Taking place during and before the Dance of the Dragons, The House of the Dragon rewinds to the strange old days of Targaryen rule. Since there are so many Targaryens around now, it’s much more difficult to remember who’s related to who. You won’t have to worry; we have you covered.
This is the family tree that appears at the beginning of House of the Dragon. Because it would take longer to talk about all of the rogue cousins, usurpers, minor monarchs, and temporary heirs than to watch the first episode, only the most important children are talked about.
However, by the second episode, another potential heir had emerged. Viserys remarries after his wife dies during childbirth and has a son with Rhaenyra’s best friend, Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey, then Olivia Cooke). In theory, that baby could claim the throne.
To understand the drama, you must first understand the family relationships. However, all of those blondes can blend together. Even though the Targaryen family tree is complicated, it is also small because the family likes to marry within itself.
This is the House of the Dragon Family Tree as of the sixth episode of Season 1. For clarity, we have only included the children directly related to the line of succession. The dotted line connecting Rhaenyra Targaryen’s children to Rhaenyra and her husband, Laenor Velaryon, indicates that Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey are not Laenor’s biological children. Alicent, Rhaenyra’s stepmother, thinks that a Lord named Harwin Strong (Ryan Corr) is her child’s father for most of Episode 6.
Daenys “the Dreamer” Targaryen
Daenys Targaryen, also known as Daenys The Dreamer, had a vision. The city of Valyria, where all the Dragonriders once lived, would be destroyed by some apocalyptic event. Taking this vision to heart, her father, Aenar, relocated his entire family to Dragonstone from Valyria. As a result of Daenys’ vision, the Targaryens became the last remaining Dragonriders in the world.
Aegon “The Conqueror” Targaryen
Aegon Targaryen helped Rhaenys and Visenya Targaryen unite the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
In order to maintain their bloodline purity, the Targaryens frequently intermarried, but this practise could lead to disaster. In Game of Thrones, Cersei points out that when a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin. Leaders are produced by some, while monsters are produced by others. That was the case with Aegon’s two sons. Aremarkable Targaryen’s brother Maegor “the Cruel” Targaryen killed him, which ruined his reputation as a strong leader.
Aenys Targaryen
Aenys Was Given a Name That Was Rather Unfortunate. (To be fair, it’s pronounced “ennis.”) But he overcame this to become a gentle ruler, until his brother murdered him in cold blood. He married Alyssa Velaryon, a descendant of the only other Valyrian family to have survived the city’s demise—though Velaryons are not Dragonriders. Still, the Velaryons quickly became important in Game of Thrones when they joined forces with the Targaryens.
Jaehaerys “The Old King” Targaryen
His council impaled Maegor on his own iron throne after only six years of reign. Unworthy kings were said to be pricked on the throne by a king rumoured to do so.
Aemon Targaryen
Jaehaerys’ first adult son was Aemon. As a result of his marriage to Jocelyn Baratheon, Aemon died before his father, leaving behind a daughter, Rhaenys Targaryen. In Aemon’s absence, Baelon became the heir.
Baelon Targaryen
Viserys and Daemon Targaryen are the sons of Baelon and his sister. His father passed away from a “burst belly” (possibly an appendix burst). There are currently no obvious heirs to Jaehaerys’ throne.
Rhaenys “The Queen Who Never Was” Targaryen
Jaehaerys, the eldest son of Jaehaerys, was theoretically the heir apparent. Due to Westeros’ sexist nature, the lords baulked at the idea of a woman ruling over them. In order to prevent an uprising, Jaehaerys called a council to decide who should inherit the Iron Throne. Baelon’s eldest child, Viserys, was chosen by the council over Rhaenys, known as “the queen who never was.”
Viserys Targaryen
Viserys marries his cousin Aemma (Sian Brooke), and Rhaenyra Targaryen is born. Unfortunately, the couple cannot have a male heir. Aemma dies in childbirth in the first episode of House of the Dragon after Viserys cruelly forces her to have a C-section against her will. Their son also passed away. Viserys decides that Rhaenyra will be the next person to take the throne because there is no clear heir.
Daemon Targaryen
Daemon Targaryen, a feared but bloodthirsty warrior, secretly desires the Iron Throne. Viserys’ councilors are concerned that Deamon will take drastic action to seize the throne from Viserys or Rhaenyra. Daemon was married off for strategic reasons, but he despises his wife, Rhea Royce. As of the beginning of the show,
He appears to have little chance of challenging Rhaenyra or Aegon I for the throne. He murders his wife and later remarries Laena Velaryon, who bears Baela and Rhaena Targaryen before dying in childbirth. Daemon finally marries his niece Rhaenyra, whom he has been pining for since Laena’s death. They will make a joint bid for the throne.
Corlys “The Sea Snake” Velaryon
Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) was a legendary sailor who married Rhaenys Targaryen—a rare love match in Westeros history. They have Laenor (Matthew Carver in the beginning, John Macmillan later) and Laena Velaryon (Nova Foueillis-mosé in the beginning, Savannah Steyn later).
Viserys pressures Viserys into marrying Leana while she is still a child, but Viserys instead marries Alicent Hightower. Still, the two Velaryon children will be important allies to many Targaryens in the future of the show.
Alicent Hightower
Alicent’s father is Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), King Jaehaerys’s and King Viserys’s brother, Rhys Ifans. In the show, she mainly keeps Rhaenyra Targaryen company. After Viserys’s wife dies, Otto tells Alicent to comfort him and become the king’s best friend.
