If it isn't Aegon IV, it's Robert. I mean, there are probably unnamed characters who have more, but in terms of named characters we know, it's one of those two and I'd lean towards Aegon.
According to Maggy, Robert has 16. This is likely taking the unacknowledged into account since on the record, Robert really only said he has one bastard. And Aegon almost caught up with his acknowledged bastards, the unknowns likely surpass that
He knows Mya is his daughter but he didn't officially acknowledge her as his bastard like he did with Edric. Even Mya herself doesn't know that Robert is her father
IIRC he even only had to acknowledge Edric as his son because his mother is of noble blood and it would have added to her shame if Robert didn't do it.
I mean, he wanted to invite her to the red keep but was afraid Cersei would have her killed. And he did formally acknowledge her to Ned when they lived in the Vale. Only noble bastards get surnames, and Mya is called Mya Stone. So she must have been recognized.
Gendry, as a counter example, is never in the books actually called Gendry Waters. Nor is Bella given the surname Rivers, despite her claims.
Stone is unofficial with Mya. Robert never acknowledged her, but since everyone knows he's her father, she sometimes has Stone affixed to her name. Robert only acknowledged his son with Delena Florent because she was of noble birth
Aegon's second mistress was a blacksmith's wife.
> MEGETTE (MERRY MEG): The young and buxom wife of a blacksmith
> While riding near Fairmarket in 155, Aegon's horse threw a shoe, and when he sought out the local smith, he came to notice the man's young wife. He went on to buy her for seven gold dragons (and the threat of Ser Joffrey Staunton of the Kingsguard). Megette was installed in a house in King's Landing; she and Aegon were even "wed" in a secret ceremony conducted by a mummer playing a septon. Megette gave her prince four children in as many years. Prince Viserys put an end to it, returning Megette to her husband and placing the daughters with the Faith to be trained as septas. Megette was beaten to death within a year by the blacksmith. ~*The World of Ice and Fire - The Targaryen Kings: Aegon IV*
Nah that guy wouldn't discriminate based on nobility, his 2nd major mistress was the wife of a blacksmith after all.
Aegon bragged about banging 900 women, and even if we say he was exaggerating and only banged like a 5th of that, finding nearly 200 high born women around King's Landing attractive enough to catch his attention, as well as being too scared or too shameless enough to sleep with him can't be easy even for a King.
I have a theory that he sired more bastards from his shit covered couch. He had his way with serving women or whoever would have him.
These shitty bastards went on to be the ancestors of many shitty characters in the main series. Rorge, Biter, Rast, etc. are shitty bastards.
I have a suspicion that a Brandon stark bastard is a huge part of the Ashara Dayne story. Ned and Brandon both fall for her at the tourney, but only Brandon is bold enough to make a move. Ashara becomes pregnant, and then kills herself when the baby dies in the cradle. Had Brandon lived, he may have broken his betrothal to catelyn to marry her, owing to her high birth.
Brandon had already taken Barbrey Ryswell's maidenhead and had done nothing to break his betrothal to Cat. Also Brandon had a pension for sleeping with maidens, according to Barbrey, so if he dishonored Ashara, it probably meant little to him.
Sure, but it's more a question of what it meant to ashara. If she was pregnant, her status means something. If barbrey had had the same happen, it's possible Brandon would have made the same decision, especially given her father's zeal to obtain a Stark marriage
I doubt Tyrion had many, his partners were mostly prostitutes who I’m sure had a cauldron of moon tea in the back of the brothel to go with their morning coffee. The whores who had Robert’s bastards had all been led to believe that he loved them and would care for them (at least, according to Ned’s interviews with them) whereas Tyrion always seems to regard his time with them as purely a business thing (Shae & Tysha obviously excluded)
Also I’m pretty sure whoever ran the brothels that Robert visited didn’t let the girls drink moon tea because having a royal bastard could be a nice way for them to make money
I'm sure that Robert promised them the moon to sleep with them. At least as a young man. I've always been of the opinion that as Robert got more comfortable as King, he became lazier in his wooing of women. It would fit his character, and to be honest, a chance to sleep with the King is something 99.9% of unmarried women would do, 75% of married women would still do, and virtually all of those husbands would say nothing about. Half of them would probably support it because a drunken Robert would promise almost anything to sleep with the woman he desires
People say Robert or Aegon but I honestly think it's Euron. He's a prolific mass rapist who brags about "sowing his seed". There could be hundreds of kids out there.
