Who are the Targaryens in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and how are they related to Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon?

Finn Bennett as Aerion Targaryen in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

(Image credit: HBO)

In A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 2, Dunk (and the audience) got to meet this generation's Targaryens – the royal house has arrived at Ashdown Meadow for the tourney as Aerion Targaryen is participating.

As the show is set 100 years after House of the Dragon and 90 years before Game of Thrones, Robert's Rebellion hasn't happened yet and the Targaryens still hold the Iron Throne, but their power and influence is beginning to wane in Westeros. Although they still rule the roost, they're not the focal point of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, so you might be struggling to keep track of which set of blond locks belongs to which prince.

We've got everything you need to know about House Targaryen in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms right here: a who's who of the family tree, the lowdown on how they're related to the Targaryens in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, and an explanation as to why we haven't seen any dragons yet…

Who are the Targaryens in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?

Maekar

Maekar is the Prince of Summerhall and the fourth son of the king, Daeron II. He's Aerion's father and has five other children – including two other sons who should be with him but are currently missing, Daeron and Aegon. Baelor is his older brother.

Aerion

Aerion is Maekar's second son. He's known as Aerion the Monstrous and is the member of the Targaryen family who is competing at the tourney at Ashford Meadow. His younger brothers, Daeron and Aegon, are missing – Daeron was also meant to compete in the tourney, with Aegon as his squire.

Baelor

Baelor is Maekar's older brother and Aerion's uncle. He's the Hand of the King to Daeron II and heir to the Iron Throne. Although he's a Targaryen, his hair is dark rather than white blond. That's because his mother, Queen Myriah Martell, is from Dorne.

Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones — (Image credit: HBO)

Prince Maekar is Daenerys Targaryen's great-great-great-grandfather. That's not where the links to Game of Thrones end, either: Maekar's son Aemon (who we haven't met in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms) is the elderly Maester Aemon, who Jon Snow meets at the Wall when he joins the Night's Watch.

As for his ancestors, Maekar is the great-great-grandson of Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen from House of the Dragon.

Why don't the Targaryens in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms have dragons?

Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon — (Image credit: HBO)

Nearly all the Targaryen dragons were killed during the civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons, which is depicted in House of the Dragon. The few who survived died soon after, and the species was extinct until Daenerys' eggs hatched in Game of Thrones. As A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set between the events of those two shows, we're currently in a dragon-less era in Westeros, so the royal family are without their scaly companions.

If you're missing Vhagar, Syrax, and co., there's not too long to wait until they return in House of the Dragon season 3.

New episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are releasing weekly on HBO/HBO Max and Sky Atlantic/NOW. Stay up to date with our A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms release schedule, and then check out our verdict in our A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review.