A Chronological History of the Kings and Queens of Westeros

George R.R. Martin, the author of the acclaimed A Song of Ice and Fire series, made his mark on the fantasy genre by writing a mammoth series of novels chronicling the major shifts and events in the fictional world of Westeros. Fans and critics alike praise Martin’s thorough command of the history of his world, and many of the story’s themes relate to the reckoning with history and the machinations of power. His novels have inspired an ultra-popular series of television shows: Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and A Knight of Seven Kingdoms.

King’s Landing, Crownlands, Westeros; image credit: HBO

Westeros has had hundreds of rulers throughout its history, as the name Age of the Hundred Kingdoms implies. This era of dozens of regions and rulers ended when one Targaryen king unified these many territories under a single reign. In this article, we’ll start with that first Targaryen and explore the 25 rulers of Westeros who followed.

Warning: This article will contain spoilers for all the novels in A Song of Ice and Fire, as well as for the shows Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Aegon I Targaryen

Also known as Aegon the Conqueror.
Aegon I was the first Targaryen to unite the many kingdoms of Westeros under a single ruler, cementing centuries of Targaryen rule.
He had two wives, Visenya and Rhaenys, both of whom were his sisters.
Aegon died of a stroke at age 64.

Aenys I Targaryen

Aenys was kind and bookish, so he struggled to suppress the rebellions against Targaryen rule.
Westeros’ Faith of the Seven disapproved of the Targaryens’ incestuous marriage traditions, inspiring people across the kingdom to rebel.
Aenys died at 35, and Aegon’s Queen Visenya maneuvered to have her son, Maegor, take the throne in place of Aenys’ son.

Maegor I Targaryen

Maegor was a fierce warrior with a suspicious nature.
He had to fight to maintain his position on the throne, including a fight to the death with Aenys’ son, who some considered the rightful Targaryen heir.
Maegor was considered a tyrannical ruler, and after six years of reigning, the Great Houses arranged his murder.

Jaehaerys I Targaryen

King Jaehaerys I Targaryen from the series House of the Dragon; image credit: HBO

Power returned to Aenys’ line with Jaehaerys, the third son of Aenys.
He was known as “the Conciliator” and “the Wise.”
Jaehaerys ascended the throne at age 14 and ruled for 55 years.
He was a popular king who brought peace and stability to Westeros.
Jaehaerys died at age 69, having outlived his sons.

Viserys I Targaryen

King Viserys I Targaryen from the series House of the Dragon; image credit: HBO

Viserys was the oldest grandson of Jaehaerys.
He was a peaceful and prosperous king, but his succession decisions led to a period of civil war, as chronicled in House of the Dragon.
Viserys married twice and had only one surviving child from his first marriage, Rhaenyra.
After Viserys died at age 52, his second wife, Alicent, schemed to place her sons on the throne instead of Rhaenyra, sparking the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.

Aegon II Targaryen

King Aegon II Targaryen from the series House of the Dragon; image credit: HBO

Aegon II had no desire to become king, but his mother, Alicent, believed he was the rightful heir rather than Rhaenyra.
They concealed King Viserys’ death long enough to claim the throne before Rhaenyra could.
In response, Rhaenyra retaliated, initiating the Dance of the Dragons civil war.
Aegon II died from injuries sustained near the war’s end.

Rhaenyra Targaryen

During Aegon II’s reign, Rhaenyra asserted her right to the throne and acted as queen.
She is not recognized as queen in Westeros’ history and is regarded as a pretender.
As depicted in House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra commanded an army and garnered support from about half of the Targaryens.
Her claim to the throne came to an untimely end when Aegon II’s dragon devoured her.

Aegon III Targaryen

Aegon III is the son of Rhaenyra Targaryen and was crowned king after the death of Aegon II.
His ascension marked the end of the Dance of the Dragons.
Aegon’s traumatic, bloody childhood left him a brooding, volatile king prone to fits of rage.
He died of consumption at age 36.

Daeron I Targaryen

Daeron succeeded his father as king at age 14.
He conquered Dorne, the last of the seven independent kingdoms.
After the conquest of Dorne, unrest among the smallfolk led to an uprising that ultimately resulted in Daeron’s death at age 18.

Baelor Targaryen

Prince Baelor Targaryen in the series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms; image credit: HBO

Baelor became king at age 17 after his brother Daeron’s death.
Known for his moral character, Baelor was a peacemaker during his reign.
He was strongly influenced by religion and the High Septon, which frustrated the Great Houses but made him popular among the smallfolk.
He earned the moniker Baelor “the Beloved.”
Baelor died childless after a 40-day fast following the birth of his sister’s illegitimate child; there are suspicions he may have been murdered.

Viserys II Targaryen

Prince Viserys II Targaryen and his mother, Rhaenyra, in the series House of the Dragon; image credit: HBO

Viserys II, Baelor’s uncle, ascended the throne at age 49.
There are claims he poisoned Baelor to seize the throne.
His reign focused on expanding trade and instituting reforms, but he died just a year into his rule.
Once again, many suspected poison was the cause of his death.

