Thousands of years before the Targaryen conquest of Westeros, the prehistoric Dawn Age saw
the continent populated by Giants and Children of the Forest until they were largely supplanted
by First men migrating through the arm of Dorne from Essos in east.
After a lengthy war in which this land bridge was shattered and sunk into the sea, a peace
pact gave way to the legendary Age of Heroes when First Men spread throughout the continent
while giants retreated into the far north and children into the deep forests.
Adopting the Old Gods of the Children, the First Men prospered for millennia, even defeating
a horrifying invasion by White Walkers during the Long Night roughly 8000 years before conquest.
As a result of this invasion, the Night’s Watch brotherhood took charge of a great Ice
wall in the far north, guarding the realm from all threats beyond the border.
Yet in time the First Men too were supplanted by foreign invaders, conquered by the fair
haired, Seven worshipping Andals, sailing in great numbers from Andalos in the east.
Launching a religious crusade, the Andals conquered every realm of the continent save
for the Kingdom of the North under House Stark, where King Theon Stark not only defeated any
attempted invasions but also launched a campaign and vengeance against their homeland of Andalos
in reprisal.
Though the North remained a realm of the First Men, all lands south of the neck were ruled
by Andals who intermarried with and adopted many traditions of the defeated, most noticeably
in the Iron Islands, where they abandoned the Seven, to worship the Drowned god of the
local population.
Around 700 years before conquest, the last major migration into Westeros occurred when
Princess Nymeria led what remained of a 10000 ship Rhoynar refugee fleet, escaping the Dragonlords
of Valyria who conquered their city states along the Rhoyne river in Essos.
After failing to settle other lands, Nymeria arrived in Dorne and married the Andal leader
of House Martell, creating an alliance that conquered the territory.
Having vanquished the Rhoynar and Andal peoples of Essos, the Dragonlords of the Valyrian
Freehold controlled nearly all lands west of the bone mountains, renowned for their
bond with dragons, magical abilities, resistance to heat, unique cultural traits like marrying
within their own families, and physical traits like pale skin, silver-gold hair and purple
eyes.
Legends say they began as simple sheepherders who discovered Dragons living near the 14
flames volcano chain on the Valyrian Penninsula, bonding with the creatures and using their
strength to conquer much of the continent.
Ruled by the 40 wealthiest and most influential families, the Targaryens were a minor ruling
house that gained a reputation for cowardice in 114BC, when they moved to the small, far
away island of Dragonstone in the narrow sea.
However they left because Daenys the Dreamer, had a vision foreseeing a great tragedy that
would destroy the Valyrian Penninsula.
Trusting his daughter’s prophecy, the patriarch of their family Aenar Targaryen moved their
entire household west, and as a result were the only ruling family to survive the Doom
of Valyria which struck 12 years later in 102BC.
Although the exact origin of this tragic event was not known, it was believed the 14 flames
erupted, destroying their cities and shattering the Penninsula.
Following the Doom, Essos descended into a Century of Blood, with former Valyrians territories
struggling for survival, while on Dragonstone the Targaryens allied with House Velaryon
of Driftmark and House Celtigar of Claw Isle, as both were of Valyrian ancestry, working
together to become a major power in the narrow sea, controlling trade with the threat of
dragonfire.
Though the Targaryens had little interest in the former realms of Valyria, nearing the
end of the Century of Blood, young Lord Aegon Targaryen joined an alliance to stop Volantene
aggression against Tyrosh, Myr and Lys, bringing relative peace to the region.
Aegon then turned his attention west, and began preparing for the invasion of Westeros,
ordering the construction of an elaborately carved table with a detailed map of Westeros
more than 50 feet long and 25 feet wide.
Yet while Aegon considered the entire continent one territory to rule, by the year 2BC, Westeros
was divided into seven distinct realms south of the northern ice wall, including the Kingdom
of the North, the Kingdom of Mountain and Vale, the Kingdom of the Isles and the Rivers,
the Kingdom of the Rock, the Kingdom of the Reach, the Kingdom of the Storm and Dorne.
