Every Aegon Targaryen, told apart
11 of them across three hundred years, 5 of whom ruled. This is the single biggest reason the Targaryen family tree confuses people.
All 11, in order of birth
-
Aegon I
27 BC to 37 ACthe Conqueror
Landed at the mouth of the Blackwater with two sisters, three dragons and roughly sixteen hundred men, and took six of the seven kingdoms. The calendar of Westeros starts at his coronation.
- Reigned
- 1 to 37 AC
- Dragon
- Balerion
- Parents
- Aerion Targaryen and Valaena Velaryon
- Remember them as
- the Conqueror
-
Lord of Dragonstone in the generations after the Doom, and the first of many Aegons. He wed his sister Elaena and ruled the island with her.
- Parents
- Gaemon Targaryen and Daenys Targaryen
- Remember them as
- son of Gaemon the Glorious, Lord of Dragonstone
-
Aegon Targaryen
26 to 43 ACthe Uncrowned
Rightful heir to Aenys I. He rose against his uncle Maegor and was killed before he could ever be crowned.
- Dragon
- Quicksilver
- Parents
- Aenys I Targaryen and Alyssa Velaryon
- Remember them as
- son of Aenys I, 26 to 43 AC
-
Aegon Targaryen
51 to 51 ACThe first of Jaehaerys and Alysanne’s thirteen children, born early and gone in three days.
- Parents
- Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Alysanne Targaryen
- Remember them as
- first son of Jaehaerys I, lived three days
-
Aegon Targaryen
84 to 85 ACThe third son of Baelon and Alyssa. His mother died bringing him into the world and he followed her within the year.
- Parents
- Baelon Targaryen and Alyssa Targaryen
- Remember them as
- son of Baelon the Brave, 84 to 85 AC
-
Aegon II
107 to 131 ACthe Elder
Crowned in the Dragonpit within days of his father’s death, ahead of his older half-sister. He won the war and did not survive the peace.
- Reigned
- 129 to 131 AC
- Dragon
- Sunfyre
- Parents
- Viserys I Targaryen and Alicent Hightower
- Remember them as
- the Elder
-
Aegon III
120 to 157 ACthe Dragonbane
Watched his mother eaten by a dragon at ten and never flew again. The last dragon died in his reign, in 153 AC.
- Reigned
- 131 to 157 AC
- Dragon
- Stormcloud
- Parents
- Daemon Targaryen and Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Remember them as
- the Dragonbane
-
Aegon IV
135 to 184 ACthe Unworthy
On his deathbed he legitimised every bastard he had ever fathered. That single act bought the realm five rebellions across four generations.
- Reigned
- 172 to 184 AC
- Parents
- Viserys II Targaryen and Larra Rogare
- Remember them as
- the Unworthy
-
Aegon V
200 to 259 ACthe Unlikely
A fourth son of a fourth son who squired for a hedge knight under the name Egg, then became king. He spent his reign trying to make life better for the smallfolk and his lords hated him for it.
- Reigned
- 233 to 259 AC
- Parents
- Maekar I Targaryen and Dyanna Dayne
- Remember them as
- the Unlikely
-
Aegon Targaryen
272 to 273 ACBorn two moons early in 272 AC and gone the next year.
- Parents
- Aerys II Targaryen and Rhaella Targaryen
- Remember them as
- son of Aerys II, 272 to 273 AC
-
Aegon Targaryen
281 to 283 ACRhaegar’s heir, an infant at the Sack. In the books a young man calling himself this Aegon lands in Westeros with the Golden Company.
- Parents
- Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell
- Remember them as
- son of Rhaegar and Elia, 281 to 283 AC
Why they kept reusing the same names
Naming a Targaryen child was a political act. Calling a son Aegon invoked the Conqueror. Calling him Jaehaerys invoked the Old King and fifty five years of peace. Calling him Daeron invoked either the boy who conquered Dorne or the man who married it into the realm, depending on which one you needed.
The cost of that habit is a family tree where the first name tells you almost nothing. The chart on this site labels every person with their dates and their epithet for exactly that reason. If you are trying to work out which one you are looking at, the year is the fastest way in.
Questions about the Aegons
How many Targaryens were named Aegon?
At least 11 appear on this family tree, of whom 5 ruled from the Iron Throne. The Targaryens reused a small pool of names deliberately, to tie each new child to an ancestor worth invoking.
Why are there so many Targaryens named Aegon?
Naming a child after a celebrated ancestor was a claim on that ancestor’s reputation. Aegon invoked the Conqueror, Jaehaerys invoked the Old King, Daeron invoked the Good. The result is a family tree where a first name tells you almost nothing.
How do you tell them apart?
By their dates and their epithet. Every Targaryen who mattered picked up a nickname, and where they did not, the reign years do the work. This site labels every node on the chart with both.