Spoilers for House of the Dragon up to season 2, episode 9 ahead. Three years after the divisive finale of Game of Thrones, the record-breaking franchise returned viewers to a simpler time in Westeros (though is life in Westeros ever simple?) with House of the Dragon. The highly anticipated prequel premiered in August 2022, instantly becoming a global hit, as the decades-spanning series introduced fans to several earlier generations of the infamous, incestuous, dragon-riding platinum-blonde Targaryen family, over 150 years before Daenerys Targaryen was born.
By House of the Dragon season 2, which premiered on Max on June 16, the living Targaryen family has split in two, with a fight for succession leading to an all-out civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. With its various timelines and sects, the full Targaryen family tree, which originated in author George R. R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice book series, is complicated enough to warrant its own book series (or at least three more spinoffs). To help remember who everyone is and how they're related, we've compiled a guide to the Targaryens in House of the Dragon and how they connect to the Thrones platinum blondes we know and love.
The Beginnings of Westeros
Daenys the Dreamer
In the first episode of House of the Dragon, two dreamers who are pivotal to the Targaryens' conquest of Westeros are mentioned. The first, Daenys the Dreamer, was the maiden daughter or a Targaryen nobleman in Valyria, the ancestral land where the family lived before settling at the island Dragonstone. Daenys had a dream about the destruction of Valyria, and she convinced their family to leave before the land was destroyed in a volcanic cataclysm, known as the Doom of Valyria. The Targaryens were the only dragonriders (with the only dragons) to survive, and they lived on Dragonstone for the next century.
Aegon the Conquerer
Whenever later Targaryens mention the great Aegon I, they're referring to Aegon the Conqueror, the first king of Westeros who united the realm (minus Dorne and the land beyond the Wall) and founded the Targaryen dynasty. He married both of his sisters, Rhaenys and Visenya, and they had three dragons: Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes. After conquering the realm, he founded King's Landing, began construction on the Red Keep, and forged the Iron Throne out of the swords of his fallen enemies.
Also, for anyone confused about "A Song of Ice and Fire" being mentioned in throughout House of the Dragon: Upon being named heir, Rhaenyra learns a secret passed down through Targaryen rulers. Rather than ambition, Aegon I's conquer of Westeros was spurred by a dream where he foresaw the end of men. Per the dream, a terrible winter would come to the distant North, bringing a force that would destroy the world of the living.
That dream prophesied the coming of the White Walkers and the second Long Night, with Aegon passing down the solution that all of Westeros must unite for the force to be defeated. Centuries later, his prophecy eventually came true with the events of Game of Thrones.
King Jaehaerys I (Michael Carter)
House of the Dragon begins with a prelude introducing us to King Jaehaerys I, "The OId King," who had the most peaceful reign of any Targaryen. He married his sister Alysanne and together they had 14 children, with nine making it to adulthood and two outliving him. As he approached death with no heir apparent, he convened a Great Council to decide who would succeed him among at least 14 contenders, with the vote coming down to his two grandchildren Rhaenys and Viserys. (This momentous incident took place 172 years before the birth of Daenerys.)
Alyssa Targaryen (Emeline Lambert)
In HotD season 2, episode 5, we're introduced to the late Alyssa Targaryen, the mother of Viserys and Daemon, via a very incestuous sex dream. Per Fire & Blood, Alyssa was the daughter of King Jaehaerys I and was named after his mother/her grandmother; she also previously rode Meleys, the red dragon whom her niece Rhaenys rides during the HotD era. Alyssa was 24 when she died due to childbirth complications, at which time Daemon was around five years old.
Saera Targaryen
Though she doesn't appear in House of the Dragon, Saera Targaryen plays an important role in the Blacks' season 2 mission to find more dragonriders. In episode 7, Hugh Hammer reveals that his mother was Saera, the notorious, trouble-making ninth child of Jaehaerys I and his wife Alysanne. During her eventful life, she had multiple lovers, hosted sex parties, stole a dragon when her father put her under house arrest, and later fled to Lys to become a sex worker instead of being forced to become a Silent Sister. One of her bastard children, Hugh Hammer, eventually claims the dragon Vermithor in HotD.
'House of the Dragon' Era - Adults
Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best)
Rhaenys had a stronger claim to the Iron Throne, as the daughter of Jaehaerys' eldest son, Aemon, and Jocelyn Baratheon (an ancestor of early Thrones king Robert Baratheon). Unfortunately, she was also a woman, so she was skipped over and became "The Queen Who Never Was." Though she doesn't have the throne in House of the Dragon, the shrewd royal still influences affairs from the sidelines, often scheming with her husband Corlys Velaryon, Viserys' Master of Ships.
Rhaenys and Corlys have two children who are involved throughout House of the Dragon, a daughter and son named Laena and Laenor. While Laenor ends up marrying Rhaenyra Targaryen to ally the houses, Laena marries Daemon Targaryen and later dies in childbirth.
