Westeros Notorious Rulers and Families

Aemma Arryn

Queen Aemma was also known as Lady Arryn, she was the only child of Rodrick Arryn and Daella Arryn in the year 82 AC. Queen Aemma married Viserys Targaryen, and together they had one child, Rhaenyra Targaryen. Queen Aemma died in childbirth in the year 105 AC, she was 23 years of age.

History: Aemma was the fifth child of Lord Rodrik Arryn, the first by his second wife, Princess Daella Targaryen, herself the daughter of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and his sister-wife Alysanne Targaryen. Aemma's mother died in childbirth. Aemma had four older half-siblings from her father's first marriage, including her half-sisters Elys and Amanda.

Aemma married Prince Viserys Targaryen, her cousin, in 93 AC. Upon her grandfather's death, Aemma became the queen consort of Viserys, who had been chosen as heir to the throne during the Great Council in 101 AC. Aemma became pregnant multiple times in the early years of her marriage. She suffered multiple miscarriages and gave birth to a son who eventually died in the cradle. In 97 AC, Aemma gave birth to a healthy daughter, Princess Rhaenyra. Aemma and Viserys both adored their only living child. In early 105 AC, Aemma became pregnant once more. Late in the year, she gave birth to a son, Prince Baelon Targaryen. Aemma died during the birth, and her son died a day later.

Legacy: Aemma's daughter Rhaenyra was chosen as heir to King Viserys I Targaryen in late 105 AC, after the deaths of both Aemma and her son Baelon, and after a fall-out between King Viserys and his brother, Prince Daemon Targaryen. Even though the lords of the realm swore their fealty to Princess Rhaenyra in 105 AC, Aemma's daughter, upon Viserys's death in 129 AC, found herself in a struggle for the throne. Viserys had remarried after Aemma's death and fathered four children with his new wife. The eldest of those four, Prince Aegon, had been crowned king by Lord Commander Criston Cole, and Queen Regent Alicent Hightower, in an attempt to overthrow Princess Rhaenyra, who, at that point, was still unaware of her father's death.

This power struggle led to a war known as the Dance of the Dragons, which caused the deaths of both Rhaenyra and her half-brother Aegon, as well as most of Rhaenyra's children, and Aegon's siblings and sons. Aemma's daughter Rhaenyra had six children, one of them stillborn. The youngest two of Rhaenyra's living children, Princes Aegon and Viserys would later become kings, Aegon III and Viserys II. It would be the line of Viserys II that continued the line of dragon kings. In addition, Aegon's daughter Daena and Viserys's son Aegon had a bastard son together, Daemon, who would create House Blackfyre.