The 10 most significant kings to rule Westeros

5. Daeron II Targaryen: The Good (184 AC – 209 AC)

The twelfth Targaryen to reign as king, Daeron II will forever be remembered as the man who brought Dorne into the realm and forged the final link that would create the Seven Kingdoms, uniting all lands south of the Wall.

Daeron II was popular with most of the people in Westeros. He was scholarly and wise, being a man of letters rather than swords, and it is perhaps no surprise then that he managed to bring Dorne into the realm without so much as a crossbow bolt being fired. It was something of a miraculous diplomatic result considering his own father, Aegon IV, had constructed an armada to invade Dorne just 10 years before Daeron ascended the throne. Indeed, his reign would have been one of absolute peace and prosperity were it not for events that transpired before he was even born.

"“He was a good king; everybody says so. He brought Dorne into the realm and made the Dornishmen our friends.” — Aegon V Targaryen, The Sworn Sword"

The legacy of Daeron’s father would cast a long shadow over his reign, Aegon IV being notorious for the legion of “Great Bastards” he sired through his incessant infidelity. Chief amongst these bastards were undoubtedly Daemon Waters, the self-proclaimed Daemon I Blackfyre. Daemon utilized still existing bad feelings toward Dorne to provoke a rebellion with himself as a pretender, the fighting engulfing the Riverlands, Wastelands, Reach, and Vale. While the uprising would fail at the Battle of the Redgrass Field, the Blackfyre claimants would continue to harass House Targaryen for many years to come.