House Targaryen

House Targaryen of Dragonstone is a noble family of Valyrian descent who once ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The Targaryen sigil is a three-headed dragon breathing flames, red on black. The house words are *"Fire and Blood"*. It eventually became the first royal house of the Seven Kingdoms, as House Targaryen of King's Landing.

The only family of dragonlords who survived the Doom of Valyria, the Targaryens left the Valyrian Freehold twelve years before the Doom. They resided for more than a century at Dragonstone castle on Dragonstone island, until Aegon the Conqueror and his sister-wives, Visenya and Rhaenys, began the first of the Wars of Conquest in 2 BC.

During Aegon's Conquest, the family built the Aegonfort in the new capital city of King's Landing. The Aegonfort was later torn down and replaced by the Red Keep, which remained their main seat for the duration of their dynasty, and which housed the Iron Throne. Their original castle was almost always given to the heir to the throne, the Prince of Dragonstone. The Targaryens eventually built the summer residence Summerhall, which has been given to several younger sons of the family over time.

House Targaryen ruled as the Kings of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, the Lords of the Seven Kingdoms, and the Great House of the crownlands for nearly three hundred years. Seventeen male Targaryens ruled from the Iron Throne. The dynasty ended with the death of Aerys the Mad King during Robert's Rebellion, in which the Targaryens were overthrown and replaced by House Baratheon. The two surviving children of Aerys II, Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen, fled into exile, and have resided in the Free Cities of Essos ever since.

House Lannister replaced House Baratheon as the royal house in the aftermath of the War of the Five Kings, but they were defeated in Daenerys Targaryen's war for Westeros. After Daenerys burnt King's Landing, she was assassinated by her nephew Jon Snow to prevent further destruction. Jon is the last known Targaryen, but his identity as the son of Rhaegar Targaryen is kept a secret, and he was exiled to the Night's Watch for the assassination of Daenerys, effectively ending House Targaryen. However, the bloodline of House Targaryen still exists in various houses, such as House Baratheon, House Velaryon, and House Martell.

### Traits

The phrase "blood of the dragon" refers to the Valyrian descent of the Targaryens, and more specifically to the fact that they were one of forty dragonlord families of Valyria. The typical Targaryen features remind strongly of the typical Valyrian features: pale skin, silver, platinum, or gold hair and eyes in a variety of shades of purple, or light blue.

The Targaryens can tolerate a bit more heat than most ordinary people; However, they are not immune to fire.

Another trait typical to Targaryens is the ability to have premonition-like dreams. The trait has been in the Targaryen family since before they relocated from Valyria to Dragonstone in 114 BC (and in fact, is what caused them to relocate). This trait was passed on to the cadet branch, House Blackfyre, as well.

The Targaryens are seen as prone to madness, presumably caused by their inbreeding. According to King Jaehaerys II, *"madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born [...] the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land"*.

### Customs

House Targaryen's words are "Fire and Blood." Their sigil is a three-headed dragon breathing flames, red on black. The three-headed dragon represents the Conqueror and his two sisters, Rhaenys and Visenya. Some younger sons of the house used variations of the standard sigil. Before his own reign, Maekar I Targaryen used the three-headed dragon, quartered, while his son, Prince Aerion Targaryen, changed the colors of the three heads - one orange, one yellow, one red - while the flames they breathed had a sheen of gold leaf. King Aegon II Targaryen used a golden dragon as his personal banner. In line with the sigil colors, most Targaryens used armor black of color (e.g., Rhaegar Targaryen, who had the three-headed dragon wrought in rubies on his breast plate, Valarr Targaryen, and Aemond Targaryen, whose night-black armor was chased with gold).

Although the Targaryen kings took their seat at King's Landing, the place where Aegon and his army first landed in Westeros and made their first fort, replaced by the Red Keep later on, their earlier seat of Dragonstone remained in their possession as well. It eventually became the traditional seat of the heir-apparent to the throne, who was known as the Prince of Dragonstone (or Princess of Dragonstone, in a few occasions). The Targaryens eventually build a third seat, Summerhall, in 188 AC, which was granted to several younger sons of House Targaryen, who were granted the title "Prince of Summerhall".

House Targaryen historically followed the gods of Valyria. Sometime before Aegon's Conquest, the Targaryens abandoned the Valyrian gods and converted to the Faith of the Seven, the predominant religion in Westeros. However, they continued to follow the Valyrian practice of incestuous marriage, wedding brother to sister, cousin to cousin, uncle to niece and aunt to nephew, holding themselves apart from and above the noble Westerosi families.

