House of the Dragon mainly revolves around the popular dragon riders of the Targaryen family. However, it often becomes challenging to remember the relationships between the characters, as the ones who grow up as siblings eventually marry each other. Well, if you are eager to learn how the Targaryens are connected to each other, be with us as we explain the family tree in this post.
Aegon ‘The Dragon’ Targaryen
- Reign: 1-37 AC
- Spouse: Queen Rhaenys and Queen Visenya
- Children: Aenys Targaryen and Maegor Targaryen
Born to Lord Aerion Targaryen and Lady Valaena Velaryon, Aegon I Targaryen was the first ruler of the Targaryen empire and also the one to shape the Iron Throne and construct the Red Keep. The swords used to forge the influential throne were of the enemies he defeated during the battles.
Furthermore, Aegon I was married to both his sisters, Rhaenys and Visenya, and boasted the most powerful dragons, Vhagar, Baleriona, and Meraxes. With his sister wives and the bastard brother, Orys Baratheon, he successfully conquered Westeros and laid the foundation of the kingdom. After winning the continent of Westeros, Aegon I ruled the kingdom for thirty years before passing the throne to his sons.
Jahaerys ‘The Old’ Targaryen
- Reign: 48-103 AC
- Spouse: Queen Alysanne Targaryen
- Children: He had 13 children
Jahaerys is the grandson of Aegon I, but he is considered a more potent Targaryen ruler than his sons, Aenys and Maegor. I hope you remember that Jahaerys was also featured in House of the Dragon Season 1, where he called the council to decide on his successor. Jahaerys was called the old king of the Targaryen dynasty because he sat on the Iron Throne for almost sixty years. He was also seen as the best dictator because the kingdom was peaceful and prosperous during his reign.
Jahaerys rode Vermithor, who is one of the largest living dragons of House Targaryen after Vhagar and Balerion. Moreover, the king was married to his sister Alysanne, and they had thirteen children. However, before he could choose a successor out of his sons, they died as Jahaerys sat on the throne for the longest time. So, the throne was eventually passed on to his grandson, Viserys I.
Viserys ‘The Peaceful’ Targaryen
- Reign: 103-129 AC
- Spouse: Queen Aemma Arryn (103-105 AC) and Queen Alicent Hightower (106-129 AC)
- Children: Rhaenyra Targaryen, Aegon II Targaryen, Aemond Targaryen, Helaena Targaryen, and Daeron Targaryen
Following the demise of Jahaerys I, Viserys took over the realm of the seven kingdoms. He was also known as the peaceful king who hated violence and tried to solve every problem without any bloodshed. He was ruthless for the wrongdoers, but he would also forgive those who surrendered at will.
Viserys was married to his cousin Aemma Arryn, and they had Rhaenyra as their first child. When Aemma conceived a child for the second time, the king expected a boy whom he could make his heir. However, neither Aemma nor the child survived during childbirth, so he chose Rhaenyra as the successor. However, the realm never saw a woman as the ruler of the massive kingdom, so everyone started raising questions.
The king then remarried Alicent Hightower, Otto Hightower’s daughter, and they conceived Aegon II. This led to the fight for the throne’s possession and eventually ended with the Dance of the Dragons.
Daemon Targaryen
- Reign: Did not reign
- Spouse: Lady Rhea Royce, Lady Laena Velaryon, and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Children: Baela Targaryen, Aegon III Targaryen, Viserys II Targaryen, and Visenya Targaryen
Daemon Targaryen was the hot-headed younger brother of King Viserys, who chopped the heads of his enemies with his sword, Dark Sister, and burned the enemies with his dragon Caraxes during the conflicts. During the initial years of his brother’s reign, Daemon was a crucial member of the small council, but later, he was removed. Thanks to the dirty mind games of Otto Hightower.
Westeros has not seen a man as he was. Daemon either won people with his strong will or pushed people to hate him for his wrongdoings; there was nothing in between. He was someone who polished his fighting skills at a very young age, so he was seen as one of the toughest opponents by his enemies.
Rhaenys ‘The Velaryon’ Targaryen
- Reign: Did not reign
- Spouse: Lord Corlys Velaryon
- Children: Laena Velaryon and Laenor Velaryon
Also known as the Queen Who Never Was, Rhaenys Targaryen was Aemon Targaryen’s daughter and King Viserys I’s first cousin. She was married to the Lord of Seas, Corlys Velaryon. She conceived two children, Laenor and Laena, who were later married to Rhaenyra and Daemon, respectively.
Rhaenys was named after the beloved sister-wife of Aegon the Conqueror. While she was worthy of the Iron Throne, the council chose Viserys over her, so she grew cold towards him. However, when Alicent Hightower conducted her son Aegon II’s coronation ceremony illegally, she was the one to oppose the entire ordeal. Rhaenys also convinced her husband and supported Rhaenyra during the Civil War.
Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Reign: 129-130 AC
- Spouse: Ser Laenor Velaryon and Prince Daemon Targaryen
- Children: Jacaerys Velaryon, Lucerys Velaryon, Joffrey Velaryon, Aegon III Targaryen, Viserys II Targaryen and Visenya Targaryen
Being the only surviving child of King Viserys and Queen Aemma, Rhaenyra was chosen as the heir by the king when she was eight years old. However, she wasn’t really accepted by the kingdom, as no queen ruled the seven kingdoms earlier. Later, when the mind games of Otto Hightower worked, and the king remarried Alicent Hightower, the duo birthed their first son Aegon II, raising Rhaenyra’s rights into doubt.
Rhaenyra’s father threatened that she would not be his heir if she did not marry Laenor Velaryon. So, despite having no interest in the marriage, she had to marry her cousin. However, after six months of the marriage, Rhaenyra and Daemon hired Laenor’s former lover to kill him. In the books, it was mentioned that Laenor faked his own death so that he could run away with his long-time lover.
When Rhaenyra’s succession was challenged by Aegon II, she forcefully had to become the person she was always running from. The dispute over the Iron Throne also led to the biggest Civil War in the history of the seven kingdoms.
Alicent Hightower
- Reign: Did Not Reign
- Spouse: King Viserys I Targaryen
- Children: Aegon II Targaryen, Helaena Targaryen, Aemond Targaryen, and Daeron Targaryen
Alicent Hightower was Rhaenyra Targaryen’s childhood friend. They shared such a strong bond that their friendship wasn’t impacted even after she became Rhaenyra’s stepmother. However, after Alicent birthed King Viserys’s first son, things between her and Rhaenyra changed. Otto Hightower, Alicent’s father, brainwashed the new Queen to the extent that she even misunderstood her husband’s last words. Alicent started growing so evil day by day that all she could think of was how to make his son Aegon the successor instead of Rhaenyra.
Alicent was manipulated by her father at every step, and because of that, she also proposed to the King that he should marry his teenage daughter Rhaenyra to their six-year-old son Aegon. However, that never happened as she couldn’t convince King Viserys. Alicent, along with her father, played as many dirty tricks as she could to get Rhaenyra out of the picture.
Aegon II Targaryen
- Reign: 129-131 AC
- Spouse: Helaena Targaryen
- Children: Jaehaerys Targaryen, Jaehaera Targaryen, Maelor Targaryen, and Gaemon Palehair
Named after the first king of the Targaryen dynasty, Aegon II was the most undeserving member of the royal family. He was mostly seen drinking and harassing women in the Red Keep. As he was the first surviving son of King Viserys from his second wife, Queen Alicent, he was expected to sit on the Iron Throne instead of his half-sister Rhaenyra. From the day he was born, Viseruys had to face many questions about the Iron Throne’s succession.
At the age of 13, Aegon claimed the three-headed dragon Sunfyre. Later, he married his sister Helaena and birthed Jahaerys, Jahaera and Maelor.
Aemond Targaryen
- Reign: Did Not Reign
- Spouse: Alys Rivers (Rumoured)
- Children: NA
Aemond Targaryen was also called Aemond One-Eye as he lost his one eye to Lucerys (Rhaenyra’s son) when he was young. Not only did he resemble Daemon Targaryen in appearance, but he also shared several personality traits with him, including a hot temper. Aemond was often bullied by Rhaenyra’s sons as he hadn’t had a ride for a long time. However, he was brave enough to claim the biggest dragon Vhagar and take her on the ride.
During the Civil War, Aemond was the one to put Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys to death at Rook’s Rest. Later, when the King’s Landing fell, Aemond ordered his army to slaughter every remaining member, including Ser Simon Strong.
Helaena Targaryen
- Reign: Did Not Reign
- Spouse: Aegon II Targaryen
- Children: Jahaerys Targaryen, Jahaera Targaryen and Maelor Targaryen
Helaena Targaryen is King Viserys and Queen Alicent’s only daughter and the sister-wife of Aegon II Targaryen. When she was 12 years old, she claimed the female dragon Dreamfyre; the following year, she married Aegon II. Despite being born into an influential family, she carried no pride; instead, she was a sweet and naive woman.
She had three children with Aegon II: Jahaerys, Jahaera, and Maelor. To avenge Lucerys’s death, Daemon hired Blood and Cheese to bring Aemond Targaryen’s head. However, when the assassins couldn’t find him, they severed Jahaerys in front of Helaena. After losing the child, Helaena became depressed and soon cut ties with the entire world. She also didn’t participate in the Dance of the Dragons.
Daeron Targaryen
- Reign: Did Not Reign
- Spouse: Ellyn Blacktyde
- Children: NA
Daeron Targaryen is the youngest child of Queen Alicent and King Viserys. Despite being the youngest, he was the most intellectual and handsome son of the King. He was sent to Oldtown to squire the Queen’s cousin, Lord Ormund Hightower when he was 12 years old. He rode the she-dragon Tessarion, with whom Daeron entered the battle of the Honeywine and saved Ormund Hightower and his entire army. Following the incident, Ormund labeled the Targaryen prince as Daeron the Daring.
House of the Dragon has yet to see the debut of the gorgeous Targaryen prince, and sadly, we will not get to meet him in the ongoing season, as the showrunner has already confirmed. So, let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope to see him in Season 3.
