Every Daenerys 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
-
Daenerys Targaryen
53 to 60 ACThe first Daenerys, and for a while the heir to the throne. Her death broke her parents.
- Parents
- Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Alysanne Targaryen
- Remember them as
- daughter of Jaehaerys I, 53 to 60 AC
-
Daenerys Targaryen
b. 172 ACHer marriage to Prince Maron Martell in 187 AC completed the union of Dorne with the Iron Throne.
- Parents
- Aegon IV Targaryen and Naerys Targaryen
- Remember them as
- daughter of Aegon IV, married Prince Maron Martell
-
Daenerys Targaryen
b. 284 ACStormborn
Born on Dragonstone during the storm that broke her family’s fleet. She walked into a funeral pyre in 298 AC and came out with the first three dragons in a hundred and forty five years.
- Dragon
- Drogon
- Parents
- Aerys II Targaryen and Rhaella Targaryen
- Remember them as
- Stormborn
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 Daeneryses
How many Targaryens were named Daenerys?
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 Daenerys?
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.