When does 'House of the Dragon' take place? A look at the Targeryn timeline in 'Game Of Thrones' prequel
Remember when in 'Game Of Thrones' Khaleesi said, "The Iron Throne is mine and I will take it." It used to be truly hers and she just wanted to go back to her roots. We witnessed the obstacles Khaleesi faced through the seasons of the series. 'Game Of Thrones: House Of The Dragon' will unveil the ancestral kingdom of Targaryens and how they ruled over the seven kingdoms.
The 'Mother of Dragons' and her brother were the only Targaryens left as shown in the 'GOT' series, but once upon a time, things were not like that and the clan was powerful and majestic. Fans will soon witness the period where they prospered. Read more to know more about the family and the timeline before 'Game Of Thrones: House Of The Dragon' premieres.
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Family Tree
So, the House Of Targaryens started with Aegon I and had eight generations in between until Maekar I. Maekar I had two sons, Master Aemon and Aegon V, but Master Aemon stayed unmarried, whereas Aegon V had one son named Jachaerys II, and a daughter Rhaelle. Rhaelle got married to House of Baratheon, while Jachaerys took their bloodline forward and had a son named Aerys II who was also popularly known as 'the Mad King'. Aerys II and Rhaella Targaryen had three children then Daenerys Targaryen, Rhaegar Targaryen, and Viserys Targaryen.
'House of the Dragon' is the tale of the eight generations between Aegon I and Maekar. Now that we have the family tree cleared we can skip to Khaleesi's ancestors. The timeline of 'Game Of Thrones: House Of The Dragon' is set 200 years before the era of 'GOT'.
As I mentioned before Aegon I started the Targaryen clan and the story is about his great-great-grandson Viserys I, who succeeded his grandfather the Old King Jaehaerys I, and Viserys' generation.
You must be thinking, "Who was in the generation of Viserys I?" Don't worry, we got you covered. Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Alysanne Targaryen had three children, Aemon Targaryen, Baelon Targaryen, and Daella Targaryen. Daella had a daughter named Aemma. Baelon had two sons named Viserys I Targaryen, and Daemon Targaryen. Aemon also had a daughter named Rhaenys Targaryen. So now, Viserys I and Aemma got married "to keep the dragon blood pure" (incestual relationships were not a big deal), and they had a daughter named Rhaenyra Targaryen, whereas Viserys I's brother Daemon never got married. On the other hand, Rhaenys got married to Corlys Velaryon and they had one son called Laenor Velaryon, and a daughter named Laena Velaryon.
The allegiance of the House of Targaryens was never easy to understand with the sibling rivalry which was also visible in 'Game Of Thrones'. 'HOTD' will also see a battle for the throne. Viserys I had gotten challenged by Rhaenys.
Viserys inherited the realm after an unprecedented fifty years of peace and prosperity under his grandfather, a golden age that Viserys strives not to disrupt. A full century after the Targaryen Conquest, their dynasty's rule is unchallenged - save for still-independent Dorne, though relations with them have also been calm and stable for decades.
But all is not sturdy within House Targaryen as Viserys's first cousin Rhaenys contested their grandfather's succession.
Rhaenys was the only child of Jaehaerys's first son, while Viserys was the eldest son of Jaehaerys's second son but the relatively young Targaryen dynasty did not have firmly established succession laws till then. Moreover, if Rhaenys was to be passed over due to being a woman, others argued that the rule should pass to her son Laenor Velaryon. So, to address the issue, all the lords of Westeros gathered in the Great Council at Harrenhal. Viserys won the final vote by a wide margin, and Rhaenys grudgingly accepted the result. Nonetheless, this left a major rift between Viserys's new royal court and House Velaryon, led by Rhaenys's husband Corlys Velaryon, admiral of the royal fleets. Adding to these tensions, at the beginning of the reign, Viserys had yet to produce a male heir with his beloved wife despite his claim to the throne being based on direct succession from male to male. Unfortunately, their only living child is Princess Rhaenyra, which raised a conflict.
Daenerys mentioned, "I will take whatever is mine with fire and blood" in an episode of 'Game Of Thrones'. Now we understand more about her thirst for power.
'Game Of Thrones: House Of The Dragon' is adapted from a book titled 'Fire & Blood' by George RR Martin and is all set to premiere on August 21, 2022. You can watch it on HBO or stream it on HBO Max.