‘Game of Thrones’ prequel ‘House of the Dragon’: Why do the Targaryens marry each other?
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: ‘House of the Dragon’ has brought to the fore the endogamic marriage practiced by the Targaryens. House Targaryen openly describes their tendency to have arranged marriages within their own house. Targaryens have been marrying their siblings, cousins or other relatives even before their arrival from Old Valyria. Interestingly, the first ever Targaryen Westerosi king Aegon the Conquerer had married both of his sisters and fathered a son with each of them. Aegon's son Aenys I brought forth the rest of the Targaryen line.
In ‘House of the Dragon,’ we see that King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) is married to his cousin Aemma (Sian Brooke) from House Arryn. King Jaehaerys I (Michael Carter) who is the grandfather and predecessor of King Viserys had a long-lasting and really successful marriage with his sister Alysanne. There are notable exceptions of course like King Viserys' cousin Rhaenys Targaryen who got married to Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint) of the House Velaryon. House Targaryen and House Velaryon have totally faint relations because of their connection with Aegon the Conquerer's mother, Valaena Velaryon. Another instance here is the marriage between Queen Aemma's parents, Rodrik Arryn and Daella Targaryen, who carry no blood relation at all.
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Why do all the Targaryens marry each other in ‘House of the Dragon’?
According to novelist George RR Martin’s lore from ‘Fire & Blood,’ Targaryens deliberately married within their house so that they could keep "the blood of the dragon" pure. House Targaryen considers the purity of its lineage to be a mark of superiority over other houses. This factor in itself explains why the Targaryens marry each other at many points in the fictional universe's history. This deep-rooted philosophy and notion behind inbreeding was done really frequently among the other highborn houses existing in the Targaryen home continent before the ‘Doom of Valyria,’ making House Targaryen no exception in this regard.
‘Doctrine of Exceptionalism’
The Targaryens tried their level best to normalize this practice within its house. But honestly, incest still remains one of the more uncomfortable practices in Westeros. In fact, this custom of marrying within their own house did create a huge rift between the Targaryen dynasty and the Faith of the seven kingdoms. The conflict and rift got triggered due to the marriage of King Aenys' children, Rhaena and Aegon. In order to avert any further tensions between the Iron Throne and the kingdoms, King Jaehaerys enacted an order known as the "Doctrine of Exceptionalism." The principle behind the doctrine described that the Gods of the Seven did not see the Targaryen incest as a sin as they were distinctly diverse from the rest of men due to their dragons and Valyrian heritage.
The second episode titled 'The Rogue Prince' will premiere globally on August 28, Sunday, at 9 pm ET on HBO and HBO Max.