Ah, the Targaryens… They sure love their family. Almost as much as they love white wigs. This familial love, however, comes with a very serious problem: between all the incest, the backstabbing, and the multiple Aegons, Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon fans can sometimes get lost in the specifics of the most important family in the Seven Kingdoms. Game of Thrones alone already has about six Targaryens featured as proper characters, not to mention the ones that are brought up as relevant figures in the history of the Iron Throne. When we throw House of the Dragon into the mix, things get even more complicated. After all, this is a show in which basically all the characters are Targaryens, and they’re all related to one another by either blood or marriage — sometimes, both! Still, if you find yourself at a loss about who’s who in this neverending dance of dragons, fear not: here’s a guide to all the most important Targaryens in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.
Aegon I Targaryen
The founder of the Targaryen dynasty, Aegon the Conqueror flew from Valyria to Westeros and unified the Seven Kingdoms before the events of both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. He had two children, one with each of his sister-wives: Aenys was Rhaenys son, while Maegor was his son with Visenya. His story will be depicted in the Aegon the Conquerer spin-off prequel. He rides the massive dragon Balerion and House of the Dragon confirms him to be a Dreamer.
Visenya Targaryen
The older of Aegon’s two sisterwives, Visenya was known to be stern and passionate. She wields Dark Sister (the sword later passed down to Daemon Targaryen) and rides Vhagar (who is later ridden by Aemond Targaryen.) The eldest of all three Valyrians, rumor is that while Aegon married Visenya in Valyrian fashion, he also took their younger sister Rhaenys as a wife as well — Visenya for duty and Rhaenys for love.
Rhaenys Targaryen
The youngest of the three siblings, Rhaenys was gentler than her older sister and brother. She’s said to prefer dancing and music and flew more on the back of her dragon Meraxes than either of the other two. It is through Rhaenys that the Targaryen line is continued after her son Aenys takes the throne.
Jaehaerys Targaryen
King Jaehaerys I (Michael Carter) is the grandson of King Aegon I by way of his son, Aenys, and Alyssa Velaryon. He had thirteen children , all of whom that were able to inherit the throne died before the end of his reign. Without a proper heir, he held a Great Council so that the lords of Westeros could choose to be ruled by either Rhaenys (Eve Best), the daughter of his eldest son, or Viserys (Paddy Considine), his eldest living grandson. Due to the fact that the realm prefers a male heir, Viserys is the one chosen in the very first episode of House of the Dragon. Jaehaerys rides the dragon Vermithor, who we see Daemon sing to during the end of Season 1 of House of the Dragon and is later claimed by Jaehaerys’ bastard grandson, Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew).
Alysanne Targaryen
The wife as well as the sister of King Jaehaerys, Alysanne, was known as the Good Queen and is, up to this day, remembered fondly by the smallfolk of Westeros. Set to marry Ser Orryn Baratheon, Alysanne eloped with her brother to Dragonstone, but the secret union was nearly voided as Jaehaerys refused to consummate the wedding due to his sister’s young age. Their marriage remained hidden from the people of Westeros for many years until Jaehaerys came of age and became king. The two then married in a small public ceremony and had thirteen children together. During her years as queen, Alysanne was known by the people as Good Queen Alysanne, and was loved by both highborn and lowborn people. She passed away a few years before her husband. Near the end, she’d lost the ability to ride her dragon, Silverwing, and she suffered hearing loss and memory loss. But what was the final straw for her was the suicide of her favorite daughter, Gael, after already having lost 9 other children.
Rhaenys Targaryen
The Queen Who Never Was earned this moniker after losing the throne to her cousin, Viserys, in the Great Council held by her heirless grandfather, King Jaeherys I. Due to her desire to see a woman on the Iron Throne, Rhaenys eventually comes to support Rhaenyra in the Dance of the Dragons. She is married to Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), with whom she has two children, Laenor (John Macmillan) and Laena (Nanna Blondell). She rides the dragon Meleys, the Red Queen, until her tragic death in House of the Dragon.
