The series “House of the Dragon” 2022: release date, plot, history of the Targaryens

How did the Targaryens come to power?

The story of “House of the Dragon” will be based on George R. R. Martin’s “Fire and Blood” series of novels. Unlike A Song of Ice and Fire, the story unfolds not in the classical way, but through the story of Maester Gildain, historian of the Seven Kingdoms. That is, this is not a fantasy novel in its usual sense, but rather a pseudo-historical work about the history of a fictional world. Critics of the book were not enthusiastic, saying that Martin wrote it only to indulge his pride. However, “House of the Dragon” will take only the main points from it, deepening the story where the writer did not.

The well-known House Targaryen was founded when the last of its representatives flew on their dragons from the distant empire of Essos to Westeros and became the first ruling family of a single state on this earth. Their homeland was destroyed by a mysterious plague that featured in several episodes of the original Game of Thrones, and a massive volcanic eruption that killed all of their people.

Even before they left, they were known as dragon slayers. The legendary beasts obeyed their will. Although it is not known for sure whether this ability was something exceptional for Essos or not.

Arriving in Westeros, the Targaryens discovered that the local rulers did not own dragons, and any of their weapons against giant fire-breathing lizards was simply powerless. The army of dragon lords was quite small, but backed up by the strength of at least one of their three pets, it could crush any opponent. Then the head of the clan, Aegon I, wished to revive his native empire on a new continent and began a war of conquest.

In a matter of years, he was able to conquer six great kingdoms. Only Dorn could oppose his will, but this country, too, laid down its arms over time. Thus Aegon founded the empire of the Seven Kingdoms, with Capital Harbor as its capital. From the swords of defeated enemies, he made the very Iron Throne to remind his descendants of the price of power.

As fans of the books and TV shows know, Aegon’s realm stood for another 300 years. After that, the events of the Game of Thrones began, during which the kingdom was fragmented and embroiled in a civil war.

Viserys Targaryen and the struggle for the throne

Most of the history of the first season of “House of the Dragon” will be devoted to the era of Viserys I. His reign began about a hundred years after the conquests of Aegon, he became the fifth Targaryen king to occupy the Iron Throne.

The coming of Viserys to power was not easy at all. He was supposed to take over the kingdom after 50 years of stability and peace, so he felt his great responsibility in maintaining this order. But just before the coronation, his cousin Reynis also declared her right to power. Then the kingdom did not yet have clearly established laws of succession to the throne, so relatives began to weave intrigues against each other. In addition, Rhaenys supported the Velaryon family, a very authoritative family also from Essos, which recognized the Targaryens as their patrons.

The lords of the seven kingdoms gathered in a big vote to determine who should get the throne. Countless compromises, persuasion, bribery and blackmail on the part of Viserys helped him win, and peace was restored. But the political situation in Westeros was broken. The interests of many influential groups close to the throne were not taken into account. It was only a matter of time before the battle between the sons and daughters of the House of the Dragon flared up again.

Who will come together in the struggle for power?

We will not delve into the details of the events of the book, so as not to spoil your impression of the future series with spoilers. Let’s just outline who exactly wanted to get the Iron Throne after the successful coronation of Viserys and what these people are like.

For starters, of course, there is the king himself and his children. The years of the reign of Viserys showed him as a wise, prudent ruler, able to solve problems not only with a sword, but also with diplomacy. However, his age is not eternal, so soon the question arose of who would inherit the throne after him.

By law, the king had to choose the closest male relative, that is, his brother Damon, as the heir to the throne. He is a handsome young man, belligerent and full of energy, as well as mired in a lust for power. He inherited one of the strongest dragons of the royal family, nicknamed the Blood Serpent.

Viserys is not eager to give the throne to Damon, as he seems to him too impulsive and quick-tempered, he is unlikely to be able to maintain peace in the kingdom. However, if the young prince is not given what is his birthright, he will take it by force.

On the other hand, Viserys has a daughter, Rainier. She is very sensible, beautiful and excellent with a sword. However, Targaryen traditions forbid girls from inheriting power if there is at least one male among other applicants. This injustice from childhood infuriated the girl. Her goal is to change the ancient orders of her kind and make women full rulers on a par with men. To do this, she founds the so-called party of “blacks” (after the color of her dress), which seeks to elevate Rainier to the Iron Throne.

Outside the Targaryen line, there are also people who have their own plans for the future of Westeros. For example, the Velaryons, who did not forget the offense caused to them during the election of Viserys. This family was able to earn incredible wealth through maritime trade and connections on other continents. The entire kingdom relies on their treasury. The house is ruled by the famous navigator Corlis Velarion, husband of Rhaenys, who, for his great naval campaigns, was awarded the nickname “Sea Serpent”. Perhaps he will still try to correct a long-standing injustice and seat his wife on the throne.

Finally, the last group eager to rule is the “green” party (also in the color of outfits) led by Alicente and Otto Hightower.

The Hightowers and Targaryens have a difficult history: after the death of his first wife, Viserys was forced to marry Alicente. This marriage was not for love, the king just needed to have the opportunity to give birth to a male heir. The queen, on the other hand, received from marriage the opportunity to promote her relatives to leadership positions. So her father Otto received the second most important position at court and became the right hand of Viserys. However, the boy never appeared in the royal family, and the king began to see Daemon or Rhaenyra more as heirs, ignoring his kinship with the Hightowers. Otto, on the other hand, does not intend to give up the power he has been striving for for years so easily.

Who of them will succeed in the epic struggle for the Iron Throne, we will find out very soon.