Targaryen vs. Velaryon: Which House Is Stronger & Why?

During the events of House of the Dragon, we saw the fact that House Velaryon was a powerful family that was strong enough that not even King Viserys was willing to antagonize them. The fact that House Velaryon was powerful was one of the reasons why the other houses throughout the Seven Kingdoms seemed to be nothing compared to them and the Targaryens, who ruled the realm. But which between the Targaryens and the Velaryons is stronger?

The Targaryens are still more powerful than the Velaryons. While the Velaryons have the largest fleet and a few dragons on their side, House Targaryen is still the ruling family of the Seven Kingdoms and can easily call to arms the other lords of the realm to fight on their side.

There is a chance that the Velaryons in House of the Dragon would be more powerful than the Targaryens if they didn’t have the crown. However, the fact that House Targaryen still sat on the Iron Throne was more than enough to make them more powerful than the Velaryons. That said, let’s look at this hypothetical battle in greater detail.

Wealth

House Targaryen sits on the Iron Throne but isn’t the wealthiest house in the Seven Kingdoms because there is no wealth on Dragonstone. In fact, the only thing that makes the Targaryens wealthy is the fact that they are the ruling monarchs of the Seven Kingdoms. That means that the wealth of the entire family rests on the wealth of the Seven Kingdoms.

The one thing that makes House Velaryon so powerful is the fact that it became the wealthiest house in the Seven Kingdoms. House Velaryon became as powerful as it was due to Corlys’s ventures in the east, where he was able to open trade routes to other cities in Essos. This allowed House Velaryon to build a fleet so large that it formed half of the entire fleet of the Seven Kingdoms. As such, there is no denying that this fleet allows the Velaryons to increase the wealth of the family.

House Velaryon is wealthier than House Targaryen, especially if the Targaryens weren’t relying on the royal coffers for their expenses. It is even possible that House Lannister is wealthier than House Targaryen, as Viserys nearly gave Rhaenyra to Jason Lannister because of his family’s wealth.

Targaryens 0, Velaryons 1

Power

As the ruling family of the Seven Kingdoms, House Targaryen can call to arms any lord in the realm because they swore allegiance to the crown when they bent the knee to Aegon the Conqueror more than a hundred years before the events of House of the Dragon. On top of that, after the Targaryens obtained Vhagar, they had almost all of the dragons of the Seven Kingdoms, except for Meleys, Seasmoke, and Moondancer.

House Velaryon has an exceptionally large army and the largest fleet in the known world, and that means that this family is quite powerful. We saw this when the Velaryons, without the help of any other house in the Seven Kingdoms, were able to defeat the Triarchy in the Stepstones. The Velaryons also control a few dragons due to Rhaenys Targaryen’s bloodline. As such, House Velaryon is quite powerful in its own right.

It might be true that House Velaryon probably has a bigger army and a bigger fleet. But House Targaryen has the power to command the other houses of the Seven Kingdoms on its side during a war.

Targaryens 1, Velaryons 1

Allies

House Targaryen’s greatest allies are the Velaryons, but we do know that this is a hypothetical battle between the two houses. That said, any other house in the Seven Kingdoms is an ally of the Targaryens because they bent the knee to them long ago when Aegon conquered the Seven Kingdoms. So, if these houses did not rebel and would answer when they were called to war, then the Targaryens would have allies all over the continent.

Other than the Targaryens, the Velaryons don’t have a lot of allies within the Seven Kingdoms except for House Baratheon due to Rhaenys’s mother’s Baratheon side. However, the Velaryons are also known to have allies in the Free Cities of Essos, thanks to Corlys’s adventures and journey to the east during his younger years. So, while House Velaryon may not have a lot of allies in Westeros, they can find their allies over in the east.

This one is too tough to call because the Targaryens basically command all of the other houses throughout the Seven Kingdoms. However, the Velaryons are well-connected in the east and have the gold to the Free Cities to fight on their side because we all know that gold matters more than anything to the Free Cities.

Targaryens 1, Velaryons 1

Prominent Members

House Targaryen has some of the most prominent characters during the Dance of the Dragons. Probably the most notable fighter among them is Daemon, who is one of the most skilled swordsmen in the Seven Kingdoms and rides Caraxes, the Blood Wyrm. Rhaenyra, although not a great fighter, is also a skilled dragonrider and is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, even though Aemond fought against Rhaenyra and Daemon in the Dance of the Dragons, he is still second only to his uncle in terms of skills and prowess.

Even though Princess Rhaenys herself is a skilled dragonrider, the most prominent member of House Velaryon is Corlys himself due to his battle prowess and experience as a military commander and admiral. He may not be a dragonrider, but he is a respected military general and a seasoned veteran on the battlefield. That’s why the Sea Snake is one of the most respected men in the Seven Kingdoms.

If we were to pit House Targaryen with House Velaryon in terms of their most prominent members, we are basically looking at a battle between Daemon and Aemond against the Sea Snake. While Corlys himself is a great fighter, he is not the dragonrider that the Targaryens are.

Targaryens 2, Velaryons 1