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The third season of House of the Dragon has finally kicked off and has already shown all the brutality of the Dance of the Dragons, the devastating conflict that sees the Targaryen family tearing itself apart in a war destined to forever change the fate of Westeros. Let’s therefore retrace the Targaryen family tree, starting from Aegon the Conqueror and passing through the most important rulers who have marked the history of the house, shaping the fate of Westeros up to the events narrated in Game of Thrones. Warning: Spoilers for House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
The origins of the Targaryens trace back to the ancient Valyrian Empire, one of the greatest powers ever to exist in the world created by George R.R. Martin. Although the family did not belong to the most influential houses of the empire, they managed to save themselves from the devastating Doom of Valyria, the catastrophe that almost completely wiped out that civilization. Thanks to this escape, the Targaryens became one of the few surviving families capable of controlling dragons, an advantage that would change the history of the continent.
It was Aegon the Conqueror who transformed that small house into a legendary dynasty. Together with his sisters and wives Visenya and Rhaenys, and their three mighty dragons, he landed in Westeros, beginning the campaign that would lead to the unification of almost all the Seven Kingdoms. After founding the first nucleus of what would become King’s Landing, Aegon subdued the rival kings one after another and, once the conquest was complete, was crowned the first king of Westeros.
From his lineage were born Aenys and Maegor, two very different figures, with Aenys inheriting the throne upon his father’s death, but his reign was marked by revolts, political tensions, and increasing difficulties in maintaining order. After his disappearance, the half-brother Maegor seized the crown and ruled with such brutality that he earned the nickname Maegor the Cruel. Only with the rise of Jaehaerys I Targaryen did the realm regain stability. Known as the Conciliator or the Old King, he led Westeros during one of the most prosperous periods in its history and consolidated the power of the dynasty, laying the foundations for the events that would later lead to House of the Dragon.
The Dance of Dragons
When the HBO series begins, the throne is occupied by Viserys I Targaryen, a ruler remembered primarily for his desire to avoid conflicts and maintain peace within the realm. However, one of his most important decisions will turn out to be the cause of future tragedy. Viserys indeed chooses to name his daughter Rhaenyra as the official heir to the Iron Throne, a choice that will be contested after his death by those who support Aegon II’s right to rule.
From that moment, the family divides into two factions; on one side, we find Rhaenyra Targaryen, nicknamed the Delight of the Realm, convinced of being the legitimate sovereign and determined to defend her birthright. By her side fights Daemon Targaryen, the renowned Rogue Prince, one of the most feared warriors of his generation and a dragon rider with a legendary reputation. On the other side stand Aegon II, proclaimed king by the Greens, his sister and wife Helaena, and the fierce Aemond Targaryen, destined to become one of the most dangerous figures of the entire war.
Even characters like Rhaenys Targaryen, remembered by all as the Queen who never was, find themselves caught up in the conflict. Decades earlier, she had been excluded from the succession during the Great Council convened by Jaehaerys I, a decision that many consider the first step toward the crisis that would later devastate the family.
The new generation plays an equally central role, as Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey Velaryon fight for the cause of their mother Rhaenyra, while Baela and Rhaena Targaryen, daughters of Daemon, become increasingly important figures throughout the war. To complete the picture, there are Aegon III and Viserys II, the children born from the union between Daemon and Rhaenyra, destined to represent the future of the dynasty once the conflict is over.
The Dance of the Dragons is not a simple war of succession; it is the moment when the very power of the Targaryens becomes the cause of their ruin. The dragons, the absolute symbol of the house’s supremacy, are used against each other in a series of devastating battles that will lead to the death of many of the creatures and an irreparable loss for the royal family. The conflict leaves the kingdom in ruins, shatters the unity of the house, and marks the beginning of the slow decline of the Targaryens.
When the war finally ends, it is Rhaenyra’s bloodline that survives, with her son Aegon III ascending to the throne at a very young age and finding himself ruling a kingdom devastated by years of war. Aegon, a melancholic figure associated with the definitive disappearance of the legendary creatures that had made his family great. After him, the crown will pass through several generations until it reaches Viserys II, from whom many of the future Targaryen rulers will descend.
The consequences of the Dance of the Dragons continue to influence Westeros even many decades after the end of the war. From the surviving dynastic line emerge figures such as Aegon IV the Unworthy and subsequently Daeron II, the ruler who governs during the events narrated in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. During this period, the Targaryens no longer possess dragons and must rely solely on politics, diplomacy, and the strength of their alliances. Daeron II is remembered for having achieved what his ancestors had failed to conquer with fire: the integration of Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms through marriage and diplomacy.
The new generation of the family includes key figures for the future of the dynasty. Among them is Baelor Breakspear, the crown prince and one of the most respected men in the realm, Maekar Targaryen and his sons Daeron, Aerion, Aemon, and especially Aegon, the young man known to all as Egg. Egg represents one of the most beloved figures in Targaryen history, where in his youth, he serves as the squire to the wandering knight Dunk, living adventures far from the intrigues of the court. No one imagines that the boy will one day become Aegon V Targaryen, one of the most renowned rulers of his time.
The Targaryens of Game of Thrones
After the reign of Aegon V, the family’s story heads toward its most dramatic chapter, with the throne passing to Jaehaerys II and subsequently to Aerys II Targaryen, the ruler whom history will remember as the Mad King. With him, the dynasty’s trajectory reaches its lowest point. Initially considered a promising monarch, Aerys progressively falls into paranoia and madness, turning his reign into a period of terror. His increasingly violent decisions ultimately provoke Robert Baratheon’s Rebellion, the war that definitively ends nearly three centuries of Targaryen rule over Westeros.
Rhaegar Targaryen, the heir apparent and central figure of the rebellion, enters legend for his relationship with Lyanna Stark, an event that will help change the fate of the Seven Kingdoms, and from that union Jon Snow (in the series) will indeed be born, raised believing he is Ned Stark’s illegitimate son but destined to discover his true identity much later.
Next to Rhaegar, we find Viserys Targaryen and Daenerys Targaryen, the last surviving children of the Mad King. Forced into exile across the Narrow Sea after the fall of their family, they grow up far from the land that once belonged to their ancestors. While Viserys consumes his life chasing the dream of reclaiming the lost throne, Daenerys manages to achieve what seemed impossible, bringing dragons back into the world.
With the hatching of her three eggs, Daenerys symbolically reignites the flame of the dynasty and becomes the heir to a story that began centuries earlier with Aegon the Conqueror. Her dragons represent the last direct link to the family’s glorious past and, at the same time, the legacy of the Dance of Dragons, the conflict that marked the beginning of their decline.
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