House Targaryen

House Targaryen is a fictional family in George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire". House Targaryen ruled as the Kings of Westeros for nearly 300 years. Their seats were the capital city of King's Landing and the island castle of Dragonstone. Their sigil is a three-headed dragon breathing flames, red on black, and their words are "Fire and Blood."

History, traits and customs

The Targaryens were not native to Westeros, instead originally hailing from the freehold of Valyria on the eastern continent. Before the Doom of Valyria, the cataclysmic event that destroyed the ancient civilization, the Targaryens departed for the island citadel of Dragonstone off the Westerosi shore, which was at that time the westernmost Valyrian outpost. The title of Maester Thomax's work 'Dragonkin, Being a History of House Targaryen from Exile to Apotheosis, with aConsideration of the Life and Death of Dragons', mentioned in A Feast for Crows, seems to indicate that the Targaryens were exiled from Valyria. The Targaryens abandoned the Valyrian gods and converted to the Andal faith of the Seven Gods, then the predominant religion in Westeros. A century after that cataclysm, Aegon I, styled the Conqueror, began his conquest of mainland Westeros, landing with dragons and an army (at what would later be called King's Landing). Six of the seven kingdoms fell before him.

Uniquely among noble Westerosi families, the Targaryens follow the Valyrian practice of incestuous marriage, wedding brother to sister. The phrase "blood of the dragon" refers to a number of typical Targaryen features: silvery-gold (or platinum) hair and violet eyes. Some Targaryens also have a high tolerance of heat, though they are by no means immune to fire.

The Targaryens are known as dragonlords, and seem to be closer to dragons than other men are. Aegon I introduced dragons to Westeros when he conquered it, and dragons were kept and ridden by the Targaryens until the last one perished in the reign of Aegon III Dragonbane.

Probably due to their incestuous practices, the Targaryens are prone to madness; King Jaehaerys II said that with the birth of a new Targaryen, the gods tossed a coin to decide whether the child would be great or mad.

Dragonstone

Dragonstone is one of a group of islands in the Narrow Sea, close to the Westerosi shore. It used to be the westernmost outpost of the freehold of Valyria. For centuries, the island has been the seat of House Targaryen, and after the conquest, the Targaryen heir apparent was styled Prince of Dragonstone. On the nearby island of Driftmark, House Velaryon is another Valyrian house to survive the Doom.

The island is dominated by a huge fortress, its towers shaped like dragons and decorated with a thousand gargoyles, and an active volcano, the Dragonmont. Beneath the mountain there are rich deposits of obsidian. House Celtigars of Claw Island, House Bar Emmon of Sharp Point and House Sunglass of Sweetport Sound are all houses sworn to the Dragonstone.

Genealogy

Timeline

All dates are given relative to Aegon's Landing (AL).

;before ca. -200 AL: House Targaryen relocates to the island of Dragonstone, off the coast of Westeros.;The Doom of Valyria (ca. -100 AL): The Doom destroys the freehold of Valyria. ;The Wars of Conquest (ca. 1 AL): Aided by his three dragons Vhagar, Meraxes, and Balerion, the armies of Aegon the Conqueror invade the seven kingdoms of Westeros, sparking the Wars of Conquest. In the battle known as the "Field of Fire," Aegon's army conquers the combined forces of the Rock and of the Reach; the three dragons kill nearly four thousand men. Many other kings bend the knee to Aegon, and in the end, only Dorne in the South remains unconquered.;The Dance of the Dragons (129-131 AL): Aegon II's claim to the throne is disputed by his elder sister Rhaenyra; both perish in the resulting war.;Conquest of Dorne (ca. 157 AL):Aged 14, Daeron I conquers Dorne, but is unable to hold it.;The Battle of the Redgrass Field (196 AL): The first Blackfyre rebellion ends when the rebel Daemon Blackfyre's forces are defeated in the Battle of the Redgrass Field. These events are recounted in "The Sworn Sword".;Tourney at Ashford (208 AL): Baelor Breakspear dies at the Ashford tourney. These events are recounted in "The Hedge Knight".;Great Spring Sickness (209 AL):A plague engulfs large parts of Westeros, killing King Daeron II and his grandsons Valarr and Matarys.;Great Council (233 AL):A great council passes over the infant bastard son of Aerion Brightflame and the idiot daughter of Prince Daeron, crowning Aegon V, the Unlikely.;War of the Usurper (282-283 AL):The Targaryen reign ends when the Robert Baratheon takes the Iron Throne in the War of the Usurper and Mad King Aerys is killed by his sworn knight Jaime Lannister.

Dragons

The Targaryens kept a stable of dragons for much of their reign in Westeros. Each dragon was named and linked to a specific Targaryen, who rode it into war or for simple transportation. To house their dragons, the family built an immense domed structure in King's Landing called the Dragonpit. New dragons were bred from Aegon's original three, but violent deaths in battle and a growing infirmity in each following generation caused the family's stable to dwindle. The last Targaryen dragon was a deformed and sterile creature that died very young.

It is not clearly understood what caused the last dragons to die out. A legend holds that Aegon III poisoned them, but Archmaester Marwyn suggested that the Maesters of the Citadel were somehow responsible. Other characters have also claimed that raising dragons in enclosed spaces was unnatural and stunted their growth.

uccession

Dance of Dragons

The first great crisis for the Targaryen dynasty, the Dance of the Dragons, was a civil war between two of the children of King Viserys I. Viserys had three children by his first queen, a daughter of House Arryn: two sons who died in infancy and a daughter, Rhaenyra. Lacking a son to succeed him, Viserys began to train Princess Rhaenyra to be his heiress-apparent. Young Rhaenyra was included in discussions of the affairs of state, and was allowed to participate in meetings of the Small Council. Many of the nobles took note, and Rhaenyra soon acquired a clique of adherents and supporters.

