House of the Dragon Characters Family Tree & How They Connect to Game of Thrones Characters
There are a lot of prominent houses or families in the world of Ice & Fire by George RR Martin. Of course, we have seen a lot of these families in the events of Game of Thrones and its prequel series, House of the Dragon.
House Targaryen
House Targaryen has always been the most prominent house in Westeros ever since Aegon the Conqueror united the entire realm in preparation for the coming of the Night King. As such, all of the monarchs that ruled the Seven Kingdoms from the beginning of Aegon’s successful conquest up to the time of King Aerys came from House Targaryen. And House Targaryen was the only house of dragonlords in the entire world.
House Of The Dragon Family Members
In the events of House of the Dragon, we were introduced to King Viserys Targaryen and his children, which would be the ones who would contribute to the eventual weakening of the entire family during the Dance of the Dragons. He named Princess Rhaenyra as his heir, but Queen Alicent Hightower and her family decided to install King Aegon II on the Iron Throne instead. This started the Dance of the Dragons, which is the Targaryen civil war that tore the entire realm apart and led to the extinction of the dragons.
Other than Rhaenyra and Aegon II, other prominent members of this family during the events of House of the Dragon include Prince Daemon Targaryen, the younger brother of King Viserys. Targaryens like Aemond, Helaena, Aegon the Younger, and Viserys II also play important roles in the storyline.
How They Connect With Game Of Thrones
As mentioned, House Targaryen was divided into two factions during the events of House of the Dragon because of the battle for the Iron Throne. In the end, both Princess Rhaenyra and King Aegon II perished during the war, and that was when Aegon the Younger, who is the son of Rhaenyra and Daemon, became the new king. Aegon III continued her mother’s bloodline and produced two sons that became king.
However, upon the deaths of Aegon III’s sons, who did not leave any heirs, Viserys II, the second son of Rhaenyra and Daemon, became the new king. It was through Viserys II’s blood that the line of Targaryen kings continued. Both Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow can trace their lineage back to Rhaenyra through Viserys II’s line.
House Hightower
House Hightower is a powerful house in Westeros and is one of the houses that is extremely close to the Faith of the Seven. The Hightowers are the ones that rule over Oldtown, which is one of the oldest and biggest cities in the Seven Kingdoms. And while House Hightower wasn’t quite powerful in Game of Thrones, it was able to see the height of its power in House of the Dragon.
House Of The Dragon Family Members
In House of the Dragon, the Hightower family was quite powerful because Ser Otto Hightower served as the Hand of the King and was able to maneuver himself into a position where he was able to control the entire Small Council. Meanwhile, his daughter, Alicent Hightower, became the queen consort of King Viserys after the death of Queen Aemma. Meanwhile, Ormund Hightower was the lord of Hightower. During Viserys’s reign, Otto secretly plotted against Princess Rhaenyra by finding allies that would support his decision to put Aegon II on the throne, and this led to the Dance of the Dragons.
Some of the other extended members of House Hightower include the likes of the Targaryen children of Queen Alicent. This includes King Aegon II, Prince Aemond, Princess Helaena, and Prince Daeron (who is yet to appear in House of the Dragon).
How They Connect With Game Of Thrones
House Hightower was hardly ever mentioned during the events of Game of Thrones but what we do know is that, after the events of the Dance of the Dragons, the family weakened significantly. None of the lords of House Hightower became prominent in the decades that followed. During the Mad King’s reign and Robert’s rebellion, the Hightowers were loyal to the crown, as Lord Gerold Hightower was one of the knights killed in the Tower of Joy during Ned Stark’s attack on it.
During the reign of Robert Baratheon and during the War of the Five Kings, the Hightowers were pledged to House Tyrell. As such, the Hightowers were later pledged to the Lannisters and Baratheons when Margaery Tyrell married Joffrey and, later, Tommen.
House Velaryon
House Velaryon is the only other house in Westeros that survived the Doom of Valyria. However, they were not dragonlords as they were always known to be great sailors, even back in the days of Old Valyria. They are also the longest and closest allies of the Targaryens because of their Valyrian ancestry.
House Of The Dragon Family Members
It was during the time of Lord Corlys Velaryon that House Velaryon saw the height of its power. Corlys gained riches that were immeasurable because of his voyages around the world, as he gained allies and opened trade routes for House Velaryon. As such, in House of the Dragon, Lord Corlys was arguably second only to the king in terms of his power. His brother, Vaemond, was killed by Daemon for insulting Rhaenyra and her children.
Lord Corlys had children that were dragonriders due to the fact that he was married to Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. This allowed him to further increase his power. He also pledged himself to Queen Rhaenyra’s Blacks during the events of the Dance of the Dragons and was one of the few people to see the end of the civil war. His children were Laenor and Laena, but he also had rumored bastards in Addam and Allyn.
