‘House of the Dragon’: How Is Matt Smith’s Prince Daemon Targaryen Related to Daenerys Targaryen?
House of the Dragon is the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel that will dive into the history of House Targaryen. Specifically, it will tell the story of the Dance of the Dragons — a bloody and brutal civil war among the family that takes place two centuries before the original series.
One of the main characters in the large ensemble cast is Matt Smith’s Prince Daemon Targaryen. How is he related to Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen? Let’s break down this confusing family tree.
2 Targaryens have a claim on the throne in ‘House of the Dragon’
The Game of Thrones timeline is measured in BC (Before Conquest) and AC (After Conquest), with the first year AC being when House Targaryen was crowned. After Aegon the Conqueror, 16 kings and queens would sit on the Iron Throne — the last being Daenerys Targaryen.
When House of the Dragon begins, King Viserys — the grandson of one of Westeros’ great kings, Jaehaerys I (aka The Conciliator) — names his eight-year-old daughter Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) as his heir. But Princess Rhaenyra was a controversial choice of successor because King Viserys refused to abide by the male-heir succession precedent set forth by his grandfather.
Viserys’ oldest child grows up assuming she would eventually be crowned Queen of Westeros. But the king’s second wife — Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) — believes her son Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) should be king. Alicent works behind the scenes in an attempt to help her son win the throne, thus planting the seeds for the Dance of the Dragons.
How does Matt Smith’s Prince Daemon Targaryen fit in, and how is he related to Daenerys?
Smith’s Prince Daemon is the brother of King Viserys and the uncle of Princess Rhaenyra. He is the heir presumptive, and one of the greatest warriors in Westeros. In addition to riding the dragon Caraxes, he wields the Dark Sister — the Valyrian steel sword of his ancestor Visenya.
In his personal life, the prince gets married three times. His third and final marriage is to his niece, Princess Rhaenyra. They have three children together — Aegon “The Younger” Targaryen, Viserys Targaryen, and Viserys I Targaryen. And it’s Aegon the Younger who eventually ascends to the Iron Throne after the Dance of the Dragons.
As for how Daemon is related to Daenerys, he is a distant uncle of the Mother of Dragons.
Prince Daemon is one of the most prominent figures in ‘House of the Dragon’
Just like with Game of Thrones, there are a lot of characters to keep up with on House of the Dragon. But one who every fan should know is Prince Daemon. His desire to reign and be Viserys’ heir essentially defined his life. He’s an interesting and complex character who alternates between hero and villain, and his story leads to one of the most epic moments in Westeros history.
When Viserys names his daughter as his heir instead of Daemon, the prince leaves King’s Landing in anger. Which ensured he would never be in line for the throne, no matter if Viserys had a male heir or not.
Not being named the heir is also the reason Daemon goes on to marry Rhaenyra, which is done without Viserys’ permission. And that marriage is a big reason why some of the lords of Westeros don’t support Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne. Of course, Daemon takes his wife’s side in the Dance of the Dragons and he’s a main player in the family civil war.
It’s truly a story filled with high drama, and fans will get to see it all when House of the Dragon premieres on HBO on Sunday, August 21.
