The House Targaryen family tree traces the dragon-riding dynasty from Aegon the Conqueror to Daenerys Stormborn, with the line splitting, bending, and nearly ending across three centuries of rule over the Seven Kingdoms. Below is the direct descent, followed by the branches, key figures, and the context that makes the family tree so tangled.
From Aegon I to the Dance of the Dragons
The Targaryen line begins with Aegon I, also called Aegon the Conqueror, who invaded Westeros from Dragonstone with his sisters Visenya and Rhaenys. Aegon married both sisters, a practice of keeping blood pure that the family followed for generations, and his sons by Rhaenys and Visenya became the next kings. Aenys I, son of Rhaenys, ruled after Aegon, then Maegor the Cruel, son of Visenya, took the throne. The line then passed to Aenys’s son Jaehaerys I, the Old King, whose long reign brought peace and succession reforms.
Jaehaerys’s son Baelon became heir, but Baelon died before his father, so the crown went to Baelon’s son Viserys I. Viserys named his daughter Rhaenyra as heir, but when he died, his son Aegon II took the throne with support from the court. This sparked the Dance of the Dragons, a brutal civil war that killed most of the dragons and many Targaryens. Rhaenyra and Aegon II both died, and the succession passed to Rhaenyra’s son Aegon III, who became king as a boy after the war.
The Main Line After the Dance
Aegon III, called the Dragonbane because he was traumatized by seeing his mother fed to a dragon, had two sons: Daeron I, the Young Dragon, who conquered Dorne and died young, and Baelor I, the Blessed, who was a septon and died without children. The throne then passed to their uncle Viserys II, who had been hand of the king. Viserys’s son Aegon IV, the Unworthy, fathered many bastards, including Daemon Blackfyre and the Great Bastards, which led to the Blackfyre Rebellions. Aegon IV’s trueborn son Daeron II succeeded him, and the line continued through Daeron’s sons.
Daeron II’s son Baelor Breakspear died in a trial by seven, so the crown went to Baelor’s brother Aerys I, then to another brother Maekar I. Maekar’s son Aegon V, called Egg, was a good king who tried to restore dragons and died in the tragedy of Summerhall. Aegon V’s son Jaehaerys II ruled briefly, and his son Aerys II, the Mad King, was the last Targaryen king. Aerys was overthrown by Robert Baratheon in Robert’s Rebellion, and his children Viserys and Daenerys fled to Essos.
Branches and Bastards
The Targaryen family tree includes several notable branches. The Blackfyre line descended from Daemon Blackfyre, a legitimized bastard of Aegon IV, and claimed the throne through five rebellions. The line eventually died out in the male line, but female descendants may have continued. Another branch came from Rhaena Targaryen, daughter of Aenys I, who married into the Hightower family, and her descendants included the lords of the Reach. The Targaryens also intermarried with other houses, such as the Martells when Daeron II married Myriah Martell, and the Daynes through his sister Daenerys.
Bastard children were common, and some were given the surname Waters in the Crownlands. The most famous were the Great Bastards of Aegon IV: Daemon Blackfyre, Aegor Rivers (Bittersteel), Brynden Rivers (Bloodraven), and Shiera Seastar. Bloodraven became a Hand of the King and later the Three-Eyed Raven, while Bittersteel founded the Golden Company. These bastards shaped the politics of the realm for generations.
Key Marriages and Alliances
Targaryen marriages were often within the family to keep the blood pure, but they also made strategic alliances. Aegon V married Betha Blackwood, a non-Targaryen, which was unusual. Daeron II married Myriah Martell, bringing Dorne into the realm. Jaehaerys II married his sister Shaera, breaking a betrothal to a Baratheon. Aerys II married his sister Rhaella, and their children Viserys and Daenerys were the last of the main line.
The family also married into the Velaryon house, a Valyrian house from Driftmark, which is why many Targaryens had silver hair and purple eyes. Rhaenys Targaryen, the Queen Who Never Was, was half-Velaryon, and her son Laenor married Rhaenyra. The Velaryon connection is important because it kept the Valyrian features and dragonriding blood in the family.
The Line of Daenerys and the End
Daenerys Targaryen, born on Dragonstone during a storm, was the last known Targaryen in the main line after her brother Viserys died. She hatched three dragons from petrified eggs and conquered Slaver’s Bay before crossing to Westeros. In the books, her fate is still unwritten, but in the television adaptation, she dies at the hands of Jon Snow. Jon Snow, who is actually Aegon Targaryen, son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, is the other surviving Targaryen. Rhaegar was Aerys’s eldest son, and his children with Elia Martell were killed during the rebellion, but Jon was hidden as a bastard.
If Jon survives, he is the last Targaryen in the male line, though his claim is complicated by his oath to the Night’s Watch and his parentage being a secret. Daenerys’s dragons died in the show, and with no other known Targaryens, the family likely ends with Jon, unless he has children.
Common Misconceptions
One common misconception is that all Targaryens were dragonriders. In fact, dragons were rare after the Dance, and many Targaryens never had a dragon. Another is that the family practiced incest constantly; while they married siblings and cousins often, they also married outside the family. Also, the Targaryen family tree is not a simple father-to-son line; it includes usurpers, regents, and heirs who died before taking the throne, like Rhaenyra and Baelor Breakspear.
Another misconception is that the Targaryens were immune to fire. Daenerys survived a fire in the show, but George R.R. Martin has stated that this was a one-time magical event, not a Targaryen trait. Many Targaryens died in fires, including Aegon V and his family at Summerhall.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the current head of House Targaryen in the books?
As of the published novels, Daenerys Targaryen is the only known Targaryen alive in the main line, though Jon Snow’s parentage is revealed in the final book to the reader, but not to the characters. In the show, Jon is the last known Targaryen after Daenerys dies.
How did the Targaryens keep their blood pure?
They married siblings, cousins, and sometimes uncle-niece pairs, following Valyrian tradition. This kept the dragonriding traits strong but also led to madness and deformities, as seen in Aerys II and some others.
What happened to the Targaryen dragons?
Dragons died out after the Dance of the Dragons, with the last one, a sickly creature, dying during the reign of Aegon III. Attempts to hatch new dragons failed until Daenerys hatched three eggs in the first book.
Are there any other Targaryens alive besides Daenerys and Jon?
In the books, there are rumors of a Targaryen pretender named Aegon, who claims to be Rhaegar’s son, but his true identity is uncertain. He may be a Blackfyre descendant or an imposter. In the show, he does not appear.
Why did the Targaryens marry within the family?
They believed it kept the blood of the dragon pure, preserving their silver hair, purple eyes, and ability to bond with dragons. It also avoided sharing power with other houses, but it came at a cost of genetic defects and instability.
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