There were times when HBO’s “Game of Thrones” appeared like one extended, gory episode of “Finding Your Roots.” Let’s dig deep into How Is Rhaenyra Targaryen Related To Daenerys?
The fact that Jon Snow comes from the Targaryen family lends credence to a fan idea that has long confused the line of succession to the Iron Throne. Daenerys Targaryen struggled for her right to continue her family’s tradition of riding dragons.
Premiering on HBO Max on August 21, the prequel series “House of the Dragon,” set around 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” fills in any gaps in your knowledge of the Targaryen family that may have arisen while viewing the original series.
The original HBO series was based on George R.R. Martin’s fantasy novel “A Song of Ice and Fire,” from which “Fire & Blood” is adapted.
All of the Targaryens in “House of the Dragon” may be traced back to Daenerys, as evidenced by their icy white-blond hair. Milly Alcock and Emma D’Arcy portray Daenerys’s sister, Princess Rhaenyra (Ran-ee-a) Targaryen, who is the most like Daenerys.
History shows the Targaryens have been around for a very long time. Here’s the family tree connecting Daenerys, called Dany, to the folks in “House of the Dragon.” How Is Rhaenyra Targaryen Related To Daenerys Targaryen
Who Is House of Dragon’s Rhaenyra Targaryen?
In the pilot episode of House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra Targaryen is one of the first characters introduced.
From the start, Rhaenyra is portrayed as an important figure because she is King Viserys I’s daughter; nevertheless, her status is elevated when the king’s opportunity for a male child is taken away and she is declared the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.
If Rhaenyra were to become queen, it would be a historic first for Westeros, therefore it’s no surprise that many groups are conspiring to assure a male heir for the Seven Kingdoms.
A male heir is born to Viserys and Alicent Hightower, which leads to another succession dispute and, eventually, an all-out civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons when Rhaenyra and her half-brother Aegon both lay claim to the Iron Throne. Let’s dig deep into How Is Rhaenyra Targaryen Related To Daenerys?
How Is Rhaenyra Targaryen Related To Daenerys?
So How Is Rhaenyra Targaryen Related To Daenerys Targaryen? Daenerys’s direct ancestry from Rhaenyra places her as her great-great-great-great-great-grandmother (six greats if you’re keeping score at home).
Daenerys is not only Rhaenyra’s first cousin once removed seven times removed, but also a descendant of her uncle Daemon through their marriage.
Viserys II, the son of Rhaenyra and Daemon, is the first direct ancestor of Daenerys. Following Viserys II are Aegon IV, Daeron II, Maekar I, Aegon V, Jaehaerys II, and lastly the Mad King, Aerys II.
Rhaenyra’s Children
Even though they won’t be introduced until later in the story, Rhaenyra has six children: five males and a stillborn daughter.
During her first marriage to Laenor Velaryon, she gave birth to three sons: Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey. However, all three were rumored to have been fathered by her lover, Ser Harwin Strong, because they had dark hair whereas both Rhaenyra and Laenor had fair hair.
Source: CBR
Her second marriage, to her uncle Daemon, produced two additional sons (Aegon III and Viserys II) and a stillborn girl (Visenya).
The Targaryens kept their bloodline pure and their hair silvery white by having brothers and sisters marry each other and cousins marry relatives for generations, a practice that would be considered quite unusual in modern culture.
Detailed Explanation Of House Of The Dragon Family Tree
House of the Dragon opens with King Viserys (Paddy Considine), the fifth Targaryen king of the Seven Kingdoms, as its central patriarch. He is Aegon the Conqueror’s great, great, great grandson and is known for being a mild-mannered but ineffectual monarch.
Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), his younger brother, is the Rogue Prince and is ambitious, impulsive, and unpredictable. Extremely brave in battle, he mounts the mighty dragon Caraxes. Daemon has the strongest claim to the throne at the beginning of House of the Dragon because he is the next male in line.
8 generations separate Rhaenyra Targaryen and Daenerys Targaryen, which makes Rhaenyra the great great great great great great grandmother of Daenerys…
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Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy and Milly Alcock) is King Viserys’s firstborn child with his first wife, Aemma Arryn. At first, she doesn’t think she’ll ever be queen, but then King Viserys chooses her as his heir and orders everyone in the Seven Kingdoms to bow down to her.
Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke and Emily Carey), a childhood friend of Rhaenyra’s who now belongs to a powerful and ancient Westerosi family, resides in Old Town. Her father, Otto Hightower, is the Hand of the King at the beginning of the series.
Alicent marries King Viserys after Aemma’s death, and the two have four children: Aegon, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron (though some believe Daeron has been cut from the show). Many people feel that Aegon Targaryen, not Rhaenyra, should be the heir to the throne.
There has never been a queen in Westeros. And so we reach Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best). They refer to her as “the queen who never was,” although in reality, she is the cousin of King Viserys.
Rhaenys Targaryen married the Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Touissant). The Lord of Tides and the Master of Driftmark, he is a legendary sailor.
In Old Valyria, where the Targaryens originated, there is a great and venerable family: the Velaryons. This particular line, however, did not become dragon lords but rather sea rulers.
Corlys Velaryon, at the time of House of the Dragon, is the richest man in the Seven Kingdoms and the commander of the most powerful fleet in all of Westeros. Laena Velaryon (Savannah Steyn) and Laenor Velaryon are Rhaenys and Corlys’ two children (John Macmillan).
Laena is affixed to the back of the legendary Vhagar, while Laenor is affixed to the back of Seasmoke, a smaller but no less potent dragon. In this article we read about How Is Rhaenyra Targaryen Related To Daenerys Targaryen.
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