Targaryen Family Tree From ‘House of the Dragon’ to ‘Game of Thrones’
House Targaryen is one of the most documented dynasties in all of fictional history and one of the most complicated. Across House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and Game of Thrones, HBO has brought the full arc of Targaryen rule to life, from the height of dragon-riding power to its ash-covered ruin. But the story told on screen represents only a fraction of what happened between the Dance of the Dragons and Daenerys Targaryen’s fateful march on King’s Landing.
What actually happened in between? Which members of the house survived the civil war? Who sat on the Iron Throne, and what did they leave behind? The full Targaryen family tree stretches across centuries, filled with reformers, madmen, warriors, mystics, and reluctant kings. Understanding it transforms the events of Game of Thrones from a political drama into the final chapter of a dynasty that had been slowly unraveling for generations.
This guide covers every Targaryen monarch from King Aegon III crowned in the ashes of the Dance of the Dragons all the way to the last living members of the bloodline. Whether you’ve binged every episode or just want to understand how Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow fit into a family tree centuries in the making, this is your complete breakdown.
Tracing the Bloodline Beyond the Civil War
How did House Targaryen survive the Dance of the Dragons?
House of the Dragon dramatizes one of the bloodiest chapters in Westerosi history: the Dance of the Dragons, a succession war fought between rival branches of House Targaryen. The conflict was set in motion by King Viserys I Targaryen (played by Paddy Considine), a well-meaning but conflict-averse ruler whose inability to manage the ambitions within his own household created the conditions for civil war.
When Viserys died, the succession split the realm. His eldest child, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) named heir and the only queen to ever sit on the Iron Throne clashed with her younger half-brother Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), who had been crowned in her absence. The resulting war shattered the family’s power and destroyed nearly every dragon in existence.
Aegon II died under mysterious circumstances after a short reign, following the deaths of most combatants on both sides. Rhaenyra herself didn’t survive the war. But her bloodline did. Her two sons with Daemon Targaryen Aegon III and Viserys II lived through the conflict, and it is through them that the Targaryen dynasty continued.
Understanding this lineage is the key to connecting the prequel era to the world of Game of Thrones. Every king from Aegon III onward flows directly from Rhaenyra’s branch of the family tree.
The Aftermath of the Dance: Aegon III and Viserys II
Who was King Aegon III Targaryen, and why was he called Dragonbane?
Aegon III became king following the death of his half-uncle Aegon II, sealing Rhaenyra’s claim to victory even in death. His coronation and his marriage to Aegon II’s daughter Jaehaera formally ended the Dance of the Dragons and marked the beginning of a new chapter for the dynasty.
It was not a happy chapter. Aegon III was a deeply traumatized king. The horrors he witnessed during the civil war left him melancholy and withdrawn, not a tyrant, but not an inspiring leader either. More significantly, the things he saw during the war left him with a profound hatred and fear of dragons. The last surviving Targaryen dragon died during his reign, earning him the mournful epithet “Dragonbane.” The age of dragons ended not with a battle, but with attrition, on the watch of a king who couldn’t bear to look at them.
Despite his personal darkness, Aegon III held the realm together, aided in large part by his younger brother Viserys II. When Aegon III’s two sons Daeron I and Baelor I both died without heirs, the crown passed to Viserys II, who had effectively been governing behind the scenes for years.
What was King Viserys II’s legacy as a Targaryen ruler?
Viserys II was the consummate administrator. Having served as Hand of the King under three monarchs, he understood the machinery of governance better than almost anyone in Westerosi history. His actual reign lasted only a year before illness took him, but in that time he reformed the royal household, established a new royal mint, worked to expand trade across the Narrow Sea, and updated the legal code first introduced by the legendary King Jaehaerys I.
Brief diversion: the two kings between Aegon III and Viserys II are worth noting.
- Daeron I, Aegon III’s eldest son, came to power as a teenager and promptly decided to conquer Dorne. He got further than Aegon the Conqueror himself managed without dragons but was killed there at the age of 18, leaving no children and no lasting conquest.
- Baelor I, Daeron’s younger brother, was the opposite of a warrior. Deeply devout, he secured the release of his cousin Aemon the Dragonknight by walking barefoot across Dorne. He locked his sisters in a tower within the Red Keep called the Maidenvault out of fear of his own attraction to them, refused to consummate his marriage, and eventually fasted himself to death. His most lasting contribution to Westeros was the construction of the Great Sept of Baelor, the most important religious site in the Seven Kingdoms for over a century, until Cersei Lannister destroyed it in Game of Thrones.
Rebellions and Reform: From Aegon IV to Aegon V
How did Aegon the Unworthy cause the Blackfyre Rebellions?