King Viserys I (Paddy Considine)
"The Young King" Viserys, the fifth Targaryen king of the Seven Kingdoms, also ruled for peace. His reign was the height of the Targaryens' power, with the family and their dragons thriving along with the realm. Viserys married his cousin Aemma Arryn at an early age and they had one surviving daughter, Rhaenyra. Aemma was pregnant with a second child in the HotD series premiere, with Viserys expecting a son, but neither mother nor son survived labor.
Thanks to the machinations of Otto Hightower, Hand of the King, Viserys ended up marrying Alicent Hightower as his second wife. The couple has four children, and Viserys lived to become an old king with many illnesses. He died of leprosy at the end of season 1, episode 8, and he's best known by the moniker Viserys the Peaceful.
Queen Aemma (Sian Brooke)
Aemma was King Viserys I's first wife and Rhaenyra's mother, who died in childbirth in the HotD series premiere (and deserved so much more). She was a dedicated mother to Rhaenyra, but she had difficulties in childbirth and passed without producing a male heir. Fun facts: Her maiden name was Aemma Arryn (she was a distant ancestor of Jon Arryn, whose death led to Ned Stark being named Hand of the King and everything subsequent in Game of Thrones); and her mother was Viserys' aunt, making them first cousins.
Prince Daemon (Matt Smith)
Known as "The Rogue Prince," Daemon is the younger brother of King Viserys and started HotD season 1 as the presumed heir. He's an arrogant hothead who believes he would be a better king than his brother. (To be fair, he seems to think he would be better than anyone.) He has many friends (especially among the City Watch) and enemies (especially Ser Otto Hightower). In the HotD premiere, he was unhappily married to Rhea Royce of the Vale, and he had a mistress named Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno).
Things went downhill for Daemon by the end of the season 1 premiere, with Viserys taking away his title as heir and giving it to Princess Rhaenyra. After a failed bit of rebellion and a successful war against Craghas "The Crabfeeder" Drahar, Daemon returned to Westeros and attempted to seduce his niece Rhaenyra. Soon after that didn't pan out (and he was banished from the Red Keep), Daemon's marriage to Rhea Royce ended, with the lady officially dying of a fall from her horse. (It's heavily implied that Daemon killed her.)
Daemon's second wife was Corlys and Rhaenys's daughter Laena Velaryon (a.k.a. his first once removed) with whom he has twin girls, Baela and Rhaena. He became a single father after Laena died by dragonfire while giving birth to a stillborn child. Soon after Laena's funeral, he was married for a third time to...
Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock, then Emma D'Arcy)
When she was young, Rhaenyra, known as "The Realm’s Delight," was a devoted daughter, a talented dragonrider, and a budding tactician. As the king's only child, she would have been the presumed heir if she wasn't a woman. However, rather than let Daemon get the crown, Viserys decided to name her as his successor anyway, in a divisive move that made Rhaenyra the closest female heir to the Iron Throne until her great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter Daenerys.
Season 1, episode 6 included a 10-year time jump in the HotD storyline, at which point young Rhaenyra actor Milly Alcock left and Emma D'Arcy took over the role. (Alicent Hightower, a close childhood friend of Rhaenyra, was similarly first played by Emily Carey and, as she aged up, the role went to Olivia Cooke.)
Having previously married Laenor Velaryon in season 1, episode 5, post-time-jump Rhaenyra was mother to three sons by episode 6: Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey (the latter of which she welcomed in the episode's opening minutes). While Rhaenyra's place as heir was secure, her relationship with Alicent deteriorated to the point where her former friend pushed for her son Aegon to be named heir instead. There were also rumors about her children's parentage (more on that later).
Rhaenyra's marriage to Laenor ended in episode 7 when she married her uncle Daemon after Laenor's "death." The pair welcomed two sons together during the six-year jump before episode 8. They are still going strong when the realm is thrown into conflict in the season 1 finale, where Rhaenyra is named the rightful queen days after her nephew Aegon has usurped the Iron Throne.
'House of the Dragon' Era - Children
Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney)
Aegon is a common name for Targaryen sons, which comes up several times in the family tree. This Prince Aegon is the firstborn son of Viserys I and his second wife, Alicent Hightower. As the king's firstborn son, a faction of lords wanted him to be named heir pretty much as soon as he was born, though Rhaenyra had been named heir years prior. After the first time jump in episode 6, Aegon was a bratty teenager who had yet to grapple with his birthright as Rhaenyra's strongest opponent in the succession.
