Did King Viserys Just Die In House Of The Dragon Episode 5?

House of the Dragon episode 5 had a lot of important moments. Queen Alicent wore a green dress to Princess Rhaenyra and Laenor Velaryon’s wedding.

By Chandraboli Majumdar
September 21,2022
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House of the Dragon episode 5 had a lot of important moments. Queen Alicent wore a green dress to Princess Rhaenyra and Laenor Velaryon’s wedding. Then Ser Criston Cole brutally murdered Ser Joffrey Lonmouth. So the episode was a pretty jam-packed one, to say the least. The episode also ended with sort of a cliffhanger. While Rhaenyra and Laenor are being married by the Septon, King Viserys gets a nosebleed and then falls to the floor. Whether this was him fainting or the moment of his death is still unclear. So here we are to give you a little more insight into what exactly happened.

Did King Viserys Die?

King Viserys gets a nosebleed and collapses at Rhaenyra and Laenor's wedding in House of the Dragon
King Viserys gets a nosebleed and collapses at Rhaenyra and Laenor’s wedding in House of the Dragon

For fans of the show who have not read the books, you’ll be glad to know that King Viserys is not dead yet. His health has been worsening throughout the course of the show. While we initially thought that his illness was only from him getting cuts from the Iron Throne, it has turned out to be much more than that. House of the Dragon will not be killing off Viserys in such a fashion because his death will be a very important moment. It will change the course of the show. His death will basically start off the Targaryen Civil War aka the Dance of the Dragons.

It definitely feels like the show is planning on giving him a big send-off. They may even give him a more painful death. In the books however, his death was pretty different. This is even more apparent when we consider the fact that in the books, only Queen Alicent knew about his death in the initial days. As a matter of fact, she kept it a secret from everyone else until she could make her move and strengthen her son Aegon’s claim to the Iron Throne. This means that him dying right in front of Rhaenyra and the others during the wedding is a very unlikely scenario.

How does King Viserys die in the book Fire and Blood?

He died much after Rhaenyra and Laenor’s wedding. While the wedding between House Targaryen and House Velaryon took place in 114 AC. King Viserys dies in 129 AC which means that it is still very early for his death. So we will most likely be seeing him again in House of the Dragon. In the books he died a seemingly peaceful death. Instead of dying from some terrible illness or accident, he actually passed away in his sleep during an afternoon nap in the Red Keep.

Queen Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon
Queen Alicent Hightower

Alicent concealed his death from the rest of the people and the public. Instead she asked Ser Criston Cole who was then the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard to summon the small council. Queen Alicent even forbade the Septons from treating King Viserys’ body which started rotting after his death. His death was only revealed a week later. In the meanwhile, Ser Criston apprehended all the remaining supporters of Princess Rhaenyra in court who were otherwise known as the blacks.

When will he die in House of the Dragon?

When will King Viserys die?
When will King Viserys die?

King Viserys will die in the first season of House of the dragon itself. The first season will be setting up the Dance of the Dragons and establishing the two factions of the greens and blacks. While in the second season the Targaryen Civil War will be in full force. Author of Fire and Blood, George R.R. Martin has said that House of the Dragon season 1 will be covering 28 years. This timeline is starting from 101 AC and the Great Council. So that would mean the first season will be ending in 129 AC which is the year of King Viserys’ death and the beginning of the Dance of the Dragons. Therefore, King Viserys will most likely die during the final episodes of 9 or 10.

He will be able to witness Aegon growing up and will stay alive for another decade. He will also see his marriage to Queen Alicent become strained as she drifts further away and chooses House Hightower instead of Targaryen. Considering the time jump that is about to happen in House of the Dragon, King Viserys will definitely be much closer to his death. There is even a rumor that Queen Alicent will display her feeling of anger, distrust and betrayal by spiking King Viserys’ afternoon tea taking which he passes away in his sleep. This is keeping in mind that in the previous House of the Dragon episode, one of the maesters prepared a special mix of herbs to help the King sleep. Only time will tell what the show runners have in place for the King!