Understanding the Targaryen lineage is no easy task. With numerous intra-family marriages, recurring names, and a vast time gap between the events of House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, it’s easy for viewers to get lost. However, the connection between Rhaenyra Targaryen and Daenerys is quite clear — they both come from the same branch of the dragon-riding dynasty.
Rhaenyra is Daenerys’s sixth great-grandmother. Her son with Daemon Targaryen, Viserys II, carried on the dynasty, and five generations later, the Mother of Dragons was born.
This means Daenerys is a direct descendant of Rhaenyra, even though they are separated by 172 years.
With this in mind, fans can only hope that Rhaenyra doesn’t follow in the footsteps of her distant descendant and lose her sanity by the end of House of the Dragon — burning King’s Landing to the ground just as Daenerys did in the Game of Thrones finale.