Fast-forward another six-year jump (so the start of episode 8): Aegon has married his sister Helaena (Phia Saban) and they share twins, Prince Jaehaerys and Princess Jaehaera. After his father Viserys' death, Aegon was thrust into the role of king, though he didn't want it; he'd rather drink and gamble and sire rumored illegitimate kids in King's Landing. However, his mother Alicent convinced him to take the throne as the Greens' placed monarch, and he's still sitting on the Iron Throne when House of the Dragon season 2 begins.
Princess Helaena (Phia Saban)
Helaena is Viserys and Alicent's secondborn and firstborn daughter. By the end of season 1, she had become queen of Westeros as her brother Aegon II's wife, and she was mother to twins Jaehaerys and Jaehaera. She also exhibited a touch of clairvoyance throughout her life, making some prophetic-sounding observations earlier in season 1 before she eventually gave a confirmed prophecy in episode 9 ("the beast beneath the boards" being Rhaenys and her dragon crashing Aegon's coronation").
Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell)
Viserys and Alicent's third child Aemond is more calculating than his elder brother. When he was younger, he was a timid boy and teased by his nephews Jacerys and Lucerys. He became a major player in season 1, episode 7 when he bonded with Vhaghar, the largest living dragon in Westeros (and lost an eye in an accident with Lucerys). By season 2, he's a fearsome warrior who thinks he would be a better king than his older brother. He also caused the first death in the Dance of the Dragons.
Prince Daeron
Though we never meet him in HotD's first season, Alicent and Viserys have a fourth child, their youngest son Daeron. According to author George R.R. Martin, the young man was living in Oldtown, the second-largest city in Westeros, during season 1. Though the author hasn't confirmed whether he'll be introduced in season 2, Daeron does play a large role in the source novel Fire & Blood.
Prince Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett)
Rhaenyra and Laenor Velaryon's eldest son, known as Jace, is second in line for the throne while his mother is the official heir. Though he and his brother grew up with Laenor as their father, they don't look like him, and there have been long-time rumors that Commander of the City Watch Ser Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr) was their biological dad. By the end of season 1, episode 6, Jace even asks his mother about his parentage and she responds, "You are a Targaryen. That's all that matters."
At the start of season 2, Jace is a thoughtful young man preparing for his duties as king. He's extremely loyal to his mother and has an important place in the war as Rhaenyra's heir.
Prince Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault)
Rhaenyra's secondborn child Luke was more mild-mannered than his brother Jace, and had a tougher time with his fate as a royal. In season 1, episode 8, he was named heir to the seat of House Velaryon, Driftmark, but he later admitted to his mother that he didn't want it, and even gets "greensick" (Westerosi for seasick). He was fiercely loyal to his mom and honorable, which spelled trouble when his uncle Aemond came after him for revenge after losing an eye. That led to his death in the season 1 finale, as he and his dragon died after narrowly escaping his uncle and his dragon Vhagar in a battle—making his death the first in the Dance of the Dragons.
Prince Joffrey Velaryon (Oscar Eskinazi)
Rhaenyra and Laenor's (but allegedly Harwin's) third son was born at the start of season 1, episode 6, and sports little dark baby curls similar to his brunette brothers. He was named Joffrey after Laenor's late lover, who Ser Criston Cole killed on the night of Rhaenyra and Laenor's wedding. (Joffrey is a common Westerosi name even before the young terror Joffrey Lannister is born centuries later.) Joffrey is barely approaching his early teens when the Dance of the Dragons fully begins in season 2.
Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia)
During Daemon's marriage to Laena Velaryon, the couple has two daughters, elder Baela and younger Rhaena. Laena was also pregnant with a third child in season 1, episode 6, but the baby was stillborn and wouldn't deliver, with Laena commanding her dragon to kill her by fire rather than suffer a slow, painful death by childbirth. After episode 7, Baela lived with her grandmother Rhaenys in Driftmark, while Rhaena moved in with her father and Rhaenyra at Dragonstone.
By season 2, Baela is a teenager and dragonrider (bonded with the dragon Moondancer) who will become an important warrior in the Dance of the Dragons. She is also betrothed to her cousin (and Rhaenyra's heir) Jace.
Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell)
Rhaena is the younger of Daemon and Laena's children, who grew up at Dragonstone after her mother's death. She was engaged to her cousin Lucerys Velaryon before his death. She has not bonded with a dragon yet, which makes her a bit of an anomaly in her family of dragonriders.
'House of the Dragon' Era - Grandchildren
Princes Aegon III and Viserys II Targaryen
After Rhaenyra and Daemon marry, they welcome two sons whom they name after Aegon the Conqueror and Rhaenyra's father (and Daemon's brother) Viserys. While the blond-haired pair are still babies in season 1, episode 8, they meet their grandfather, King Viserys I, before he dies. Rhaenyra was also pregnant with a daughter, whom she planned on naming Visenya, but she experienced a stillbirth in the season 1 finale.
