From here he divided his forces in three, simultaneously sending troops south towards Storm's End, north towards the Eyrie, and northeast towards Harrenhal. Despite inferior numbers, Aegon, his sisters, and their dragons were enough to overwhelm their foes. One by one the Kings surrendered or perished: the Tullys of Riverrun succeeded the Hoares as Lords of the Riverlands after Aegon and Balerion ended Harren's line; Aegon's childhood friend, Orys Baratheon, took the Stormlands after defeating Argilac Durrandon; the Tyrells surrendered Highgarden to Aegon after King Mern and his sons were killed; Loren Lannister surrendered after a battle against all three Targaryens and their dragons called the Field of Fire; Torrhen Stark spared his people by bending the knee; Ronnel and Sharra Arryn surrendered peacefully to Visenya after she landed her dragon, Vhagar, in the Eyrie. Only Dorne remained independent, and would for hundreds of years.

The Reign of the Targaryens

Upon completing his conquest, Aegon raised King's Landing into a formidable city of its own and established many now-familiar traditions, including the Kingsguard, the small council, and the office of Hand of the King. The Targaryens who followed Aegon the Conqueror were, naturally, inconsistent. Here are some of note:

Maegor I "the Cruel"

Maegor I was the third Targaryen King of Westeros, and his nickname was well-earned. While serving as Hand of the King to his brother, Aenys Targaryen, Maegor secretly took a second wife. Though Aegon I had done the same, this action increased tension between the Faith (who disapproved of incest and polygamy) and the Crown. Aenys exiled Maegor, who returned to King's Landing with a vengeance after his brother's death. He immediately took action against the Faith Militant and narrowly prevailed in a trial of seven (a melee with seven fighters on each side) but fell into a coma soon after. Waking up nearly a month later, Maegor mounted Balerion and set fire to the Sept of Remembrance, reigniting a war that would last decades. Even construction of the Red Keep ended in violence; after adding labyrinths of tunnels, passages, and trapdoors and feasting the workers, Maegor executed every one to protect the Keep's secrets. After three more bloody years, many lords of Westeros joined the Faith Militant in supporting Jaeharys (Maegor's nephew)'s claim. Short on allies, Maegor was found dead on the Iron Throne with slashes on both arms.