However, after Viserys's queen died, the king remarried, this time to a Hightower of Oldtown. The new Hightower queen quickly produced three sons and a daughter, the eldest son named Aegon. Nonetheless, Rhaenyra's place in the succession seemed undisturbed; Viserys even formalized the succession in his will.

Upon the death of King Viserys I, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Criston Cole, later called 'the Kingmaker', defied the king's will, and crowned Prince Aegon as Aegon II. Ser Criston's motivations for doing so are unclear, but it was reputed that he and Rhaenyra were lovers, and their affair ended badly, adding a personal dimension to the conflict. In any event, many of the lords of the realm were aware of Viserys' wish to have Rhaenyra succeed him as Westeros's first queen regnant, and threw their support behind the princess. Doubtless, many of them were also the same clique who has spent years currying favor with the presumptive future queen. Conversely, Aegon II had the support of many other lords, and a great armed conflict engulfed Westeros.

In circumstances not yet fully revealed, Rhaenyra came to be put to death as a traitor at the hands of her brother Aegon II, who had her eaten by his dragon as her son Aegon watched. Later still, Aegon II died, and was succeeded by his nephew, Rhaenyra's son, who would reign as Aegon III, also called Aegon Dragonbane.

Since the Dance, House Targaryen has practiced a highly modified version of agnatic primogeniture, placing female claimants in the line of succession behind all possible male ones, even collateral relations. (See also Daena the Defiant, Daeron II)

House Blackfyre

One of the biggest threats to the Targaryen line developed out of a dynastic dispute involving the children of King Aegon IV. The conflict culminated in the establishment of a separate Targaryen branch, House Blackfyre, and open war that divided the realm, known as the Blackfyre Rebellion. Told in flashbacks, it is a major plot point in the novella "The Sworn Sword".

In addition to having a legtimate son by his wife, Queen Naerys, Aegon IV fathered four highborn bastards, later called the Great Bastards: Daemon Blackfyre, Aegor Rivers, Shiera Seastar and Brynden Rivers. On his deathbed he legitimized them, placing them in the line of succession, albeit after Daeron, his heir-apparent, who later ruled as King Daeron II. Complicating matters, Daeron was rumoured to have been fathered by Aegon's brother Aemon the Dragonknight, casting doubts over his legitimacy and right to rule.

King Daeron was a cultured, scholarly man and reigned over a sophisticated court, attended by maesters and learned men, which was perceived as effete and overly-refined, not pleasing to many of his more martial courtiers and nobles. His marriage to the Dornish princess Myriah Martell introduced foreign influences and manners to the court, further adding to the displeasure with his reign.

The oldest of the Great Bastards, Daemon, was seen by many as the better man and potentially a better king; he was also a Targaryen on both sides, since his mother was the infamous daughter of Aegon III, Princess Daena the Defiant. When Daemon was 14, Aegon IV had presented him with Blackfyre, the ancestral Valyrian steel sword of Targaryen kings, strengthening the perception by some that Aegon intended him to be his true heir. After his father's death, Daemon took the surname Blackfyre, and eventually rose in rebellion against King Daeron, aided by his half-brother Aegor and many other noble houses. The rebellion ended at the battle of Redgrass Field, with the deaths of Daemon Blackfyre and his twin sons, Aegon and Aemon. Daemon left other children, and House Blackfyre continued to be a threat to the main Targaryen line until the last pretender was slain in the War of the Ninepenny Kings.

Great Council

A series of circumstances culminating in a Great Council in 233 AL led to the crowning of Aegon V, called “The Unlikely” for being the fourth son of a fourth son and at some time very far down the line of succession.

familytree |VAL| |MAT| | DAE | | BRI | | AEM | | AEG | | RHA | | DAL |
VAL=Valarr | MAT = Matarys | DAE=Daeron | BRI=Aerion | AEM=Aemon | AEG=Aegon V
RHA=Rhae | DAL=Daella

King Daeron II's heir, Prince Baelor Breakspear, had perished in a tourney accident, leaving his eldest son Valarr to inherit the crown. However a plague in 209 AL, the Great Spring Sickness, killed King Daeron and both of Baelor's sons, Valarr and Matarys. This in turn left Daeron's second son Aerys to inherit. King Aerys I left no issue, and the crown was passed to his youngest brother Maekar, who reigned as King Maekar I, the fourth son of King Daeron II. At the death of Maekar, his three oldest sons were disqualified for a number of reasons. His oldest, Daeron, called Daeron the Drunk, was a dissolute whore-monger who died of a sexually transmitted pox, and left only a feeble-witted daughter as a possible heir. His second son, Aerion Brightflame, had died as a result of drinking wildfire in the mistaken belief it would turn him into a dragon.

A Great Council passed over Daeron's daughter and the infant son of Aerion Brightflame (presumably due to the memory of his father's cruelty and mental instability). Maekar I's third son, Aemon, had at that time already taken maester's vows, forswearing his inheritance. Though pressured to accept the crown, he refused and joined the Night's Watch, taking a second set of vows that separated him from his birthright.

Hence the crown was passed on to the last son, Aegon, the fourth son of a fourth son, who was crowned as Aegon V, called Aegon the Unlikely (aka Egg, former squire to Ser Duncan the Tall).

Targaryens in "A Song of Ice and Fire

Viserys

Second son of Aerys II, Viserys fled Westeros along with his sister Daenerys, and spent the next fifteen years wandering the Free Cities. He is a cruel, ambitious man, blunt of speech and given to violent mood swings. He hopes to return to Westeros and reclaim his father's throne. He is often mocked as the Beggar King since he must rely on the generosity of those sympathetic to his cause.

