Balerion the Black Dread was Westeros’ greatest dragon, with numerous noteworthy riders throughout history.
Balerion the Black Dread — before House of the Dragon, the infamous beast had multiple dragonriders. Since Aegon’s Conquest, Balerion was the lone dragon to travel from Old Valyria to Westeros when House Targaryen relocated to Dragonstone years before the Doom. But, as legendary and powerful as Balerion was in Westeros’ past, the Black Dread has only ever been known on television as the black enormous skull in the Red Keep, which appears in both Game of Thrones and its spinoff prequel, House of Dragon.
House of the Dragon appears to be set too late to show him in his full splendour, despite the dragon’s last rider being one of the key protagonists in season 1. While it is unfortunate that House of the Dragon did not include Balerion’s magnificence (even as a flashback), fans are fortunate that George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire universe offers rich knowledge about Balerion’s travels with his riders throughout Targaryen history.
Find out the list of Balerion the Black Dread’s known dragonriders and what happened to them.
Tom Glynn-Carney King Aegon II Targaryen
Balerion’s first rider was none other than Lord Aegon Targaryen, also known as Aegon the Conqueror. Aegon claimed Balerion as his mount before marrying his sisters Visenya and Rhaenys. According to Fire and Blood, Aegon’s interest in Westeros began when he and Balerion helped Tyrosh and Pentos destroy the Volantene fleet that was about to attack Lys during the Disputed Lands War. Although Aegon’s primary goal in lore was ambition and power, House of the Dragon transforms him into a dragon dreamer, altering the narrative. Aegon’s Conquest changes from a power grab to a heroic mission, serving as the basis of the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy.
Aegon began his conquest at the mouth of Blackwater Bay, erecting his wooden fortress, Aegonfort (the site of the Red Keep), where Visenya crowned him and Rhaenys proclaimed him King of the Seven Kingdoms. From there, Aegon and his sister-wives conquered domain after domain, riding dragons to Westerosi lords and kings and demanding that they kneel. While the majority of them acquiesced promptly in the face of fire-breathing dragons, there were some who were too stubborn and proud to succumb and chose to burn instead.
Harren Hoare, Lord of Harrenhal, met an untimely death as a result of Balerion’s black flames, which burned inside his own fortress. When Harrenhal fell, Aegon quickly conquered the country and secured the requisite support for his claim. King Torren Stark of the North (the King Who Knelt) administered the most remarkable pledge of fealty.
The most devastating battle in Westeros history was the Field of Fire, in which Aegon and Balerion (together with Vhagar and Meraxes, Visenya and Rhaenys’ dragons, respectively) slaughtered the forces of the Reach and the Rock. Dorne was the sole kingdom that remained independent following the conquest, but they suffered substantial losses before being left alone.
Following his great triumph, Aegon and his sister-wives set about recreating Westeros in their own image. Construction of the Red Keep began, and annual six-month royal advances were conducted as campaigns to quell any potential rebellions. Aegon and Balerion frequently led similar expeditions, flying throughout the land for diplomatic visits and displaying House Targaryen’s strength for the common people to see and the lords to fear. Aegon’s reign was calm and prosperous in its latter years, to the point where he died of a stroke at the age of sixty-four rather than in conflict. Visenya’s dragon, Vhagar, burned Aegon and his Valyrian steel blade, Blackfyre.
Following Aegon’s death, his son with Visenya, Maegor, seized Balerion as his horse. Maegor had long sought Balerion, to the point where he claimed there were no dragons on Dragonstone (despite the fact that there were a few) because he believed none were worthy. Growing up, Maegor was a powerful youngster who rapidly became an accomplished fighter; yet, he had a violent streak and was often irritated. As an adult, Maegor became a successful harsh military man, having fought pirates in the Stepstones, defeated three Kingsguard knights in a tourney, foiled the Giant of the Trident (a legendary robber knight), and even put an end to Jonos Arryn’s revolt in the Eyrie.