Deceased Targaryens are traditionally cremated, a custom since the days of Old Valyria. If a dragon is available, it is used to light the flame of the pyre. The ashes of many of the dead of House Targaryen have been interred on Dragonstone, including those of King Aegon I, Queen Visenya, King Maegor I, Princess Daenerys, Princess Daella, King Jaehaerys I, and Queen Alysanne. However, Queen Rhaena's ashes were interred at Harrenhal, and her daughter Princess Aerea's ashes were scattered on the wind.

### Dragons

As one of the forty dragonlord families of Valyria, the Targaryens were closer to dragons than other men. Aenar Targaryen brought five dragons with him when he moved from Valyria to Dragonstone, and Aegon I Targaryen and his sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya rode them to battle during the Conquest of the Seven Kingdoms in 2 BC - 1 BC. The Targaryens rode their dragons during the first century and a half following Aegon's Conquest. Deaths in battle, especially during the Dance of the Dragons, and a growing infirmity in each following generation caused the family's stable to dwindle. The last dragon was a deformed and sterile creature, who died young in 153 AC, during the reign of Aegon III, the Dragonbane.
The Targaryens housed their dragons in an immense domed structure in King's Landing, the Dragonpit, which was constructed during the reign of Maegor I Targaryen. Not all dragons which hatched were ridden, however. On the island of Dragonstone, several dragons, both wild and previously ridden, resided at least during the reigns of Viserys I and Aegon II Targaryen.

At some point, it became tradition to gift a newborn child with a dragon's egg in the cradle. This practice continued even after the death of the last dragon, with the last Targaryens confirmed to have been given an egg having been the sons of Prince Maekar during the reign of Daeron II Targaryen. Whether the tradition was continued beyond this point is unknown; However, the Targaryens still possessed eggs as recent as the reign of Aerys II Targaryen, the last king of the Targaryen Dynasty. Several attempts have been made, since the death of the last dragon, to hatch these eggs by members of House Targaryen. This list includes Aegon III and his younger brother and Hand of the King, Viserys, Baelor I, Aegon V, and Aerys II.

## History

House Targaryen was one of the forty ancient noble houses known as dragonlords who ruled the Valyrian Freehold, a great empire spanning much of Essos. The Targaryens were not one of the most powerful houses, however. The family resided in Valyria until Daenys Targaryen, also known as Daenys the Dreamer, the daughter of Lord Aenar Targaryen, had visions of a cataclysm that would come over Valyria. Aenar sold his estates in Valyria and moved his wives, children, other relatives, slaves, wealth, and five dragons (including Balerion) to Dragonstone, an island at the entrance of Blackwater Bay and the westernmost outpost of Valyrian influence, where he took possession of a castle of the same name, in 114 BC. Twelve years later the Doom descended on the city of Valyria, leading to the collapse of the Freehold. The Targaryens were the only dragonriders of Valyria to survive. In the century that followed, four of the five dragons of House Targaryen died, with only Balerion surviving. Two more dragons, Vhagar and Meraxes, were hatched from eggs on Dragonstone, however.

During the century after the Doom, which became known as the Century of Blood due to the violent struggles for power in Essos, Volantis attempted to seize power over Valyria's colonies. Most of the other Free Cities rebelled against Volantis, and towards the end of the Century of Blood, the young Lord Aegon Targaryen, rider of the dragon Balerion, was approached by Pentos and Tyrosh to form an alliance. Aegon, mounted on his dragon Balerion, flew first to Pentos to meet its prince, and then to Lys, where he set the Volantene fleet aflame. With Volantis's rule at an end, he returned to Dragonstone, and focused his attention to the lands west, which had always been of interest to him.

Aegon Targaryen, Lord of Dragonstone, aspired to unite the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros under one ruler. Slightly more than a hundred years after the Doom of Valyria, in 2 BC, he began his conquest, in which he was aided by his two sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya. All three were dragonriders, and used their dragons, Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar in battle. Aegon's Conquest lasted for two years. It began with Aegon's landing at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush with a small force, and ended when Aegon was anointed king by the High Septon in Oldtown. In total, he had managed to conquer six of the seven kingdoms, with only Dorne remaining defiant. During the war House Gardener, which had ruled the Reach, and House Hoare, which had ruled the Iron Islands and the riverlands, were extinguished, while House Durrandon, which had reigned over the Stormlands, was continued through the female line. From the swords of his enemies, Aegon created the Iron Throne, and the dynasty he began would rule for nearly three hundred years. Aegon had constructed a wooden castle, the Aegonfort, at the place where he had first come to shore, and the town that grew around it became King's Landing, the kingdom's new capital. Dragonstone remained in the possession of the Targaryens as well, and was one of Aegon's favorite places. The region around King's Landing became known as the crownlands.

