Shocking even Queen Rhaenyra, a massive number of Targaryen bastards take up her call to try to claim dragons in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7, bringing many of her family’s unknown descendants out of the shadows. The concept of Targaryen bastards is a huge part of House of the Dragon’s battle for the Iron Throne, as three of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen’s children are actually bastards fathered by Ser Harwin Strong rather than her first husband Laenor Velaryon. While Rhaenyra’s bastard sons are raised in nobility as trueborn children, this isn’t the case for the vast majority of House Targaryen’s illegitimate offspring.
An abundance of silver-haired men and women arrive at Dragonstone as they attempt to claim the available dragons, with the bastard Hugh Hammer ultimately claiming Vermithor and Ulf claiming Silverwing. The sheer number of “dragonseeds” who heed the call is quite shocking. Though rumors of them were addressed in House of the Dragon season 1 when showing a young silver-haired bastard of King Aegon II, the “Sowing” reveals there are far more than expected. Despite how few highborn Targaryens are left in House of the Dragon’s timeline, there’s a reasonable explanation for why they still have so many bastards in King’s Landing.
King Jaehaerys I Targaryen Had 13 Kids, Some Of Whom Had Unclaimed Bastards
Many Of King’s Landing’s Targaryen Bastards Likely Descend From King Jaehaerys
It seems that many of the Targaryen bastards alive in King’s Landing are the descendants of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Queen Alysanne Targaryen, who had 13 children during their reign in King’s Landing. However, only about half of them lived to an age where they could have had children, with two of those also taking vows of celibacy when joining the Faith and Citadel. Still, it’s reasonable that Jaehaerys’ children Aemon (father of Rhaenys Targaryen), Baelon (father of Daemon and Viserys), and Saera Targaryen could have had multiple bastards.
While Jaehaerys was extremely devoted to his sister-wife Alysanne, there’s always the possibility that he went to pleasure houses while they were separated during royal progresses.
There’s also a chance that King Jaehaerys himself could have had a few bastards in King’s Landing. While Jaehaerys was extremely devoted to his sister-wife Alysanne, there’s always the possibility that he went to pleasure houses while they were separated during royal progresses. If so, Jaehaerys could be the father to some of the bastards in King’s Landing, with his own bastards’ children and grandchildren also contributing to the number who come to Dragonstone in House of the Dragon.
While it may never be confirmed, there’s also the very real possibility that Viserys and Daemon could have some bastard children they don’t know about. After Daemon seduces teenage Rhaenyra at a pleasure house in House of the Dragon season 2, Daemon and Viserys discuss how they used to go to brothels as teenagers. As Daemon tells it, there’s a high likelihood they could each have a few kids in King’s Landing of an age to claim dragons:
“When we were Rhaenyra’s age, we f***ed our way through most of the brothels on the Street of Silk.”
Which Targaryens Are Known To Have Bastards Alive During The Dance
Only A Few Are Confirmed To Have Bastard Children In HOTD
There are numerous royal Targaryens who could have illegitimate children and grandchildren alive in King’s Landing, but only a few are confirmed or widely rumored to have bastard kids in House of the Dragon. If the stories that he tells in King’s Landing are true, then Ulf is the bastard son of Baelon Targaryen, the father of Daemon and Viserys. While the book’s descriptions of Baelon being very devoted to Viserys and Daemon’s mother, Alyssa Targaryen, makes this seem less credible, he could still have gone to brothels as a teenager before she was of age to consummate their marriage.
If Ulf is Baelon’s son, then it’s likely that Baelon Targaryen has at least a few other illegitimate children in King’s Landing. It’s also implied that Hugh Hammer’s mother is Saera Targaryen, the daughter of King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne. Saera’s rebellious actions and promiscuity led to her being sent to the Faith, but she escaped, fled to Lys, and worked at a pleasure house. The Fire & Blood book reveals that Saera has multiple bastard sons, so Hugh likely isn’t the only one of her children who went to Dragonstone in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 7.
House Targaryen’s Bastards Cause An Even Bigger Threat To The Family’s Power After The Dance
The Blackfyre Rebellions Threaten House Targaryen’s Reign For A Century After The Dance
With Jacaerys disapproving of Rhaenyra’s “dragonseeds” plan, he expresses worries that one of them could attempt to call themselves king, especially if they have a dragon. While this concern is warranted in House of the Dragon, as Fire & Blood reveals one “dragonseed” will do exactly what Jace predicted, the royal Targaryens remain in power after House of the Dragon. However, there are more Targaryen bastards who will attempt to win their claims to the Iron Throne after the Dance, most notably in the brutal Blackfyre Rebellions.
The First Blackfyre Rebellion occurs during the reign of King Daeron II Targaryen, the great-grandson of House of the Dragon’s Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (through her son Viserys), as his bastard half-brother Daemon Blackfyre attempts to claim the Iron Throne after their father’s death. Daemon had been legitimized by King Aegon VI Targaryen before his death, and his claim gained the support of several noble houses in Westeros. While the Targaryens prevailed, there would be a total of four Blackfyre Rebellions in Westerosi history until their line died out about 40 years before Game of Thrones’ timeline.