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How is the whole Targaryen family tree explained?

How is the whole Targaryen family tree explained?

How is the whole Targaryen family tree explained?

The Targaryen family tree is one of the most significant houses in George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series and the “Game of Thrones” TV show. Here’s a brief overview:

Origins

  • Valyria: The Targaryens are originally from Valyria, a powerful civilization known for dragon-riding and magic. They were one of the few families to survive the Doom of Valyria.
  • Aegon the Conqueror: In Aegon’s Conquest, Aegon Targaryen and his sisters, Visenya and Rhaenys, used their dragons to conquer the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, establishing the Targaryen dynasty.

The Targaryen Family Tree

  • Aegon I: The first king of the Targaryen dynasty, known for uniting the kingdoms. He had several wives, but his primary ones were his sisters.
  • House Targaryen’s Unusual Marriages: The Targaryens often married within the family to keep their bloodline pure, leading to many complex family dynamics and some instances of madness due to inbreeding.

Key Members

  • Aegon II and Aegon III: The Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons involved these two, leading to significant losses for the family.
  • Daenerys Targaryen: One of the last surviving members of the family during “Game of Thrones.” She seeks to reclaim the Iron Throne and has a strong connection to dragons.
  • Viserys Targaryen: Daenerys’s brother, obsessed with reclaiming the throne but ultimately ineffective.

Themes

  • Power and Madness: The Targaryens are often associated with both greatness and madness, influenced by their bloodline and history.
  • Dragons: The Targaryens are known as the “Dragonlords,” with their dragons symbolizing their power and dominance.

Legacy

  • The Targaryen legacy continues to impact the politics of Westeros, with their story woven deeply into the lore of the realm. Their history, marked by conquest, civil war, and tragedy, plays a crucial role in the larger narrative of the series.

Overall, the Targaryens are a rich and complex family, central to the themes of power, legacy, and the consequences of ambition in Martin’s work.

How is the whole Targaryen family tree explained?

Decades ago, there lived 3 Targaryen brothers:

AERION TARGARYEN , AEMON TARGARYEN & AEGON V TARGARYEN.

-Nothing about Aerion is known.
-Aemon renounced his claim to the throne and served as a maester for the Night’s Watch. He died at an extremely old age in Castle Black.
-Aegon V had four children. They are:

DUNCAN, AERYS II, RHAELLA & DAERON.

-Duncan & Daeron do not have any offspring.
– Aerys II & Rhaella had three children (born of incest). They are:

RHAEGAR , VISERYS, DAENERYS

-Rhaegar Targaryen had two children with Elia Martell, Rhaenys & Aegon (Killed by The Mountain)
-Rhaegar had one child with Lyanna Stark . It should be noted that he had annulled his marriage with Elia Martell and married Lyanna Stark and she bore his legitimate son, Jon Snow.
-Daenerys bore one child with Drogo, but the baby died at childbirth.
-Rhaegar was killed by Robert Baratheon during the rebellion.
-Lyanna died immediately after giving birth to Jon.
-Viserys was killed by Drogo because Viserys insulted Daenerys in front of him.

Edit: For information before Aegon V, I am adding this image:

How is the whole Targaryen family tree explained?

Is Varys a Targaryen?

I think he very well could be. More specifically, I think he’s a Blackfyre.

Let’s back up and look at where the male line of House Blackfyre supposedly died out. This was during the War of the Ninepenny Kings, which took place about 40 years before the current timeline. Barristan Selmy defeated Maelys the Monstrous, and this was supposedly the end of the male Blackfyre line. That the male line is specified suggests that it’s possible for female-line Blackfyres to still be around.

More than that, Maelys only came to lead the Golden Company by killing his cousin Daemon. Daemon is the predominant dynastic name in the Blackfyre line, similarly to how the Targaryens use Aegon. This could be a clue that the Daemon whom Maelys killed was actually of the senior line, meaning that Daemon’s descendants actually would have the superior Blackfyre claim.