Viserys Targaryen
Unable to provide a male heir with his first wife, Aemma (Sian Brooke), Viserys names his only daughter, Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock/Emma D’Arcy), as his successor to the throne. This proves to be a mistake for King Viserys eventually remarries Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey/Olivia Cooke), with whom he has three sons: Aegon II (Tom Glynne-Carney), Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), and Daeron. The two also have a daughter, whom they name Helaena (Phia Saban). Viserys also rode Balerion, though only for a year before his death.
Daemon Targaryen
Before marrying his niece, Daemon (Matt Smith) was her opponent in the fight for the Iron Throne, but his claim eventually went down the drain with the birth of Aegon II. Daemon initially marries Laena Velaryon, with whom he has two daughters, Baela (Bethany Antonia) and Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell). After Laena kills herself via dragon in order not to die in childbirth, he marries Rhaenyra, with whom he has three children, including the stillborn Visenya. He rides the uniquely long-necked Caraxes, the Blood Wyrm. Season 2 of House of the Dragon kicks off with him trying to hold his armies together as Rhaenyra mourns the death of Lucerys. In order to get her the payback that she desires, he hires two men – a rat catcher and a dissenting member of the City Watch – to murder Prince Aemond. However, his actions eventually led to the death of Prince Jaehaerys, which will undoubtedly deepen the war between both factions of House Targaryen. Daemon goes on to secure the Riverlands for Rhaenyra, though not without trial and error.
Rhaenyra Targaryen
The only living child of King Viserys and Aemma Arryn, Rhaenyra is the match that lights the fire of the Dance of the Dragons. It is her father naming her heir in lieu of his brother Daemon that leads the noble houses of Westeros to split up and fight in the bloody war that we have just seen the beginning of in House of the Dragon. Rhaenyra gets married twice over the course of her life and has three children both with Laenor Velaryon (at least publicly) and her uncle-husband Daemon. She rides the yellow-gold dragon Syrax. At the beginning of Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra is heartbroken due to the sudden death of her second-born son, Lucerys. Upon finding his dragon’s wing on the beach, she returns to her castle only to demand the head of Prince Aemond as retribution. Despite her grief, Rhaenyra searches for peace long after everyone else but eventually recognizes that the war is inevitable and takes steps to defeat her half-brother by finding new dragonriders outside of the Targaryen lineage.
Baela Targaryen
Baela is the older of Daemon’s two daughters by Laena Velaryon. Baela, whose dragon is Moondancer, is clearly her father’s favorite child. She is betrothed to Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett) and sides with Rhaenyra during the Dance of the Dragons.
Rhaena Targaryen
Rhaena is the younger of Daemon’s two daughters. In Fire & Blood, she is Baela’s twin, but both versions of the character have an insecurity in common. Rhaena has no dragon. In the book, hers dies during infancy, while in the show it seems like her dragon egg never hatched. Eventually, though, Fire & Blood reveals that Rhaena manages to bond with a dragon named Morning, making her the last dragonrider, but the series has hinted at a different plot for her, as Season 2 leaves her face to face with the wild dragon Sheepstealer. She was betrothed to Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault) before his death and is seen crying and mourning him at his funeral at the beginning of Season 2.
Jacaerys Velaryon
The eldest son of Rhaenyra and Laenor Velaryon is actually the bastard son of Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr). Jacaerys Targaryen, or Jace, as he is known by his family, is supposed to be the heir to the throne following his mother’s reign. Season 1 ends with him flying north on his dragon Vermax to Winterfell to gain the alliance of the Starks. He succeeds, but while paying a visit to The Wall, he learns of the death of his younger brother, Lucerys, and returns utterly devastated to attend a wake without a body. Jace shows himself to be a talented negotiator, striking a deal with the North, the Vale, and even the Freys.
