A number of horrible civil wars take place on the continent of Westeros, and internecine strife between the traditions of a Targaryen rivalry finds its fruitful expression. When Daemon Blackfyre, the legitimate bastard son of King Aegon IV, declared himself with a greater right to sit upon the Iron Throne than his half-brother, King Daeron II. Aegon IV had given Daemon an ancient sword, Blackfyre, but that also symbolically helped him claim power, dividing the noble houses into two factions: either Blackfyre or Targaryen loyalists.