House of the Dragon delves into the tumultuous past of Daenerys Targaryen’s dragon-riding ancestors and how they tore themselves apart over the Iron Throne.
The Targaryen house was at its most powerful about 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. It would appear that the House of the Dragon is impregnable, save perhaps for itself.
Taking cues from George R. R. Martin’s novel Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon will examine the civil war known as the Dance of Dragons, in which a dragon rider turn against another dragon rider.
Even if you have read the book, you might still benefit from a quick refresher on the members of the Targaryen royal family. There are many new people to meet, and many of them share names with others. There are also incestuous ties to consider.
Find out where Daenerys Targaryen fits in the House of the Dragon’s , the Targaryen family tree, and how she relates to the other Targaryens from Game of Thrones.
House of the Dragon’s explanation about Targaryen family tree.
At the beginning of House of the Dragon, King Viserys (Paddy Considine), the fifth Targaryen monarch of the Seven Kingdoms, is the central patriarch. He is the great-great-great-grandson of Aegon the Conqueror and is known for being a mild-mannered but ineffectual king.
Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), the Rogue Prince, is his younger brother and is ambitious, reckless, and volatile. He’s a fearless warrior who flies on the back of the mighty dragon Caraxes. At the beginning of House of the Dragon, Daemon is the second-in-line for the throne after Viserys and considers himself the rightful king.
The first child born to King Viserys and his first wife, Aemma Arryn, was Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy and Milly Alcock). She grows up without ever suspecting that she will rule, and it’s only when her father, King Viserys, names her as his heir that she realizes the lords of the Seven Kingdoms must bow to her.
The Eleven most influential people from the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon
Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke and Emily Carey), a childhood friend of Rhaenyra’s, is a member of a powerful and venerable Westerosi family with roots in Old Town. Her father, Otto Hightower, is the Hand of the King at the show’s onset.
Alicent marries King Viserys after Aemma’s death, and the couple has four children: Aegon, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron. Many people think Aegon Targaryen, not Rhaenyra, should be the heir to the throne.
At this point, Westeros has never had a queen. That’s where Rhaenys Targaryen comes in (Eve Best). They refer to her as “the queen who never was,” but in reality, she is the cousin of King Viserys.
Because the Great Council chose to bypass her in favor of a male heir, Viserys, the line of succession will not include her. It establishes a norm with far-reaching implications for the House of the Dragon.
The Sea Snake, aka Corlys Velaryon (Steve Touissant), is married to Rhaenys Targaryen. He is renowned as the Master of Driftmark and Lord of Tides and is a legendary sailor in his own right.
The Velaryon House, like the Targaryens’ own, has been around since Old Valyria and is very powerful. In place of ruling over dragons, however, this family now rules the ocean.
At the time of House of the Dragon, Corlys Velaryon is the wealthiest man in the Seven Kingdoms and the commander of the most powerful fleet in all of Westeros. Laena Velaryon (Savannah Steyn) and Laenor Velaryon (Rhaenys’s and Corlys’s children) are the couple’s two offspring (John Macmillan).
Unlike Laenor, who pilots the more subdued Seasmoke, Laena flies the largest and mightiest Dragon of them all, the legendary Vhagar.
