“Game of Thrones,” a popular HBO series that wowed fans during its eight-season run, was created from George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” book series by showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff. Despite being a fallen dynasty at the beginning of the show’s and the books’ stories, House Targaryen is a significant figure in Westeros history in this epic fantasy. The family’s history is complex, wide-ranging, and filled with incest. As a result, it can be challenging to keep the Targaryen family tree organized, but that’s why we’re here.
In order to give you a summary of the most important members of this royal family and the most significant historical events that occurred during their reign, we have mapped the House of the Dragon’s bloodline. This summary serves as a solid, thorough overview of the Targaryen family tree; if we provided you with every little detail, we’d be here until the next year and you’d likely have one killer headache. This will also help you in tracing the history of the once-powerful empire, from its creation to its peak to its gradual and agonizing fall and, finally, to the violent and devastation-filled aftermath (which is where the storyline shown in the tv show and the books really starts).
Here’s Game Of Thrones Targaryen Family Tree Explained:
Aegon The Conqueror
The First Targaryen to rule the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros was Aegon the Conqueror, also renowned as Aegon the Dragon. Aegon attacked and conquered six of the seven realms during the War of Conquest with the aid of his sister-wives, fellow dragonriders Rhaenys and Visenya, three dragons, and an army, establishing Targaryen dominance for generations. The only region that resisted was Dorne, which used armed resistance to survive for a few hundred years before joining the rest of the continent voluntarily through the marriages of Maron Martell & Princess Daenerys and Myriah Martell & King Daeron II.
Notably, Aegon is also responsible for building King’s Landing and for forging the enormous Iron Throne, the ruler’s seat, from the dragonfire-melted swords of his defeated enemies. When Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) and Daenerys discuss Aegon’s extensive conquest in Season 1 of the show, Jorah blames Aegon for doing so, claiming the man had no claim or right. Daenaerys thinks Aegon’s dragons were the deciding factor, while Jorah is skeptical of the existence of such creatures. The events that united the kingdoms occurred so long ago in their time. And to Jorah, the concept of actual dragons feels like something out of a far-off storybook.
Aegon IV
The next most important person in the Targaryen family tree is Aegon IV, sometimes known as Aegon the Unworthy because he is widely regarded as the worst ruler in the history of this dynasty. The twelfth Protector of the Realm was vain, corrupt, lusty, and gluttonous, taking many mistresses and indulging his vices to absurd heights. Aegon IV threatened Targaryen rule over the other kingdoms by legalizing all of his illegitimate children on his deathbed, whereas his children Daeron and Daenerys helped establish Targaryen rule over the seven realms by fusing Dorne with the remainder of the continent thru their marriages with the Martells.
Perhaps he did it for his son Daemon, who was the result of the king’s close relationships with Queen Daena, his cousin and mistress. Daemon was after all said to be Aegon IV’s favorite kid. Daemon established House Blackfyre to confirm his House of the Dragon status and proclaim himself the legitimate heir to the Iron Throne, dividing allegiances and starting a civil war in his quest for the throne upon his new status as the acknowledged son of a ruling—and dying—king. While Daemon himself lost his life in the first Blackfyre Rebellion’s Battle of the Redgrass Field, his heirs adopted his cause and sparked a campaign that lasted for 60 years. Overall, this person is definitely an undeserving king. Additionally, there appears to be a clear similarity between Aegon IV and King Henry VIII.
Aegon V
King Daeron II died of the Great Spring Sickness and left the throne to his son Aerys, whose reign was reportedly plagued by starvation and numerous uprisings. Maekar, Aerys’ brother, was given the throne because Aerys had no offspring and his other brothers were either dead or plagued by the “Targaryen madness” that results from centuries of inbreeding. Aegon V, once 12th in line and called “Egg” by book fans and his older brother Aemon, then became Maekar’s unlikely heir as a result of one child’s death and another’s vows as a maester.
Martin depicts Aegon V’s early life through the prequel book series “Tales of Dunk and Egg,” which shows the young boy as he forms a relationship with and becomes the protege of Ser Duncan the Tall, who will become his future Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, and finds a deep empathy for the disadvantaged smallfolk.
