Across the wars, weddings, and claims for the Iron Throne, House Targaryen sits at the center of Game of Thrones genealogy. This relationship guide maps the main Targaryen kin from Aegon I to his modern heirs, clarifying parent–child lines, sibling bonds, and pivotal marriages that shape each claimant’s standing. Names, consanguinity, and succession order are verified from in-series events and show sources, focusing on enduring lineage patterns rather than shifting alliances.
Core Targaryen Line: Ancestors and Descent
The foundational generation of Targaryen rule begins before the Conquest and establishes the bloodline followed in Game of Thrones. Each named ancestor below anchors major dynastic branches and succession decisions referenced throughout the series.
| Name | Verified Detail | Source Type |
|---|---|---|
| House Targaryen origin (Valyria) | Dragons and bloodline preserved before Doom | Backstory exposition |
| Aegon I Targaryen (Aegon the Conqueror) | Unified six kingdoms, forged Iron Throne (~2 BC–37 AC) | History and in-world texts |
| Visenya and Rhaenys (Aegon’s sisters and queens) | Consorts and dragonriders; widowed after Aegon I | In-world records |
| Maegor I Targaryen (Maegor the Cruel) | Aegon I’s son; contested succession (~10 AC–48 AC) | Official histories |
| Jaehaerys I Targaryen (The Conciliator) | Long reign and stabilizing rule (48 AC–103 AC) | In-world archives |
Claimants and Their Claims
In Season 1–8, legitimate and declared heirs emerge from distinct branches. Daenerys Targaryen represents the last surviving paternal line from Aegon V’s younger son Aerys II, while Jon Snow’s hybrid claim (Targaryen plus Stark) hinges on parentage revelations. Stannis and Renly Baratheon base their arguments on descent from Aegon II through female lines. Recognizing these paths explains why alliances form and break across the series.
Jon Snow’s Parentage and Status
Jon’s lineage undergoes the series’ most pivotal clarification late in the narrative. Ned’s honor-bound claim and later proof of Rhaegar and Lyanna’s marriage reshape the succession map. This section states the in-story findings without speculation, focusing on how parentage alters legal and emotional claims to the throne.
Rhaegar + Lyanna Line
Rhaegar annulled his first marriage, married Elia in Essos, and had two children with her in the canonical timeline established by the show. In Season 6–7, it is confirmed he wed Lyanna Stark, making their son the sole surviving Targaryen heir with dual ancestry. Jon’s upbringing with Ned Stark and his later acknowledgement as Aegon Targaryen in the finale directly stem from this union.
Daenerys Targaryen’s Direct Line
Daenerys embodies the main extant branch of House Targaryen in the show’s present. Her parents, Aerys II and Rhaella, anchor her claim, while her siblings Viserys and partially Dorne connections illustrate continuity and rupture. Below are the core parent–child relationships that define her authority.
| Daenerys Targaryen relations | Verified Detail | Source Type |
|---|---|---|
| Father: Aerys I Targaryen (the Mad King) | Ruled until Robert’s Rebellion; died in throne room | Dialogue and histories |
| Mother: Rhaella Targaryen | Wife of Aerys; died in labor after Viserys fled | Flashbacks and dialogue |
| Brother: Viserys Targaryen | Eldest son; claims Daenerys’s dragons and later dies in Dothraki khalasar | Series exposition |
| Husband: Khal Drogo | Dothraki khal; marriage alliance in Season 1 | Season 1 narrative |
| Sons (in sequence): stillborn, Viserys, Rhaego | Stillborn, then Viserys dies, then Rhaego disappears in Essos | On-screen and dialogue |
| Dragons: Drogon, Rhaegal, Viserion | Hatched from eggs on funeral pyre; central to her power | Canonical events |
Daenerys and Viserys: Sibling Relationship
Viserys functions as the exiled claimant who treats Daenerys as both heir and bargaining chip, culminating in his death at Drogo’s hands. Their dynamic drives early Dragonstone and Pentos sequences, demonstrating how exile and desperation warp familial duty into coercion. Daenerys’s evolution from ward to sovereign redefines the Targaryen approach to power.
Stannis and Renly Baratheon: Targaryen Heirs Through Women
Stannis and Renly invoke Targaryen legitimacy through their grandmother, a daughter of a Targaryen king. This section notes how their claims rely on female-line inheritance, a recurring mechanism in the series, and how it informs their political strategies and ultimate fates. Reference is made only to on-screen assertions and verifiable succession logic rather than off-screen speculation.
- Stannis’s claim: Through descent from Aegon II’s daughter via female lines; asserts rightful inheritance
- Renly’s claim: Aligns with Stannis’s line but emphasizes broad support and negotiation
- Both leverage Targaryen blood to legitimize bids against Lannister rule
Family Marriages and Consanguinity
Targaryen tradition of sibling marriage, when legally enforced, recurs as a narrative device and a source of succession risk. The series clarifies which unions adhere to old Valyrian customs and which reflect political strategy. Marriages between close kin are noted where presented; the implications for legitimacy and stability are explained without dramatization.
| Marriage / Pairing | Verified Detail | Source Type |
|---|---|---|
| Rhaegar + Elia Martell | Dissolved by annulment; two children before Elia’s death | Dialogue and flashbacks |
| Rhaegar + Lyanna Stark | Secret wedding; produces Jon Snow | Season 6–7 confirmations |
| Daenerys + Khal Drogo | Political marriage; dragons foreshadowed | Season 1 setup |
| Cersei + Jaime Lannister | Full siblings; marriage declared invalid by Faith and Crown | Show codification |
| Aerys II + Rhaella Targaryen | First cousins; produced Viserys and Daenerys | Family exposition |
Succession Order at Key Moments
From Robert’s Rebellion’s immediate aftermath to the finale, presumed and actual succession shifts with deaths and revelations. Presenting these states as timelines helps clarify who was considered heir at each narrative juncture and why.
| Period | Heir Considered | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 283–298 AC (Robert’s reign) | Viserys Targaryen (exiled) | Last male heir until his death |
| Season 1–6 | Daenerys Targaryen (in Essos) | Only known surviving child of Aerys II |
| Season 6–7 (post-Rhaegar confirmation) | Jon Snow (Aegon Targaryen) | Rhaegar + Lyanna makes him the living heir |
| Season 7–8 finale | Daenerys then Bran Stark | Daenerys claims until death; Bran elected by council |
Key Takeaways on Targaryen Relationships
- Primary line: Aegon I → Maegor → Jaehaerys I → Viserys II → Aerys II → Daenerys and Jon (Rhaegar + Lyanna)
- Consanguinity and annulled or secret marriages create legal and emotional complexity
- Jon’s parentage shifts the heir from Daenerys to a joint claim with historical precedent
- Female-line descent (Stannis, Renly) shows succession flexibility beyond strict agnatic primogeniture
- Dragons and blood together underpin perceived legitimacy, regardless of council or battlefield outcomes
This relationship explanation is designed as a durable reference: current as of the presented canon material, agnostic of casting or speculation, and focused on blood ties that recurrently define House Targaryen across the series.