The Iron Throne drives most of the events in the Game of Thrones franchise, which, so far, includes Game of Thrones and the recently released House of the Dragon. The desire to sit on the Throne has resulted in rebellions, multiple wars, marriage pacts, and thousands upon thousands of deaths since Aegon I conquered Westeros and declared himself King of the Seven Kingdoms. One by one, the great Houses of Westeros bent the knee to Aegon the Conqueror and his dragons. All the betrayal, slaughter, torture, and all-out chaos that ensues in House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones is all for the Iron Throne.
What’s interesting throughout the Game of Thrones franchise is that there have multiple characters who have sat on the Iron Throne, regardless of whether they were crowned king or queen. Let’s look at every person that has sat on the Iron Throne, ranked from worst to best.
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12 King Aerys II
HBO
King Aerys II, better known as “The Mad King,” is one of if not the cruelest, most sadistic individuals to have sat on the Iron Throne in Game of Thrones history. He was a Targaryen whose coin landed on the wrong side, and he slowly succumbed to paranoia and madness, spending his days burning innocent men alive, laughing as their charred bodies lay in the throne room. King Aerys II was the last Targaryen to sit on the Iron Throne (Daenerys came close), and was eventually overthrown by Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark during Robert’s Rebellion. In his final moments, when he knew the end was near, King Aerys II planned to burn the whole city using caches of wildfire spread all across King’s Landing. He gave the order and was immediately stabbed by his Kingsguard, Jaime Lannister, ending his reign of terror.
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11 King Joffrey Baratheon
King Joffrey Baratheon, the product of Lannister incest, is a vile, cruel boy who revels in torturing people and asserting his power as King. He has no regard for the common folk, proving to be far more of a problem as King than his mother could have ever dreamed. He committed heinous and cruel acts throughout Game of Thrones, often for no reason. For instance, when he had a man play a song for him, but didn’t like it, he ordered to have the man’s tongue removed. This is just one instance of the many heinous acts committed by Joffrey as King. His reign of terror ended when Olenna Tyrell poisoned him on his wedding day. Joffrey dies a slow, painful death as everyone at the gathering looks on in horror (and maybe some relief).
10 King Aegon II
The newly crowned King Aegon II in House of the Dragon, wearing the crown of Aegon the Conqueror and wielding his sword, is sworn in by a Septon of the High Faith in the Dragon Pit for all the city to witness. This is done to establish his legitimacy as the one and only ruler of Westeros. Aegon II usurps Rhaenyra’s claim with the help of Alicent and Otto Hightower. He sexually assaults women and breeds bastard children to fight in a disgusting underground fighting pit for children in Flee Bottom. From what we have learned about Aegon II, he will not make a good king. Aegon has shown throughout this show to be a despicable young man, who has none of his father’s morality nor his mother’s kindness. Aegon II will be tested because Rhaenyra is ready to go to war to depose the usurper and take her rightful seat on the Iron Throne.
9 Queen Cersei Lannister
Unlike the individuals mentioned previously on this list, Queen Cersei Lannister does have some redeeming qualities. One of those traits is her love for her children and the lengths she goes to keep them from harm, as we’ve seen throughout Game of Thrones. But that is it when it comes to redeeming qualities. Cersei became Queen after the death of her son Tommen. She blew up the entire Sept of Baelor to eliminate anyone disloyal to her, including King Tommen’s wife. Cersei concocts the most sadistic means of torture imaginable and inflicts it on anyone who has wronged her. She goads Daenerys by executing her most loyal advisor and friend, Missandei. This ends up backfiring on her, of course, as Daenerys responds by torching the entire city, including the Red Keep. Cersei’s reign ends with her realizing that life isn’t all about power. There are more important things, like the child in her belly. Unfortunately, she learns this lesson too late.
8 Tywin Lannister
Tywin Lannister was never King of Westeros, but after Joffrey’s death in Game of Thrones, he sat on the Iron Throne as Hand of the King and had all the authority of a King because Tommen had given it to him. Tywin isn’t cruel for cruelty’s sake: he is smart; he understands when he needs to make allegiances, and when he needs to ride into battle; and he is a proven military strategist and warrior. Until his death, he ruled in Tommen’s stead.
7 Ser Jaime Lannister
Ser Jaime Lannister is one of Game of Thrones’ most dynamic characters. After slaying The Mad King, Jaime sat on the Iron Throne, per Business Insider, waiting to see who would claim it. We see this in a flashback, and as we know, it was Ned Stark who told him to get off the Throne and condemned him as a Kingslayer, a name Jaime would have to live with for the rest of his life. He starts off the show as a despicable piece of garbage. Still, as Game of Thrones progresses and Jaime learns some much-needed lessons on honor and duty, we see him transform from despicable, untrustworthy, and vile to honorable, dedicated, and even loving.
