Few fantasy dynasties loom as large over pop culture as the dragon-riding House Targaryen. Defined by a notorious streak of madness, the silver-haired rulers of Westeros are t5he backbone of HBO’s Game of Thrones franchise. House of the Dragon delved into the dynasty’s most destructive civil war, and now A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set to explore a humbler era of its legacy. Game of Thrones, on its part, has already chronicled the near-extinction of Westeros through Daenerys Targaryen. Viewers, however, are eager to understand how all these stories are connected. And at the heart of it lies a sprawling, often tragic bloodline – one that stretches from Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen to King Aegon V “Egg,” and ultimately to the Mother of Dragons – Daenerys Targaryen herself.
House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra Targaryen and the Beginning of the End
Game of Thrones’ prequel series, introduces the audience to Rhaenyra Targaryen, the first-born child of King Viserys I and his chosen heir to the Iron Throne. Her claim, however, ignites the infamous Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, pitting her faction – the Blacks – against her half-brother Aegon II’s Greens.
And Rhaenyra’s story is pivotal. It marks the moment when House Targaryen begins to destroy itself from within. Dragons fight dragons, kin turns against kin and the dynasty’s greatest strength also becomes its biggest undoing. Though Rhaenyra briefly rules as queen, her reign ends brutally, and the war leaves the permanently weakened. And despite her tragic fate, Rhaenyra’s bloodline survives – and through her sons that the future of the house is secured.
Aegon III and the Dragonless Age
It is Rhaenyra’s son, Aegon III Targaryen who eventually ascends the Iron Throne after the Dance of the Dragons concludes. Aegon the Dragonbane as he is known, ushers in a somber reign. The last of the dragons (until GoT) die out during or shortly after his rule and House Targaryen is left without the creatures that once made them gods in a sea of men.
This loss, however, fundamentally also alters House Targaryen’s position in Westeros. While the Targaryens would go on to rule for generation, without their mighty dragons, their grip on power weakens and the seeds of rebellion and instability begin to grow.
From Kings to Knights: Enter Egg
Fast-forward several decades to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the new HBO series based on George RR Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas. The story follows Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire, Egg – a boy who initially seems unremarkable but is later revealed to be Aegon Targaryen, a royal prince. Egg is the great-grandson of Rhaenyra Targaryen, placing him firmly within her surviving bloodline. Unlike many of his ancestors, Egg grows up close to common folk, travelling the realm rather than ruling it. This upbringing shapes his worldview and ultimately defines his reign.
When Egg is finally anointed as King Aegon V Targaryen, he attempts to reform Westeros, pushing for laws that protect the smallfolk and limit the excesses of the nobility. However, his progressive ideas anger powerful lords, and his reign is marked by political resistance and tragedy – including the mysterious and disastrous events at Summerhall.
Summerhall and the beginning of Madness
The tragedy of Summerhall is one of the most important moments in Targaryen history. King Aegon V dies in a catastrophic fire while attempting to hatch dragon eggs, driven by a belief that dragons are the key to restoring his house’s greatness. The failure at Summerhall foreshadows the madness that will later consume Aegon’s descendants. Egg’s children and grandchildren inherit not only his blood but also the burden of a dynasty struggling to reclaim lost glory.
The Mad King and the Fall of the Dynasty
Aegon V’s grandson, Aerys II Targaryen – better known as the Mad King – becomes the final ruler of the Targaryen dynasty and it is his descent into paranoia and cruelty that triggers Robert Baratheon’s rebellion (Robert’s Rebellion), leading to the overthrow of House Targaryen and the slaughter of much of the royal family.
Only two Targaryens survive – Viserys and his younger sister, Daenerys – smuggled away into exile as children.
Daenerys Targaryen and Fire Reborn in Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones brings the story full circle through Daenerys Targaryen, a direct descendant of Rhaenyra via Aegon III and Aegon V’s line. Against all odds, Daenerys succeeds where her ancestors failed – hatching three dragons from petrified eggs and reviving the symbol of Targaryen supremacy. However, like many before her, Daenerys struggles with the legacy of madness and destiny that haunts her bloodline.
The Targaryen Family Tree, Simplified
- Daenerys had two brothers: Rhaegar Targaryen and Viserys Targaryen. Rhaegar was killed during Robert’s Rebellion after running away with Lyanna Stark, with whom he secretly had a son – Jon Snow (Aegon Targaryen). After the rebellion, Viserys and a pregnant Rhaella fled Westeros, and Daenerys was born in exile in Essos.
- Rhaegar, Viserys, and Daenerys were the children of King Aerys II Targaryen, known as the Mad King, and Queen Rhaella Targaryen. Aerys II and Rhaella were themselves the children of King Jaehaerys II Targaryen and Queen Shaera Targaryen.
- Jaehaerys II was the son of King Aegon V Targaryen, famously nicknamed “Egg” and known from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Unlike many of his ancestors, Aegon V married outside the family, choosing Betha Blackwood as his wife.
- Aegon V was the son of King Maekar I Targaryen, who also married outside House Targaryen, to Dyanna Dayne. Maekar’s father was King Daeron II Targaryen, whose wife was Myriah Martell of Dorne.
- Daeron II was the son of King Aegon IV Targaryen, known as “the Unworthy,” and Queen Naerys Targaryen. Aegon IV and Naerys were the children of King Viserys II Targaryen and Larra Rogare.
- Finally, Viserys II Targaryen was the son of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (House of the Dragon) and her husband/uncle Daemon Targaryen.