Aegon’s Conquest: 5 Battles From the Books GRRM Must Include In the Movie

Left Image Credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0 Via Wikimedia Commons, Right Image Credit:- Magali Villeneuve

Aegon’s Conquest is no longer just a legend—it’s officially headed to the big screen after Warner Bros confirmed it is developing a feature film adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s epic history. Fans have long anticipated this project since the premiere of House of the Dragon, which frequently teased the Conqueror’s legacy.

The significance of this era cannot be overstated. It is the literal benchmark for time itself in Westeros. In just two years, Aegon and his sister-wives, Visenya and Rhaenys, subdued six of the Seven Kingdoms. In order to do so, battles had to be fought, and blood had to be shed.

Here are the five major battles we wish to see in the upcoming movie adaptation:

1 The Sky Above the Sea: The Targaryens’ Defeat at Gulltown

This battle was a major naval conflict during Aegon’s Conquest. He dispatched a fleet led by Admiral Daemon Velaryon to seize the strategic port of Gulltown in the Vale. The Arryns, however, assembled their own fleet, which included several Braavosi warships, and met the invaders in the waters off Gulltown.

In the chaotic battle that followed, the Arryns’ superior numbers resulted in the total destruction of the Targaryen fleet and the death of Admiral Velaryon himself. As the news of defeat reached Queen Visenya, she rode on Vhagar’s back and incinerated every Arryn fleet.

There was no winner in this battle as the Targaryens still failed to take Gulltown, but it showed how naval power becomes irrelevant as long as the Targaryens control the sky.

Aegon’s campaign wasn’t just about dragons burning castles—it was also about control of trade routes, ports, and the logistics that made Westeros bend the knee. Gulltown is the perfect example of how the Targaryens reacted to resistance, and how they won’t hesitate to use fire and blood.

2 The Ghost of Harren the Black: The Burning of Harrenhal

We are familiar with the curse of Harrenhal, the dark legend claiming that every lord who takes the great castle is doomed to misfortune, ruin, or death. It all started during Aegon’s Conquest, making it a vital moment the upcoming film can’t afford to overlook.

Aegon marched on Harrenhal and offered King Harren the Black a chance to surrender. The latter refused, believing his massive stone walls were thick enough to withstand a siege, and so he retreated inside his fortress.

Once the sun set, Aegon rode Balerion above Harrenhal and bathed the castle in dragonfire. Harren and his last remaining sons were roasted alive, effectively ending the Hoare dynasty in a single night. Such tragedy became the origin of the castle’s infamous curse.

Not only will this look epic and cinematic on screen, but the scene of Harrenhal burning will serve as a reminder that no castle is impregnable to the wrath of dragons. The act itself crystallized Aegon’s reputation as not merely an invader but a force of nature who managed to rewrite the rules of war in the blink of an eye.

3 The Fall of the Storm Kings: The Battle of The Last Storm

Another important battle that we should see in Aegon’s Conquest is the fall of the Kingdom of the Storm and the establishment of House Baratheon. The conflict began after Orys Baratheon and Rhaenys Targaryen confronted King Argilac the Arrogant. Not wanting to suffer the same fate as Harren the Black, he met his enemies in an open field.

A massive storm broke out, which proved to be advantageous for King Argilac as it prevented Rhaenys and her dragon, Meraxes, from flying. His knights charged three times, nearly breaking the Targaryen lines. On the fourth charge, they broke through the enemy center only to meet dragonfire. In the final stage of the battle, Orys found Argilac and slew him in single combat.

Orys ultimately married Princess Argella Durrandon, the only child of Argilac. He was named Lord Paramount of the Stormlands, adopted the sigil and words of House Durrandon, and founded House Baratheon.

No one defied the Targaryens as hard as Argilac, with his own rebellion serving as the final stand of Westerosi independence against the foreign invaders. Aegon’s Conquest will need to show us how the last Storm King’s decision to fight is both tragic and courageous. More importantly, this battle is a reminder that Aegon didn’t only conquer Westeros from the sky—it was also achieved on muddy ground.

4 The Field of Fire: Targaryen’s Crushing Dragonfire Victory

This is the climactic battle we should see in the film, for the very reason that this was the only time during the Conquest that Aegon and his sisters unleashed all three dragons simultaneously.

Loren I Lannister and Mern IX Gardener joined forces in an attempt to defeat the Targaryen invaders. As the two kings met in a plain and began to break the Targaryen lines, the dragons set the dry grass ablaze, creating a literal wall of fire. Over 4,000 men were burned to death, including King Mern. King Loren was forced to bend the knee the following day.

This is the moment that would define the peak of Targaryen power, and that’s why it’s crucial to have this battle in Aegon’s Conquest. It demonstrated how traditional wars have become useless against dragonfire, and beyond the spectacle, this scene also marks the turning point where Aegon and his sister-wives secured their victory.

5 The Gods Eye Bloodbath: Battle of the Reeds & The Wailing Willows

The Battle of the Reeds and the Wailing Willows are back-to-back conflicts fought between Aegon’s forces and the Ironborn on the shores of the Gods Eye, an event we shouldn’t miss in the film. The conqueror was victorious in the first battle, but the Targaryens suffered heavy losses in the second.

Aegon successfully repelled a direct assault from Harren Hoare’s men, although he was caught off guard by a nighttime counterattack. In the Wailing Willows, Harren’s sons used longboats with muffled oars to launch a stealth ambush. Just when the Ironborn thought they had won, Aegon took to the sky on Balerion and incinerated the longboats and everyone in them.

Though not as colossal as the other conflicts, these two battles need to be incorporated in the movie since they will help shape the narrative that Aegon’s Conquest wasn’t just fought by massive wars, but also by the smaller regional clashes. This scene will highlight how different cultures in Westeros responded to and resisted the foreign invaders.

Battle	Date	Location
Battle in the waters off Gulltown	2 BC	Waters off Gulltown
The Burning of Harrenhal	2 BC	Harrenhal
The Last Storm	2 BC	The Stormlands
The Field of Fire	2 BC	Northern Reach
Battle of the Reeds & Wailing Willows	2 BC	south shore of the Gods Eye

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Which battle are you most excited to see on the big screen? Let us know in the comments!