In order to help ensure financial stability for the common people, Aegon V increased taxes on the wealthy when he took power in the middle of a hard winter and ruled for 26 years. As a result, he gained popularity among the common people, but the nobles grew to dislike him. He married his sister in the tv series, but he wed Betha Blackwood in the books, where he was praised for his support of liberal policies and passionate relationships (despite the political implications). In the books, Prince Duncan and his son Jaehaerys succeeded him on the throne when they died in the Tragedy at Summerhall while attempting to hatch ancient dragon eggs.
Aerys II, The Mad King
The HBO series’ creators retconned a few facts about this vast family tree in order to clarify the Targaryen heritage and make some familial ties simpler to understand. books Aerys II is the son and heir of Aegon V rather than being the grandson of Aegon V and the grandson of Jaehaerys as he is described in the books. Aerys takes over as the 16th Protector of the Realm instead of the 17th due to the omission of Jaehaerys, who the books claim ruled over Westeros for only three years before passing away from grief.
As you can see, it’s still a little challenging to keep track of the Targaryen dynasty whether you’re using the show’s mythology or the canon from the books. But when a royal family is so dedicated to maintaining pure bloodlines that they marry their brothers and cousins, that is what happens. Things become challenging. Aerys started out as a kind king who fought for his dad in the War of the Ninepenny Kings, but he fell prey to the “Targaryen madness.”
His six-month captivity during the Battle of Duskendale signaled the beginning of his rise to dictatorship and cruelty. In an effort to hurt his old friend and steal away the man’s heir, he beat and raped his sister-wife, lusted for his Hand Tywin Lannister’s wife, and made Jaime Lannister a member of the Kingsguard. He preferred to kill by fire because he thought of himself as a dragon dressed in human form. Before Jaime stabbed him, he was about to burn everything to the ground.
Rhaegar
All of Westeros highly awaited Rhaegar’s rule because he was the eldest child of King Aerys II and Queen Rhaella. In fact, everyone was prepared to put up with Aerys’ insanity for a little longer because they had such great expectations for what Rhaegar would accomplish for the realms. Even Rhaegar decided to let his father rule rather than step in when he got even more irrational because he thought the little royal court could remain stable until he took over. But Aerys persisted in turning his former friends, especially the Lannisters, into formidable enemies because of mistrust and increasing lunacy.
The increasingly worried Aerys II rejected the proposal of a union between his son Rhaegar and Hand Tywin’s daughter Cersei that may have strengthened the bond between House Lannister and House Targaryen out of fear that Hand Tywin might usurp him. Instead, the king arranged for Rhaegar and Elia Martell to get married (because of the fact that his heir had no sister to marry). Together, the couple gave birth to Aegon and Rhaenys, a son and a daughter. Rhaegar, however, had another love.
Lyanna Stark of Winterfell was brought to tears by Rhaeger’s harp during the Great Tourney at Harrenhal. Rhaeger spoke to Lyanna as the “Queen of Love and Beauty” and placed the winner’s wreath in front of the northern she-wolf after defeating Ser Barristan Selmy in a joust instead of giving it to his wife. Not long after, he revoked his marital relationship with Elia Martell.
Queen Rhaella
As the sister and wife of Aerys II, the Mad King, in both of those universes, Queen Rhaella is the daughter of Jaehaerys in the books and Aegon V in the television series. She underwent a great deal of intimate abuse and violence during her relationship with her brother, as well as numerous miscarriages and stillbirths in the time between Rhaegar’s birth and Viserys. Rhaella fled to Dragonstone, the Targaryens’ ancestral home, with her remaining son Viserys after her oldest son, Rhaegar, was killed at the Battle of the Trident, while her cruel brother-husband perished in the Sack of King’s Landing.