Unfortunately, the Targaryen tendency to recycle names leads to the moment of confusion that helps fuel the succession crisis: In Viserys I's final moments, he speaks to his wife Alicent and mistakes her for his daughter Rhaenyra, mentioning the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy and naming "Aegon" as the chosen one. Alicent doesn't know that the king was likely referring to the first or third Aegon, not her son the second. Thus, the Greens claim that Viserys I wanted Aegon II to be king—which you can expect to come up a lot in season 2.
Prince Jaehaerys II and Princess Jaehaera
As all heirs do (no matter how young), Aegon II and Helaena's twin children Jaehaerys—named after his great-grandfather, mentioned above—and Jaehaera have roles to play in the Targaryen civil war. Jaehaera less so, because she is a girl, but it is an added point to Aegon II's claim that he already has a male heir at the start of season 2.
'Game of Thrones' Era Targaryens
King Aerys II (David Rintoul)
Before the Baratheons (and the Lannisters behind the scenes) ruled over Westeros in Game of Thrones, King Aerys II was the last Targaryen to sit on the Iron Throne. "The Mad King" was initially beloved during his peaceful reign, before he slowly became paranoid, erratic, and murderous (possibly due to the Targaryen tradition of inbreeding). After he executed Ned Stark's (Sean Bean) father Rickard (Wayne Foskett) and brother Brandon (Isaac Hempstead Wright) during Robert's Rebellion, Aerys was betrayed by his hand, Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), and killed by Jamie Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). The reign of the Targaryens was over, but the lineage lived on through his two younger children Daenerys and Viserys (yes, another Viserys), who were smuggled away to the Free Cities.
Daenerys I (Emilia Clarke)
Daenerys Stormborn (first of her name, thank God) grew up in exile in the Free Cities, intending to return to Westeros and reclaim the Iron Throne. Game of Thrones followed her efforts to raise an army and learn how to rule, first as Khaleesi, then as the Breaker of Chains. Throughout conquering Westeros, she eventually succumbed to the "Targaryen madness," or her family's tradition of becoming erratic and murderous every couple of generations. She razed King's Landing, but before she could even sit on the Iron Throne, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) assassinated her. (#JusticeForDany!)
Dany also had two brothers: Viserys and Rhaegar.
Viserys III (Harry Lloyd)
Viserys spent most of his life with Daenerys in the Free Cities, where they were smuggled as children to stay safe from Baratheon forces in the aftermath of the civil war known as Robert’s Rebellion. The rebellion took the Iron Throne away from the Targaryens; Viserys’ sole focus was reclaiming that power. When we first met the duo in GoT, they were preparing for Daenerys's wedding to Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa)—a union orchestrated entirely by Viserys, without Dany’s consent. Arrogant, self-serving Viserys agreed to allow the Dothraki warlord to wed Dany in return for military support in his plans to reclaim the Iron Throne.
We’d be remiss not to mention how creepy Viserys acted toward his little sister, but luckily, we didn’t have to witness it for long. Toward the end of GoT season one, after Viserys had insulted both his sister and her new husband—under the foolhardy belief that his power outweighed the couples, even when surrounded by loyal Dothraki—Drogo promised to give Viserys the “golden crown” he’s after by pouring molten gold on his head, causing his painful death and paving the way for Dany to seek the Iron Throne instead.
Rhaegar (Wilf Scolding)
Dany and Viserys’ oldest brother was long gone before the events portrayed in Game of Thrones began, but he was still a key player in those events. Rhaegar decided to give Lyanna Stark (Aisling Franciosi)—rather than his wife, Elia Martell (Indira Varma)—a wreath naming her “Queen of Love and Beauty” at a tournament that eventually sparked Robert’s Rebellion since Lyanna was then betrothed to Robert Baratheon, who teamed up with Lyanna’s brother Eddard to avenge his honor.
Soon after, Rhaegar and Lyanna ran away together to be secretly married. The Starks and Baratheons framed their union as an abduction rather than a mutual elopement, officially starting the war. Robert ultimately killed Rhaegar at the Battle of the Trident, and Elia and her two children with Rhaegar were killed, too. Lyanna died early, as well, due to complications after giving birth to her and Rhaegar’s only child.
As for that son…
Aegon, a.k.a. Jon Snow (Kit Harington)
Sorry for the spoiler if you somehow haven't caught up to Game of Thrones (also not sorry, because again, it went off the air in 2019), but we can't mention the Thrones-era Targaryens without the secret, non-blonde member hiding in plain sight. As was revealed in the season 7 finale, the Stark bastard Jon Snow was the secret love child of Rhaegar and Lyanna, named Aegon after several of his ancestors.
After he killed his lover/aunt Dany, Jon was exiled back into the Night's Watch and later traveled with the Wildlings to the land north of the Wall. The Jon Snow sequel series is reportedly "off the table" at HBO, but odds are we'll learn what's next for the hero at some point in the future.