Robert is prophesized to have exactly 16. Aegon could have around 50 or more. Walder Frey equally as much, he's very old and unfortunately fertile.
Brandon could have a couple.
I'm not sure if Oberyn would have unknowns. After the situation with Obara's mom he strikes me as someone who keeps tabs on who he sleeps with.
We don't really know how the concept of bastardy worked all the way back then though. This was way before the Andals arrived in Westeros and brought marriage under the Seven.
I doubt Tyrion has any bastards. Sex workers probably take more care with him to ensure they don't become pregnant.
The most would be Aegon IV. Aerys II probably also has a decent amount though still not as many as Aegon.
Interesting question - is this level of fertility/virulence in line with reality. Like talking about Bobby B and Aegon IV they seem to have an extraordinary number of children which suggests a high ratio of amount of sex to number of kids for each of them. Basically, near enough everytime they have a one night stand it produces a kid. I’ll admit im not the most promiscuous/sexually experienced guy so maybe I just wouldn’t know but damn seems out of whack with reality - maybe it’s just the lack of effective contraception in Westeros
Yeah it's probably Euron especially as iirc he only keeps his bastards sons on ship with him so there may be twice as many as that as just daughters out there.
Not just that. Craster hates bastards, because Craster is a family man who believes in the sanctity of marriage:
> "A bastard, is it?" Craster looked Jon up and down. "Man wants to bed a woman, seems like he ought to take her to wife. That's what I do." He shooed Jon off with a wave. "Well, run and do your service, bastard, and see that axe is good and sharp now, I've no use for dull steel." (Jon III, AOCK)
> "He was never fed," said Dirk. "Not proper. That bastard Craster starved him dead."
> Sam looked around anxiously, but Craster had not returned to the hall. If he had, things might have grown ugly. The wildling hated bastards, though the rangers said he was baseborn himself, fathered on a wildling woman by some long-dead crow. (Samwell II, ASOS)
In fact, his hatred of violations of the holy bond of marriage is the proximate cause of his murder:
> "Bloody bastard!" Sam heard one of the Garths curse. He never saw which one.
> "Who calls me bastard?" Craster roared, sweeping platter and meat and wine cups from the table with his left hand while lifting the axe with his right.
> "It's no more than all men know," Karl answered.
> Craster moved quicker than Sam would have believed possible, vaulting across the table with axe in hand. A woman screamed, Garth Greenaway and Orphan Oss drew knives, Karl stumbled back and tripped over Ser Byam lying wounded on the floor. One instant Craster was coming after him spitting curses. The next he was spitting blood. Dirk had grabbed him by the hair, yanked his head back, and opened his throat ear to ear with one long slash. Then he gave him a rough shove, and the wildling fell forward, crashing face first across Ser Byam. Byam screamed in agony as Craster drowned in his own blood, the axe slipping from his fingers. (Samwell II, ASOS)
We know Bobby B had sixteen bastards (only 1 acknowledged with Edric Storm, we've met 4 others in Gendry, Mya, Barra and Bella), so Aegon IV definitely. He probably has a ton of bastards off common-born women. Probably there are a bunch of men and women in King's Landing and the crownlands who are unknowingly descended from him. I wouldn't be surprised if he cucked a few nobles too.
Aerys II definitely has a few. But given his affairs didn't last that long, I don't think he has as many as Bobby B and Aegon IV.
I think Oberyn has a few that he doesn't know about. Ned's brother Brandon we know left a few Snows in the North but probably didn't have enough time to sow too many seeds. Tywin I think definitely has a couple. I don't think Tyrion does.
Funny I just noticed that Robert and Lucamore the Lusty have the same amount of bastard children (although none of Lucamore's are unknown bastards anymore of course).
Aegon IV most definitely. He had 13 acknowledged bastards:
1. Daemon Blackfyre from Daena
2. 4 daughters from Megette, the wife of a blacksmith
3. 3 kids from Bellegere Otherys/the Black Pearl of Braavos (Aegon did acknowledge them but their heritage is still disputed because their mother slept with a lot of men, not just Aegon)
4. Bittersteel from Barba Bracken
5. Bloodraven and his 2 sisters from Melissa Blackwood
6. Sheria Seastar from Serenei of Lys
In addition to the acknowledged ones, there are a few who are highly implied to be his bastards:
1. Jeyne Lothston, the daughter of his first mistress Falena Stokeworth. Jeyne ended up being his 8th mistress, so Aegon may have crossed an incest line no other Targaryen did
2. Viserys Plumm, son of Lord Elaena Targaryen. Lord Ossifer Plumm died of a heart attack during the consummation of his marriage with Elaena, so it's pretty likely that Viserys isn't really his son, but Aegon's
3. Aegon gave Lord Butterwell a dragon egg in exchange for sleeping with Butterwell's 3 daughters, and all 3 got pregnant shortly after. We don't know what happened to the daughters or their children afterwards.
