Difference between revisions of "House Targaryen"

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(Timeline: Only one of the dragons was Aegon's.)
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;before ca. -200 AL: House Targaryen relocates to the island of [[Dragonstone]], off the coast of [[Westeros]].
 
;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 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 Wars of Conquest]] (ca. 1 AL): Aided by his two sisters and their 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 Dragons]] (129-131 AL)
 
;[[The Dance of Dragons]] (129-131 AL)
 
: [[Aegon II]]'s claim to the throne is disputed by his elder sister Rhaenyra; both perish in the resulting war.
 
: [[Aegon II]]'s claim to the throne is disputed by his elder sister Rhaenyra; both perish in the resulting war.

Revision as of 11:25, 13 May 2007

House Targaryen
None.svg
"Fire and blood"
Coat of arms Red three headed dragon
on black field
Seats
Head Daenerys Targaryen
Regions
Titles
Overlord none; souvereign
Cadet branch House Blackfyre
Ancestral weapons
Founded 300 years ago
in Westeros

House Targaryen is a noble family of Valyrian descent that escaped the Doom. They lived for centuries on the island of Dragonstone until Aegon Targaryen and his sisters rode their dragons to the conquest of the Seven Kingdoms. House Targaryen ruled as the Kings of Westeros for nearly 300 years, until expelled by Robert's Rebellion. 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 Targaryens then 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.

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 two sisters and their 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 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 from wounds sustained in trial by combat. 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.
Robert's Rebellion (282-283 AL)
The Targaryen reign ends when the Robert Baratheon takes the Iron Throne and King Aerys II is killed by his sworn knight Jaime Lannister.

Dragons

The Targaryens kept a stable of dragons for much of their reign in Westeros. 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 were somehow responsible. Other characters have also claimed that raising dragons in enclosed spaces was unnatural and stunted their growth.

Succession

Targaryen kings
Aegon I 1 AL37 AL
Aenys I 37 AL42 AL
Maegor I 42 AL48 AL
Jaehaerys I 48 AL103 AL
Viserys I 103 AL129 AL
Aegon II 129 AL131 AL
Aegon III 131 AL - 157 AL
Daeron I 157 AL -161 AL
Baelor I 161 AL - 171 AL
Viserys II 171 AL - 172 AL
Aegon IV 172 AL - 184 AL
Daeron II 184 AL - 209 AL
Aerys I 209 AL - 221 AL
Maekar I 221 AL - 233 AL
Aegon V 233 AL - 259 AL
Jaehaerys II 259 AL - 262 AL
Aerys II 262 AL - 283 AL

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. 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

Template:Further

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.

 
 
 
 
Rhaenyra
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Aegon III
 
 
Viserys II
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Daena
 
 
 
 
 
Aegon IV
 
 
 
 
NaerysAemon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Daemon
 
Aegor
 
Brynden
 
Shiera
 
Daeron II
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Aegon
 
Aemon
 

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, 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.

Daeron II
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Baelor
 
Aerys I
 
Aelinor
 
Rhaegel
 
Maekar I
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Valarr
 
Matarys
 
Daeron
 
Aerion
 
Aemon
 
Aegon V
 
Rhae
 
Daella

King Daeron II's heir, Prince Baelor Breakspear, had perished in an accident during a Trial of Seven, 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.

