What Happened to House Velaryon In Game of Thrones? (& Are Any of the Members Alive)

We didn’t get to hear a lot from House Velaryon during the events of Game of Thrones, but this family surprised us in House of the Dragon when it became the only house powerful enough to actually put pressure on House Targaryen. That means that House Velaryon, during the events leading up to the Dance of the Dragons, was a powerful house that rivaled even the Targaryens. But what happened to House Velaryon in Game of Thrones?

House Velaryon still exists during the events of A Song of Ice and Fire but was omitted from the Game of Thrones series. In the books, House Velaryon supported Stannis Baratheon’s claim to the Iron Throne. After Stannis’s defeat, a Velaryon bastard named Aurane Waters became Master of Ships.

The choice of omitting the Velaryons from the major events of Game of Thrones is an interesting one, considering that this house has long been one of the more powerful families in the Seven Kingdoms. But the fact that they were given justice in House of the Dragon is a good touch to the storyline, as they were portrayed to be a mighty and powerful family. Now, let’s look at what happened to House Velaryon in Game of Thrones.

What Happened To House Velaryon In Game Of Thrones?

Ever since House of the Dragon was released, the one thing that we noticed about the series was the fact that dark-skinned Valyrians were present in the form of House Velaryon, as Lord Corlys Velaryon served as Master of Ships in King Viserys Targaryen’s Small Council. However, due to how powerful Corlys and House Velaryon were, he was able to put some pressure on the crown several times and was even able to wage war on the Stepstones against the Triarchy with his house’s army.

On top of that, King Viserys respected the Velaryons so much that he aimed to marry Princess Rhaenyra off to Ser Laenor Velaryon, the eldest son of Corlys and Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. And the goal was to unite the two families as one because the Velaryons had Valyrian blood in them and were the longest allies of the Targaryens for a very long time due to their Valyrian ancestry. Of course, Rhaenys Targaryen was also married to Corlys, and that meant that their children also had Targaryen blood.

During the time of Corlys as lord of the Velaryon’s ancestral seat of Driftmark, the Velaryons were able to become so powerful that they were the wealthiest in all of the Seven Kingdoms. The wealth of the Velaryons came from Corlys’s many adventures in the east when he was still younger, as the Velaryons were able to open trade routes and commanded a lot of different ships that brought them riches. On top of that, he was married to a Targaryen that had control over a number of dragons. 

In that regard, the Velaryons had both wealth and power as they controlled half of the realm’s ships and could also fight on par with just about anyone because of their army, fleet, and dragons. But the one thing that we did notice is that, while House Velaryon was powerful in House of the Dragon, this family was barely mentioned in Game of Thrones. So, what happened to House Velaryon in Game of Thrones?

Nothing happened to House Velaryon after the Dance of Dragons. In fact, the house still existed during the reign of the Baratheons and the Lannisters in the events of A Song of Ice and Fire. But the problem is that the family has weakened since then.

Corlys and Rhaenys became the most powerful allies of Rhaenyra and Daemon during the Dance of the Dragons. But the problem was that they fought a losing war, which ended in Corlys switching sides due to Rhaenyra’s growing paranoia. Before the war, Corlys had lost his children, Laenor and Laena, who both had Targaryen blood.

However, Alyn Velaryon, who was said to be a dragonseed of Laenor but was rumored to be the bastard son of Corlys, rose to prominence and eventually succeeded as the new Lord of Driftmark after Corlys’s death. He even rode Seasmoke, who used to be Laenor’s own dragon.

Alyn married Baela Targaryen, one of the daughters of Daemon and Laena. During his reign as Lord of Driftmark, he was just as prominent as his predecessor because he became a staunch supporter of the Targaryens and even took part in King Daeron’s conquest of Dorne. He reportedly died at sea at an old age, as he left numerous children with Baela.

However, after Alyn’s rule, House Velaryon was never the same because it didn’t have the strength that it once had. None of the rulers of House Velaryon were as ambitious as Corlys or as strong as Alyn. But they did remain Master of Ships during the reign of the Targaryens long after the Dance of the Dragons, as this position seemed to be passed down from one Velaryon to another.

During the events of Game of Thrones, House Velaryon became a weaker house as it was sworn to Stannis Baratheon of Dragonstone. It no longer had the same prominence it once had, as this was probably due to the fact that the Velaryons were allied with the Targaryens for the longest time and that Robert Baratheon despised the Targaryens.

House Velaryon actually took part in the War of the Five Kings as the family supported Stannis Baratheon’s claim to the Iron Throne after Robert’s death. But the house weakened when its head, Monford Velaryon, perished during the War of the Five Kings. He was survived by his six-year-old son named, Monterys.

Are Any Members Of House Velaryon Still Alive?

While House Velaryon may have been omitted from the major events of Game of Thrones, the fact is that the family had a few prominent roles in the books. Of course, Monford Velaryon took part in the war in support of Stannis’s claim to the throne. Meanwhile, Monterys was also there to support Stannis in his failed quest to become king. But the most prominent member of House Velaryon in A Song of Ice and Fire was a bastard named Aurane Waters.

In the books, Aurane Waters won the favor of Queen Cersei Lannister because he reminded her of Rhaegar Targaryen due to his Valyrian appearance. Of course, Cersei actually admired Rhaegar when he was still alive. That was what led her to name Aurane the new Master of Ships, as this detail was omitted from the events of the Game of Thrones series.

As the books are still ongoing, Aurane’s story is yet to be concluded as well. But the fact is that House Velaryon still lives during the events of the reign of the Baratheons and the Lannisters. It is only that the family is now weaker than it was during the earlier part of the Targaryen dynasty when Corlys Velaryon ruled as Lord of Driftmark.