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  ==''A Song of Ice and Fire''==
  In the series, the Iron Throne is both a physical seat of office as well as a metonym for the monarchy of Westeros. Martin establishes in ''A Game of Thrones'' (1996) that after seizing control of six of the Seven Kingdoms, Targaryen ruler Aegon the Conqueror had made a throne for himself from the swords of his vanquished enemies, fused by dragonfire. Aegon had established King's Landing as the royal capital, and the Iron Throne itself sits in the Red Keep. Martin writes that according to legend, Aegon kept the blades sharp so that no ruler should ever sit comfortably. Centuries later, kings still cut themselves on the throne; it is a common belief that such rulers are therefore unfit to rule.