Every Aemon Targaryen, told apart
3 of them across three hundred years, 0 of whom ruled. This is the single biggest reason the Targaryen family tree confuses people.
All 3, in order of birth
-
Aemon Targaryen
55 to 92 ACHeir to Jaehaerys I and father of Rhaenys, the Queen Who Never Was. His early death moved the succession sideways and set up the Dance two generations later.
- Dragon
- Caraxes
- Parents
- Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Alysanne Targaryen
- Remember them as
- Prince of Dragonstone, 55 to 92 AC
-
Aemon Targaryen
136 to 178 ACthe Dragonknight
The most celebrated knight of his age, sworn to a brother he despised. Aegon IV claimed he had fathered Daeron II on Naerys, which was probably slander and definitely convenient.
- Parents
- Viserys II Targaryen and Larra Rogare
- Remember them as
- the Dragonknight, 136 to 178 AC
-
Aemon Targaryen
198 to 300 ACMaester Aemon
Turned down the Iron Throne at the Great Council of 233 AC and served some sixty seven years at Castle Black. He and Jon Snow served together and neither ever knew they were kin.
- Parents
- Maekar I Targaryen and Dyanna Dayne
- Remember them as
- Maester of the Night’s Watch, 198 to 300 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 Aemons
How many Targaryens were named Aemon?
At least 3 appear on this family tree, of whom 0 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 Aemon?
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.