Lucerys Velaryon
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The middle child of Rhaenyra and Laenor/Harwin, Lucerys is killed in the last episode of Season 1 of House of the Dragon by his uncle, Aemond Targaryen. He’s riding on his dragon, Arrax, near Storm’s End when Aemond attacks him with his own mount, Vhagar. Aemond doesn’t mean to kill his nephew, merely threaten him, but the result is disastrous either way: with one bite, Vhagar splits Arrax in the middle and swallows poor Luke whole.
Joffrey Velaryon
The youngest son of Rhaenyra and Laenor/Harwin, Jofrrey’s true parentage is in the color of his hair. He is named after Laenor’s former lover who died at the hands of Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel). His baby dragon is named Tyraxes. Joffrey is sent to the Vale to honor the agreement Jace struck with Jeyne Arryn (Amanda Collin), serving as their dragonrider protector despite his age.
Aegon Targaryen
The firstborn son of King Viserys and Queen Alicent is Aegon II. His birth is what eventually leads to the beginning of the so-called Dance of the Dragons, as the presence of a direct male heir to the king weakened Rhaenyra’s claim to the Iron Throne. Despite being a horrible man who enjoys watching his own baby bastards fight to the death in makeshift arenas and regularly sexually assaults his servants, Aegon is crowned king in the final episode of Season 1 of House of the Dragon. And, honestly, the beginning of Season 2 doesn’t make him seem like a particularly bad king, although he is more than a little bit inexperienced. While holding court, he is not deaf to the plight of the common folk but makes an effort to be liked while often disregarding the needs of his own army, which is currently at war. At the small council, he is shown to be extremely disrespectful to others, using his son, Jahaerys, as a way of tormenting his Master of Coin, Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall). There are also clear signs that he might be a little too easy to manipulate, what with Lord Larys (Matthew Needham) all but being named Hand after a brief conversation. Aegon rides the dragon Sunfyre, considered one of the most beautiful dragons. In the Battle of Rook’s Rest, Aegon is attacked by his brother Aemond, leaving Aegon severely burned and unable to rule for an extended period of time. He is last seen escaping King’s Landing with Larys, fearing Aemond’s wrath.
Helaena Targaryen
Helaena Targaryen is the second child of King Viserys and Queen Alicent. She’s a dragon dreamer, meaning she has visions of the future. She’s married to her brother Aegon II, with whom she has three children. As of Season 2, however, they only have their daughter Jaehaera. It’s unclear if their third child, Maelor, will be a character in the show, and Prince Jahaerys is killed in Episode 1 after the two killers hired by Daemon take his life instead of Aemond’s as payback for the murder of Lucerys. Forced to choose between her children, Helaena sinks into madness according to the book. Her dragon is the blue dragon Dreamfyre, though, in the show, she made it clear she has no interest in fighting the war on dragonback.
Aemond Targaryen
Aemond “One-Eye” gained his unfortunate nickname after losing his left eye in a childhood fight with his nephew Lucerys over the latter’s parentage. He eventually gets back at Luke in the worst way possible by accidentally killing him with his dragon, Vhagar, effectively making him a kinslayer — one of the worst taboos in Westeros. There are rumors around King’s Landing that Aemond may be the true father of his sister Helaena’s children, but Season 2 did not address those rumors. Initially, Aemond appears as a member of his brother’s council who, despite being loyal, has his own ideas about what kind of strategy they should follow to defeat Rhaenyra, but that takes a turn when he attacks Aegon during the Battle of Rook’s Rest and becomes the Prince Regent, acting as King in all but name and inspiring fear in his councilors.
Daeron Targaryen
So far absent from House of the Dragon, Daeron Targaryen is the youngest son of King Viserys and Queen Alicent Hightower. He has a brief appearance in the show’s opening credits and is mentioned to be with the Hightower family in Old Town. A brief glimpse of his dark blue dragon, Tessarion, in the Season 2 finale suggests he’ll make an appearance in Season 3, as he is supposed to support his brother Aegon’s claim to the throne in the Dance of the Dragons. Season 2 established that he has just begun to ride Tessarion, making him a much-needed addition to Aegon II’s cause.
