how does baelon targaryen die

Prince Baelon Targaryen (son of King Jaehaerys I) dies from a sudden illness that maesters later describe as a “burst belly,” essentially acute appendicitis.

Quick Scoop: How Baelon Targaryen Dies

• Baelon is out on a royal hunt in the Kingswood when he first feels a sharp stitch in his side.

• The pain worsens rapidly once he returns to King’s Landing, and he becomes bedridden in the Tower of the Hand.

• He suffers for about five days with fever and agonizing abdominal pain before dying in his bed.

• Afterward, Grand Maester Runciter reports that he died of a “burst belly,” which is widely understood as a ruptured appendix.

• His father, King Jaehaerys I, personally lights Baelon’s funeral pyre, underscoring how sudden and devastating the death is for the royal family.

In-World Context

• Baelon’s death triggers a major succession crisis and leads to the Great Council at Harrenhal, where his son Viserys is chosen as heir over Rhaenys.

• In fandom and forum discussions, some readers speculate about whether there was anything “suspicious” about the timing or if it was purely natural illness, but the canon text presents it as a medical tragedy, not a murder plot.

Clarifying Which Baelon

There are actually two Baelons people ask about:

• Baelon Targaryen, son of Jaehaerys I (“the Brave” / “Spring Prince”) – dies of a burst belly after a hunt.

• Baelon Targaryen, infant son of Viserys I and Aemma Arryn in House of the Dragon – dies hours after birth from breathing difficulties, cremated with his mother.

If your question is about the show House of the Dragon, you’re likely thinking of the baby Baelon, who simply does not survive his difficult birth.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.