In 4 AC, Aegon's wars of conquest continued with the First Dornish War, during which he and Rhaenys attempted to bring the Dornish under Targaryen rule as well. A bloody war, during which Queen Rhaenys Targaryen was killed with her dragon, Meraxes, at Hellholt in 10 AC. An assassination attempt on Aegon that same year led to the creation of the Kingsguard, who would guard the kings of the realm for centuries to come. The First Dornish War eventually ended in 13 AC, after Prince Nymor Martell, the Prince of Dorne, had sent his daughter Deria to King's Landing with a letter and the skull of Meraxes. Though the contents of the letter have never been revealed, Aegon agreed to an end of the war the next day.

Aegon I Targaryen died in 37 AC, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Aenys I Targaryen. Almost immediately, Aenys faced four rebellions which had grown out of dissent, dreams of the old days or of vengeance, and of the fact that Aenys and his younger brother, Maegor, had both been born from incestuous marriages. A bandit named Harren the Red, claiming to be a grandson of Harren the Black, took Harrenhal and killed Lord Gargon Qoherys. In the Vale, Lord Ronnel Arryn and his family were taken hostage by his younger brother, Jonos Arryn. On the Iron Islands, a man claimed to be the priest-king Lodos, finally returned from visiting his father after more than three centuries. And in Dorne, the Vulture King raised thirty thousand followers against the Targaryens. The rebels were swiftly defeated by the actions of Aenys's subjects and Maegor. Lord Goren Greyjoy killed the so-called priest-king, and sent his head to King Aenys. Lord Royce of Runestone defeated the supporters of Jonos Arryn, though this caused the death of Lord Ronnel and his family when Jonos threw them out of the Moon Door in the Eyrie. Prince Maegor, who had claimed the dragon Balerion after his father's death, eventually flew up to the Eyrie and had Jonos and his followers executed. The Vulture King had made the mistake of splitting his large army, and was defeated during the Vulture Hunt, in which Lord Orys Baratheon and several other Marcher lords, including Lord Dondarrion, Lady Caron, and Lord Sam Tarly, marched against him. And the last rebel, Harren the Red, was eventually caught by Aenys's Hand of the King, Lord Alyn Stokeworth. Though Stokeworth was killed by Harren in the fighting that ensued, Harren himself was slain shortly after. As Stokeworth's replacement, Aenys named Maegor as his Hand.

The next challenges Aenys faced came from the Faith of the Seven. Even though the Targaryens had been followers of the Faith of the Seven since before the Conquest, the Targaryens held themselves apart from the laws of gods and men. By marrying both his sisters, Aegon I had continued both the Valyrian practice of incestuous marriage, which was considered a sin in the eyes of the Seven, as well as the more rarely practiced custom of polygamy, even though the Faith of the Seven considered marriage only possible between one man and one wife. Even though Aegon I had always been careful regarding the Faith, the High Septons had never declared his marriages lawful, though they had not spoken up against Aegon's polygamous and incestuous marriages either. However, when Queen Visenya Targaryen had suggested, in 23 AC, that her son Maegor should be married to Aenys's infant daughter, Princess Rhaena, the High Septon had protested, and Maegor had been married to the High Septon's niece, Ceryse Hightower, instead. After sixteen years of marriage, however, Maegor remained childless. Following the birth of Aenys I's sixth child in 39 AC, Maegor took a second wife, Alys Harroway. This greatly angered the Faith, and Aenys gave his brother the choice between abandoning Alys, or going in exile. Maegor chose the latter option, after which he left for Pentos.

The Faith remained discontent. Though they had not objected to Aenys's own marriage in 22 AC, to his cousin Alyssa Velaryon, new troubles arose in 41 AC when Aenys married his eldest daughter, Rhaena, to his eldest son and heir, Prince Aegon. The uproar this marriage caused led to the start of the Faith Militant uprising. Aenys fled to Dragonstone, but fell sick and died in 42 AC. Dowager Queen Visenya immediately called Maegor back from his exile, allowing him to claim the throne. Maegor took King's Landing back from the Faith Militant, though he would spent his entire reign fighting against them. In addition, he fought against Aenys's heir, Aegon, and killed both him and his dragon Quicksilver in 43 AC.

