Three years after the divisive finale of Game of Thrones, it's time to return to a simpler time in Westeros (though is life in Westeros ever simple?). The highly anticipated prequel House of the Dragon arrived Sunday and crashed HBO Max, with millions of viewers ready to watch a new era of Targaryen antics.
The new series takes place 172 years before Daenerys Targaryen was born, and shows a fight for succession that lead to an all-out civil war among the platinum-blonde clan. The full Targaryen family tree (opens in new tab) is complicated enough for its own book series (or at least three more spinoffs), so read on for our essentials explainer for the House of Dragon Targaryens and how they connect to the Thrones blondes we knew and loved.
'House of the Dragon' Era
King Jaehaerys I
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.
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. (The couple have a daughter and a son named Laena and Laenor, with Laenor landing somewhere in the line of succession.)
King Viserys I (Paddy Considine)
"The Young King" Viserys, the fifth Targaryen king of the Seven Kingdoms, has also ruled over a period of peace so far. It's also 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 have one daughter, Rhaenyra, as of the beginning of HotD. Aemma was pregnant with a second child in the series premiere, with Viserys expecting a son, but by the end of the episode, the king is left with no queen and no male heir.
Prince Daemon (Matt Smith)
Known as "The Rogue Prince," Daemon is the younger brother of King Viserys, and the presumed heir as of the start of HotD. He's an arrogant hothead who believes he would be a better king than his brother. He also has plenty of friends (especially among the City Watch) and enemies (especially Ser Otto Hightower, the current Hand of the King who also served King Jaehaerys). He's currently unhappily married to Rhea Royce of the Vale, and he has a mistress named Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno).
Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock & Emma D'Arcy)
Young Rhaenyra, known as "The Realm’s Delight," is a devoted daughter, a talented dragonrider, and a budding tactician. As the only child of the king, she would be the presumed heir if she wasn't a woman. However, rather than let Daemon get the crown, Viserys decides to name her as his successor anyway, in a divisive move that becomes the closest a queen will get to the Iron Throne until Rhaenyra's great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter Daenerys.
The first season of HotD will include a time jump between young Rhaenyra (played by Milly Alcock) being named heir and grown Rhaenyra (played by Emma D'Arcy) during the lead up to a succession-fueled Targaryen civil war called the "Dance of the Dragons." It will also follow the slow unraveling of the friendship between Rhaenyra and her BFF turned adversary Alicent Hightower (played by Emily Carey and Olivia Cooke).
'Game of Thrones' Era
King Aerys II
Before the Baratheons (and the Lannisters behind the scenes) ruled over Westeros in Game of Thrones, there was King Aerys II, 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 his execution of Ned Stark's father and brother led to Robert's Rebellion, Aerys was betrayed by his hand, Tywin Lannister, and killed by Jamie Lannister. The reign of the Targaryens was over, but the lineage lived on through his two younger children Daenerys and Viserys, who were smuggled away to the Free Cities.
Daenerys (Emilia Clarke)
Daenerys Stormborn grew up in exile in the Free Cities, with the goal of returning to Westeros and reclaiming 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. Over the course of 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 assassinated her. (The official opinion of this writer is that Daenerys deserved a better finale arc. #JusticeForDany)
Dany had two brothers: the arrogant Viserys (whose death came from a hot-gold treatment early in season 1), and Rhaegar, who ran away with Lyanna Stark and indirectly dragged the Stark family into the war. Speaking of Rhaegar and Lyanna...
Aegon, a.k.a. Jon Snow (Kit Harington)
Sorry for the six-year spoiler (also not sorry, because again, it's been six years), 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 really the secret love child of Rhaegar and Lyanna, named Aegon after several of his ancestors. (He also had a half-brother from Rhaegar's other marriage with Elia Martell, who was killed as a child in the war.)
After he assassinated his lover/unknown-aunt Dany, Jon was exiled back into the Night's Watch, and later travelled with the Wildlings to the land north of the Wall. There's currently a Jon Snow sequel series (opens in new tab) in development with Harington returning, so we may learn what's next for the hero in the future.