Varys’ history suggests that he came from Lys as a slave. Regardless of Varys being a Targaryen, Lys is well-known, along with Volantis, for still being populated with people of Valyrian blood. It is also the location of Aerion Brightflame’s exile, a point many people use to argue the “Brightfyre” theory, that Aerion Brightflame’s descendants married into the Blackfyres and that the Blackfyres now are a hybrid of those two branches. Lys is also where Jon Connington supposedly drank himself to death when he was booted out of the Golden Company, and Connington has now been co-opted as a stooge (he thinks Aegon is really Rhaegar’s son) in Varys and Illyrio’s plot.

While Varys’ age is fuzzy, it seems plausible that the Daemon whom Maelys killed may have had a daughter (so, right here is the start of the future female-line family), who may have fled to Lys when her father was killed or was sold into slavery by Maelys himself. If there is a generation between Daemon and Varys (Varys’ mother), that solves the “female-line” problem: Varys, though male, would still be a female-line Blackfyre and the “extinct in the male line” point about the Blackfyres would still be accurate.

Varys ends up in Pentos and befriends Illyrio Mopatis. The story of Illyrio’s second wife, Serra, is that he just happened to find her in a Lysene brothel and brought her back. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Varys and Serra both come from Lys, and I think the “real” story is probably that Varys, now free and with a powerful friend, convinced Illyrio to rescue his sister from slavery and Illyrio ended up falling in love with her. I tend to agree with the theory that Aegon is Illyrio and Serra’s son, and that this explains Illyrio’s otherwise pointless investment in Varys’ plan. I think installing a Blackfyre, not necessarily Aegon, who wasn’t born yet, but perhaps a hypothetical son of his sister, was Varys’ aim all along.

Going back to my theory about Daemon and Maelys (that Daemon was senior-line and Maelys was of a cadet branch), then it could also explain Varys and Illyrio’s respect for and utilization of Barristan Selmy: By killing Maelys, Barristan actually did these Blackfyres a favor, by killing the man who had usurped their claim to the throne.

There are some other roundabout clues that there’s more going on with Varys than it seems.

  • We’re told that, regardless of whatever objective power king’s blood does or doesn’t have, it’s still very popular for use in blood magic rituals. Like the kind Varys was forced to participate in when he was castrated. The use of Varys in a blood magic ritual makes a lot more sense if the sorcerer who did it thought he was using king’s blood.
  • The Targaryen king Aegon V squired as a young boy, and traveled extensively throughout the country. To hide the fact that he was a Targaryen, Aegon would shave his head and dress as a peasant. Aegon’s nickname was Egg. Fast forward to Varys, who is also bald, and is introduced thusly by Catelyn: “The man who stepped through the door was plump, perfumed, powdered, and as hairless as an egg.”
  • Maegor I finished building the Red Keep and promptly executed its builders and architects, so that only “the dragon” would know all of its secrets. Varys seems to know all of the secrets of the Red Keep. If Varys knows all of the secrets of the Red Keep, and only “the dragon” can know all of the secrets of the Red Keep, then Varys is “the dragon.”

Why does House Targaryen marry within the family?

A few reasons.

  • It limits the political power of other families. When an outside family gets involved, it can cause some political grasping and upheaval, prime example being the Hightowers.
  • Blood purity. Whether this is an objective thing or just perception doesn’t really matter; they believe it. I think it’s extremely ambiguous as to whether Valyrian blood is actually needed to ride a dragon (“The Princess and the Queen” strongly suggests that it isn’t), but people believe what they want.
  • Having said that, I think you can make a case that dragons are likelier to bond to people of the same family line as their former rider(s). Aegon 1.5 rode his father’s dragon, Balerion was passed from father to son to nephews, Vhagar went from Visenya to Laena to Aemond, Helaena rode her great-great-aunt’s dragon, Addam of Hull rode his half-brother’s dragon, etc. This doesn’t mean that Valyrian blood is necessary, just that dragon-bonding looks easier if the dragon recognizes a relation.
  • As an extension of that, it keeps dragons in the primary family unit. In Old Valyria, if a woman was bonded to a powerful dragon and married into another family, her dragon would go with her and could in time be bonded to members of that other, possibly rival family. But, ah, if she married her brother, then her dragon would stay in her family and be passed down to her own children, who would also be her brother’s children. House Velaryon has some dragonriders in its past, but these were children of Targaryen princesses (Rhaenys’ two children and Rhaenyra’s three oldest sons, who had the Velaryon name but were probably bastards) and they were the exception and not so much the rule, it seems. The two houses were so entwined at that point that the Velaryons probably weren’t considered that much of an “outside family” anyway.

