More Westeros Houses Are Tied to the Targaryen Family Tree Than You Think

House Targaryen has one of the most confusing family trees in Westeros, especially because of its infamous incestuous marriages. Still, there are instances of other noble houses marrying into the Targaryens’ main branch, providing a much-needed genetic variety to “the blood of the dragon” that they fight so hard to keep pure. In House of the Dragon, the most obvious example is House Hightower, while in Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) has no heirs apart from her dragons. There are lots more, though, from powerful houses in Westeros to noble houses in the Free Cities, so let’s organize it chronologically and see how mixed the blood of the dragon really is.

House Velaryon

House Velaryon is known to be one of House Targaryen’s key allies. Both of them descend from Old Valyria, although, as Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) notes in House of the Dragon, Velaryons have never been dragonlords. Instead, they are “of salt and sea,” making for excellent sailors and naval commanders, ruling the seas while Targaryens rule the skies. Corlys’ marriage to Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) does produce two dragonriders, however: Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell) and Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan). In turn, Laena marries Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), and Laenor marries Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), but neither of their lines continues the main Targaryen branch.

Going back further in time, it’s important to note that Aegon the Conqueror himself was born to a pairing of Targaryens and Velaryons. He and his sister-wives, Visenya and Rhaenys, had a Velaryon mother, Valaena, who, in turn, had a Targaryen mother. It’s confusing. After that, Aegon and Rhaenys’ son, King Aenys I, married Alyssa Velaryon, and they had a son, King Jaehaerys I (Michael Carter), who instituted the Doctrine of Exceptionalism to allow for House Targaryen’s incestuous marriages. After the Dance of Dragons, though, Rhaenyra and Daemon’s son, Aegon III (aka Aegon the Younger), ascends to the Iron Throne and marries Daenaera Velaryon, having five children, including two kings: Daeron I and Baelor I.

House Baratheon

In the years prior to Game of Thrones, House Baratheon is responsible for extinguishing House Targaryen during Robert’s Rebellion, but they were once powerful allies. In fact, Aegon the Conqueror is known to have had a bastard brother named Orys Baratheon, the founder of House Baratheon. In House of the Dragon, Rhaenys, the Queen Who Never Was, is the granddaughter of Jaehaerys I, Aemon, with Jocelyn Baratheon. In Fire & Blood, she even has the Baratheons’ signature jet-black hair, which was changed for the television series to make Rhaenyra’s storyline with her bastard children by Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr) more dramatic since they also don’t have the typical Targaryen silver hair.

House Arryn

In the very first episode of House of the Dragon, young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) has a close relationship with her mother, Aemma Arryn (Sian Brooke). Aemma is the daughter of Rodrik Arryn, head of House Arryn, and Daella Targaryen, which is why she has silver hair. This makes Aemma cousin to her husband, King Viserys I (Paddy Considine). It’s through Aemma that Viserys I’s line continues, with Rhaenyra’s heirs by Daemon sitting on the Iron Throne after the Dance of Dragons.

House Hightower

After Aemma dies, leaving him with no male heirs, Viserys I marries Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), and they produce four children: King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), Helaena (Phia Saban), and Daeron. House Hightower has always been powerful allies of House Targaryen, with Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) serving as Hand of the King to Jaehaerys I and Viserys I, as well as his grandson, Aegon II. Ultimately, though, it’s not through them that the Targaryen royal lineage continues after the Dance of Dragons.

House Rogare of Lys

​After the Dance of Dragons ends, it’s Rhaenyra’s eldest son with Daemon who ascends to the Iron Throne, young Aegon III. Although Aegon III leaves two male heirs who become kings, Daeron I and Baelor I, neither of them leave heirs of their own. As a result, it’s Aegon III’s brother who inherits the Iron Throne, Viserys II. After years being thought dead, Viserys II returns while Aegon III is still king, and they are close, with Viserys II having been his Hand of the King, as well as Daeron I’s and Baelor I’s. It’s through Viserys II that Rhaenyra’s line continues when he marries Larra Rogare, a noblewoman from the Free City of Lys. Together, they have four children, including King Aegon IV (aka Aegon the Unworthy), Naerys, and Aemon.

House Martell

Aegon IV married his sister, Naerys, and fathered more than a dozen bastards with other women. It’s his trueborn son, King Daeron II, who ascends to the Iron Throne, however, despite a series of civil wars known as the Blackfyre Rebellions, which start thanks to Aegon IV legitimizing all his bastards. Daeron II marries Myriah Martell of Dorne, and it’s thanks to this union that Dorne finally joins the Seven Kingdoms. Also, Daeron II’s sister, Daenerys (not our Dany), marries Prince Maron Martell of Dorne, further consolidating the Targaryens’ alliance with House Martell.

Decades later, before Robert’s Rebellion, Rhaegar Targaryen (Wilf Scolding) marries Elia Martell. They have two children, Rhaenys and Aegon, both of whom are brutally killed in the Sacking of King’s Landing by The Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) at the end of Robert’s Rebellion.

House Dayne

Daeron II and Myriah Martell have several children, including King Aerys I, who dies leaving no heirs. Who rises to the Iron Throne, then, is his younger brother, King Maekar I (Sam Spruell) — who appears in the upcoming series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Maekar I is a good king, and he marries Dyanna Dayne of Starfall. House Dayne plays a key role as an ally to House Targaryen in the following decades, with a descendant of theirs, Ser Arthur Dayne (Luke Roberts), almost beating young Ned Stark (Robert Aramayo) in the battle at the Tower of Joy.

Maekar I and Dyanna Dayne left many heirs, but a succession crisis ensued when he died, so the Hand of the King, Bloodraven (Joshua Ben-Tovim), called for a council. Maekar I’s youngest son is chosen as his heir, King Aegon V (Dexter Sol Ansell).

House Blackwood

Thanks to his adventures with Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) in his youth, Aegon V is a fan-favorite among Targaryen monarchs. Known by his nicknames “Egg” and “Aegon the Unlikely,” he is also the brother of Maester Aemon (Peter Vaughan) from Game of Thrones. Egg eventually marries Betha Blackwood and they have five children. Their second son is the one who ascends to the throne, however: King Jaehaerys II, who marries his sister Shaera. They have two children, King Aerys II (David Rintoul) and Rhaella, who also marry each other and have three children: Rhaegar, Viserys (Harry Lloyd), and Daenerys (our Dany).

House Stark

There are houses that never marry into House Targaryen’s main branch, like the Lannisters and Tyrells, for example. Such was the case of House Stark, too, until Game of Thrones reveals that Rhaegar Targaryen annulled his marriage to Elia Martell and secretly married Lyanna Stark (Aisling Franciosi), triggering the events of Robert’s Rebellion. Together, Rhaegar and Lyanna have a child, Aegon, who is adopted by Ned Stark (Sean Bean) and raised as his bastard son for protection. Ned renames this boy Jon Snow (Kit Harrington), but, ultimately, Bran Star (Isaac Hampstead-Wright) learns of Jon’s true identity due to the only pairing of Targaryens and Starks.