House of the Dragon Timeline EXPLAINED

The Doom of Valyria

Four centuries before the events of “Game of Thrones”, a Targaryen named Daenys dreamt of a fiery apocalypse that would destroy Valyria, the capital city of the Valyrian Freehold. Ruling over the Freehold were the lords freeholder, the most powerful of which were the dragonriders. At the time, the Targaryens were not a particularly prominent dragonrider family, but that was about to change. Heeding his daughter, Lord Aenar Targaryen and his family left Essos behind, settling in Dragonstone. Sure enough, 12 years later, in 102 BC, a devastating volcanic eruption reduced the mighty Valyrian civilization to ashes. In the aftermath, the Targaryens were left as the last dragonlords standing. And so began the dragon-riding clan’s rise to even greater power.

Aegon's Conquest

For decades, Targaryen eyes remained fixed on events to the east, in Essos. However, Aegon I changed that - his gaze drawn westward. When he launched his conquest in the year 2 BC, he arrived on Westerosi shores with only a modest army. But he had his dragon, Balerion the Black Dread; and his two sisters (whom were also his wives) had their dragons Vhagar and Meraxes. The quarrelsome kings of Westeros stood little chance against them. Within just two years, they all fell, with the exception of Dorne. After his victory, Aegon forged the Iron throne from the swords of his foes, and established the city of King’s Landing where he and his sisters had first come ashore. The year 1 AC - After the Conquest - marks the beginning of his reign. With the Targaryen’s control over fire-breathing dragons, there was no challenging them. Ironically, the only ones capable of destroying the Targaryens were the Targaryens themselves … Here’s another twist: Aegon didn’t conquer Westeros on a whim of power-hungry ambition. As revealed in “House of the Dragon”, a prophetic vision of the end of the world influenced his decision. This vision comes true centuries later with the rise of White Walkers in the “Game of Thrones” timeline.

From Aegon I to Rhaenyra

The Targaryens continued the Valyrian tradition of incestuous marriage to keep their bloodline ‘pure’. Aegon I fathered sons with both his sister-wives, the crown passing first to his son with Rhaenys, Aenys. However, after Aenys’s death, Aegon’s son with Visenya, Maegor, claimed the throne. Maegor the Cruel proved to be a tyrannous ruler, and came into conflict with the Faith over his multiple wives. Amid rising discontent, Aenys’ son Jaehaerys put forth his own claim to the throne. Soon after, Maegor was found dead on the Iron Throne, slashed and impaled by the very swords he sat on. Wise and just, Jaehaerys reigned for 55 years … which brings us to the events of “House of the Dragon”, where Jaehearys must choose an heir from among his grandchildren. Although Rhaenys was eldest, tradition favored male succession, and Jaeherys chose Viserys, forever branding Rhaenys The Queen Who Never Was. Bucking tradition, Viserys eventually named his daughter Rhaenyra as his heir. However, the widowed king remarried to Rhaenyra’s childhood friend Alicent Hightower, and in a royal twist, after his death their son Aegon II claimed the throne …

The Dance of the Dragons

With both Aegon II and Rhaenyra crowned and claiming the throne, a brutal war was inevitable. Taking place in 129 AC, nearly 170 years before the events in “Game of Thrones”, the Dance of the Dragons led to the near extinction of the world’s last dragonlords. Those loyal to Rhaeneyra, nicknamed the ‘Blacks’, rallied to her, while the ‘Greens’ backed Alicent. One of the catalysts for the royal bloodbath was the murder of Rhaeneyra’s son Lucerys, and the murder in revenge of Aegon II’s son Jaehaerys. We won’t go into too many details about what followed, as we don’t want to spoil the rest of “House of the Dragon”. But this bloody civil war almost led to the complete destruction of the Targaryens and their dragons, and ended the House’s Golden Age.

The Decline of House Targaryen

As with many dynasties, the history of the Targaryens is one of conquest, power, and eventual decline. During the reign of Aegon III, the last dragon died, and their remaining eggs would not hatch. Dragons had been crucial to the Targaryen grip on power. Over subsequent decades, Targaryen rulers struggled to squash various rebellions, most notably those led by the Targaryen bastard Daemon Blackfyre and his descendants. Adding fuel to fire was their infamous penchant for intermarriage. While intended to maintain the purity of their Valyrian blood, it sometimes resulted in offspring prone to eccentricity and cruelty. This may help explain why later Targaryan rulers proved to be incompetent and self-destructive, dragging their once-great House down to ruin. Which brings us to the Mad King …

Robert’s Rebellion

The Mad King Aerys II was fond of burning his enemies. But his murder of Rickard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, and his son Brandon, sealed the fate of his House. The Starks had been protesting the apparent abduction of Lyanna Stark by Prince Rhaegar. In 282 AC, Robert Baratheon, who had been betrothed to Lyanna, rebelled, together with Lord of the Eyrie Jon Arryn and Eddard Stark - Rickard’s son and Brandon’s brother. It was, however, Tywin Lannister’s cunning that led to the brutal sack of King’s Landing and end of the Targaryen reign. The Targaryen line was almost wiped out - the king stabbed to death by a member of his own Kingsguard, Ser Jaime Lannister. Only two of his children, Daenerys and Viserys, survived, smuggled out of Dragonstone before Robert’s brother Stannis captured it. Robert ascended the throne. And this, of course, leads to the events in “Game of Thrones”, where Daenerys outlives her cruel brother and manages to hatch three new dragons …

The Last Targaryen

In the screen adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s novels, it’s revealed that another Targaryen survived: Jon Snow, son of Rhaegar and Lyanna. In Martin’s book series, there’s also a young man, Young Griff, who claims to be the son of Rhaegar and Elia Martell - yet another Aegon. It remains to be seen how events will play out in the books, but in “Game of Thrones’” controversial final season, Daenerys does conquer Westeros - only to go from savior to Mad Queen, unable to avoid her father’s fatal flaws. Her tragic end leaves Jon Snow as the last surviving member of the once great House Targaryen.

Which Targaryen do you deem the greatest of them all? Let us know what you think in the comments.