Targaryens in A Song of Ice and Fire

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 founded Kings Landind and was the first of the Targaryen dynasty who ruled Westeros for almost 300 years.
  • Visenya: The older of Aegon I'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 the Cruel.
  • Rhaenys: The younger of Aegon I'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.
  • Aenys I: The son of Aegon I and Rhaenys, he became king after his father. Despite having at least one son, Jaehaerys (later King Jaehaerys I), he was succeeded by his notoriously brutal half-brother/cousin Maegor the Cruel, who had served as his Hand during his reign.
  • Maegor I: The son of Aegon I and Visenya, Maegor was the younger brother of Aenys I and was his Hand during his rule. Maegor had constructed Maegor's Holdfast. He died without having children and was succeded by his nephew Jaehaerys I
  • 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, earning himself the name 'The Conciliator.' Jahaerys 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 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 son and heir of Jaehaerys I and Good Queen Alysanne. He groomed the only surviving child of his first marriage, Rhaenyra to succeed him. Years afterward, however, he remarried and got three sons. Although Rhaenyra remained his designated successor, upon his death, a dynastic struggle occurred between his two children that would later be termed the Dance of 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. Although Aegon II prevailed over his sister in the struggle, his nephew (Rhaenyra's son) Aegon III succeeded him to the throne.
  • Aegon III: The eldest son of Rhaenyra, Aegon III succeeded his uncle, Aegon II, at the conclusion of the Dance of the Dragons. He came to be known as "Aegon Dragonbane", and was said to have always walked with a great grief that marked him.
  • Daeron I: The eldest son of Aegon III and the eighth king to sit the Iron Throne. He ascended to the throne at the age of 14 and is famous for conquering Dorne. After the conquest there was an uprising in Dorne which he died.
  • Baelor I: A son of Aegon III, Baelor succeeded his brother 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.
  • Viserys II: Brother of Aegon III and son of Rhaenyra Targaryen. During the reign of his nephews Viserys as Hand he was instrumental in keeping the realm intact while Daeron warred and Baelor prayed.
  • Daena the Defiant: The eldest daughter of Aegon III, Daena was married to her brother Baelor I, 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: 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, and legitimised them all on his deathbed, old, fat, and corrupt.
  • Aemon the Dragonknight: The second son of Viserys II, Aemon joined the Kingsguard at the age of seventeen. Songs speak of his doomed love for his brother's queen, his own sister, Naerys. It is rumoured that Prince Aemon was the father of Daeron II Targaryen. Prince Aemon has been referred to as the noblest knight who ever lived. He defended the honor of his sister, 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 Naerys Queen of Love and Beauty. He died defending his elder brother and King, Aegon IV, during an assassination attempt by two brothers of House Toyne in retribution for Aemon's execution of their third brother. Prince Aemon bore the Valyrian steel sword Dark Sister.
  • Naerys Targaryen: The sister and wife of her brother 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 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 Aemon was used to question the legitimacy of her son, Daeron. This added support to Daemon Blackfyre's insurrection, propelled by Daemon's claim that he was the son of Aegon IV, whereas Daeron was the son of Ser Aemon. The issue of the dynastic succession developed into the Blackfyre Rebellion.
  • Daeron II: King of the Seven Kingdoms from 184 AL until 209 AL.
  • Aerion: 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.
  • Baelor Breakspear (169 AL - 208 AL): 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. Tragically, Baelor was accidentally slain by his brother Maekar, in a trial by combat brought about by Aerion's bad behavior. His sons, Valarr and Matarys, and his father followed him to the grave during the Great Spring Sickness.
  • Maekar I: He was youngest son of Daeron II, the Prince of Summerhall. He succeded his childless brother Aerys I.
  • 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.
  • 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 (also called Aerys the Mad, the Mad King, and King Scab): the last member of House Targaryen to sit the Iron Throne, ruling from 262 to 283 AL. His behavior led some of the noble houses to revolt against the Targaryen dynasty. This revolt, known as the Robert's Rebellion, led to the death of Aerys and most of House Targaryen.
  • Rhaegar: Eldest son of Aerys II, Rhaegar was the Prince of Dragonstone, the heir-apparent to the Iron Throne. Rhaegar disappeared with Lyanna Stark, an act that many people, including Lyanna's family and her betrothed, Robert Baratheon, viewed as an abduction. While the exact nature of their relationship is not currently known, outrage over the act ultimately triggered Robert's Rebellion. Rhaegar was killed by Robert during that conflict at the Battle of the Trident.

References and sources

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at House Targaryen.
The list of authors can be seen in the page history of House Targaryen.
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