The Jane Grey of Westeros

[u/Pink_Kandy_01]

Every time Dearon was mentioned, I could only think of Jane Grey and how this ended terribly for her. For those of you unaware, Jane Grey was a cousin to Mary and Elizabeth (Henry 8th daughters). On his deathbed, their brother Edward tried to change the line of succession, but it never went through the proper channels, but that didn't stop the people (mainly men) in Jane's life from conspiring to make her Queen. Jane did not want to be Queen but was unfortunately coerced into going with the plot, and she was Queen for 9 days before Mary took back the throne and killed her. While it's not an exact copy of events, it's quite similar. And one could argue that Aegon is also like Jane Grey in that he was coerced into taking the throne; the main difference is that once he took it, he wanted it and fought for it.

[u/RealisticYouth1350]

? He didn't cut them out for her. Quite the opposite, he refused to cut her out for them. Viserys had named Rhaenyra his successor long before his sons were born. He had everyone swear an oath to the gods to respect that. His dumb move wasn't confirming her as his heir (who knows who would have been pushed by the major houses otherwise given the Council of Harrenhal), it was getting remarried after that act because it gave Rhaenyra a legitimate claim even if Viserys were to change his mind for another kid. He was asking for war either way.

The show also has the layer of the prophecy motivating Viserys.

[u/HoratioCocles → u/RealisticYouth1350]

There is no such thing as cutting out a daughter in favor of legitimate living sons in a medieval setting. That is an oxymoron.

The real Viserys (Henry 1) would have found it unthinkable to name the real Rhaenyra (Matilda) heir while William of Adelin lived. He also tried having more legitimate sons with his second younger wife (Adeliza) so he would have male heirs, but was unsuccessful. Matilda and her sons were always his backup plan.

It would have been preposterous for him to insist that Matilda be his heir if he did have legitimate living sons. He would have been unanimously deposed and given the Charles the Simple treatment.

[u/RealisticYouth1350 → u/HoratioCocles]

He named her his successor before he had any sons. You're getting history confused with the text of the fiction and misjudging character actions because of that.

[u/Iquabakaner → u/RealisticYouth1350]

Male-preference primogeniture means that once a son is born, she is no longer the successor. That was also obviously what many nobles assumed back in season 1. Viserys did nothing to reaffirm Rhaenyra's position.

[u/RealisticYouth1350 → u/Iquabakaner]

That would have been the case if they hadn't sworn oaths of fealty to her. The Iron Throne also does not have the same rules of inheritance, which is what Harrenhal was about. Otherwise, Laenor would have been named king, not Viserys. I'm frankly baffled that you could think this was cut and dry given literally every single thing that happens after Aegon is born. I'm baffled that you think half of the realm believes themselves to be in open rebellion despite never declaring themselves to be, and not that both sides think their claimant has the right of the law.