How They Connect With Game Of Thrones
While Laenor and Laena and the Velaryon children of Princess Rhaenyra perished during the events of the Dance of the Dragons, the Velaryon bloodline continued with the legitimized Allyn, who became the new lord of House Velaryon. Allyn, called the Oakenfist, was a prominent and powerful lord that continued the legacy of Corlys.
Not much has been written about the Velaryons after the time of Allyn. However, they were said to be consistent members of the Small Council and were always Masters of Ships. In the events of Game of Thrones, House Velaryon was hardly ever mentioned, although a Velaryon bastard had an important role in the books during the Lannister reign.
House Lannister
Often known as one of the wealthiest families in Westeros because of their gold mines, the Lannisters have always been among the most powerful houses in the Seven Kingdoms. Of course, they also played roles in many events in the history of Westeros.
House Of The Dragon Family Members
In House of the Dragon, the lord of House Lannister was Jason Lannister, who failed to win Rhaenyra’s favor in marriage. Meanwhile, his twin brother Tyland was a member of the Small Council during the reigns of Viserys and Aegon II. Of course, the Lannisters allied themselves with the Greens in House of the Dragon.
How They Connect With Game Of Thrones
Even though House Lannister wasn’t very important in House of the Dragon, their direct descendants in Tywin Lannister and his children were some of the most important people in Game of Thrones. Tywin was the Hand of the King to Aerys and was also the Hand that served under King Joffrey and King Tommen.
Tywin’s children were three of the most important characters in Game of Thrones. Cersei became the queen of the Seven Kingdoms when she married Robert Baratheon, and she ruled it later upon the deaths of her children. Her lover and twin brother, Jaime, was a Knight of the Kingsguard but eventually fought on the side of the living during the Long Night. Finally, Tyrion the Imp, with his brilliant mind, became Queen Daenerys’s and King Bran’s Hand.
House Baratheon
Formerly known as proud kings of the Stormlands before Aegon’s Conquest, the Baratheons were still quite strong and proud during their time as the lords of Storm’s End. House Baratheon was one of the Great House of Westeros ever since Aegon the Conqueror united the entire realm.
House Of The Dragon Family Members
House Baratheon was represented by Borros Baratheon during the events of House of the Dragon. He first appeared in the final episode of season 1 when both the Blacks and the Greens tried to win him over to their side by sending Prince Lucerys and Prince Aemond, respectively. He prevented any bloodshed between the two princes while they were in Storm’s End. However, he pledged House Baratheon to the Greens because Alicent offered him the chance to wed one of his daughters to Aemond.
How They Connect With Game Of Thrones
Before the events of Game of Thrones, Robert Baratheon, the lord of Storm’s End, rebelled against the Iron Throne when Prince Rhaegar Targaryen allegedly kidnapped Lyanna Stark, who was betrothed to Robert. The other houses joined his rebellion because of the cruel acts of the Mad King. As such, upon the success of the rebellion, Robert was named the new lord of the Seven Kingdoms as he successfully ousted the Targaryens.
Robert Baratheon, whose family descended directly from Borros’ line, also had two brothers in Stannis and Renly. Both of them fought in the War of the Five Kings after Robert’s death. While Robert didn’t have a legitimate son with Cersei Lannister, he was succeeded by Gendry, a bastard boy that Daenerys legitimized and named the new lord of Storm’s End.
House Stark
House Stark was always one of the most important families in the history of Westeros as their bloodline can be traced all the way back to the First Men, who fought the White Walkers thousands of years ago. The Starks also had important roles in House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones.
House Of The Dragon Family Members
While he is yet to appear in House of the Dragon, Cregan Stark is important in the events of the Dance of the Dragons. After pledging his loyalty to the Blacks and sending troops to fight for Rhaenyra even after her death, the Greens were all but defeated, as this led to the assassination of King Aegon II. After Aegon II’s death, Cregan Stark sat as the Hand of the King for only a day as he decided the fate of those who were responsible for the death of the king. His honor dictated that he should seek justice for Aegon II even though he was his enemy during the civil war.
Cregan continued to become a prominent member of House Stark for decades, as he lived for a particularly long time and was said to have lived during the end of the second century of the Targaryen rule in Westeros. All of the other Starks that ruled Winterfell were his direct descendants.
How They Connect With Game Of Thrones
Eddard “Ned” Stark is directly related to Cregan through Beron Stark, who was Cregan’s grandson. As such, all of Ned Stark’s children directly descended from Cregan Stark. And the fact that Cregan was one of the most honorable men in the entire history of the Seven Kingdoms explains why Ned and his family were just as honorable.
Ned’s children, namely Rob, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon, were all important characters in Game of Thrones. But while Rob and Rickon perished, Sansa, Arya, and Bran continued the Stark legacy. Sansa became the queen of the North, which successfully separated itself from the realm, as Bran became the new lord of the Six Kingdoms. Meanwhile, Arya Stark decided to explore what’s west of Westeros.
