Viserys I’s decision broke long-standing Targaryen/in Westeros tradition by naming his daughter, Rhaenyra, heir to the Iron Throne, despite having male heirs and longstanding customs that favored male succession.
Here’s how he departed from tradition:
What the Tradition Was
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Male-preference primogeniture In Westeros, including among the Targaryens, succession normally followed male-preference primogeniture—eldest sons inherit first; daughters are passed over if there are living sons.
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Precedents of passing over women
- When King Jaehaerys I’s son Prince Aemon died, Jaehaerys had the choice between Aemon’s daughter Rhaenys and his younger son Baelon. He chose Baelon, favoring the male descendant over the female line. - During the Great Council of 101 AC, Viserys (grandson of Jaehaerys) was chosen over Laenor Velaryon, even though Laenor descended from the senior line via Rhaenys—because male lineage was deemed more important.
How Viserys Broke with It
- Viserys named Rhaenyra, his daughter from his first marriage, as his heir while still holding his kingship—even after fathering sons with his second wife. - This went against expectations that male heirs (whether his own or from his brother Daemon) would take precedence.
The Consequences
- His choice ignored the precedent from the Great Council and Jaehaerys’s decisions, which favored male heirs over females or over male descendants through female lines. - The decision sowed seeds of conflict, because many nobles and court figures saw Viserys’s retaining Rhaenyra’s status even after male heirs were born as illegitimate or unconstitutional.
So in short: by naming a daughter her father’s heir despite having sons, Viserys overturned an established but informal rule that the throne goes through men.
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