Game of Thrones: Every Targaryen, Ranked By Intelligence

Game of Thrones definitely had every fan rooting for a certain house. It doesn’t matter if you were for the Starks, the Targaryens, or the Lannisters—it was always very entertaining to watch. Unfortunately, all good things end at some point. It’s a truly unique show unlike anything else because of how it combines the epicness of the fantasy genre and the intricacies of drama. However, you could still see some common traits the characters from a certain house had, even though they were still quite similar. Here is every member of House Targaryen ranked by intelligence.

Viserys Targaryen

Viserys Targaryen is Daenerys’ older brother and Rhaegar’s younger brother. He is the son of the Mad King known for his madness, and, unfortunately, Viserys inherited this madness his father had. Obviously, this does not bring any happiness to him or to his sister.

Viserys is extremely full of himself, arrogant, manipulative, and whiny. He believes that he is a great warrior like his brother was and thinks that everyone should obey him just because he has Targaryen blood. He is also very naive which makes him see the world only the way he wants to see it.

Aerys II Targaryen

Also known as the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen was by far the most tyrannical ruler of Westeros. Thankfully, not all of his children inherited his bad traits, but they were very close to doing so. In fact, Daenerys eventually gave in to her mad nature that her father had. Aerys started out as a benevolent ruler, which is probably the only reason why he could be considered a little more intelligent than his son Viserys. Aerys regularly took advice from some of the people around him, but he would also make independent orders that were probably even worse and led to his demise. Also, don’t forget about his brilliant idea to put wildfire under King’s Landing…

Rhaenys Targaryen

Even though she did not appear in the show, she is probably one of the most important figures in the lore of the books and the show. Besides, Rhaenys Targaryen was mentioned several times by different characters. She is the younger sister of Visenya Targaryen and Aegon the Conqueror (to who she was also married).

Rhaenys was considered the more beautiful sister of the two since Aegon would spend ten nights with her for every one night he spent with Visenya. Even though Rhaenys wasn’t much of a warrior, she still flew on a dragon and supported Aegon in conquering Westeros.

Duncan Targaryen

Duncan Targaryen could have been destined for great things, but love got in the way. Perhaps it was incredibly brave and intelligent to throw away a proposed marriage in favor of the love of a non-royal, but others might suggest that this was a dangerous and stupid move to make. It did lead to chaos, bloodshed, and the potential for mass instability, but Duncan’s abdication was ultimately the right decision for himself. His intelligence is thus up for debate, but the legacy of the man is of a tactical fighter and victor in a number of small-scale battles and large tournies. However, he was not minded enough to defeat Ser Barriston in one of his final defeats.

Rhaella Targaryen

Intelligence comes in many forms and while Rhaella might not have been conventionally smart, she had the wits of a loving parent and a penchant for survival. In her early years, she was rather dutiful in her approach to her family, playing politics in her own way, and keeping the peace around her. As she grew older and she became trapped within the abusive holds of the Mad King, Rhaella continued to think of ways to protect her children and loved ones. She had one priority and she was able to succeed, despite the trauma she would endure. After the fall of the Targaryens, she thought of a way to negotiate escape, once again surviving in the midst of bloodshed.

Aegon Targaryen

Known throughout the show as Jon Snow, Aegon Targaryen is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, which means he is the older brother of Daenerys. For the sake of clarity, it’s better to refer to him as Jon Snow because, even though after he found out about his parentage, he stayed true to his Stark upbringing.

Jon might not know many things, but he is still mature beyond his years. Because he grew up as a bastard, he had to learn early how to navigate the Stark household. Jon has made many mistakes as a leader, which even led to his murder at some point, but he was still smart enough to survive the Game of Thrones and do the right thing in the end by killing Daenerys and preventing her from becoming a tyrant.

Daenerys Targaryen

Just like her brother Jon, Daenerys has made quite a few mistakes as a leader, but, overall, her “career” was successful. After all, she didn’t earn all of those titles for nothing! Daenerys started out as an innocent girl and transformed into a strong ruler who was unafraid to be bold and use all available means for her cause. Nevertheless, Daenerys’ “mad” genes eventually made her obsessed with her goals and turned her into a tyrant. The reason why Daenerys was smart was that she learned from the people who wanted to use her and started using her sexuality to gain power.

Visenya Targaryen

Another character that did not appear on the show but was mentioned several times is Visenya Targaryen. She was the eldest of the three Targaryens that rules during Aegon’s Conquest. She was the more warrior-like of the two sisters, which is probably the reason why Arya named her as her idol. Visenya played an integral part in the conquest of Westeros and even single-handedly took the Vale of Arryn with her forces. She was a skilled warrior and extremely smart, too, which is why she was admired by both of her siblings and valued by her brother and husband for her sharp mind.

Rhaegar Targaryen

Rhaegar is one of the three most intelligent Targaryens. He appeared on the show only in flashbacks, but, if you think of it, Rhaegar was the one who started most of the action. His only mistake was perhaps the “stealing” of Lyanna, which made him look like a villain afterward.

Those who knew Rhaegar described him as a very intelligent and well-educated young man who was very kind and didn’t like fighting despite being a great warrior. Rhaegar would also go out to the common people, sing, and give out as money to the poor as he could.

Aegon I Targaryen

Also known as Aegon the Conqueror, Aegon I Targaryen did not appear on the show either, but he has been referred to many times as one of the earliest kings of the kingdoms. Aegon’s intelligence is pretty obvious considering the fact that he managed to conquer all of Westeros (except for Dorne) and then rule over them wisely until his death. Aegon’s rule lasted for thirty years after he was done with the conquest. Unfortunately, after his death, a war ensued because of his sons being rejected due to their incestuous origins. Nevertheless, Aegon is definitely the second most intelligent Targaryen right after Aemon.