Viserys arranged the marriage of Daenerys to Khal Drogo, hoping to buy Drogo's armies with her, and to use them to reclaim the Seven Kingdoms. Viserys, while ambitious, was also blind to reality; he saw himself as a rightful, victorious savior to the people of Westeros, due respect and adoration, never noticing that even his sister and his sworn knight Jorah Mormont scorned his petty, vindictive nature. Despite a constant loss of dignity and standing among Drogo's "khalasar" for his outrageous behavior, he continued to demand Drogo's aid and verbally abuse his sister until Drogo "crowned" him with molten gold. Viserys did not survive, although his plan did, as Daenerys' marriage to Drogo gained her control of the khal's army.

Daenerys

Exiled with her brother Viserys after the fall of the Targaryens, Daenerys Targaryen plans to reclaim Westeros in the future.

Maester Aemon

Third son of King Maekar I Targaryen, Aemon was sent to the Citadel according to the wishes of his grandfather, King Daeron II Targaryen. At this time, King Daeron II had four grown sons, three with sons of their own, and so felt that having too many potential Targaryen heirs was as dangerous as having too few. He forged his chain, and earned the title of Maester Aemon. He served an unidentified lord until his father, now King Maekar I, summoned him to court to serve the Iron Throne. Not wanting to displace the Grand Maester, Aemon chose instead to serve at the keep of his eldest brother, Prince Daeron. After Daeron's death, Maester Aemon's whereabouts are unknown until the death of King Maekar I, when Aemon was summoned to court in the year of the Great Council. He was offered the crown, quietly, but refused, ceding rule to his younger brother, Aegon. He then decided to serve as a black brother of the Night's Watch for fear that he may be used in a plot to usurp his brother.

Maester Aemon stayed at Castle Black during the wildling and Other conflicts, providing guidance to Jon Snow and the rest of the men of the Wall. During Stannis's occupation of the Wall, the new Lord Commander Jon Snow sent Aemon to Oldtown with Samwell Tarly and the wildling girl Gilly to remove all "royal blood" from Melisandre's grasp. However, the sea voyage was too hard for the old man. He died of a chill at the age of one hundred and two. According to Alleras, a novice at the Citadel, he was the oldest living man in Westeros.

He was also the only living link to the events of The Hedge Knight and The Sworn Sword; as his brother was Aegon Targaryen, known by the short form 'Egg', whom Aemon mentioned in moments of delirity during his final days.

Historical Targaryens

Aegon I

The founding member of the Targaryen dynasty and conqueror of Westeros, he earned the name "Aegon the Conqueror" and "Aegon the Dragon". He took his two sisters, Visenya and Rhaenys, as his brides and sired children on them both. Aegon and his sisters led a small army from their island home of Dragonstone into Westeros beginning the War of Conquest. With the aid of his sisters and their three dragons, Vhagar, Meraxes, and Balerion the Black Dread, they defeated or subjugated six of the seven kingdoms of Westeros and founded a dynasty that would last almost three hundred years. After the war he took the swords of his defeated enemies and had them melted and reforged them into a throne. He spent the rest of his reign consolidating his power and building his capital at King's Landing. Physically he appeared as a prototypical warrior: tall, broad, and powerful. He wielded the Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre in battle. It was lost in the Blackfyre rebellion and its whereabouts are now unknown.

Visenya

The older of Aegon's sisters, Visenya was apt to dress as a warrior, with her hair in braided coils or bound in rings, and wielded a Valyrian steel sword named Dark Sister, crafted for a woman's hand and its whereabout are now unknown. During the War of Conquest, she rode a dragon in battle. She was a passionate, temperamental woman. She was the mother of Maegor I, called Maegor the Cruel.

Rhaenys

The younger of Aegon's sisters, Rhaenys was more typically feminine than her sister, and less volatile. She also participated in the War of Conquest by riding a dragon in battle. She was the mother of Aenys I, and it was her line of progeny that comprised the bulk of the Targaryen dynasty. Daenerys Stormborn is the last of her descendants.

Aenys I

The son of Aegon I and Rhaenys, he became king after his father, and is regarded in Westeros History as a weakling. Upon his father Aegon I death the faith militant of the seven rose in rebellion against Targaryen rule, many of the more pious nobles added their strength and support to the faith. Aenys unable to effectively deal with the crisis appointed his notoriously brutal half-brother (or cousin, depending on one's view) Maegor his Hand. Aenys died under unknown reasons after reigning only five years, and despite having at least one son, Jaehaerys later King Jaehaerys I, he was succeeded by Maegor.

Maegor I

The son of Aegon I and Visenya, Maegor was the younger brother of Prince Aenys and was his Hand during Aenys' rule. Maegor ruled as Maegor I, but came be to called 'Maegor the Cruel.' Under unknown circumstances he came to the Iron Throne ahead of his brother's son, Jaehaerys. It was in Maegor's reign that the Faith Militant was subdued and disbanded. Maegor's repression of the Faith Militant was characterized by its ruthless and brutal methods, including putting bounties on the heads of each of its sworn members. Maegor was also known for having Maegor's Holdfast constructed, and upon its completion, had its builders executed so only he would know the building's secrets. Maegor also had three Grandmaestars executed during his reign. Maegor was notorious for having multiple wives, often more than one at a time, and executing several of them for failing to produce an heir. Maegor was killed on the Iron Throne by unknown means, some say by the Throne itself.