Who were the Targaryens?

This is a date-wise breakdown of the Targaryen history:

  • 5000 years before the onset of the series:
    • Valyria was a landmass in Essos – the eastern part of ASoIaF/ GoT realm.
    • It was inhabitated by shepherds who somehow discovered dragons living in the volcanoes of Valyria and also began taming them. Upon further excavation, they found out dragon eggs in the volcanoes and learnt how to hatch those eggs, too.
    • Thus, they came to be known as dragon lords and this feature contributed to their “royalty” along with the physical features of white hair, pale skin, lilac eye (present day blonde). Their features, customs were completely different from everyone else’s.
    • There were many such royal families in the vicinity. It came to be known as the Valyrian Freehold. It was a oligarchy.
    • The Valyrians extended their empire all over the world using dragons and secret methods. They evolved into having other magic, recorded history, spells and knowledge on various subjects which was unknown to the rest of the world. It was for these reasons they were held in very high regard. Most of their customs and practices like incest and polygamy were outlawed in other parts of the world.
    • Threatened with their increasing prominence, the Ghiscari Empire (a predominant empire of the then contemporary world) declared a war on them. After lots and lots of battle, the Valyrians won, thus laying waste to the mighty Ghiscari Empire and rising to even higher prominence.
    • One of these Valyrian Houses, the Targaryens established a holdfast in Westeros at Dragonstone, which would later become the family seat of House Targaryen .

Now’s the sole part.

  • 400 years before the onset of the series:
    • The Valyrian volcanoes (where they discovered dragons) suddenly erupted and the apocalyse burnt away the entire Valyria, thus bringing an end to the entirety of it. Since Valyria is very old, it came to be known as Old Valyria in the now modern world.
    • Targaryens were the only major family to have survived it beacuse they had taken dwelling in Westeros and thus they were the only ones in the world to weild and tame dragons.
  • 300 years ago:
    • A certain Aegon Targaryen with his two sister-wives conquered Westeros (consisting of seven countries), except Dorne which was ruled by the Rhoynars. They had fought with Valyrians before (they fleed and established House Nymeros-Martell in Dorne after losing the war) and presumably they were the only ones who managed to resist the dragons. Also, they killed one of Aegon’s sister-wives, Rhaenys and her dragon Meraxes.
    • King’s Landing was made the capital city and the ancestral family seat was named the Iron Throne.
    • Some years later, Dorne was also brought under the Targaryen rule by a marriage alliance.
    • The Targaryens ruled for almost 300 years after that. There were three civil wars in these 300 years.

Spoilers ahead now:

  • 17 years ago:
    • The heir apparent to the Iron Throne, Rhaegar Targaryen “kidnapped” Lyanna Stark of the North (Starks were the ruling noble House of the North). On one hand, he was already married to Elia Martell and had children with her. And on the other hand, Lyanna was betrothed to a noble gentleman called Robert Baratheon, from another ruling House. Lyanna’s elder brother Eddard Stark was Robert’s close friend.
    • Rhaegar and Lyanna went absconding, so Lyanna’s eldest brother Brandon Stark and her father Rickard Stark went to Rhaegar’s father Aerys Targaryen (who was seeking to “return Lyanna.” Aerys instead killed them in the capital.
    • This sparked a major civil war that killed way too many people and Robert the King. Robert himself slay Rhaegar at the Trident. They were at loggerheads. He was under the impression that Rhaegar had been raping Lyanna all along.
    • Rhaegar’s wife Elia was raped and murdered and their children were also murdered by the Lannisters. Aerys was killed by Jaime Lannister.
    • After the war concluded, and Robert was claimed king, Eddard Stark went south Dorne “looking for her sister.” She was dying when he found her and she ultimately did die.
    • Eddard went back to North taking along with him a newly born child, Jon, whom he claimed to be his bastard.
    • Aerys’ pregnant wife Rhaella and second son Viserys were sent/ went to Dragonstone to escape the war. There, Rhaella died giving birth to Daenerys.
    • One of Rhaegar’s friend Jon Connington, smuggled Viserys and Daenerys to Essos as Robert had vowed to kill every last Targaryen in the world.
  • Pesent time:
    • Daenerys kills her brother Viserys. And thereby assumes to be the only Targaryen I’m the world.
    • There’s one another Aemon Targaryen, once a crown prince, who refused the Iron Throne because he sort to become a maester, which demanded vow of celibacy. He too dies of old age, midway in the ASoIaF series.

