If you’ve spent any time in Westeros, you know the Targaryens aren't exactly known for their simple family reunions. When people talk about the family tree of Daenerys Targaryen, they usually start with "The Mad King" and end with a dragon. But it’s way deeper than that. Honestly, it’s a bit of a headache to track because the Targaryens took "keeping it in the family" to a level that would make most people cringe.
Dragonblood isn't just a metaphor for them. It’s an obsession.
Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, didn't just appear out of thin air with a claim to the Iron Throne. Her pedigree is a complex web of incest, prophecy, and enough tragedy to fill ten lifetimes. If you want to understand why she felt so entitled to rule, you have to look at the people who came before her—specifically the ones who burned the world down so she could try to rebuild it.
The Root of the Problem: Aerys II and Rhaella
Basically, Dany’s immediate family tree is a straight line. Her parents, Aerys II Targaryen (the infamous Mad King) and Queen Rhaella, were actually brother and sister.
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Yeah. Siblings.
They didn't exactly have a choice in the matter. Their own father, King Jaehaerys II, forced them to marry because a woods witch told him that the "Prince That Was Promised" would be born from their line. It’s kinda ironic when you think about it. A prophecy meant to save the world ended up creating the very madness that destroyed their dynasty.
Aerys and Rhaella had a miserable marriage. While Aerys was descending into paranoia and burning people alive in the Red Keep, Rhaella was enduring a string of miscarriages and stillbirths. Out of all their attempts, only three children survived into adulthood: Rhaegar, Viserys, and finally, Daenerys.
Rhaegar was the golden boy, the one everyone thought would fix the mess Aerys made. He was Dany’s oldest brother, but she never actually met him. He died on the Trident before she was even born. Then there was Viserys—the "Beggar King." He’s the one we see in the first season of Game of Thrones, the guy who eventually gets a "golden crown" of molten metal poured over his head.
The Rhaegar Factor and the Jon Snow Connection
You can't talk about the family tree of Daenerys Targaryen without mentioning the nephew she didn't know she had.
Rhaegar Targaryen is the pivotal figure here. He was married to Elia Martell and had two kids with her, Rhaenys and Aegon. But then he ran off with Lyanna Stark. Most of Westeros thought it was a kidnapping. In reality, it was a secret marriage. This is where the family tree gets spicy.
Rhaegar and Lyanna had a son: Aegon Targaryen, better known to us as Jon Snow.
This makes Jon Snow the literal nephew of Daenerys. In the Targaryen world, that’s almost a normal relationship, but for the rest of us, it’s a bit much. More importantly, because Jon is the son of the crown prince (Rhaegar), his claim to the throne actually technically sits ahead of Daenerys’s claim. Dany is the daughter of the king, but Jon is the son of the heir. It’s a messy legal distinction that eventually drives a massive wedge between them.
Going Back Further: Aegon the Unlikely
If you go back a few generations, the family tree of Daenerys Targaryen gets a little more "human."
Dany’s great-grandfather was Aegon V, also known as "Egg." If you’ve read George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg, you know him as the bald kid traveling with a hedge knight. He was the fourth son of a fourth son, someone who was never supposed to rule. Because he spent so much time with commoners, he actually had a heart.
He married for love, which was a huge scandal. He wed Betha Blackwood (a family with "First Men" blood, not Valyrian). This is important because it means Daenerys actually has a significant amount of non-Targaryen blood in her. She isn't just some pure Valyrian specimen. She’s got Blackwood and Dayne blood in her veins too.
Aegon V’s reign ended in the Tragedy at Summerhall. He was trying to hatch dragon eggs with wildfire and magic, and it literally blew up in his face. Most of the family died there. Rhaegar was born on that very same day, amidst the smoke and grief.
The Great Houses She’s Secretly Related To
People forget that the Targaryens married into other houses when they weren't marrying each other. Through various marriages down the line, Dany is distantly related to:
- The Baratheons: Robert Baratheon’s grandmother was Rhaelle Targaryen. That’s why Robert had the "best" claim to the throne after the rebellion. He was Dany’s second cousin.
- The Martells: There were two major Martell-Targaryen unions. One brought Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms, and the other was Rhaegar’s ill-fated marriage to Elia.
- The Blackwoods: As mentioned, Dany’s great-grandmother Betha Blackwood brings a touch of the Riverlands into the mix.
The "Madness" Gene: Is it Real?
There’s that famous saying in the books: "Whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin."
Looking at the family tree of Daenerys Targaryen, you see the coin land on both sides. On one side, you have the "Greats"—Aegon the Conqueror, Jaehaerys the Wise, Daeron the Good. On the other, you have the "Mad"—Maegor the Cruel, Aerion Brightflame, and Dany’s own father, Aerys II.
Is it biological? Maybe. Generations of inbreeding definitely didn't help their mental stability. But it’s also environmental. Being told you are "blood of the dragon" and superior to all other humans is a recipe for a God complex. Daenerys spent her whole life fighting the shadow of her father’s madness, only to find herself walking a very similar path when the pressure became too much.
Why the Lineage Actually Matters
In the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, power resides where men believe it resides. Daenerys’s entire identity is built on her name. Without the family tree of Daenerys Targaryen, she’s just an exile in Essos.
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Her lineage gave her the "right" to hatch those dragons. It gave her the "right" to command armies. But it also cursed her. It gave her a legacy of fire and blood that she couldn't outrun, no matter how many slaves she freed or how many "Breaker of Chains" titles she racked up.
If you’re trying to keep all this straight, don't feel bad. Even the Maesters at the Citadel have trouble with it. The main thing to remember is that Dany is the end of a very long, very golden, and very bloody rope.
To really grasp the weight of her story, you should look into the specific history of the "Dance of the Dragons." It was a civil war generations before Dany was born that almost wiped the family out. It’s the blueprint for the infighting that eventually led to her downfall. Reading the "Fire & Blood" history book is the best way to see the full, unvarnished chaos of her ancestors. You’ll see that Dany wasn't an outlier—she was the inevitable result of 300 years of Targaryen hubris.
Actionable Next Steps
- Compare the Claims: To see who actually should have been on the throne, look up the "Great Council of 101 AC." It set the precedent for Targaryen succession that eventually made Jon Snow's claim stronger than Dany's in the eyes of Westerosi law.
- Explore the Blackwood Ancestry: Research Betha Blackwood. Knowing Dany has "First Men" blood explains why she might have a connection to the more "magical" elements of Westeros beyond just dragons.
- Read "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms": If you want to see the Targaryens when they were at their most human and relatable, this collection of novellas about Dany's great-grandfather is essential.