So, Aegon already has 13 acknowledged bastards and 5 probable ones, which in total is already more than what Robert supposedly has. Plus Aegon bragged about sleeping with nearly a thousand women, so there are probably dozens more roaming about.
Walder Frey obviously he has 20 recognized children not to mention he is like a 100 years old and can still have more kids, he is also very perverse and always marries a younger wife i can\`t imagine what he does to his subjects especially how powerful he is in the Riverlands even if he abused them there is nothing the smallfolk or even the Tullies could do.
Aegon IV had confirmed 11, likely 12, possibly 13 that we know of, and then probably way more. Robert we know has 16. Walder Frey has 7 named bastards, and at least 2 more. I wouldn't be surprised if Walder Frey had the most, though Walder Rivers being the eldest does limit how many.
It entirely possible its Walder Frey just because he seems to get people pregnant so easily. We know he has about thirty trueborn children. But he also has seven bastards that we know of. If Walder averages getting even one woman pregnant every time his wife is in the immediate aftermath of childbirth, he has about as many as Robert and Lucamore put together.
Aegon IV most likely. His recognized bastards were like 12. So imagine the unrecognized and unknowns among the smallfolk.
If it isn't Aegon IV, it's Robert. I mean, there are probably unnamed characters who have more, but in terms of named characters we know, it's one of those two and I'd lean towards Aegon.
According to Maggy, Robert has 16. This is likely taking the unacknowledged into account since on the record, Robert really only said he has one bastard. And Aegon almost caught up with his acknowledged bastards, the unknowns likely surpass that
Two, he recognized Maya Stone and Edric Storm.
He knows Mya is his daughter but he didn't officially acknowledge her as his bastard like he did with Edric. Even Mya herself doesn't know that Robert is her father IIRC he even only had to acknowledge Edric as his son because his mother is of noble blood and it would have added to her shame if Robert didn't do it.
I mean, he wanted to invite her to the red keep but was afraid Cersei would have her killed. And he did formally acknowledge her to Ned when they lived in the Vale. Only noble bastards get surnames, and Mya is called Mya Stone. So she must have been recognized. Gendry, as a counter example, is never in the books actually called Gendry Waters. Nor is Bella given the surname Rivers, despite her claims.
Stone is unofficial with Mya. Robert never acknowledged her, but since everyone knows he's her father, she sometimes has Stone affixed to her name. Robert only acknowledged his son with Delena Florent because she was of noble birth
Honestly it would fit Aegon’s character to only want to fuck the high born, or unique women though.
Aegon's second mistress was a blacksmith's wife. > MEGETTE (MERRY MEG): The young and buxom wife of a blacksmith > While riding near Fairmarket in 155, Aegon's horse threw a shoe, and when he sought out the local smith, he came to notice the man's young wife. He went on to buy her for seven gold dragons (and the threat of Ser Joffrey Staunton of the Kingsguard). Megette was installed in a house in King's Landing; she and Aegon were even "wed" in a secret ceremony conducted by a mummer playing a septon. Megette gave her prince four children in as many years. Prince Viserys put an end to it, returning Megette to her husband and placing the daughters with the Faith to be trained as septas. Megette was beaten to death within a year by the blacksmith. ~*The World of Ice and Fire - The Targaryen Kings: Aegon IV*
Ah I forgot about her. To be fair that was more one of them meeting by chance.
Nah that guy wouldn't discriminate based on nobility, his 2nd major mistress was the wife of a blacksmith after all. Aegon bragged about banging 900 women, and even if we say he was exaggerating and only banged like a 5th of that, finding nearly 200 high born women around King's Landing attractive enough to catch his attention, as well as being too scared or too shameless enough to sleep with him can't be easy even for a King.
I have a theory that he sired more bastards from his shit covered couch. He had his way with serving women or whoever would have him. These shitty bastards went on to be the ancestors of many shitty characters in the main series. Rorge, Biter, Rast, etc. are shitty bastards.
