Lord Corlys Velaryon was known as the Sea Snake! But Alicent was the snake of King’s Landing. The younger version of this character is played by Emily Carey, while Olivia Cooke will play the older Alicent. If you were wondering about her arc, you need not go elsewhere. Here’s the history of Alicent Hightower.
Possible Spoilers for House of the Dragon follow. You’ve been warned!
When Otto Hightower became the hand of King Jaehaerys, Alicent became his nurse and caretaker. It has been suggested in the books that she aided Jaehaerys in more ways than just nursing for him. And she also slept with King Viserys while his first wife Aemma Arryn, was alive. But obviously, this isn’t what happened in House of the Dragon. Otto planted the seeds for Viserys and Alicent’s wedding after Aemma died. She was conflicted in doing Ser Otto’s bidding as we saw how she used to harm herself. But ultimately, she grows up to be much more like her father.
You could draw some parallels between her and Cersei Lannister as well. Cersei wanted her sons on the throne, and so did Alicent. When the small council was trying to find a suitable husband for Rhaenyra, Alicent suggested that she should be married to Aegon the second. Viserys claimed that the half-siblings didn’t get along. But Alicent still urged for it. So Viserys refused, believing that Alicent only wanted her blood on the throne. She also had a hand in spreading rumors that Rhaenyra’s sons were bastards. This was her way to weaken Rhaenyra’s claim, as no one would have wanted Bastards to be the heirs to the iron throne.
Eventually, both Rhaenyra and Alicent became important figures in King’s landing. They used to be great friends but hated each other after Alicent became Rhaenyra’s stepmother. A great tourney was held on Viserys and Alicent’s wedding anniversary. Alicent wore a ravishing green gown at this event. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra wore the trademark Targaryen gown, which was Red and Black. This is where the Greens and the Blacks became popular. The supporters of Alicent, known as the Queen’s party, came to be called the Greens. And Rhaenyra’s supporting party became famous as the Blacks.
From here on out, the Greens and the Blacks played a massive role in fulfilling Alicent and Rhaenyra’s agendas. Ser Criston Cole was on Rhaenyra’s side but also switched to the Green Party. When King Viserys died in his sleep, it was rumored that Alicent may have poisoned him. So, it will be interesting to see how this plays out in House of the Dragon. But as I mentioned in Otto’s section, the word of Viserys’s demise did not leave King’s landing. And Alicent swiftly placed Aegon on the throne. Her daughter and Aegon’s sister-wife Helaena also sat beside him as his queen. And Alicent placed her crown on Helaena’s head and addressed her as “my queen.” This began the Dance of the Dragons.
After this point, Alicent tried to do a lot but mostly remained ineffective. Her son ruled over King’s Landing for two years, out of which it was Rhaenyra who ruled for six months. When Rhaenyra stormed into King’s landing and killed Ser Otto Hightower, she spared Alicent’s life for her father’s sake, who used to love her back in the day. Alicent still tried to make peace with Rhaenyra by offering to divide the seven kingdoms between her and Aegon’s rulership. But Rhaenyra did not budge.
Meanwhile, Aegon the second had fled and later killed Rhaenyra at Dragonstone when she had also fled from King’s Landing. Aegon ended up on the throne again, but his rule ended soon as Rhaenyra’s son Aegon the Third succeeded him in 131 AC. The Dance of the Dragon killed all of Alicent’s family members, including her sons and brother Gwayne. And she was imprisoned for the rest of the days, and she went crazy and started talking to herself. And then, in 133 AC, she ultimately died when the Winter Fever broke out.
So this was the history of Alicent Hightower.
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