Targaryen family tree explained – who are Jon Snow’s real parents and how is he related to the ‘Mad King’?
The Targaryen is a family of Valyrian descent that once ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
With many being old rulers of Westeros, and the current Targaryens looking to get back on the throne, this family features in the history books. Here’s all you need to know about one of the most famous family trees in the Game of Thrones universe.
Who was the ‘Mad King’ Aerys Targaryen and why was he overthrown?
Aerys Targaryen is the “Mad King” who was overthrown by Robert Baratheon in a civil war that took place around 17 years before the first book or episode of Game of Thrones.
He was the last Targaryen to sit on the Iron Throne after three centuries of rule by the family.
His rule was benevolent at first but the Mad King is legendarily cruel.
During his reign he became increasingly paranoid and murderous, using wildfire to burn his enemies alive because there were no dragons in Westeros then.
Although the Mad King’s cruelty is now legend, this is not what caused Robert Baratheon to lead a rebellion against him.
In fact the rebellion started because Aerys’s son and heir, Prince Rhaegar, “abducted” Ned Stark’s sister Lyanna, leading Houses Stark and Baratheon to rebel.
They were later joined by other houses and won a decisive victory over House Targaryen.
The decisive moment in the war saw Aerys’s own hand Tywin Lannister join the rebellion against him.
Jaime Lannister got his “Kingslayer” nickname when he put his sword through the king he had sworn to protect as a Kingsguard.
Since the Mad King was overthrown there’s been very little stability in the seven kingdoms as myriad dynasties vie for power – from the Lannisters, to the Baratheon brothers, to his own descendants.
How is Jon Snow a Targaryen and is he the heir to the Iron Throne?
The story goes that years before the events of Game of Thrones take place, Ned Stark discovered that his sister Lyanna hadn’t been kidnapped and raped by Rhaegar at all.
A flashback in season seven by Three-Eyed Raven, Bran, confirmed that the pair had actually been in love and they secretly got married.
Jon was conceived by the married couple and Lyanna gave birth to him after Robert launched his rebellion.
Ned made a promise to dying sister Lyanna that he would protect the baby she’d had with recently murdered Rhaegar.
The siblings both knew that if ruling King Robert knew of the existence of an heir to the Targaryen throne, then he would be executed without hesitation.
Ned took in young Aegon as his own, renaming him as Jon Snow, to protect him.
The revelation leads Jon to discover that girlfriend Daenerys is actually his aunt.
Who are the other Targaryens?
The Targaryens are a dragonlord family with the sigil of a three-headed dragon breathing flames.
The Targaryen dynasty interbred to keep their bloodline pure and make their powers more potent.
Daenerys’s mother Rhaella Targaryen was also her father’s sister, while her brother Viserys once commented that had Daenerys been older she would likely have been betrothed to Rhaegar.
The interbreeding also had the unfortunate side-effect of accentuating the madness that ran in the family – as Cersei Lannister pointed out, half of the Targaryens went mad.
After Robert Baratheon usurped the Iron Throne and vowed to destroy House Targaryen there weren’t many descendants left.
King Aerys was killed by Kingslayer Jaime Lannister after being betrayed. His wife Rhaella was murdered as well.
Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, heir to the Mad King who “abducted” Lyanna Stark and started the war, was killed by Robert in battle.
His wife Elia Martell and children Rhaenys and Aegon were killed by The Mountain, Gregor Clegane.
Game of Thrones viewers have met Daenerys and Viserys Targaryen on-screen. They are the Mad King’s children, and siblings to dead Prince Rhaegar.
Aemon Targaryen became the Maester to the Night’s Watch, and was not involved in the civil war as he was at Castle Black.
He was uncle to Aerys and great uncle to Daenerys before dying peacefully at The Wall.
He spent time with Jon but there is no way he could have known that they were related, sadly.
After Viserys was murdered by the Dothraki, Daenerys was left the last surviving Targaryen – before the truth about Jon was revealed.
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Is Tyrion Lannister a Targaryen as well?
Viewers are convinced the character – played by Peter Dinklage – is the illegitimate son of Aerys “The Mad King” Targaryen.
And they’ve taken to Twitter to make their feelings known.
One wrote: “Can’t wait til they reveal that Tyrion is actually a Targaryen!”
Another said: “I wondered if Tyrion was a Targaryen when he was able to enter the crypt where they were being locked away and he wasn’t burnt to a crisp. He was able to speak to the dragons and they understood him. Tywin also questions Tyrion’s parentage.”
This theory would explain his fascination with dragons and fire!