Maegor's reign was a cruel one. He finished the construction of the Red Keep, which had begun in 35 AC, during his reign, though he honored his moniker "the Cruel" when he killed all the construction workers after work was completed. He had come back from his exile with a third wife, Tyanna, but was still without an heir towards the end of his reign. Denouncing the claims of Aenys's only surviving son, Jaehaerys, Maegor married his three Black Brides, one of whom was Jaehaerys's sister, Rhaena, and named Rhaena's daughter as his heir until he had a child of his own. While support for Jaehaerys grew, support for Maegor dwindled. When Maegor died mysteriously in 48 AC, Jaehaerys succeeded him. A wise ruler known as Jaehaerys the Conciliator, Jaehaerys ruled wisely for fifty-five years, during which time he made peace with the Faith. He faced a difficult decision in 92 AC following the death of his heir, Prince Aemon, when he had to name either Aemon's daughter, Rhaenys, or Aemon's brother, Baelon, as his heir. Jaehaerys chose Baelon, but Baelon died in 101 AC, which caused Jaehaerys to become the first king to call a Great Council, where Baelon's son was chosen as Jaehaerys's heir. Jaehaerys died two years later, in 103 AC, and was succeeded by his grandson, Viserys I Targaryen.

When Aegon III Targaryen died in 157 AC from consumption, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Daeron I Targaryen, born to him by his second wife, Queen Daenaera Velaryon (his first marriage having ended both quickly and childless with the death of Queen Jaehaera in 133 AC). Though Daeron was only fourteen years of age, his uncle, Prince Viserys, decided not to insist on a regency, and continued to serve his new king as Hand. Daeron I had great ambition, and wished to "complete the conquest" which his ancestor Aegon I Targaryen had begun a century and a half before. During Aegon's Conquest, Dorne had been the only kingdom to resist the Targaryen forces, and following the conclusion of the First Dornish War in 13 AC, a peace had been agreed upon by the Targaryens and Martells which had long lasted. Daeron I managed to convince his councilors of his plans, and managed to conquer Dorne within a year. In 258 AC, the Prince of Dorne and several other Dornish lords bent their knees at the Submission of Sunspear. The hinterlands were pacified by 159 AC, and Daeron returned to King's Landing with fourteen highborn Dornish hostages, leaving Lord Harlan Tyrell behind to keep the peace.

However, Daeron's conquest did not last. The smallfolk rebelled, and though Lord Tyrell attempted to fight back, traveling from holdfast to holdfast, the rebels always struck back. After he was murdered in his bed at Sandstone, all of Dorne rose in open rebellion, and they managed to liberate themselves within a fortnight. Daeron returned to Dorne in 160 AC, and when the Dornish requested to discuss peace terms the next year, they betrayed Daeron by attacking him and his retinue beneath the peace banner. One of Daeron's Kingsguard knights surrendered, while another, his cousin Aemon the Dragonknight, was captured. Three other Kingsguard knights were slain, as was Daeron I himself. Though his reign had lasted only four years, it had been a bloody one. It is said that ten thousand men died conquering Dorne, and another forty or fifty thousand died trying to keep it. Only eighteen years old at the time of his death, Daeron I had never been married and left no issue. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Baelor I Targaryen.

Though in King's Landing Prince Viserys argued for the execution of the Dornish hostages, the new King Baelor I decided to free them instead. He walked barefoot from King's Landing to Sunspear, escorting the hostages home, and met with the Prince of Dorne. They forged a peace, and Baelor agreed to betroth his cousin, Prince Daeron (his uncle Viserys's grandson), to the eldest child of the Prince of Dorne, Princess Myriah Martell. During his journey back home, Baelor passed by Wyl, where he freed his cousin Aemon, though he was bitten by venomous snakes in the process. When he finally returned to King's Landing, Baelor convinced the High Septon to dissolve his marriage to his sister, Daena, whom he had wed in 160 AC, as it had never been consummated. He then locked Daena and her sisters Rhaena and Elaena in the Maidenvault, to "preserve their innocence". Baelor I was focused mostly on the Faith of the Seven, and even took a septon's vows, ensuring he would never father heirs. His edicts became more focused on spiritual matters as his reign continued, causing unease among the highborn. Baelor began the construction of a new sept, though it would not be completed until after his death. Baelor also began to fast more frequently and for longer periods of time towards the end of his reign. And when his sister and former wife Daena, who had escaped the Maidenvault on several occasions during Baelor's reign, gave birth to a bastard son she named Daemon Waters in late 170 AC, Baelor began a forty-day fast (even though another lengthy fast several years before had nearly killed him). Baelor was found collapsed on the forty-first day, and died soon after, in 171 AC.