Aegon IV Targaryen

Aegon IV succeeded his father and began a self-indulgent reign marked by court corruption and excess.
Known as “the Unworthy,” Aegon IV’s reign is infamous for his numerous dramas involving mistresses and illegitimate children.
He died at age 49, in poor health, surrounded by a group of children, both legitimate and otherwise, quarreling over succession.

Daeron II Targaryen

Daeron II was the oldest legitimate son of Aegon IV and earned the nickname “the Good” for his peace-based ruling style.
He negotiated a peace settlement with Dorne and attempted to negotiate with his Blackfyre illegitimate half-siblings, though some of them struck up a rebellion.
Daeron II died of a plague at age 25.

Aerys I Targaryen

Aerys, the second son of Daeron II, became heir after his brother died in a jousting accident.
He faced several Blackfyre rebellions during his reign.
Tragically, all his heirs predeceased him.
Aerys ruled for 12 years before his death, leaving a brother to succeed him.

Maekar Targaryen

Prince Maekar Targaryen in the series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms; image credit: HBO

A capable military leader, Maekar successfully suppressed the Blackfyre uprising.
He was stern and unyielding, leading with a firm hand to quell rebellions.
He died after a 12-year reign while fighting another uprising.

Aegon V Targaryen

Prince Aegon V Targaryen in the series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms; image credit: HBO

Aegon V, known as “the Unlikely,” ascended the throne as the fourth son.
He is also recognized as “Egg” from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Aegon V ended the Targaryen tradition of incestuous intermarriage by marrying his children to members of other Great Houses.
He dedicated time attempting to revive dragons, which ultimately led to his doom; his effort to hatch a dragon egg resulted in a brutal fire that engulfed his castle.

Jaehaerys II Targaryen

Jaehaerys II became king after his older brother renounced his claim to the throne to marry a commoner.
He ruled for three years before succumbing to ill health.
His reign was marked by the “War of the Ninepenny Kings,” a rebellion led by mercenaries who sought to establish their own kingdoms.

Aerys II Targaryen

Aerys II is the infamous “Mad King” in Game of Thrones.
His reign of promises descended into chaos.
His mental decline began after he lost several children, leading to paranoia, cruelty, and dangerous behavior.
A legion of nobles, including Robert Baratheon, Ned Stark, and Jaime Lannister, ultimately overthrew Aerys II, ending the Targaryen reign.

Robert Baratheon

After the Mad King Aerys was killed, Robert was deemed the best candidate for the throne, and his marriage to Cersei was a strategic match with House Lannister.
Cersei and Jamie Lannister had an incestuous relationship that produced three illegitimate children.
In Game of Thrones, Ned Stark discovers the secret of their incest, prompting Cersei to orchestrate Robert’s murder, making it appear to be a hunting accident.

Joffrey Baratheon

King Joffrey Baratheon in the series Game of Thrones; image credit: HBO

Joffrey, Cersei’s son, was not a true Baratheon but the child of his uncle, Jaime.
He was cruel and spoiled by his mother, and many feared his rule would mirror that of the Mad King Aerys.
Joffrey was angered by rumors of his illegitimacy and disgusted by rival claims to the throne, led by Robert’s brothers, Renly and Stannis.
He ordered Ned Stark’s execution for revealing the truth about his parentage.
Initially betrothed to Sansa Stark, Ned’s daughter, Joffrey later drops her in favor of Margaery Tyrell.
After Margaery’s grandmother learned of Joffrey’s cruelty, she poisoned him.

Tommen Baratheon

King Tommen Baratheon and his wife, Queen Margaery Tyrell, in the series Game of Thrones; image credit: HBO

Tommen, Joffrey’s younger brother, ascended the throne and married Margaery Tyrell.
He was a puppet of his mother, Cersei, and was manipulated by the Tyrells.
After Cersei murdered Margaery and her family, Tommen took his own life.

Cersei Lannister

Cersei Lannister in the series Game of Thrones; image credit: HBO

Cersei claimed the throne because she had no surviving children.
Her reign was threatened by the arrival of Daenerys Targaryen and her army, as well as the invading White Walkers from the North, beyond the Wall.
Cersei’s cruelty pushed Daenerys into a fit of Targaryen madness, intensified by her dragons.
Ultimately, Cersei died during the brutal sack of King’s Landing, which was devastated by dragon fire.

Daenerys Targaryen

Daenerys fled Westeros after the death of her father, Aerys II.
Throughout Game of Thrones, she survived against all odds and built an army.
Ultimately, she succumbed to grief and madness, unleashing dragon fire on the residents of King’s Landing.
Although she claimed the Iron Throne, her reign was short-lived.
Fearing for the kingdom’s future, Jon Snow murdered Daenerys and then exiled himself, ending the Targaryen line.

Brandon Stark

The surviving leaders of the Great Houses convened to select a new ruler.
Tyrion Lannister proposed that the new ruler be elected rather than inheriting the throne.
Bran Stark was chosen as the next ruler, utilizing his supernatural abilities as the Three-Eyed Raven to defend the kingdom.

Sansa Stark

Sansa Stark should also be recognized as a Queen of Westeros.
Bran granted the North independence, allowing it to maintain its watch over the Wall as it had in ancient times.
Sansa Stark, the oldest surviving child of Ned Stark, ascended to become Queen of the North.

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