Jaehaerys I

The first-born child of King Aenys I who became king upon the death of his brutal uncle Maegor the Cruel, Jaehaerys was renowned for his wisdom and for negotiating a peace with the Faith, as well as with maintaining the feudal framework between the Iron Throne and its vassal regional overlords when they tried to rise in revolt, thus earning himself the sobriquet 'the Conciliator.' Jaehaerys also abolished the right of the Faith to conduct criminal trials. During his reign, the dragon of Aegon I, 'Balerion the Black Dread,' died at the age of 200. Jaehaerys' Hand for forty years of his reign was Septon Barth, humbly born as the son of a blacksmith, who is remembered in Westerosi history as one of the most successful Hands of the King. Jaehaerys ruled for over five decades and brought to the realm a time of great peace, aided by his beloved sister, the adored queen consort, Good Queen Alysanne.

Alysanne

The wife and sister of King Jaehaerys I, known as Good Queen Alysanne. She enjoyed riding her dragon "Silverwing" to remote portions of Westeros and convinced her husband to abolish the First Night privilege of the nobles. Alysanne was also responsible for gifting the Night Watch with the "New Gift". One of the castles, Snowgate, was renamed Queensgate in her honor. Alysanne lived into old age with her husband and was renowned for her charities.

Viserys I

The grandson and heir of King Jaehaerys I and Good Queen Alysanne. He was the father of Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra's mother died before she could produce for him a male heir, so he groomed Rhaenyra to succeed him and become the first Queen in the Targaryen line. Years afterward, however, he remarried. This second marriage produced a son, Aegon. Although Rhaenyra remained his designated successor, upon Visery I death after a long & prosperous reign, a dynastic struggle occurred between his two children that would later be termed the Dance of the Dragons.

Rhaenyra

The first-born child of King Viserys I, and for a period the heiress-presumptive of her father. She was groomed by her father to be the first ruling queen of Westeros, and acquired a clique of flattering courtiers. In her later adolescence, her father remarried, and begat several sons, the eldest named Aegon.

On the death of her father, Ser Criston Cole of the Kingsguard defied King Viserys's will and crowned her younger half-brother Aegon as Aegon II, thus setting off the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. Ultimately, Aegon II prevailed and had Rhaenyra fed to his dragon as her son Aegon watched. In time, Rhaenyra's son Aegon would succeed his uncle as King Aegon III.

Rhaenyra the woman was very proud and stubborn, and prone to twirling her rings while anxious. She styled herself after the warrior-queen Visenya, wearing braided coils of hair, although she was not athletic or martial. She was heavy-set and loved luxurious and sumptuous garments. Though Rhaenyra could be charming, she was quick to anger and never forgot a slight. During the Dance of the Dragons, she wore her father's crown.

Aegon II

Son of King Viserys I, and half-brother to Rhaenyra. Following the death of their father, he became a rival claimant to the Iron Throne. He was crowned as King by Ser Criston Cole of the Kingsguard, despite their father's inclusion of Rhaenyra as his successor in his will. His crowning led to the dynastic struggle that was termed the Dance of Dragons. During that struggle, Aegon had Grandmaester Geradys fed to one of his dragons for unknown reasons, possibly for objecting to Aegon's succession over Princess Rhaenyra. Although Aegon II prevailed over his sister in the struggle, his nephew (Rhaenyra's son) Aegon III succeeded him to the throne. However, Aegon III ascended the throne after he accepted Aegon II's sole surviving daughter as his queen, suggesting some political settlement as a compromise.

Aegon III

The eldest son of Rhaenyra, Aegon III succeeded his uncle, Aegon II, at the conclusion of the Dance of the Dragons, despite Aegon II having sons of his own.

The ascension of Aegon III is a possible dynastic vindication of his mother's claim to the throne. Conversely, Aegon III took as his queen the sole surviving daughter of Aegon II, so rather than a dynastic vindication for Rhaenyra, Aegon III's ascension might be viewed as a political settlement in which both bloodlines would continue to hold the throne.

As king, Aegon III ruled long and well in Westeros, though he is often blamed for the death of the last dragon, having had a great distaste for the creatures since he witnessed his mother be devoured by his uncle's beast. Although the Maesters of the Citadel may have played a part in the death of the last dragons, Aegon III came to be known as "Aegon Dragonbane," despite later efforts by Aegon to obtain dragon eggs. Aegon was said to have always walked with a great grief that marked him and the folly of his sons nearly tore the realm apart. Two of his sons reigned as kings: Daeron I, called the Young Dragon, and Baelor I, called Baelor the Blessed. Among his daughters were the "Three Maidens in the Tower," Daena the Defiant, Rhaena and Elaena.

Daeron I

The eldest son of Aegon III, handsome and dashing. Called "the Young Dragon," he ascended the throne at fourteen years of age and gained repute for being a canny warrior and conqueror. Daeron I was the first of the Targaryen kings to conquer Dorne, though in his writings of The Conquest of Dorne, he exaggerated the numbers of his foes to make his conquest seem greater. The conquest lasted a fortnight when a clever trap saw the steward Daeron left to rule Dorne slain, and there was a great uprising by the Dornish. Daeron lost forty thousand men trying to hold Dorne, culminating in his own death during the uprising. He was eighteen years of age.

Baelor I

A son of Aegon III, Baelor succeeded his brother Daeron, Daeron I. He came to be known as "the Blessed" or "the Septon King," as he was a pious man, who had taken vows as a Septon.

Some remember Baelor as a great and holy man, given to deep prayer and fasting to experience religious visions, and honor him for his contributions to the Faith, including the construction of the Great Sept in Kings Landing. Others regard him as a weak, simpering fool, prone to hallucinations and bad decisions brought about by excessive zealotry.