If Viserys II was among the best Targaryen rulers, his son Aegon IV was arguably the worst. Known to history as “Aegon the Unworthy,” he was corrupt, petty, and self-destructive on an almost spectacular scale. He replaced competent advisors with flatterers, alienated powerful noble houses through insults and land seizures, and drained the royal treasury funding his personal excesses. He even attempted an unprovoked war on Dorne using large wooden dragons, an idea as embarrassing in execution as it sounds.
His worst act, however, came on his deathbed: he legitimized all of his bastard children. Aegon IV had many. Among those legitimized were Daemon Waters (who took the name Daemon I Blackfyre), Aegor Rivers (known as Bittersteel), Brynden Rivers (known as Bloodraven, and much later as the Three-Eyed Raven of Game of Thrones), and Shiera Seastar.
With Bittersteel’s backing, Daemon I Blackfyre declared himself the rightful king and launched what became known as the First Blackfyre Rebellion. That single deathbed decision set off a cycle of rebellions that would destabilize the Seven Kingdoms for decades.
How did King Daeron II Targaryen finally unite Dorne with the Seven Kingdoms?
Daeron II, Aegon IV’s legitimate heir, was a notably better human being than his father. He actively opposed Aegon IV’s corrupt practices and guided the realm through the First Blackfyre Rebellion with the help of Brynden Rivers one of the legitimized “Great Bastards” who nonetheless remained loyal to the crown.
Beyond surviving the rebellion, Daeron II accomplished what Daeron I died trying to do by force: he brought Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms. Rather than invading, he married the Dornish princess Myriah Martell. Diplomacy achieved what dragons and armies could not.
Daeron II is the reigning king at the start of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, HBO’s prequel series following Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his young squire Egg. Although Daeron II doesn’t appear in the first season, his sons are Prince Baelor (Bertie Carvel) and Prince Maekar (Sam Spruell). Baelor, by many accounts, would have made a fine king. He didn’t get the chance; he died during the Trial of Seven in the events depicted in the show’s first season.
What happened at Summerhall, and why does it matter in the Targaryen family tree?
After Daeron II came Aerys I, a scholarly, disengaged king who preferred reading to ruling and left most actual governance to Brynden Rivers (Bloodraven) as Hand of the King. The realm survived two more Blackfyre Rebellions under his watch, credit belonging almost entirely to Bloodraven’s efforts. Aerys I died without children, and a succession complication arose: his heir Rhaegel choked to death on a pie, and Rhaegel’s children also died. The crown passed to the youngest of Aerys I’s brothers.
Maekar I is another figure fans of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will recognize as the stern, demanding father of both the monstrous Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) and the bright, scrappy Aegon V, who everyone in the show calls Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). Maekar’s reign was relatively peaceful, but his death in battle on the Dornish Marches triggered yet another succession mess. His eldest son Daeron died of a pox. Aerion drank a cup of wildfire, apparently believing it would turn him into a dragon. A Great Council was called. Maekar’s son Aemon was offered the crown but refused choosing instead to serve as a maester, eventually ending up at the Wall, where Game of Thrones audiences know him as the ancient Maester Aemon (Peter Vaughan). That left the crown to Maekar’s youngest son: Egg.
Aegon V, better known as Egg, is perhaps the most poignant figure in the Targaryen family tree. The curious, idealistic boy who traveled the Seven Kingdoms with Dunk grew into a king who genuinely cared about the smallfolk. He implemented reforms to protect common people from noble abuses, a radical idea in feudal Westeros and faced fierce resistance from the powerful houses who stood to lose from those reforms.
His personal life complicated things further. Aegon had married for love before anyone expected him to ever be king. When he tried to arrange political marriages for his five children, they did exactly what he had done: married for love regardless of consequence. Each love match undercut his political leverage and weakened his ability to push reforms through.
In the end, Aegon V concluded that only the return of dragons could give him the authority he needed. He pursued a mysterious ritual at the Targaryen summer palace of Summerhall, attempting to hatch dragon eggs. The ritual ended in catastrophe. A fire consumed Summerhall, killing Aegon V and his Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Duncan the Tall. The tragedy of Summerhall is one of the great unresolved mysteries in George R.R. Martin’s world and a future storyline that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms may yet reach.
The Fall of the Dynasty: Aerys II to Daenerys
How did the Mad King Aerys II destroy the Targaryen dynasty?
Aegon V’s son, Jaehaerys II, briefly stabilized things. Sickly but competent, Jaehaerys II managed to calm the noble houses incensed by his father’s pro-smallfolk policies and won the fifth and final Blackfyre Rebellion the War of the Ninepenny Kings extinguishing the Blackfyre claimants once and for all. He reigned for just three years before dying of illness at the age of 37.
Then came Aerys II Targaryen the Mad King.
