Fix: What Aenys Should Have Done Differently

Asserted Royal Authority Swiftly

• Actionable Plans: Immediately deploy Targaryen-loyalist forces, backed by dragons, to rapidly neutralize rebellions before they gained momentum. Establish “rapid-response teams” permanently stationed near known trouble spots. Looking at you: Riverlands, Dorne, the Vale…
• Tactical Philosophies: Adopt a decisive and swift military doctrine emphasizing intelligence and immediate retaliation against any sign of rebellion. Establish a vast network of spies in hotspots for rebellion. Use targeted force combined with political offers of clemency to divide and conquer rebel groups.
• Grand Strategy: (Semi)Centralize royal military power in a system where every lord great and small is expected to spare some warriors/levies to function as retainers. These men could be trained and war-ready all year round and be deployed at any time. This would ensure quick and decisive deployments with air-support coordinated directly by the Crown rather than being curtailed by harvests and relying on autonomous lords’ whims and their levies.

Managed Religious Tensions Wisely

• Actionable Plans: Establish a dedicated royal council comprising prominent septons and nobles to address and mediate religious disputes. Regularly consult and visibly respect the High Septon’s advice, even when disagreeing, to show deference without losing royal autonomy.
• Tactical Philosophies: Balance Valyrian customs with Westerosi religious norms by gradually and diplomatically introducing traditional Targaryen practices. Avoid blatant provocations or sudden, controversial decrees.
• Grand Strategy: Cultivate mutual dependence between Crown and Faith by granting symbolic concessions and protections to septons, while slowly integrating the idea of “Targaryen Exception” into accepted cultural practices over generations. (Yes I am talking about incest.)

Checked Maegor’s Ambitions

• Actionable Plans: Clearly define Maegor’s authority, limiting his access to resources and military commands. Retain sole possession of ancestral symbols like Blackfyre, ensuring clear and undisputed royal legitimacy.
• Tactical Philosophies: Employ a cautious but firm approach toward ambitious relatives, granting them responsibilities that tie their success directly to royal approval, thus limiting independent power-building. For instance, giving Maegor an important fief (if occupied scheme the current holder away somewhere) to rule. A title like Hand of the King is far too risky for an ambitious and dangerous man like Maegor. Stay away from that.
• Grand Strategy: Make Maegor Master of Laws as a smooth political judo throw. He is given a prestigious, visible role. One that flatters his sense of justice and authority without putting him in direct command of armies or the capital. He gets to swing his hammer (and yeah, probably sword) in courtrooms, yet not on battlefields.
  
  It scratches his ego, lets him stomp around in black armor if he wants. And keeps him useful but boxed in. Pairing that with granting him a rich, strategically important fief (say, one near the Westerlands or the Vale) would give him enough prestige to feel important. Though far enough from King’s Landing to easily mount a coup. Perhaps strip some rebellious lord of his lands and toss Maegor the keys.
  
  Call it justice, call it reform, doesn’t matter: he gets land, power, and face. Most crucially, this keeps the big black dragon off the royal doorstep. Manage ambition without open hostility, which is exactly what Aenys failed to do.
  
  Instead of exiling Maegor and letting him fester in rage, this would keep him busy and visible. Most importantly, this would keep him invested in the current system. If he rebels after that, he looks ungrateful and power-hungry. One of Maegor biggest talents was making enemies, imagine how many daggers would already be pointing his way before he stepped out of line in court and challenged Aenys? The king would have won either way.

Demonstrated Firm Leadership

• Actionable Plans: Remain physically and symbolically present in King’s Landing, fortifying key royal holdings and visibly displaying royal strength. Regularly and publicly acknowledge loyal lords and punish rebels, demonstrating clear consequences for disobedience.
• Tactical Philosophies: Embrace a leadership style that prioritizes visibility, decisiveness, and accountability. Publicize royal decisions transparently, building public trust and respect.
• Grand Strategy: Put the Kingsguard in charge of establishing a robust system of fortifications, surveillance, and quick-reaction units to rapidly respond to direct threats to the Iron Throne. Maintain direct communication channels with loyalists and spy networks throughout the realm, ensuring swift and unified responses to crises.

Lessons for Future Rulers

Aenys I’s reign teaches crucial lessons about leadership, decisiveness, and the strategic management of family dynamics. Weakness and indecision in a monarch can embolden enemies and fracture kingdoms. Aenys’s inability to adapt hindered his understanding of his realm. He also struggled to wield authority decisively. These shortcomings ensured his legacy as a cautionary tale for all who follow.

Ultimately, King Aenys I serves as a warning to one part of an extreme. Extreme weakness, mirrored by his brother with rulership through extreme aggression. Both are dangerous ends of a spectrum and GRRM aptly showcases the ruin that so much power wielded so carelessly might bring. The lack of strong, decisive leadership can be as ruinous as outright tyranny. It leaves a kingdom vulnerable, divided, and open to the horrors of civil war.

If you have thoughts, or care to disagree on any points, take a load of, claim your seat above the salt at the High Table, and discuss in the comments below!