As the next male in line, Prince Viserys, who had served as Hand of the King for Aegon III, Daeron I, and Baelor I, ascended the throne after Baelor's sisters were passed over. Though he ruled for only a year, Viserys II Targaryen made several reforms in the royal household, established a new royal mint, attempted to increase trade across the narrow sea, and revised the code of laws established by Jaehaerys I years before.

Viserys II was succeeded by his eldest son, Aegon IV, who was rumored to have had a hand in his father's death. Aegon's reign was filled with corruption, and he gave and took from noble houses as he wished, whenever he wanted to. He had been married to his sister Naerys in 153 AC. They differed greatly in personalities, and childbirth was hard on her. When their son Daeron was born in 153 AC, the Grand Maester warned that another childbirth could kill Naerys. However, Aegon took no heed, and impregnated Naerys three more times. Only one child, however, survived: Princess Daenerys, born in 172 AC. Naerys died in childbirth several years later.

Aegon was very promiscuous, both before and during his reign. He had bastard children by several women, though he only acknowledged those fathered upon his nine official mistresses, with one exception: his cousin Daena's son, Daemon Waters. In 182 AC, Aegon openly recognized the boy as his own son and gifted him the Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre. There were some who felt that the sword symbolized the monarchy, as the sword had been passed on from king to king since Aegon the Conqueror (with one exception). Aegon's public gift of the sword to his bastard son was one of the seeds from which the First Blackfyre Rebellion would eventually grow. Following the acquisition of the sword, Daemon took the surname "Blackfyre" for himself.

Aegon IV's relationship with his trueborn heir was more troublesome. Once he was old enough to voice his own opinions, Prince Daeron and Aegon IV quarreled more often, and towards the end of Aegon's reign, Daeron became his chief obstacle. When Aegon attempted to invade Dorne with wooden dragons and a fleet in 174 AC, the homeland of Daeron's wife, Myriah Martell, rumors were heard for the first time that Daeron had been fathered by Aegon's brother Aemon instead of Aegon. Though Aemon defeated Ser Morgil Hastwyck in a trial by combat when he accused Naerys of adultery, the rumors remained, and it was believed that they had originated with King Aegon himself, though he denied it. Following the death of both Aemon and Naerys, Aegon began more openly to refer to Daeron's illegitimacy, though he never disowned him. Finally, on his death bed in 184 AC, Aegon IV legitimized all of his bastards. Though his successor, his son Daeron II Targaryen, could not undo this, he made attempts to keep his half-siblings close.

Daeron II began his reign by negotiating with his brother-in-law, Maron Martell, who had inherited the rule of Dorne. He arranged a marriage between Maron and his sister, Daenerys, which occurred in 187 AC. Following the wedding, Dorne officially joined the realm, and did fealty to the Iron Throne. However, while the Seven Kingdoms were now finally united, dissatisfaction grew with the concessions that Dorne had won, as well as the growing Dornish influence at Daeron's court. Daeron II's heir, Prince Baelor, favored his Dornish mother in his physical appearance, and more and more lords began to wish for "the old days", when the Dornish had been the enemy in battle, and not rivals for power at court.

These lords looked at Daemon Blackfyre, and saw in him a warrior, tall and powerful, with the hallmarks of Old Valyria (deep purple eyes, silver-gold hair down to his shoulders), who was described as having had an "almost inhumane beauty", being "half a god among mortal men". Though it took many years, talk eventually turned into treason when Daemon planned to make his claim for the Iron Throne. The First Blackfyre Rebellion began in early 196 AC and lasted nigh on a year, ending late in the year with the Battle of the Redgrass Field. Daemon and his two eldest sons, Aegon and Aemon Blackfyre, were killed, whereas Aegor Rivers, another one of Daeron II's half-brothers, fled into exile with Daemon's remaining children and the sword Blackfyre. For a while, Rivers resided in Tyrosh with Daemon's family, until he formed the Golden Company in 212 AC.