The only son of Jaehaerys II and his sister-wife Shaera Targaryen, Aerys II showed early promise. He seemed like a capable ruler, someone who might restore the dynasty’s prestige after the turbulence of previous generations. That promise curdled over time into something dangerous. Aerys became increasingly paranoid, cruel, and erratic.
The breaking point came when his son Rhaegar disappeared with Lyanna Stark, who was betrothed to Robert Baratheon. When Lyanna’s brother Brandon and father Rickard came to court demanding justice, Aerys had both of them killed. He then demanded the heads of Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark. That decision lit the spark for Robert’s Rebellion, the conflict that brought the Targaryen dynasty to its end.
Aerys died when his own Kingsguard member, Jaime Lannister, drove a sword through his back. Rhaegar fell on the battlefield.
The surviving Targaryen children Viserys and Daenerys were smuggled across the Narrow Sea into exile.
What happened to Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow at the end of Game of Thrones?
The House of the Dragon to Game of Thrones Targaryen lineage reaches its conclusion with Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). Born in exile, she grew from a frightened girl sold into marriage to the most powerful figure in the known world commanding three dragons and the loyalty of armies from multiple continents. Her campaign to reclaim the Iron Throne brought her back to Westeros, where she dismantled the systems of slavery and oppression that had defined the Free Cities.
Her story ended in ruin. After suffering devastating personal losses, Daenerys burned King’s Landing, a decision that echoed her father’s worst impulses. She was killed by Jon Snow (Kit Harington), her lover and, unknown to most, her secret nephew. Jon Snow is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, a trueborn Targaryen heir with a stronger claim to the Iron Throne than Daenerys herself.
Daenerys never sat on the Iron Throne. The dynasty she represented died with her.
The Last Dragon
The full Targaryen family tree is a story that spans centuries and dozens of lives, some brilliant, some tragic, some simply wasted. From Aegon III burying his grief alongside the last of the dragons, to Viserys II’s brief administrative flourishing, to the slow poisoning of the bloodline through Aegon IV’s recklessness, the Blackfyre wars, the heartbreak of Summerhall, and finally the madness of Aerys II it is a dynasty that destroyed itself as thoroughly as any external enemy could have managed.
Jon Snow is the last known living Targaryen. Whether his bloodline continues, and what it might mean for the future of Westeros, remains an open question, one that Game of Thrones left deliberately unanswered, and that a potential sequel series has yet to address.
What the Targaryen family tree makes clear is that no dynasty falls all at once. It falls incrementally, through bad decisions and weak hands and missed opportunities, until the weight of history becomes too much to carry. The fire that consumed Daenerys’ ambitions in King’s Landing was lit long before she was born.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who were the main Targaryen kings between House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones?
After the Dance of the Dragons, the Iron Throne passed through Aegon III (Dragonbane), Daeron I, Baelor I, Viserys II, Aegon IV (the Unworthy), Daeron II, Aerys I, Maekar I, Aegon V (Egg), Jaehaerys II, and finally Aerys II (the Mad King), whose downfall ended Targaryen rule.
Why is Aegon IV called “the Unworthy”?
Aegon IV Targaryen earned the name through corruption, vanity, and self-indulgence including replacing capable advisors with sycophants, draining the royal treasury, and legitimizing all his bastard children on his deathbed, a decision that triggered the Blackfyre Rebellions lasting generations.
What are the Blackfyre Rebellions in the Targaryen family history?
The Blackfyre Rebellions were a series of civil conflicts fought by descendants of Daemon I Blackfyre, one of Aegon IV’s legitimized bastards, who claimed the Iron Throne. Five major rebellions occurred across roughly a century, ending with the War of the Ninepenny Kings during the reign of Jaehaerys II.
Who is Egg, and how does he connect to Game of Thrones?
Egg is the childhood nickname of Aegon V Targaryen, the young squire featured in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. He grew up to become king and died in the fire at Summerhall. His son Jaehaerys II and grandson Aerys II (the Mad King) complete the direct line to Daenerys Targaryen and Rhaegar Targaryen making Egg the great-grandfather of both Daenerys and Jon Snow.
What happened at Summerhall?
Summerhall was the Targaryen summer palace where Aegon V attempted a ritual to hatch dragon eggs. The ritual caused a catastrophic fire that killed both Aegon V and his Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Duncan the Tall. The exact details of the disaster remain one of the great mysteries in George R.R. Martin’s lore.
Is Jon Snow the last Targaryen?
As of the end of Game of Thrones, Jon Snow born Aegon Targaryen, the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark is the only known living member of House Targaryen. His future, and whether the bloodline continues, has not yet been addressed in any confirmed follow-up series.
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Targaryen Family Tree: House of the Dragon to GOT
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Trace the full Targaryen family tree from House of the Dragon through every Iron Throne ruler to Daenerys and Jon Snow in Game of Thrones.
