House of the Dragon: How does Game of Thrones connect to new show? All you need to know about the Targaryen family history

After almost a decade of keeping fans riveted with numerous plot twists, Game of Thrones came to an end with Season 8 in 2019. The conclusion was unanimously slammed as the show seemed to have forgotten its own plot elements from the previous seasons and was perceived as incredibly rushed. Nevertheless, House of the Dragon, a prequel series, might just heal those old wounds. The new series focuses on the Targaryen family history, and is set around two centuries before the original.

We will witness the Civil War that came to be known as the Dance Of The Dragons, and it is touted to be one of the most fascinating, and bloody periods of the dynasty’s history. Once again, the Iron Throne is at the center of all rife, as dynastic battles come to the fore after the death of King Viserys I Targaryen (played by Paddy Considine in the show). He has only one living daughter, Rhaenyra Targaryen, from his first wife, and four from his second wife, so you can imagine what’s going to happen next. While Rhaenyra had actually been declared as the successor when he was alive, his death sees much dispute over this tricky matter– will she get preference as she is the eldest, or will the throne go to Aegon, the first male heir? Nothing is going to be sorted out calmly, things are ready to spiral out of control and the dragons are ready to burn everything in their sight, if necessary.

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A quick Game Of Thrones recap

Daenerys Targaryen (played by Emilia Clarke) was at the centre of GoT, and we followed her story for eight seasons and her transformation from the timid woman to a fiery queen, the mother of dragons, who succumbed to the Targaryen madness that the House was known for. Daenerys was the youngest child born to King Aerys II Targaryen and Queen Raella during Robert Baratheon’s rebellion. After Robert ascended the throne, the Targaryens were ousted and the original series focused on Daenerys’ mission to restore her family’s legacy.

Game of Thrones began with her marriage to Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa). After his death, she began to expand her empire into Essos and earned the loyalty of the Unsullied, after liberating them from their masters. However, as the show progressed, she began to show signs of ruthlessness and finally destroyed King’s Landing to seize power from Queen Cersei (Lena Headey). She was ultimately killed by Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) to prevent further massacres.

The Targaryen family tree

Putting it simply, Daenerys is a direct descendant of Rhaenyra, even if they are generations apart. She emerges from the line that originated from Rhaenyra’s second marriage to her uncle Daemon, and from her son Viserys II, who will claim the Iron Throne and continue the Targaryen rebellion.

The Targaryen family tree is quite complicated, owing to much incest and in-breeding within the dynasty. In House Of The Dragon, we will meet King Viserys I, the king of Westeros and who is also the father of the protagonist, Rhaenyra, and brother to her rival Daemon. However, Viserys is also the namesake of Daenerys’ brother and great-grandfather in the original series. Interestingly in the books, Rhaenyra marries her uncle Daemon and has a child who claims the Iron Throne. So it turns out that while Daenerys is the distant niece of both Rhaenyra and Daemon, they might also be her grandparents, several times removed, which would also make Rhaenyra her distant cousin, as Daemon is Rhaenyra’s uncle as well as her husband. And you thought your family had issues.

Game Of Thrones begins after King Aerys II is assassinated by the king’s guard, Jaime Lannister. Aerys, or the Mad King as he is known as, had three children–Rhaegar, Viserys and Daenerys.

Daenerys was the only true heir to the throne until, it turned out that she was Jon Snow’s aunt (a plot twist that no one saw coming). While the Targaryens lost their throne in Game Of Thrones, House Of The Dragon will see their long rule over the Seven Kingdoms.

House Of The Dragon will stream on Disney Plus Hotstar from August 22.