The remainder of Daeron II's reign was peaceful. However, in its final year, 209 AC, problems began when Daeron's heir and Hand of the King, Prince Baelor, died when defending a hedge knight called Duncan in a trial of seven at the tourney at Ashford Meadow. It is believed that Baelor's youngest brother Maekar, who had fought on the side of the two accusers, his own eldest two sons Daeron and Aerion, had been the one to fatally his Baelor's head. Following Baelor's cremation, Maekar sent Aerion into exile, while he allowed his youngest son, nicknamed "Egg", to squire for Duncan, so he could be taught humility and honor.

Not long after the death of Baelor, the Great Spring Sickness began. Thousands died as a result, and among the victims were Daeron II and his two most immediate heirs, Baelor's two sons Valarr and Matarys. As such, Daeron II was succeeded by his second son, Aerys I Targaryen, in 209 AC, whose reign began with a two-year drought. The Spring Sickness had hit the cities of the Seven Kingdoms most, especially King's Landing, and most of the hostages King Daeron II had once taken after the First Blackfyre Rebellion had died, leaving their relatives feeling secure enough about attempting a new rebellion. Lord Gormon Peake convinced Daemon II Blackfyre to cross the narrow sea to claim the throne. However, the Second Blackfyre Rebellion was far less successful than the first, as Daemon II was arrested at Whitewalls before he could even gather an army. He was kept alive as a hostage at King's Landing, but died within years, allowing Aegor Rivers to crown Haegon I Blackfyre the new Blackfyre pretender. Haegon attempted his invasion in 219 AC, when he crossed the narrow sea with the Golden Company, led by Aegor Rivers. Haegon was slain after he had surrendered his sword, while Aegor was arrested, and sentenced to join the Night's Watch. He managed to escape, and returned to Tyrosh, where he crowned Haegon's son, Daemon III Blackfyre.

In addition to the two Blackfyre Rebellions, Aerys's reign knew multiple other troubles, including the plague and drought, dwindling trade, rising banditry, and the reaving of Dagon Greyjoy. Additionally, Aerys had difficulties with his heirs. Though he had been married to Lady Aelinor Penrose before his reign began, his marriage remained unconsummated. He additionally refused to take another to wife. As he had no issue of his own, he firstly acknowledged his younger brother Rhaegel as his heir. Following Rhaegel's death in 215 AC, Rhaegel's son Aelor was named Prince of Dragonstone. Aelor died in 217 AC, after which Aerys I's youngest brother, Maekar was named heir.

Maekar succeeded Aerys I in 221 AC, and reigned for twelve years. However, when Maekar himself died while leading an attack on Starpike in the Peake Uprising in 233 AC, the succession once more became a problem. Maekar I's eldest son, Prince Daeron, had predeceased his father, and left behind only one child: a simple-minded daughter, Vaella. Maekar's second son, Aerion, had died in 232 AC when drinking a cup of wildfire. Aerion's only issue was an infant son named Maegor, born the same year Aerion had died. Maekar's third son, Aemon, had been sent to the Citadel at Oldtown by King Daeron II at a young age, where he had completed his maester's chain at the age of nineteen, and his youngest son, Aegon (also known as "Egg"), was disliked by several lords, as he had often meddled in their affairs.

A Great Council was called by Brynden Rivers, who had served as Maekar's Hand of the King. The council passed over Daeron's daughter and Aerion's infant son, and because of the dislike some had for Maekar's youngest son, the crown was quietly offered to Aemon first. Following Aemon's refusal, they crowned Maekar I's youngest son as Aegon V. Aegon V became known as "The Unlikely", as he had been the fourth son of a fourth son.

The reign of Aegon V began troubled. He felt forced to arrest Brynden Rivers, who had served both Maekar I and Aerys I as Hand, after Brynden, who had offered safe passage to Aenys Blackfyre, the fifth son of the late Daemon I Blackfyre, from Tyrosh to King's Landing, so Aenys could present his own claim during the Great Council, betrayed Aenys by arresting and executing him upon arrival. Rivers was sent to the Wall and joined the Night's Watch. Aegon V's brother Aemon accompanied Rivers, intent on joining the Night's Watch as well so his claim to the throne could not be used against the king.