6 Daemon Targaryen
HBO
Daemon Targaryen is King Viserys I’s younger brother, and was next in line to the Throne at one point, even though Viserys had no sons. Up until Viserys named Rhaenyra his heir, no woman had ever ruled Westeros or even had a claim to the Iron Throne.
Early on in House of the Dragon, Daemon is caught sitting on the Iron Throne by Rhaenyra, and the two engage in a conversation about succession, about how they may both be cut out of the line of succession if Viserys has a male heir. At the time, Viserys’ wife is in labor, and he believes it will be a boy. Both the Queen and the child, however, die in childbirth. After hearing that, Daemon calls Visery’s dead child “The Heir For a Day.” Viserys then formally announces (in front of all the Lords and Ladies of Westeros) that Rhaenyra will succeed him and be next in line to the Iron Throne.
5 King Tommen Baratheon
King Tommen Baratheon, younger brother to the psychotic Joffrey, is also a product of incest. Tommen, however, is the polar opposite of his brother: he is kind and gentle; he never wants to inflict pain; and he wants everyone to get along. While Tommen is a sweet boy, he does not make a good King. Being somewhat of an absentee King, we never get to see Tommen rule without his grandfather Tywin or his mother Cersei whispering in his ear, guiding the decisions he makes. He ultimately commits suicide after seeing the Sept of Baelor blown to smithereens along with his Queen. Tommen did not plunge the Realm into war, but he did show a lack of courage when standing up to the High Septon after he arrests Margaery’s brother Loras for crimes against the Gods. Tommen’s weakness allowed the High Septon to gain so much power. Cersei ended the High Septon’s short reign of power, but at the cost of her last living child.
4 King Robert Baratheon
Great warriors don’t always make great Kings. Sadly, this is the case for King Robert Baratheon. While he was a seasoned battle commander, by the time Game of Thrones rolled around, King Robert had grown fat and chose to spend his time with prostitutes and wine rather than ruling the Seven Kingdoms. Robert was not cruel, but he surrounded himself with power-hungry individuals, none more than his wife and Queen, Cersei. This ultimately leads to Robert’s downfall. The King was slowly being poisoned by Cersei, who planned to install her son Joffrey as King. Robert met his end at the hands of a wild boar who sliced open his belly. In his last act as King, he names Ned Stark as Protector of the Realm until his son comes of age.
3 Ned Stark
Ned Stark sat on the Iron Throne in his capacity as Hand of the King. He learns the truth about Joffrey’s lineage and plans to install Stannis Baratheon (Robert’s younger brother) as the next, rightful King. Given that this is the proper line of succession, Ned only did what he believed to be the right thing. His honor and sense of duty end up costing him his life as Littlefinger betrays him in favor of the Lannisters. Ned Stark would have made a good king. With his sense of honor and duty, plus his prowess as a military man and a warrior, he could have united the Realm in peace. Sadly, he never gets the chance.
2 King Jaehaerys I
iInheriting the Iron Throne from Maegor the Cruel, one of the most vicious kings Westeros has ever seen, King Jaehaerys I was known for his sagaciousness and became known as Jaehaerys the Wise. He reigned over Westeros for 55 years, the longest reign of any King or Queen in history. His reign was peaceful, without any major conflict, and the Realm thrived under his wise leadership. He is seen in House of the Dragon at the beginning of the first episode. Jaehaerys I struggles in deciding who should succeed him. His granddaughter Rhaenys was technically the next in line, but the great Council passed over her in favor of Baelon Targaryen’s son Viserys (solely because he was a man). And so, King Jaehaerys and the Great Council decided the matter of succession. King Jaehaerys passed away contented that the Realm would not plunge into war.
1 King Viserys
King Viserys I was a wise and noble man. But his leadership was often considered feckless, and his brother Daemon criticized him constantly for being weak. Viserys is number one on this list partly because of the incredible performance from Paddy Considine as King Viserys throughout the premiere season of House of the Dragon. For the good of the Realm, Viserys chooses his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne. This breaks with decades of tradition and puts even more strain on the King’s relationship with his brother. While Viserys’ reign was mostly peaceful, there were times when he should have used force, but chose not to. He also relied heavily on advice from his Hand, Otto Hightower, which was not the wisest decision in hindsight. King Viserys redeems all of his failures by making his final stand in the throne room, where he hears the Driftmark petition, and, again, when he pleads with his family at dinner to end the constant fighting. He iterates that the House of the Dragon cannot be divided. He was right, as we see the Realm plunge into chaos upon his death.
