House of the Dragon: How Far Ago?
In House of the Dragon we travel a little under two centuries into the past of house Targaryen. While the events are unrelated to Game of Thrones, they form the not so distant history of the characters we encounter in GoT. More specifically, House of the Dragons unfolds 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen who was 13 when GoT began (in the books) making the show around 185 years before GoT. But how is Rhaenyra related to Daenerys (and consequently also to Jon Snow) by blood? Here’s an explanation on the Targaryen line based on book materials, though these are subject to change in the HBO tv series: Spoilers below!
How Is Rhaenyra Related to Daenerys Explained
Rhaenyra is Daenerys’ ancestor; her seven times great grandmother. As Jon Snow was the son of Daenerys’ brother, making him her nephew even though he’s a bit older, this makes him Rhaneyra’s eight times grandson. Rhaenyra and Daenerys might be different characters but they do share some common traits as they’re both women trying to further their claim and keep their birthright in a world that doesn’t want a woman on the iron throne. Both fight against great odds to secure what they deem is theirs by blood, though, Daenerys, who grew up in exile away from Westeros, got to know freedom Rhaenyra hasn’t tasted in the royal court. So far, Rhaenyra hasn’t shown signs of the mental instability that characterizes a devastatingly large number of Targaryens though Daenerys hadn’t either until the very end, making this a symptom of bad writing rather than properly foreshadowed or in any way explicable madness. It remains to be seen if Rhaenyra’s story will have any more parallels with that of Daenerys.
What About Other Relations?
We have established that Rhaenyra is many times great grandmother to Rhaneyra, but through which of her children? And what about other characters, like Daemon? Well, the Targaryen dynasty Daenerys was part of is directly related to Rhaenyra’s line but there were many complications to get there. During the civil war that came to be known as the Dance of Dragons, many Targaryen kings were short-lived. The war ended with Rhaenyra’s son, Viserys II on the throne. This, however, is not a son from her marriage with Ser Laenor Velaryon. After being widowed, Rhaenyra married Daemon Targaryen and had more children with him, one of whom eventually ended up on the iron throne. From his line came Daenerys and most of the other Targaryens we’ve heard of in GoT. The above, of course, are subject to change, as House of the Dragon is still ongoing and we’re waiting to see if this timeline will be kept intact.