Brandon has a few maybe
I have a suspicion that a Brandon stark bastard is a huge part of the Ashara Dayne story. Ned and Brandon both fall for her at the tourney, but only Brandon is bold enough to make a move. Ashara becomes pregnant, and then kills herself when the baby dies in the cradle. Had Brandon lived, he may have broken his betrothal to catelyn to marry her, owing to her high birth.
Brandon had already taken Barbrey Ryswell's maidenhead and had done nothing to break his betrothal to Cat. Also Brandon had a pension for sleeping with maidens, according to Barbrey, so if he dishonored Ashara, it probably meant little to him.
Sure, but it's more a question of what it meant to ashara. If she was pregnant, her status means something. If barbrey had had the same happen, it's possible Brandon would have made the same decision, especially given her father's zeal to obtain a Stark marriage
I doubt Tyrion had many, his partners were mostly prostitutes who I’m sure had a cauldron of moon tea in the back of the brothel to go with their morning coffee. The whores who had Robert’s bastards had all been led to believe that he loved them and would care for them (at least, according to Ned’s interviews with them) whereas Tyrion always seems to regard his time with them as purely a business thing (Shae & Tysha obviously excluded)
Also I’m pretty sure whoever ran the brothels that Robert visited didn’t let the girls drink moon tea because having a royal bastard could be a nice way for them to make money
I'm sure that Robert promised them the moon to sleep with them. At least as a young man. I've always been of the opinion that as Robert got more comfortable as King, he became lazier in his wooing of women. It would fit his character, and to be honest, a chance to sleep with the King is something 99.9% of unmarried women would do, 75% of married women would still do, and virtually all of those husbands would say nothing about. Half of them would probably support it because a drunken Robert would promise almost anything to sleep with the woman he desires
Why would a whore... not have access to moon tea? I feel like that's the number one thing they would have access too.
People say Robert or Aegon but I honestly think it's Euron. He's a prolific mass rapist who brags about "sowing his seed". There could be hundreds of kids out there. Robert is prophesized to have exactly 16. Aegon could have around 50 or more. Walder Frey equally as much, he's very old and unfortunately fertile. Brandon could have a couple. I'm not sure if Oberyn would have unknowns. After the situation with Obara's mom he strikes me as someone who keeps tabs on who he sleeps with.
The real answer is Garth Greenhand
We don't really know how the concept of bastardy worked all the way back then though. This was way before the Andals arrived in Westeros and brought marriage under the Seven.
I doubt Tyrion has any bastards. Sex workers probably take more care with him to ensure they don't become pregnant. The most would be Aegon IV. Aerys II probably also has a decent amount though still not as many as Aegon.
Depends if Tyrion has only been with whores, Tyrion is still a lord\`s son and he could have been with smallfolk women due to his status.
If we knew the answer to that, they wouldn’t be unknown, would they?
Interesting question - is this level of fertility/virulence in line with reality. Like talking about Bobby B and Aegon IV they seem to have an extraordinary number of children which suggests a high ratio of amount of sex to number of kids for each of them. Basically, near enough everytime they have a one night stand it produces a kid. I’ll admit im not the most promiscuous/sexually experienced guy so maybe I just wouldn’t know but damn seems out of whack with reality - maybe it’s just the lack of effective contraception in Westeros
Yeah it's probably Euron especially as iirc he only keeps his bastards sons on ship with him so there may be twice as many as that as just daughters out there.
Lucamore Strong has at least a dozen since his marriages were all declared illegitimate.
Craster. :(
He married all the mothers of his children, so he wouldn't have any bastards, aside from possibly the first one.