Though the Targaryens brought 5 dragons from Valyria, 4 died in the ensuing years leaving
Aegon to ride the last survivor Belarion the Black Dread, while his two sister-wives Visenya
and Rhaenys took Vhagar and Meraxes, 2 more recently hatched creatures born on Dragonstone.
Joined by his sister-wives, their dragons, and a small army of soldiers from their allies
in Houses Velaryon, Celtigar and Massey, the Targaryens began their invasion of Westeros,
landing at the mouth of Blackwater Rush where they built the Aegonfort, later known as King’s
Land, and crowned Aegon Targaryen King of All Westeros.
Thanks to their dragons, the Targaryens conquered six of seven kingdoms, but were never able
to defeat House Martell of Dorne which steadfastly refused to surrender, fighting a guerilla
war throughout the first decade of King Aegon’s rule, striking back with severity when they
killed Queen Rhaenys and Meraxes.
Hostilities were so prevalent Visenya created the Kingsguard to protect her husband from
assassination in 10AC.
Finally accepting defeat in 13 AC, Aegon signed a peace treaty with Dorne allowing the realm
to prosper for the rest of his reign, benefiting from his fair and wise rule.
After the death of Aegon the Conqueror in 37 AC, the Iron Throne was inherited by his
eldest son Aenys, son of Rhaenys, a good hearted man who lacked the cunning of his father and
ferocity of his younger brother Maegor, son of Visenya.
Unfortunately, the reign of Aenys Targaryen proved short and disastrous, beginning with
4 rebellions that emerged within the first year of his rule.
Indecisive and uncertain, Aenys could not choose a firm course of action, leaving the
attacks to be handled by his brother Maegor and local lords.
Unfortunately for the king, shortly after defeating the rebels, war again threatened
the continent when Aenys married his eldest son Aegon to his eldest daughter Rhaena.
Though the High Septon and Faith of the Seven tolerated Aegon the conqueror and his sister-wives,
they now demanded that House Targaryen abandon the ancient practice of marrying with their
own family.
Up to this point, a profound cultural clash was avoided because the Conqueror had no daughters,
allowing his son Maegor to be matched with Ceryse Hightower, while his first born son
and heir was paired with Alyssa Velaryon, seeing House Velaryon become a common and
reliable source of highborn spouses for the royal family, as their Valyrian blood and
longstanding loyalty made them ideal candidates.
Yet despite his own fruitful and successful marriage, Aenys was determined to continue
this cultural tradition and outright refused the High Septon, causing the leader of the
faith to lash out and name him King Abomination before rebelling against the crown.
Sickly since birth, Aenys grew ill and haggard from the stress of the faith militant uprising,
and his inability to make decisions meant the war only grew worse until 42 AC, when
after only 5 years of rule, he died at the age of 35, with some suggesting he was poisoned
by his aunt Visenya.
After his death, Visenya crowned her son Maegor as the new King of Westeros, bypassing the
children of Aenys.
After winning a trial of seven against champions of the Faith who challenged his claim, king
Maegor escalated the war by burning the Sept of Remembrance in the capital and mercilessly
raining dragonfire upon the enemy at nearly every engagement.
A man of terrible cruelty, Maegor personally supervised the construction of the Red Keep,
building a number of hidden passage ways within the walls and underground, only to the execute
the builders, so they could never reveal what they knew.
Refusing to accept his uncle as king, Aegon, the eldest son of Aenys raised his own armies
in 43 AC but was killed in the battle beneath the gods eye.
Yet by this point nearly all of Westeros turned against Maegor for his cruelty and ruthless
wide-spread violence, causing the Lords of the realm to support Jaehaerys Targaryen,
the younger brother of Aegon and rightful heir to King Aenys.