Jaehaera Targaryen
Jaehaera is one of the firstborn twin children of King Aegon II, who may or may not be a usurper, and his sister-wife, Helaena. She also has a younger brother by the name of Maelor who still hasn’t made an appearance on the show. Without much to do in Season 1 apart from babying around, Jahaera is saved by her mother after a pair of hired killers put a knife to Helaena’s throat and force her to point out King Aegon’s heir.
Jaehaerys Targaryen
The other twin born to Aegon and Helaena, Jaehaerys, is favored by his father, who likes to take him to a small council more to annoy the other lords than to actually learn anything useful. However, the small boy dies horribly when two men invade his room, originally looking for Prince Aemond. With a knife at her throat, Helaena is forced to choose between her children and singles out Jaehaerys as the heir to the throne. The two men then proceed to murder him and cut off his head.
Aegon III, Viserys II, and Visenya Targaryen
Though so far none of them has had an important role in the show so far, Aegon III, Viserys II, and Visenya are the three children of Princess — or Queen, depending on your inclinations — Rhaenyra Targaryen and her uncle-husband Daemon. Out of the three kids, only Aegon and Viserys live long enough to become, Spoiler, kings in their own rights in the books. Visenya does not survive past her birth, which occurred in the Season 1 finale. During Aegon III’s reign, dragons are seen for the last time, which earns the king the moniker of Dragonbane.
Baelor “Breakspear” Targaryen
Skipping a few generations, the next Targaryen we can anticipate is Baelor Breakspear, who will appear in the upcoming series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, played by Bertie Carvel (that’s him in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell in the picture above). During the time of this story, he served as the heir to the Iron Throne and the Hand of the King to his father, Daeron II. In the series of novellas that this show will adapt, Baelor is described as one of the few dark-haired Targaryens, taking after his Dornish mother. Earning the name “Breakspear” by winning a tourney against his bastard uncle, Daemon Blackfyre, at the age of 17, he has a reputation for his skill as a warrior.
Maekar Targaryen
Baelor’s younger brother, Maekar is set to appear as well. He will be played by Sam Spruell. (that’s Spruell in Fargo above) The fourth son of King Daeron II, Maekar proved himself in two of the Blackfyre Rebellions and, eventually, inherited the Iron Throne. Maekar also had six children of his own: Daeron, Aerion, Aemon, Aegon, Daella, and Rhae.
Aegon V Targaryen
The lead Targaryen in the upcoming series, Aegon (Dexter Sol Ansell), is better known as Egg. The young boy shaves his head to hide his heritage. The boy becomes the squire to hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), receiving an unusual education for a Targaryen, but it pays off as he succeeds his father as King. Born the fourth son of a fourth son, no one expected Aegon V to rule, which got him the title Aegon the Unlikely. He became especially beloved by the smallfolk and was the first King to oppose the Targaryen practice of incest, though his children, Jaehaerys II and Shaera, defied him. He married Bertha Blackwood and had five children. Aegon is Daenerys’ (Emilia Clarke) great-grandfather, bringing the Targaryen line near more familiar territory.
Daeron Targaryen
The oldest of Maekar’s sons has the familiar name, Daeron, but for clarity, he receives the moniker Daeron the Drunken, which reveals a lot about him. Set to be played by Henry Ashton (as seen in the image above in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder), Daeron is rumored to be a Dreamer. Despite being the oldest son, Daeron never becomes king, dying before his father and contributing to the succession crisis following Maekar’s reign.
