In his conversation with Daenarys in S05E08 he says “it’s a beautiful dream, stopping the wheel, you’re not the first person who ever dreamt it”. Who is he referring to and what can that history tell us about stopping the game of thrones?
Backstory spoilers!
The only historical figure who comes close is King Aegon V, who would be Daenerys’ great-grandfather(only grandfather in the show.)
Aegon V, who was Maester Aemon’s younger brother, was so down the line of succession when he was young that he was allowed to squire for a hedge knight named Ser Duncan the Tall, who was a low-born knight who came from the slums of Fleabottom in King’s Landing; but who was also a powerful and ultra-honorable and good knight who rose to become Lord Commander of the King’s Guard.
A freak series of accidents(war; disease; mental retardation; Aemon’s maester-hood) brought Aegon to the front of the line and eventually he was crowned king.
However, his long background squiring for a lowborn knight and coming into constant contact with the peasantry taught him sympathy for the common folks and during his kingship he attempted to enact a number of reforms that essentially amounted to a Peasant’s Rights movement.
Of course, the ruling class did not approve of this and “Egg” endured bad political fallout over this(and the fact that he allowed his children to marry who they wanted.)
In the end, Aegon ended up dying with Ser Duncan and his own son in a horrible fire while trying to hatch dragons, whose power he had become convinced he needed to back up his attempts at reform, for the good of the realm.
So that’s probably who Tyrion was talking about.
On another level, the dialogue between Tyrion and Danerys shows the difference between mere reform and revolution.
Tyrion was thinking reform, which he apparently thinks is futile. But Daenerys is thinking revolution, a complete destruction of the old order.
Revolution means things get broken.
Written May 20th 2016
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