Aftermath:

  • The kid Eddard brought with him is Lyanna and Rhaegar’s son, technically a Targaryen.

Conclusion

Would anyone care to explain the Targaryen family tree and how the Starks are related?

The Targaryen family tree is a prominent noble house in George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series and its television adaptation, “Game of Thrones.” Here’s a concise overview of their history, key members, and significance:

Origins

  • Valyria: The Targaryens originated from Valyria, a powerful civilization known for its dragons and advanced magic. They were one of the few families to survive the Doom of Valyria due to their settlement on Dragonstone, an island off the coast of Westeros.

Key Historical Events

  • Aegon’s Conquest: Aegon I Targaryen, also known as Aegon the Conqueror, united the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros under his rule in Aegon’s Conquest (approximately 300 AC). He rode the dragon Balerion the Black Dread and established the Iron Throne, made from the swords of his vanquished enemies.
  • Targaryen Kings: The Targaryens ruled for nearly 300 years, with notable kings including:
  • Aegon III: Known for his peaceful reign and the end of the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.
  • Aegon IV: Infamous for his numerous mistresses and the resulting conflicts.
  • Aerys II: The “Mad King,” whose reign ended with Robert’s Rebellion, leading to the fall of the Targaryen dynasty.

Notable Family Members

  • Daenerys Targaryen: One of the last surviving members of the family, she is a central character in the series. Her journey from exile to power is a major plotline, emphasizing themes of identity and destiny.
  • Viserys Targaryen: Daenerys’s older brother, obsessed with reclaiming the throne, often at the expense of his sister’s well-being.
  • Rhaegar Targaryen: The older brother of Daenerys and Viserys, whose actions (including his relationship with Lyanna Stark) set off a chain of events leading to Robert’s Rebellion.

Themes and Legacy

  • Bloodline and Madness: The Targaryens are known for their practice of incestuous marriages to keep their bloodline pure, which often led to madness (the Targaryen “curse”).
  • Dragons: As dragonlords, the Targaryens are uniquely tied to these creatures, which symbolize their power and legacy.
  • The Iron Throne: The struggle for power and legitimacy surrounding the Iron Throne is a central theme, with various factions vying for control throughout the series.

The Targaryen family tree embodies themes of power, legacy, and the consequences of ambition. Their complex history, marked by triumphs and tragedies, continues to captivate audiences, contributing significantly to the rich tapestry of Westeros.

Easiest question I’ve ever answered, maybe:

Until Rhaegar eloped with Lyanna and the two of them produced Jon, the Targaryens and the Starks had never married into each other. The two families came close once, with a marriage pact drawn up during the Dance of the Dragons, the Pact of Ice and Fire. However, the conditions of the pact (a Targaryen princess marrying into the Stark family) were never met.

The answer to the question, insofar as explaining the Targaryen family tree and how the Starks are related to it, is that the Starks aren’t directly related to the Targaryens, until Jon.

Out of the original three conquering Targaryen siblings, who do you like the most?

I think it has to be Aegon himself.

He was the original badass, wielding his mighty sword and humungous fuck-off dragon. And when all was said and done, unlike Visenya, he turned out to be a pretty wise king in the end, making the Iron throne specifically because he didn’t feel a king should sit comfortably. even despite his original motives for the conquest which amounted to “I have a dragon.”

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How is the whole Targaryen family tree explained?