Aegon spend much of his reign in battle. When winter ended in 236 AC, Daemon III Blackfyre and Aegor Rivers crossed the narrow sea to begin the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion. They were supported by few, however, and Daemon III was eventually slain by a knight of Aegon V's Kingsguard, Ser Duncan the Tall.

Further opposition came from the lords of Aegon V's realm, as many disagreed with his policies, or distrusted and hated him, as they felt that his wanderings with the hedge knight Duncan had left him "half a peasant". Aegon's reign had begun in the middle of a cruel six-year long winter, which had led to starvation and suffering in the north. Concerned for the welfare of the poor and weak, Aegon V made attempts to increase the flow of food to the north. However, some disagreed, as they felt Aegon did too much in this regard. Aegon further wanted to diminish the powers of the lords, and enacted numerous reforms while giving new rights and protections to the smallfolk. For this, he faced fierce opposition and at times even open defiance. One lord even went as far as to denounce Aegon V as a "bloody-handed tyrant intent on depriving us of our gods-given rights and liberties."

A major rebellion in 239 AC was caused by Aegon's eldest son. Aegon V had five children, Duncan, Jaehaerys, Shaera, Daeron, and Rhaelle, and for the eldest four betrothals had been arranged to several great Houses (House Baratheon, Tully, Tyrell and Redwyne respectively). When Duncan, in 239 AC, broke his betrothal to a daughter of Lord Lyonel Baratheon to marry Jenny of Oldstones, going as far as to renounce his rights to the throne for her, Lord Lyonel declared the independence of the Stormlands in response. Only after his defeat in a trial by combat against the Lord Commander of Aegon's Kingsguard, Ser Duncan the Tall, and the promise of the hand of Aegon V's daughter Rhaelle in marriage to Lyonel's heir, Ormund Baratheon, did Lyonel join the King's peace again. Aegon's other children (except Rhaelle) all broke their own betrothals as well. While Jaehaerys and Shaera secretly married each other in 240 AC, Daeron chose to remain unwed.

Towards the end of his reign, Aegon V began to dream of dragons with whom he could bend the lords of Westeros to his will. As several Targaryen kings had tried before him, seems to have attempted to hatch dragon eggs at Summerhall, where he had gathered those closest to him to celebrate the upcoming birth of his first great-grandchild in 259 AC. However, in a great tragedy occurred, causing the death of Aegon V, Prince Duncan, and many more. Though the survivors would not speak of what had happened, the histories of Archmaester Gyldayn, note that the last maester to serve at the castle, spoke of seven eggs and pyromancers. As Summerhall was burning down, Princess Rhaella Targaryen, the only daughter of Prince Jaehaerys and Princess Shaera, gave birth to a healthy son named Rhaegar.

Aegon V's second son Jaehaerys II Targaryen ascended the throne in 259 AC following the Tragedy of Summerhall, and was immediately faced with a threat from the east when the Band of Nine conquered first Tyrosh and then the Stepstones. The Band of Nine had formed in the Disputed Lands in 258 AC from nine outlaws, exiles, pirates, and sellsword captains. They swore to aid one another in conquering a kingdom for each member. One of these members was Maelys I Blackfyre, known as "the Monstrous", who held command over the Golden Company.

To face the "Ninepenny Kings", as Prince Duncan Targaryen had named them before his death, King Jaehaerys II sent an army, including his own heir Prince Aerys and his Hand, Lord Ormund Baratheon, which landed on the shores of the Stepstones in 260 AC. For most of the year, the war continued, but ended when a young knight called Barristan Selmy killed Maelys, thereby ending the male line of the Blackfyres after five generations. As the remainders of the Band of Nine had little interest in Westeros, this victory ended the war.

In total, Jaehaerys II only reigned for three years, and died after a short sickbed in 262 AC. He was succeeded by his only son, Aerys II Targaryen.

While the reign of King Aerys II Targaryen began with much promise, his would become the reign which ended the Targaryen Dynasty. Upon ascending the throne, he replaced all of his father's elderly councilors with younger men, and appointed a friend from his youth, the twenty-year old Tywin Lannister, as his Hand of the King. While Aerys had great plans for his realm, his attention span was short and most plans were quickly forgotten. While Tywin would be Aerys II's Hand for nineteen years, tensions between the two friends began early in Aerys's reign. Aerys grew increasingly jealous of Tywin and over time began to insult him, while the deaths of several of his children contributed further to his madness. When in 276 AC, after three miscarriages, two stillbirths, and three deaths in the cradle, Prince Viserys was born, Tywin hosted a tournament in honor of Viserys's birth at Lannisport, which Aerys II and Rhaegar attended. There, Tywin suggested his ten-year-old daughter Cersei as a bride for Rhaegar, and her twin Jaime as Rhaegar's squire. Aerys refused him, stating he would not wed his son to the daughter of his servant.