Maegor, King Aegon I’s younger son, was a spare heir to his father’s firstborn son, Aenys. When Aegon the Uncrowned (Maegor’s nephew) was born, Maegor was no longer in direct line to the Iron Throne, although this did not prevent him from claiming it once his brother died. Maegor, who was exiled for polygamy, had six Queens: Ceryse Hightower, Alys Harroway, Tyanna of the Tower, and the Black Brides: Elinor Costayne, Jeyne Westerling, and his niece, Rhaena Targaryen. However, none of his marriages bore him children, forcing him to name Aerea (Rhaena’s eldest daughter) as his heir.
Given that Maegor’s kingship was technically illegal, and his repeated marriages disregarded the Hightowers of Oldtown, the Faith, and the High Sept, the Faith Militant became Maegor’s most formidable adversary. Maegor and Balerion torched countless battlefields against the Faith, destroying everything in their path (even the Sept of Remembrance), earning him the title Maegor the Cruel. The tyrannical king led a religious life, governed by his household words: fire and blood. In the Battle Beneath The God’s Eye, Maegor and Balerion defeated Aegon the Uncrowned and his dragon, Quicksilver, in 43 AC, deposing the Faith’s choice ruler.
Maegor’s reign was six years and six days. In 48 AC, another claimant to the Iron Throne emerged: Prince Jaehaerys (Aegon and Rhaena’s younger brother), who became the realm’s hope. Battered by Maegor’s despotic reign, the realm abandoned its king, with Maegor’s final orders falling on deaf ears. Maegor’s bannermen and Kingsguard abandoned him in favour of the younger Jaehaerys. While Maegor never surrendered, he perished on the Iron Throne, his wrists slashed and his robes soaked in blood. Nobody knows how he died, save that he was discovered by his wife, Elinor. Following Maegor’s death, Balerion returned to Dragonstone to await a new rider.
Princess Aerea Targaryen
Princess Aerea Targaryen was the daughter of Aegon the Uncrowned and Princess Rhaena (Maegor’s Black Bride) and the niece of King Jaehaerys I. The shy Aerea had a vibrant twin sister, Rhaella Targaryen, who was said to have swapped places during her visit to Oldtown for Jaehaerys’ coronation.
Since then, Aerea’s personality has evolved into that of her sister, Rhaella; a more daring version of herself who has returned to King’s Landing. After moving to Dragonstone with Rhaena (her mother) in 54 AC, Aerea claimed Balerion as her dragon one morning and went missing for more than a year.
Jaehaerys dispatched multiple search parties to scour the realm, and Rhaena even rode her dragon, Dreamfyre, in quest of her daughter, but to no effect. They never discovered Aerea and eventually assumed she had died. It wasn’t until 56 AC that Aerea returned, disfigured and unwell, clinging to Balerion’s back, who had also been hurt.
It is reported that Balerion took Aerea to post-Doom Old Valyria, where she suffered a dreadful sickness (along with an unknown beast in her flesh) beyond anything seen in Westeros before. Aerea died in pain and was only seen by Septon Barth, who burned her. Meanwhile, Balerion became the first occupant of Maegor’s completed Dragonpit.
Balerion went riderless after Aerea for a long time, with dragon keepers deterring young Targaryens from claiming the ancient beast. Viserys Targaryen, however, claimed Balerion for the last time in 93 AC. Balerion was almost 200 years old at this stage, making it difficult to wake him up. Viserys and Balerion circled King’s Landing three times during their initial flight. Balerion died in 94 AC, little shy of a year after being claimed by Viserys Targaryen of the House of the Dragon.
Viserys has never claimed another dragon after Balerion. Viserys was crowned King of the Seven Kingdoms following the Great Council in 101 AC. Viserys the Peaceful, the House of the Dragon monarch, ruled with prosperity and little violence. However, because to his lack of will, Viserys unintentionally sowed the seeds of House Targaryen’s greatest massacre, known as the Dance of the Dragons.
Both House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones establish Balerion as a dragon of legendary size, but many viewers and readers have pondered if the beast ridden by Aegon the Conqueror and Viserys the Peaceful was the largest ever seen. So yet, George R.R. Martin hasn’t introduced a dragon larger than Balerion, who remains the largest dragon in Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon. Both shows mention or refer to some extraordinarily gigantic dragons that are nearly as big as Balerion.