Upon Daeron's death, Baelor is said to have walked the Boneway barefoot to make peace with Dorne. It is also said that he saved his cousin Aemon the Dragonknight from a snake pit, where he was bitten many times by the vipers whose venom could not kill him because of his faith in the Seven; this tale may simply be a metaphorical version of his visit to Dorne, referring to Dorne itself as a "snake pit," and the Dornish, "vipers."

Baelor earned the contempt of his nobles by forcing the proud lord Belgrave to wash the feet of a leper. In addition Baelor tried to have all the ravens that delivered messages replaced with doves. Baelor also appointed a stonemason High Septon thinking the man must have been the smith in human form because he could carve stone work so beautifully (The man could neither read, write or recall the words to the simplest prayers; it was rumored that Baelor's Hand poisoned the man to spare the realm embarrassment.) Baelor then appointed an eight year old boy High Septon after the stonemason died. (Baelor was convinced that the boy could work miracles).

Baelor's reign was marked by imprisoning his sisters, Rhaena, Elaena, and Daena, to whom he was married, in the portion of the Red Keep later known as Maidenvault to prevent their beauty from tempting him to sin; indeed, he never consummated his marriage to his sister-wife Daena. Baelor starved himself to death by prolonged fasting to cleanse himself of lust.

After his death the great sept in Kingslanding was renamed Baelor's Sept in his honor.

Viserys II

Brother of Aegon III and son of Rhaenyra, Viserys is not remembered fondly in Westeros as some accuse him of poisoning his nephew Baelor to gain the throne and doing nothing once he gained it. In truth, Viserys as Hand to the former kings was instrumental in keeping the realm intact while Daeron warred and Baelor prayed. Viserys reigned for a year, but he truly ruled and preserved the land for much longer.

Daena the Defiant

The eldest daughter of King Aegon III, Daena was married to her brother Baelor, called Baelor the Blessed, but the marriage was never consummated. When Baelor ascended to the Iron Throne, he dissolved their marriage and confined her, along with her sisters, to a section of the Red Keep to avoid sexual temptation. In an attempt to shame her brother, Daena adopted a white dress and vowed to wear it until she was bedded. It backfired, however as Baelor preferred her in white as it made her look pure. Daena and her sisters, Rhaena and Elaena, became known as the "Three Maidens in the Tower," and their prison was soon called the Maidenvault. Prior to her imprisonment, she was athletic and a skilled rider. Daena was a willful woman, and had made several attempts at escape. While imprisoned, she had a secret affair with her cousin, the future Aegon IV, and bore his child. She became known as Daena the Defiant when she refused to name the father of her bastard. Her son grew up to become Daemon Blackfyre, a pretender to the Iron Throne.

Aegon IV

First son of Viserys II, called “the Unworthy,” Aegon is remembered as one of the worst kings of the Targaryen dynasty. Handsome in his youth, and an infamous womaniser, he fathered countless bastards on his many mistresses, while he was King, Aegon took any women he wanted to his bed (wheter they were married, unmarried, willing or unwilling). King Aegon IV once caught one of his kingsguard knights, Ser Terrance Toyne abed with one of his mistresses and had Toyne dismembered piece by piece as the woman watched before ordering both their heads off. This action later led to a failed assassination attempt by Toyne's brothers upon Aegon, during which Aegon's brother Aemon the Dragonknight (then Lord Commander of his Kingsguard) died defending his king. On his deathbed Aegon legitimised all of his bastards, an action that later brought war to the seven kingdoms for many generations. Aegon IV died old, fat, and corrupt.

Aemon the Dragonknight

The second son of Viserys II, Aemon joined the Kingsguard at the age of seventeen. He served under the Kings Daeron the young dragon, Baelor the blessed, his father Visery II and lastly his own brother Aegon IV. Songs speak of his doomed love for his brother's queen, his own sister, Queen Naerys. It is rumoured that Prince Aemon was the father of King Daeron II Targaryen. Prince Aemon has been referred to as the noblest knight who ever lived. He defended the honor of his sister, Queen Naerys, against the slanders of the 'evil' Ser Morgil. He also won a tournament, disguised as a mystery knight known only as the Knight of Tears, in which he named his sister, Naerys, Queen of Love and Beauty. He died defending his elder brother and King, Aegon the Unworthy, during an assassination attempt by two brothers of House Toyne in retribution for Aegon's execution of their third brother. Prince Aemon bore the Valyrian steel sword Dark Sister, previously wielded by Aegon the Conqueror's sister-wife Visenya.

Naerys

The sister and wife of Aegon IV, mother of Daeron II and reputed beloved of her other brother, Ser Aemon the Dragonknight of the Kingsguard, who defended her against the slanders of the knight Ser Morgil. Queen Naerys, though famed in romantic songs celebrating the affair between herself and Ser Aemon the Dragonknight, was a delicate woman, gentle and soft. Upon the birth of her son Daeron, she asked Aegon to release her from her marital vows, so she may take holy vows and become a septa, though Aegon refused. Doleful and somber, the only two men to ever make her smile or laugh were her son Daeron and brother Aemon. The supposed affair between Queen Naerys and Ser Aemon was used to question the legitimacy of her son, King Daeron II, adding support to Daemon Blackfyre's insurrection, propelled by Daemon's claim that he was the son of King Aegon IV, whereas Daeron was the son of Ser Aemon. The issue of the dynastic succession developed into the Blackfyre Rebellion.