Aerys's jealousy for Tywin increased further when he learned of the saying that Tywin was the true ruler of the kingdom, making his suspicious of his subjects at court. His jealousy and desire to show himself as a leader led to his rash action of accepting the invitation of Lord Darklyn to travel to Duskendale, as to discuss Darklyn's petition. Aerys went to Duskendale with only a small escort, and was captured upon arrival. This revolt, known as the Defiance of Duskendale, lasted for half a year, during which time Aerys II was kept in the dungeons, while Lord Tywin besieged the city. Though he was eventually freed, the last of Aerys's sanity had died during his captivity. He became increasingly suspicious everyone, including his own heir, Rhaegar, and refused to leave the Red Keep for four years. Tensions between Aerys and Rhaegar grew, more so after Rhaegar and his new bride Elia Martell moved to his seat of Dragonstone in 280 AC. In 281 AC, Aerys appointed Tywin's heir, Ser Jaime Lannister, to his Kingsguard, leaving Tywin with a dwarf for an heir. Tywin resigned as Hand and left King's Landing. Convinced that his son Rhaegar planned to gather as much lords as possible to dispose Aerys at the Tourney of Harrenhal held later that same year, Aerys personally attended the tourney. When the victorious Prince Rhaegar passed by his own wife, Elia, and named Lyanna Stark, the betrothed of his cousin Robert Baratheon, as his queen of love and beauty, it caused fury and tensions among those present, and inflamed Aerys's council against Rhaegar further.

The next year, Rhaegar left his wife and newborn son Aegon on Dragonstone and went on a journey. Ultimately, he ended up in the riverlands where he disappeared with Lyanna Stark. Lyanna's brother Brandon went to King's Landing, threatening Prince Rhaegar's life. Though Rhaegar was not present, King Aerys had Brandon arrested, and summoned his father, Lord Rickard, for a trial. At the "trial", Aerys had both men killed, after which he demanded the heads of Lord Robert Baratheon, Lyanna's betrothed, and Eddard Stark, Lyanna's younger brother. Their foster father, Lord Jon Arryn, refused Aerys's commands and raised his banners, thereby starting a civil war.

Towards the end of the war, Lord Robert Baratheon proclaimed his intend to claim the Iron Throne. Out of the three leaders of the rebellion, Robert had the better claim, due to the fact that his grandmother had been Princess Rhaelle Targaryen, the youngest daughter of King Aegon V Targaryen. Prince Rhaegar eventually returned from the south and took command of the royal troops, leading them during the Battle of the Trident, where he was killed by Robert. Aerys sent his new heir, Prince Viserys, and the pregnant Queen Rhaella to Dragonstone, while keeping Rhaegar's wife and two children as hostages at King's Landing. Though he had ignored calls to arms from both the loyalists and the rebels, Lord Tywin Lannister appeared with an army at the gates of King's Landing hours before the arrival of a rebel army. Feigning loyalty to House Targaryen, the Lannister forces sacked King's Landing once allowed into the city, slaying Princess Elia, Rhaenys, and the infant Prince Aegon, while Aerys's only Kingsguard knight in the city, Jaime Lannister, killed the king in the throne room.

The war was at an end, and on the mainland the final opposition to the reign of Robert I Baratheon was resolved. On Dragonstone, however, the last Targaryens held their last stronghold. Dowager Queen Rhaella crowned her son Viserys, but died some nine months after her flight from King's Landing when she gave birth to Princess Daenerys in 284 AC during a great storm that destroyed the Targaryen fleet which had been protecting the island. With the enemy approaching the island and the garrison willing to surrender, Ser Willem Darry spirited young Viserys and Daenerys to the Free City of Braavos, where they remained until his death near 289 AC. Afterwards, Viserys and Daenerys traveled from city to city for years, forced to sell the last of their belongings, until they were taken in by Magister Illyrio Mopatis in 297 AC.

And so, following two hundred and eighty-three years of rule, the Targaryen Dynasty ended in 283 AC with the death of Aerys II and the exile of his young son Viserys.