Aerion “Brightflame” Targaryen
Daeron the Drunken’s brother, Aerion, gave himself the name Brightflame. Considered a monster by his own brothers, he was known to be arrogant and cruel, which proved true as, later in life, he became the clearest example of Targaryen madness. Believing himself to be a dragon trapped in human form, he consumed wildfire, which killed him. Though he had one son, Maegor, his line was passed over as heir due to concerns that his madness would be passed on. He is played by Finn Bennett (seen in True Detective: Night Country in the image above) in the upcoming TV series.
Aemon Targaryen
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A maester and a member of the Night’s Watch, Aemon (Peter Vaughan) is one of the six children of King Maekar I and his wife, Dyanna Dayne. He’s the last Aegon V’s older brothers, which makes him a likely candidate to appear in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, but he is introduced as an old man in Game of Thrones. He was sent to become a maester when there seemed to be too many Targaryen heirs and, later, joined the Night’s Watch to strengthen Aegon V’s claim. Apart from Viserys (Harry Lloyd) and Daenerys, he’s one of the only known Targaryens living at the beginning of Game of Thrones. He’s also one of the few characters in both the HBO show and the A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels to die of natural causes.
Rhaella Targaryen
Rhaella is one of the children of Shaera and Jaehaerys II. She was wedded to her own brother, Aerys II (David Rintoul), with whom she had three children: Rhaegar (Wilf Scolding), Viserys, and Daenerys. Although they had children, the marriage was a disastrous pairing.
Aerys II Targaryen
Perhaps best known as the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen was the one sitting on the Iron Throne during Robert’s Rebellion. He was killed by a member of his own Kingsguard, Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), after ordering his men to burn down the town of King’s Landing alongside its people. Aerys II is the son of King Jaehaerys II and his sister-wife, Shaera Targaryen. He is the last Targaryen to sit on the Iron Throne before Game of Thrones.
Rhaegar Targaryen
The firstborn son of King Aerys II and Rhaella, Rhaegar was killed during Robert’s Rebellion, considered guilty of the so-called kidnapping of Lyanna Stark (Aisling Franciosi). Before secretly marrying Lyanna, Rhaegar was married to Elia Martell, a Dornish princess with whom he had two children, Rhaenys and Aegon. In the show, he is Jon Snow’s (Kit Haringon) biological father, giving him a claim to the throne.
Viserys Targaryen
The horrid brother of Daenerys and Rhaegar is the middle child of Aerys and Rhaella. Forced into exile at a young age, following the victory of Robert Baratheon’s (Mark Addy) forces, married his sister to the Dothraki named Drogo (Jason Momoa) in the hopes of getting an army that would help him storm Westeros and put him on the Iron Throne. All he got, however, was a pan of liquid, boiling gold thrown onto his head after screaming bloody murder that he needed a golden crown.
Daenerys Targaryen
The Stormborn, Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains, etc. Daenerys is the youngest daughter of the Mad King. She is the sole survivor of the Targaryen lineage until the truth about Jon Snow’s parentage hits the Westerosi fan. She was briefly married to Khal Drogo with whom she had only a stillborn child. Thus, she gives most of her motherly love to her three dragons, Drogon, Rhaegon, and Viserion, who were the first of their kind born after they were deemed extinct centuries prior to events of Game of Thrones, during the reign Aegon III.
Rhaenys and Aegon Targaryen
Young Rhaenys and Aegon were the children of Rhaegar Targaryen and his first wife, Elia Martell. They were killed horrifically alongside their mother by the Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) during Robert’s Rebellion.
Jon Snow
Raised as the bastard son of Lord Eddard Stark (Sean Bean), Jon Snow is the product of the relationship that gave rise to Robert’s Rebellion, which eventually put an end to the Targaryen dynasty and led King Robert Baratheon to the Iron Throne. Obviously, we know the rest of the story but for most of the show, Jon Snow is more a Stark than a Targaryen. Regardless, his biological parents and his bloodline give him a right to the Iron Throne before his aunt, Daenerys.