Daeron II

Daeron II was acknowledged as the eldest son and heir of Aegon IV and his sister and wife, Queen Naerys. Named, "the Good," Daeron is credited with bringing Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms through a dual marriage pact. While still a prince, he married the Dornish Princess Myriah Martell, and later his sister Daenarys married Prince Maron Martell, the ruling Prince of Dorne. Princess Myriah brought many of her native manners and customs with her, and also many Dornish nobles as well, all serving to give life in the Red Keep a foreign flavor, and alienating many of Daeron's nobles and courtiers.

Daeron was a physically unimpressive man who kept company with maesters and other learned men, which put him at odds with the Westerosi warrior culture. After ascending to the Iron Throne, Daeron survived a rebellion against his reign led by his half-brother Daemon Blackfyre, later called the Blackfyre Rebellion. Daeron and Myriah had four sons: Baelor, called Baelor Breakspear; Aerys, later King Aerys I; Rhaegal; Maekar, later King Maekar I; and at least one daughter, Aelinor, who was her brother Aerys' queen. Their eldest son, his heir-apparent, Baelor Breakspear, the Prince of Dragonstone, served as his father's Hand during the later portion of his reign, and was responsible for the successful resolution of the Blackfyre Rebellion. King Daeron II died during the Great Spring Sickness, along with many of his grandchildren.

Brynden Rivers

Brynden Rivers, an albino, called "Bloodraven" for a birthmark on his face, was a legitimized Great Bastard of Aegon IV and Mylessa Blackwood, his sixth mistress. His personal arms were a white dragon with red eyes breathing red flame on a black field. Another of Aegon IV's Great Bastards, Shiera Seastar, was his mistress. During the Blackfyre Rebellion he remained loyal to Daeron II and fought for him at the Battle of the Redgrass Field. During that battle, he killed his half-brother, the pretender Daemon Blackfyre, with his bow; for this, people would name him a kinslayer. At the same battle he lost an eye fighting another rebellious half-brother, Aegor “Bittersteel” Rivers. Though Brynden carried the Valyrian steel sword Dark Sister, he preferred his weirwood longbow and was an expert archer. After the rebellion he became Hand of the King to Aerys I. As "Lord Bloodraven" he was rumored to be a sinister sorcerer, effectively ruling the kingdom “with spies and spells”. A song about Bloodraven, "A Thousand Eyes, and One", is still sung almost a century later. The events of "The Sworn Sword" take place during his reign as Hand, though he does not personally take part in the story. Bloodraven was imprisoned and sent to the Wall "ca." 233 AL by King Aegon V, eventually becoming Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.

Daemon Blackfyre

Daemon was the bastard son of Daena the Defiant and Aegon IV. After his father took the throne, Daemon distinguished himself during a tournament melee by besting a score of other squires. Afterwards, King Aegon acknowledged Daemon as his son and presented him with Blackfyre, the Valyrian steel sword of kings. He matured into a man of considerable charm and strength. He mastered all weapons of the battlefield, but with the sword he was described as "the Warrior himself". Targaryen on both sides, he possessed almost inhuman beauty, with deep purple eyes and long, silver-gold hair. He won friends easily and women were drawn to him. After Aegon IV legitimized all his bastards on his deathbed, Daemon claimed the Iron Throne and led a rebellion against his half-brother, Daeron II, rallying many notable warriors to his side. He took the name of Blackfyre for his house and displayed the inverted Targaryen arms, a black dragon on red. The rebellion ended when Daemon was killed along with his twin sons, Aemon and Aegon, by Ser Brynden Rivers and the Raven's Teeth at the Battle of the Redgrass Field.

Aegor "Bittersteel" Rivers

A renowned warrior and Great Bastard, fathered by Aegon IV. He sided with his half-brother Daemon Blackfyre in the Blackfyre Rebellion. Upon Daemon's death, Aegor rallied his troops, and charged Bloodraven's archers, taking out his half-brother's eye in the process. Managing to recover Blackfyre, the Targaryen family sword, Bittersteel fled Westeros at the end of the Rebellion, to the Free Cities. Here, he founded the famous mercenary organization The Golden Company. Despite the notorious unreliability of sellswords, the Golden Company is reputed to have never broken a contract, and reference to their founder can be their words; "Beneath the gold, the bitter steel."

hiera Seastar

Shiera was the last of the Great Bastards of Aegon IV, sired upon the ninth and last of his mistresses, Lady Serenei of Lys, the last daughter of an ancient but impoverished line of Valyrian nobility. Shiera's mother was disliked by Aegon's courtiers and considered cold and haughty; it was rumored that she was much older than the king, practicing dark arts to retain her youth and beauty. Considered by many the most lovely of Aegon's mistresses, Serenei died in childbed, bringing forth Shiera (whose name means 'Star of the Sea'). Shiera was renowned as a famous beauty and seductress, with long typically Targaryen silver-gold hair, and a heart-shaped face. Although she had two mismatched eyes, (one blue, the other green), it was said that the 'defect' only enhanced her beauty. She was a great reader, even at an early age, spoke many languages, and maintained a large and arcane library. She also was reputed to share her mother's skill in the dark arts. Shiera never married, but took many lovers, and numerous duels were fought for her favor. Her half-brother Bloodraven was her most ardent suitor, and repeatedly proposed marriage to her. Although she refused to marry him, she did share her bed with him. In the Sworn Sword, she is widely known as Lord Bloodraven's mistress, and there are rumours that she bathes in the blood of maidens to retain her beauty. She was known to possess a famous necklace, alternating sapphires and emeralds to complement her unusual eyes.

