House Targaryen

House Targaryen is one of the former Great Houses of Westeros and the former ruling royal house of the Seven Kingdoms. A former noble family of the vast Valyrian Freehold, an empire spanning most of the eastern continent, the Targaryens were given control of the island of Dragonstone in the Narrow Sea some centuries ago. After the obliteration of Valyria in the Doom, the Targaryens launched a devastating invasion of Westeros using three dragons to spearhead their attack. In a short period of time six of the seven formerly-independent kingdoms had surrendered to the Targaryen leader, King Aegon I, unifying the continent under his rule. The last hold-out, Dorne, joined the kingdom through a political and marriage alliance some two centuries later.

The Targaryens adopted the religion and many of the customs of Westeros, but two old Valyrian customs they continued to perform in defiance of public disapproval: Targaryen princes and kings were allowed to have multiple wives and Targaryens were allowed to marry brother to sister, something considered an abominable sin elsewhere in Westeros.

During the increasingly erratic reign of King Aerys II, his son Rhaegar kidnapped Lyanna Stark for reasons unknown. This sparked a massive uprising led by Eddard Stark, Robert Baratheon and Jon Arryn. At the end of this war Aerys and Rhaegar were dead and the Targaryen power-base in Westeros destroyed. Aerys's youngest two children were taken by Targaryan loyalists into exile in the Free Cities of the east.

Members

 * King Aerys II Targaryen, the Mad King, slain by Jaime Lannister at the end of Robert's Rebellion.
 * His sister-wife Queen Rhaella, also of House Targaryen.
 * Their oldest son and heir, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, slain by Robert Baratheon at the Battle of the Trident.
 * Prince Rhaegar's wife, Princess Elia of House Martell, slain during the Sack of King's Landing by Lannister armsmen.
 * Prince Rhaegar's daughter, Princess Rhaenys, slain during the Sack of King's Landing.
 * Prince Rhaegar's son and heir, Prince Aegon, slain during the Sack of King's Landing.
 * Aerys and Rhaella's second son, Prince Viserys Targaryen, the Beggar King, in exile in the Free Cities.
 * Aerys and Rhaella's daughter, Princess Daenerys Targaryen, in exile in the Free Cities.

King Aerys's aunt, Princess Rhaelle, married into House Baratheon. Robert Baratheon and his brothers are descended from her, giving Robert his claim to the Iron Throne that he pursued during the civil war.

In the books
In the books House Targaryen moved from Valyria to Dragonstone, apparently in fear of a prophecy predicting the destruction of Valyria a century before it happened. After the fall of Valyria, the Targaryens stayed on Dragonstone for a century, apparently hoarding the strength of their dragons and debating whether to invade Westeros or to attempt to seize control of the Valyrian colony-states which later became known as the Free Cities. In the event, they chose to invade Westeros instead.

House Targaryen ruled Westeros for 283 years, during which time they survived substantial civil wars (including the Dance of Dragons and no less than five Blackfyre Rebellions), plague (the Great Spring Sickness) and even an attempted foreign invasion (in the War of the Ninepenny Kings). They were brought down when the Mad King's insanity became too dangerous to be ignored.

In the books House Targaryen's motto was "Fire and Blood".