Losing all support and any hope of victory, Maegor was found dead, possibly from suicide,
cutting and stabbing himself on the swords of the iron throne.
With the king dead, Jaehaerys Targaryen came to power at the age of 14 and soon earned
the nickname Conciliator, by making peace with the High Septon and granting amnesty
to those who served Maegor or the Faith Militants.
Working diligently to address the concerns of nobles and small folk, Jaehaerys and his
sister-wife Alysanne both proved shrewd and highly capable, leading to decades and peace
and prosperity, considered the golden age of Targaryen Rule.
Ruling 55 years, King Jaehaerys the Conciliator created a unified code of law for the Seven
Kingdoms, negotiated to reduce their debt with Braavos, limited personal expenses, and
raised taxes on the wealthy, investing this income into infrastructure for the capital
and beyond, building the dragonpit to house their dragons, fountains to provide clean
water, drains, sewers, and a road system connecting the territories they controlled.
To prevent another religious rebellion the king sent seven speakers across the continent
to preach and popularize the Doctrine of Exceptionalism, which stated that the while incest was wrong
in Andal tradition, the Targaryens were an exception because they were Valyrian and could
bond with dragons.
Though the King had many children, he outlived them all, creating the question of succession
near the end of his reign.
To solve the matter Jaehaerys called a great council in 101 AC, where a great many candidates
were presented before the Lords of Westeros, who ultimately chose Viserys, eldest son to
the 4th born child of the king, thereby passing over Rhaenys daughter of the elder 3rd born
child, establishing a precedent that the crown could not pass to a woman or through a female
line.
The issue decided, Jaehaerys grew increasingly ill and bedridden, with young Alicent Hightower,
daughter to Hand of the King Otto Hightower, serving as his personal attendant, offering
comfort in his final days.
It was while the 15 year old Alicent Hightower was reading to him, that the old king died
in 103 AC, leaving his grandson Viserys a wealthy, peaceful and prosperous realm, at
the very height of its power.
While Viserys was not a brilliant transformative figure like his grandfather, he was a kind,
amiable King well loved by his subjects, continuing most of the policies which led to their years
of prosperity.
One of the greatest assets he inherited from his grandfather was the loyalty and naval
fleet of House Velaryon, which under the Sea Snake Lord Corlys Velaryon became the wealthiest
family in the Seven Kingdoms, gaining great riches from his famous sea voyages to the
far east.
A great ship captain, descended from a long line of sailors, Corlys Velaryon was named
Master of Ships and married Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, the cousin of Viserys I.
Marrying Aemma Arryn, the daughter of his father’s sister, the king had 3 children,
including 2 sons which died in their infancy and girl Rhaenyra who survived and grew into
a beautiful, intelligent, fearsome, proud Targaryen princess nicknamed the realm’s
delight.
After the death of his wife in child birth, Viserys feared his lack of a son might lead
the people to rally behind his wild and volatile brother, the rogue prince Daemon Targaryen
as heir, believing him unfit for the throne.
Knighted at 16, Daemon was a great warrior who wielded the valyrian steel sword dark
sister, but had little patience for matters of administration.
Serving first as Master of Coin and the Master of Laws, he finally found a proper place as
commander of the city watch in the capital, giving them matching gold cloaks as well as
greater sense of unity and respectability, thereby winning their loyalty.
Called Prince of the City, Daemon consorted with commoners, criminals and prostitutes,
making many, including his brother feel he was not suited to the Iron Throne.
Despite past precedent and the decisions of his grandfather, Viserys felt entitled to
make any decision he wished concerning his heir, as the overwhelming might of House Targaryen’s
dragons, meant the King could act as an absolute monarch, changing laws, ignoring tradition
and establishing reforms as he saw fit.
Therefore, in the matter of succession, Viserys took an uncharacteristically firm and unwavering
position, contradicting the carefully considered precedent established in years past to name
his daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen as heir to the Iron Throne.