Baelor Breakspear

The first-born child of King Daeron the Good and Myriah Martell, Baelor first gained renown for leading the Dornishmen to the Redgrass Field to defeat Daemon Blackfyre. Baelor was Prince of Dragonstone and heir to the throne, and served as his father's Hand for the later part of his reign; he was the shining hope of the realm with the potential to be a great king. Baelor was accidentally slain by his brother Maekar, later King Maekar I, in a trial by combat brought about by Aerion Brightflame's bad behavior. His sons, Valarr and Matarys, and his father followed him to the grave during the Great Spring Sickness.

Aerys I

Second son to Daeron II.Aerys ascended the throne after the Great Spring Sickness killed his father King Daeron and Daeron's heirs (Baelor Breakspear's two sons, the princes Matary and Valarr). Aerys married his sister Aelinor but they failed to produce an heir.

Aerys was a bookish man who preferred reading to ruling; it was even said in the Seven Kingdoms that Aerys would sooner take a book to bed than his wife. He left most of the running of the realm to his Hand Brynden Rivers.

During his reign Lord Dagon Greyjoy of the Iron islands, taking advantage of the chaos of the spring sickness, raided Fair Isle, the Shield Isles and even the Arbor, retreating to Pyke only when the throne finally moved against him.

Dorne and the Vale of Arryn even closed their borders to prevent the sickness spreading.

Upon Aerys' death without issue, Maekar succeeded to the throne (Rhaegal the third son of Daeron II being dead at the time).

Maekar I

The youngest son of Daeron II, the Prince of Summerhall, who first gained renown in the Blackfyre Rebellion for helping to defeat Daemon Blackfyre's forces on Redgrass Field. Maekar was greatly bitter of his sons being outshone by his older brother Baelor's own and often turned a blind eye to the sadistic Aerion's indiscretions. A disastrous trial by combat where Maekar accidentally killed Baelor, an act which would haunt him for the rest of his days and which opened his eyes to what Aerion truly was, caused him to temporarily exile his son to the Free Cities. Maekar was further resentful of his brother Aerys I not naming him Hand upon his ascension to the throne, rather appointing Bloodraven, Maekar's uncle. Upon ascending to the throne, after all his brothers had died without issue, Maekar had Bloodraven imprisoned, and eventually died in combat with a rebellious lord.

Aerion Brightflame

Called 'Brightflame', 'Brightfire', or 'Aerion the Monstrous', this prince is remembered as one of the clearest examples of Targaryen madness. Cruel, vain, and arrogant, he thought himself a dragon in human form. After a disastrous trial of seven instigated by Aerion that took life of Baelor Breakspear, his father Maekar sent Aerion to Lys and the Free Cities, where he remained for some years. Aerion died when he drank a cup of wildfire, believing that it would turn him into a dragon. He left an infant son, who despite his stronger claim to the Iron Throne, was passed over by the Great Council upon the death of Maekar I in favour of Aegon V. He is the primary antagonist in "The Hedge Knight".

Aegon V

The fourth son of a fourth son, Aegon was called "the Unlikely," and became king only after a Great Council that bypassed a number of candidates earlier in the line of succession, and after his elder brother Aemon refused the throne. He was a strong and handsome man, but also friendly and approachable.

The child Aegon traveled the countryside of Westeros as "Egg," squire to the hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall, more commonly known as "Dunk." After Egg was crowned, he made Duncan commander of the Kingsguard and even named his firstborn son after Duncan in honor. Their adventures together are the subject of the "Dunk and Egg" short stories. The last of the Blackfyre pretenders died in his reign during "the War of the Ninepenny Kings."

Aegon perished in a fire at Summerhall, the Targaryen summer home. There is speculation that it was caused by an attempt to hatch dragon eggs. Aegon's son, Prince Duncan the Small, and Dunk himself also perished in the incident, later dubbed the "Tragedy of Summerhall."

Duncan the Small

The first born son of Aegon V, named in honor after Ser Duncan the Tall who Aegon V squired for in his youth. Prince Duncan became known as the small despite being over six foot tall due to being smaller then Ser Duncan the Tall.Prince Duncan also became known as the Prince of Dragonflies & is celebrated in a romantic song between him and a woman known as Jenny of Oldstones which is still sung in the seven kingdoms to this day.Prince Duncan was killed in the tragedy of Summerhall along with his father & Ser Duncan the Tall.

Rhaelle

The daughter of Aegon V and niece to Maester Aemon. She married an unnamed Baratheon lord and had at least one son; Steffon Baratheon. She was the grandmother of Robert, Stannis and Renly Baratheon.

Jaehaerys II

Second son of Aegon V Targaryen. Jaehaerys II ascended to the Iron Throne in 259 after the deaths of his father and elder brother, Prince Duncan, at Summerhall. Never robust, Jaehaerys II died in 262, reigning only three years.

Aerys II

Aerys Targaryen (also called "Aerys the Mad," "the Mad King," and "King Scab") was the last member of House Targaryen to sit the Iron Throne, ruling from 262 to 283 AL. He showed great promise at the start of his reign, but grew increasingly unstable. His behavior led some of the noble houses to revolt against the Targaryen dynasty. This revolt, known as the War of the Usurper or Robert's Rebellion, led to the death of Aerys and most of House Targaryen.

Aerys's reign began in 262 AL, when he was 19. Following ancient Targaryen practice, Aerys had married to his sister Rhaella. They had three children: sons Rhaegar and Viserys, and daughter Daenerys, who was born during the last stage of the War of the Usurper. Supported by his able councillors, foremost among them the King's Hand, Tywin Lannister, Aerys gave the realm many years of peace and prosperity, and "left the treasury flowing with gold.”