Aegon II is the result of Viserys’ love for Alicent. Increasingly convinced that Rhaenyra will murder her children to secure the Iron Throne, Alicent becomes increasingly committed to positioning Aegon Ii as Viserys’ true heir. Helaena Targaryen and Aemond Targaryen are her children.
Rhaenyra Targaryen
Viserys Long ignores Rhaenyra, hoping for a male heir to take her place. When he finally names Rhaenyra as the next in line for the throne, she is met with scepticism from a kingdom that would rather see her half-brother as King than ever submit to a Queen. Though she does not want to marry, she eventually marries Laenor Velaryon in order to form a powerful alliance that will aid her in capturing the throne.
When the paternity of Rhaenyra’s sons is called into question, Alicent attempts to undermine her old friend’s claim to be Queen. Rhaenyra plots to marry her uncle Daemon in order to strengthen her claim to the throne. They appear to have a mutual attraction and have grown close over time. (Targaryens frequently intermarry in order to preserve the bloodline.) Rhaenyra assists her husband Laenor in faking his death and fleeing with his lover, making her a “widow.” She quickly marries Daemon.
Laenor Velaryon
Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan), the son of the sea snake, marries Rhaenyra Targaryen primarily for political reasons. Laenor is gay, and he and Rhaenyra agree to have an open marriage before getting married. Unfortunately, Laenor’s sexuality appears to be Westeros’ worst-kept secret, so the parentage of his alleged children with Rhaenyra is constantly questioned. Laenor eventually fakes his death and flees with his lover, Qarl Correy, to begin a new life free of the burdens of nobility.
Laena Velaryon
As a power play, Laena’s father, Corlys Velaryon, attempts to marry her to Viserys. On the other hand, Viserys is uneasy about their age disparity and has already set his sights on Alicent Hightower. Despite this, Laena (Nanna Blondell) marries a Targaryen. After brutally murdering his first wife, Daemon marries Laena, and the couple has two daughters.
However, Laena dies while attempting to give birth to their third child. She kills herself after learning that delivery will almost certainly kill her. She asks her dragon to breathe fire on her. She abandons Daemon as a widower once more.
Aegon II Targaryen
The King Finally Has A Son. Aegon Ii Targaryen (Ty Tennant) Arrives Just In Time To Send The Kingdom Into Further Chaos As Lords Question Why The Iron Throne Would Pass To Rhaenyra When The King Finally Has A Son. As a teen, Aegon appears to be unconcerned about who inherits the throne.
He spends the majority of his time in the castle bulling the other children. Only when his mother, Alicent, points out that Rhaenyra will almost certainly kill Aegon and his siblings in order to secure her place on the Iron Throne, does the young boy appear to become interested in succession issues.
Helaena Targaryen
Helaena (Evie Allen), Aegon’s sister, is Viserys and Alicent’s second child and their only daughter. She is accompanied by a dragon named Dreamfyre. The show also implies that Helaena, like her ancestors, is a Targaryen Dreamer with the ability to see into the future. She informs her brother Aemond of her visions of him bonding with a dragon.
Aemond Targaryen
Aemond (Leo Ashton) Is The Youngest Of Viserys And Alicent’s Children And, At The Beginning Of The Series, Does Not Yet Have A Dragon. The other Targaryen children mock him for his inability to form a bond with a fire-breathing creature.
When Laena Velaryon dies, Aemond takes her dragon, upsetting Rhaena and causing a squabble among the children, which costs Aemond his eye. But Aemond Gains A Powerful Weapon In The Form Of A New Dragon For His Mother’s Side In The Coming Battle.
Jacaerys Velaryon
Rhaenyra’s eldest son, Jacaerys (Leo Hart), is rumoured to be the heir to the throne after his mother. His dubious parentage, on the other hand, will almost certainly play a role in determining his future. Though ostensibly the son of Rhaenyra’s husband, Laenor Velaryon, the audience is aware that the couple has agreed that they can both have extramarital affairs because Laenor is gay.
Alicent Clearly Suspects Rhaenrya’s Sons Have A Different Father Because She Demands To Examine Rhaenyra’s Baby Immediately After The Princess Gives Birth. Harwin Strong, the heir to the title of Lord of Harrenhal, is heavily hinted at as the true father of Jacaerys and his siblings in the show. Harwin appears to be overly invested in Jacaerys’ training. Jacaerys is bonded to Vermax, a young dragon.
Lucerys Velaryon
Rhaenyra’s second son, Lucerys (Harvey Sadler), is also the son of Harwin Strong.
Joffrey Velaryon
Joffrey Velaryon, Rhaenyra’s Youngest Son, Is Just A Baby When Rhaenyra And Laenor Decide To Leave King’s Landing Due To Rumors About Their Children’s Parentage.
Baela Targaryen
Baela (Shani Smethurst), the elder daughter of Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velaryon, grows up in Pentos, far from King’s Landing. She, like her brother and parents, is a Dragonrider.
Rhaena Targaryen
Rhaena Targaryen (Eva Ossai-Gerning) is Baela’s younger sister. Despite the fact that she was given a dragon egg at birth, her egg never hatched. Baela is caught putting her egg in the fire in the hopes of hatching a dragon. Rhaena will most likely have to claim a dragon for herself in order to become a dragonrider, which will be a more difficult task than simply bonding with a dragon whose egg was given to her as a child.
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