She gave birth to her daughter Daenerys there in Dragonstone during a severe storm before passing away from the stress of giving birth. The two were later transported by Targaryen supporters across the Narrow Sea, where they were raised in exile among the Free Cities. Rhaella is remembered in “A Song of Ice and Fire” as a kind mother who always tried to shield her kids from seeing the darkest parts of their father.
Viserys
Viserys is among the few Targaryens who are still alive at the beginning of both the book and television series. He is shown as an unstable lunatic who is pretty awful toward his sister since he holds her responsible for the death of their mother. He is the son of Queen Rhaella and Aerys II and the brother of Daenerys and the late Rhaegar. While Viserys looked out for friends who could help him in going back to Westeros to regain the Iron Throne, he never really made much progress, and the brothers grew up wandering the Free Cities. He sometimes even had to ask for food.
Viserys and Daenerys visit Magister Illyrio Mopatis in Pentos at the start of the show. In exchange for an army large enough to transport him back across the Narrow Sea and attack the Seven Kingdoms, Viserys has just set up a marriage between Daenerys and the warlord Khal Drogo of the Dothraki people. Viserys insists on going with the Dothraki after the wedding until Khal Drogo fulfills his half of the contract, but by the time the group arrives in the city of Vaes Dothrak, his patience has reached a breaking point.
When Viserys poses a threat to Dany and her unborn baby with Khal Drogo while inebriatedly demanding what the lord promised him, Viserys suffers a brutal Season 1 death. The other man merely replies by promising to present Viserys with “a glittering crown that mankind will tremble to see.” Then, with Dany’s approval, Khal Drogo murders Viserys by soaking him in molten gold.
Daenerys
Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), the only girl of Queen Rhaella & the Mad King and the little sister of Viserys and Rhaegar, has what’s undoubtedly the most awesome name in all of Westeros and Essos. She refers to herself as “Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, the Unburnt, First of Her Name, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons” in the official title that she has given herself.
You could understandably question why Daenerys uses the first part of her name while addressing herself. She had always been obedient to her creepy brother and meek. Additionally, following her forced marriage in the first season of the show, when she receives books on the Seven Kingdoms from the exiled knight Ser Jorah (who offers his services to her and her brother) and oldest surviving dragon eggs from Magister Illyrio Mopatis, Daenerys briefly struggles to adjust.
However, after learning how to use her sexuality to her advantage from her handmaiden and beginning to learn the Dothraki language from her translator, Dany starts to build out a comfortable life and a strong position for herself. Eventually, she loses her brother, her unborn baby, and the love of her life. However, she also frees slaves, gathers armies, and survives her husband’s funeral pyre unharmed, along with three newly hatched dragons. Unfortunately, Dany can’t avoid falling into “Targaryen madness” despite her resistance to fire (only in the show) and her success in freeing slaves.
Jon Snow
The son of Rhaegar and Lyanna, Jon Snow (born Aegon Targaryen) was raised as a member of House Stark and also as Ned Stark’s illegitimate son. Ned told his dying sister he will indeed raise her child as his own and cover the boy’s family roots, despite the embarrassment it would bring on himself and his wife. Jon/Aegon (Kit Harington), who is Rhaegar’s only child, is the rightful successor to the Iron Throne, but nobody—not even Jon—is aware that he carries both fire and ice in his blood.
He vows loyalty to the Night’s Watch after he reaches legal age. He goes beyond the Wall during his duty, makes friends with wildlings, sees the crimes done by wights and White Walkers, rises from the dead after being killed by mutinous soldiers, and becomes Lord Commander. Once again alive, Jon is released from his Night Watch duties and goes back to Winterfell to help Sansa Stark retake the North.
From there, he swears allegiance to Dany in the struggle against Cersei, and the two fall in love while remaining unconscious of their familial connections (though he later finds out he is her nephew). At the conclusion of the HBO series, Jon puts duty over love and kills Dany to stop further carnage after witnessing her destroy a trapped King’s Landing with her dragon. He is briefly imprisoned for his crimes and then joins the wildlings, eliminating the last Targaryen from Westeros.
Also Read: Top 10 Most Popular Game Of Thrones Characters: Jon Snow Is Not On The Top