During his reign Lord Denys Darklyn of Duskendale under the influence of his Myrish wife Lady Serala stopped paying taxes to the Iron Throne, Aerys was determined to sort this matter out himself (no doubt because of his jealousy over Tywin's political cunning).Aerys went to Duskendale with only a single Kingsguard knight, Gwayne Gaunt, for protection.

Aerys was taken captive and Gaunt was slain. For half a year Aerys was held captive in Duskendale in what became known as "the Defiance of Duskendale".Lord Tywin had the town surrounded by land and sea, but could not launch a siege because Denys threatened to kill the king at the first sign of an assault.Aerys was eventually rescued by Ser Barristan Selmy, after which Aerys had Lord Denys, his wife, and the entire Darklyn line wiped out along with the entire Hollard house who served Lord Denys, save for the babe Dontos Hollard, who was only spared as a favour to Ser Barristan.

Aerys was pleasant to his friends, but very harsh to those he thought his enemies. He was always a bit insane, but could be charming and generous, so his early lapses into madness were forgiven and overlooked. Over time though (especially after "the Defiance of Duskendale") the lapses grew more and more frequent. He cut himself so often on the Iron Throne that men took to calling him King Scab.

Like many Targaryens, Aerys was obsessed with fire, notably the magical and highly flammable substance called wildfire, which he fancied to have put in jars shaped like fruit. According to Jaime Lannister, Aerys would have bathed in wildfire if he dared. He took a great interest in the work of the Alchemists' Guild and had an inordinate amount of wildfire made during his reign. He had many enemies burned alive including Lord Rickard Stark, father of Eddard Stark and even Lord Qarlton Chelsted who was named Hand of the King after Aerys exiled Lord Jon Connington.

After the rebel victory at the Battle of the Bells, Aerys had his pyromancers create a huge reserve of wildfire and store it in secret around the city of King's Landing, planning to burn the entire city down (and kill all of its half million inhabitants) rather than surrender the city intact. According to Jaime Lannister, much like Aerion Brightflame, Aerys in his madness did not believe the wildfire would kill him but rather transform him into a dragon so he could destroy his enemies. After the defeat of the royalist forces at the Battle of the Trident, Aerys sent Queen Rhaella and Prince Viserys to Dragonstone. However, he kept Princess Elia and her children at the Red Keep, in the belief that he could ensure Dornish loyalty if he did so. When Aerys admitted Lannister forces into the city, he ordered his pyromancers to begin to ignite the caches of wildfire and destroy the city. However, before those orders could be carried out, Jaime Lannister intercepted Lord Rossart, whom he killed before assassinating King Aerys himself before he could give the orders to another.

Hands under Aerys Targaryen & their fates:

*Tywin Lannister, resigned the office after being hand of the king for 20 years due to suffering numerous slights from Aerys (was the only hand under Aerys to leave with titles, lands, honors & person intact).
*Lord Owen Merryweather, stripped of office, lands, title and sent into exile after his failure to control Roberts Rebellion.
*Lord Jon Connington, stripped of office, lands, title and sent into exile after the battle of the bells.
*Lord Qarlton Chelsted, burned alive by Aerys when he discovered & confronted Aerys about his plan to burn down kingslanding.
*Rossart, head of the alchemists guild, was hand of the king for less then a fortnight. Killed by Jaime Lannister before he could ignite the wildfire that was to destroy the city of King's Landing.

Rhaegar

Eldest son of Aerys II, Rhaegar was the Prince of Dragonstone, the heir-apparent to the Iron Throne. As a character who has been deceased since before the beginning of the books, almost all information on Rhaegar comes second-hand, through the thoughts, recollections and tales of other characters.

An intelligent, handsome, brooding and melancholy man, Rhaegar kept his thoughts closely guarded; while all knew of him (Cersei once commented that when the Targaryens came to Casterly Rock, the smallfolk cheered for Lord Tywin Lannister twice as much as for King Aerys, but only half as loudly as for Rhaegar), few knew him, and he had few real friends (Ser Arthur Dayne, Myles Mootan, Richard Lonmouth & Lord Connington were such).

As a child Rhaegar was bookish to a fault; he took no interest in the play of other children until he found and read something that changed him: he decided that he must be a warrior. At seventeen he was knighted and from all reports he grew into a highly skilled and capable fighter, but took little joy in it (Barristan Selmy once remarked that Rhaegar loved his harp more than he loved his lance). He was born on the same day as the Tragedy at Summerhall, and often liked to visit the ruined hall for solitude, disappearing with only his harp for company and emerging weeks later with new compositions of surpassing beauty and melancholy.

He was champion at the tourney at Harrenhal, the only time he ever won a tourney. He shocked those present at the tourney by passing over his wife, the Dornish princess Elia of Dorne, when selecting the Queen of Love and Beauty. Instead, he crowned Lyanna Stark, a noblewoman of the North, by giving her the crown of winter roses. Rhaegar later disappeared with Lyanna, an act that many people, including Lyanna's family and her betrothed Robert Baratheon, viewed as a kidnapping. While the exact nature of their relationship is not currently known, outrage over the act ultimately triggered the War of the Usurper. Rhaegar was killed by Robert during that conflict at the Battle of the Trident.

His wife, Elia Martell, bore him two children, a girl named Rhaenys and an infant son, Aegon. The princess and her two children were murdered by Ser Gregor Clegane and Ser Amory Lorch during the Sack of King's Landing, under Tywin Lannister's orders.

Though Robert vilified Rhaegar throughout "A Game of Thrones", most other characters have expressed admiration for him, including Robert's best friend Ned Stark. His younger sister Daenerys Targaryen is sometimes compared to him as a compliment. Maester Aemon remembered that Rhaegar believed his child Aegon to be the 'Prince Who Was Promised'.

Notes