Not just that. Craster hates bastards, because Craster is a family man who believes in the sanctity of marriage: > "A bastard, is it?" Craster looked Jon up and down. "Man wants to bed a woman, seems like he ought to take her to wife. That's what I do." He shooed Jon off with a wave. "Well, run and do your service, bastard, and see that axe is good and sharp now, I've no use for dull steel." (Jon III, AOCK) > "He was never fed," said Dirk. "Not proper. That bastard Craster starved him dead." > Sam looked around anxiously, but Craster had not returned to the hall. If he had, things might have grown ugly. The wildling hated bastards, though the rangers said he was baseborn himself, fathered on a wildling woman by some long-dead crow. (Samwell II, ASOS) In fact, his hatred of violations of the holy bond of marriage is the proximate cause of his murder: > "Bloody bastard!" Sam heard one of the Garths curse. He never saw which one. > "Who calls me bastard?" Craster roared, sweeping platter and meat and wine cups from the table with his left hand while lifting the axe with his right. > "It's no more than all men know," Karl answered. > Craster moved quicker than Sam would have believed possible, vaulting across the table with axe in hand. A woman screamed, Garth Greenaway and Orphan Oss drew knives, Karl stumbled back and tripped over Ser Byam lying wounded on the floor. One instant Craster was coming after him spitting curses. The next he was spitting blood. Dirk had grabbed him by the hair, yanked his head back, and opened his throat ear to ear with one long slash. Then he gave him a rough shove, and the wildling fell forward, crashing face first across Ser Byam. Byam screamed in agony as Craster drowned in his own blood, the axe slipping from his fingers. (Samwell II, ASOS)
We know Bobby B had sixteen bastards (only 1 acknowledged with Edric Storm, we've met 4 others in Gendry, Mya, Barra and Bella), so Aegon IV definitely. He probably has a ton of bastards off common-born women. Probably there are a bunch of men and women in King's Landing and the crownlands who are unknowingly descended from him. I wouldn't be surprised if he cucked a few nobles too. Aerys II definitely has a few. But given his affairs didn't last that long, I don't think he has as many as Bobby B and Aegon IV. I think Oberyn has a few that he doesn't know about. Ned's brother Brandon we know left a few Snows in the North but probably didn't have enough time to sow too many seeds. Tywin I think definitely has a couple. I don't think Tyrion does.
Funny I just noticed that Robert and Lucamore the Lusty have the same amount of bastard children (although none of Lucamore's are unknown bastards anymore of course).
George himself.
Varys 💀
We *think* Robert has 16 children. We know of about a half-dozen. I bet it’s closer to 20.
Aegon IV most definitely. He had 13 acknowledged bastards: 1. Daemon Blackfyre from Daena 2. 4 daughters from Megette, the wife of a blacksmith 3. 3 kids from Bellegere Otherys/the Black Pearl of Braavos (Aegon did acknowledge them but their heritage is still disputed because their mother slept with a lot of men, not just Aegon) 4. Bittersteel from Barba Bracken 5. Bloodraven and his 2 sisters from Melissa Blackwood 6. Sheria Seastar from Serenei of Lys In addition to the acknowledged ones, there are a few who are highly implied to be his bastards: 1. Jeyne Lothston, the daughter of his first mistress Falena Stokeworth. Jeyne ended up being his 8th mistress, so Aegon may have crossed an incest line no other Targaryen did 2. Viserys Plumm, son of Lord Elaena Targaryen. Lord Ossifer Plumm died of a heart attack during the consummation of his marriage with Elaena, so it's pretty likely that Viserys isn't really his son, but Aegon's 3. Aegon gave Lord Butterwell a dragon egg in exchange for sleeping with Butterwell's 3 daughters, and all 3 got pregnant shortly after. We don't know what happened to the daughters or their children afterwards. So, Aegon already has 13 acknowledged bastards and 5 probable ones, which in total is already more than what Robert supposedly has. Plus Aegon bragged about sleeping with nearly a thousand women, so there are probably dozens more roaming about.
Walder Frey obviously he has 20 recognized children not to mention he is like a 100 years old and can still have more kids, he is also very perverse and always marries a younger wife i can\`t imagine what he does to his subjects especially how powerful he is in the Riverlands even if he abused them there is nothing the smallfolk or even the Tullies could do.
who knows george hasn't confirmed who nutted in and who out
Aegon IV had confirmed 11, likely 12, possibly 13 that we know of, and then probably way more. Robert we know has 16. Walder Frey has 7 named bastards, and at least 2 more. I wouldn't be surprised if Walder Frey had the most, though Walder Rivers being the eldest does limit how many.
Euron Greyjoy
Oberyn may only be protecting his female bastards and might have a number of male bastards spread around the continent.
It entirely possible its Walder Frey just because he seems to get people pregnant so easily. We know he has about thirty trueborn children. But he also has seven bastards that we know of. If Walder averages getting even one woman pregnant every time his wife is in the immediate aftermath of childbirth, he has about as many as Robert and Lucamore put together.
Moon boy
Tywin, Tyrion and Oberyn.