Era 2 · 1 – 283 AC

The Targaryen Dynasty

For nearly three centuries, the dragonlords rule from the Iron Throne. Glory, civil wars and madness mark their dynasty.

1. Aegon's Conquest (1 AC)

   Aegon Targaryen and his sisters Visenya and Rhaenys, riding their dragons, subdue six of the seven kingdoms. The Iron Throne is forged from the swords of the conquered, melted by Balerion's breath.

2. Maegor the Cruel and the Red Keep

   Aegon's son, Maegor I, rules through terror and builds Maegor's Holdfast, the core of the Red Keep in King's Landing. His reign remains one of the darkest of the dynasty.

3. The Great Council (101 AC)

   The realm's great lords choose Viserys over his cousin Rhaenys to succeed King Jaehaerys. This precedent will weigh heavily on the next succession.

4. Viserys I, Rhaenyra and Alicent

   Under Viserys's peaceful reign, the court splits between his daughter Rhaenyra, named heir, and the new queen Alicent Hightower. These rivalries foreshadow war.

5. The Dance of the Dragons (129–131 AC)

   When Viserys dies, Rhaenyra and her half-brother Aegon II fight over the throne: the civil war of the Blacks against the Greens, told in House of the Dragon. Many dragons perish.

6. The decline of the dragons

   After the Dance, the dragons die one after another, for lack of care and viable clutches. The last dies around 153 AC, and Targaryen magic wanes.

7. Dunk & Egg and the Blackfyre Rebellion (around 196 AC)

   Daemon Blackfyre, the king's bastard son, rebels against his half-brother, King Daeron II, and loses the battle of the Redgrass Field. In those days, the hedge knight Dunk and his squire Egg roam the roads.

8. Aerys II, the Mad King (262–283 AC)

   Aerys II sinks little by little into paranoia and cruelty, fascinated by wildfire. His reign leads to the revolt of the realm's greatest lords.