The Targaryens are one of the most famous houses in the history of Westeros. They ruled for nearly 300 years as the kings and queens of the Seven Kingdoms from their seat at the Red Keep in King’s Landing. The Targaryens started out as just one of many noble Valyrian families living on the island of Dragonstone in the Narrow Sea. But after the Doom of Valyria, they were the only dragonriders left in the world. Their dragons gave them unmatched power, allowing Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters to conquer six of the Seven Kingdoms. For centuries afterwards, the Targaryens relied on their dragons to keep their hold on Westeros. At the height of their power, they had dozens of dragons. But over time, the dragons started to die out. By the time of the War of the Five Kings, there was only one dragon left in the world. So how many dragons did the Targaryens have over the course of their dynasty? Let’s take a look at the history.
The Arrival of the Targaryens on Dragonstone
The Targaryens came from Valyria, the capital of a great empire spanning most of Essos. They were one of many noble families that the Valyrians allowed to incubate and hatch dragons. In Valyria, it was common for the nobility to bond with dragons from birth and ride them into battle or for transport. But approximately 100 years before the Doom, Aenar Targaryen relocated his family to the island outpost of Dragonstone, taking five dragons with him. These original five dragons were: Balerion, Vhagar, Meraxes, Quicksilver, and Dreamfyre. For the next century, House Targaryen remained fairly minor nobility ruling over Dragonstone while dragonlords ruled Valyria.
Escaping the Doom of Valyria
Everything changed when Valyria was destroyed in a cataclysmic event known as the Doom. The Targaryens on Dragonstone were the only dragonlords to survive. Now possessing the last surviving dragons in the world, Aegon Targaryen realized the power he now wielded. He set his eyes on the land of Westeros across the Narrow Sea. With his two sister-wives Visenya and Rhaenys, Aegon began his conquest of the Seven Kingdoms backed by the original three dragons that had escaped the Doom.
Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes
These three dragons allowed Aegon and his sisters to overwhelm the Westerosi armies:
- Balerion was ridden by Aegon himself. Also known as the Black Dread, he was over 200 years old and was the largest and most powerful dragon ever known.
- Vhagar was ridden by Visenya. She was about 180 years old.
- Meraxes was ridden by Rhaenys. She was about 150 years old.
With their dragons, the Targaryens swiftly conquered six of the Seven Kingdoms. The only kingdom not to fall was Dorne, which resisted both dragons and armies. Aegon decided to allow Dorne to retain independence while he ruled the rest of Westeros from his new capital at King’s Landing.
The Golden Age of Dragons
After the Conquest, the Targaryen dragons continued breeding on Dragonstone. They had a strong start to their dynasty ruling Westeros with at least nine dragons:
| Dragon | Rider |
|---|---|
| Balerion | Aegon I |
| Vhagar | Visenya |
| Meraxes | Rhaenys |
| Quicksilver | Aenys I |
| Dreamfyre | Rhaena Targaryen |
| Silverwing | Alysanne Targaryen |
| Vermax | Jacaerys Velaryon |
| Arrax | Lucerys Velaryon |
| Tyraxes | Joffrey Velaryon |
Over the next century during the reigns of the early Targaryen kings like Aenys I and Jaehaerys I, their dragons continued breeding until they reached their peak of about two dozen great dragons. Most of these belonged to the extended Targaryen dynasty like the Velaryons rather than just the main royal line.
The Decline of the Dragons
But the Targaryen dragons had become smaller over the generations from lack of space to roam and adequately nourish themselves. Queen Alysanne had warned that forcing them to stay cooped up in the Dragonpit at King’s Landing would weaken them. She turned out to be right as the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons during King Viserys I’s reign led to most of the remaining dragons dying in battle. By the end of the Dance in 130 AC, only four dragons were left alive:
- Silverwing – wild dragon, last seen in history at Red Lake in the year 130 AC
- Sheepstealer – wild dragon, disappeared after the Dance but may have survived in the wild
- Cannibal – wild dragon, disappeared after the Dance but may have survived on Dragonstone
- Morning – lived in the Dragonpit until she died in 153 AC
Morning was the last known survivor of the once vast Targaryen dragon menagerie. After her death, the dragon species was considered extinct in Westeros. This ushered in nearly two centuries where the Targaryens did not have any dragons at their disposal. Their dynasty increasingly declined, especially after a great plague weakened them. Eventually this led to Robert’s Rebellion resulting in most of the Targaryens being killed and the survivors exiled across the Narrow Sea.
The Return of Dragons – Daenerys Stormborn’s Three
For over 150 years after their fall from power, the Targaryens lingered in exile as pretenders to the Iron Throne with no dragons. Everything changed in Essos when the last exile princess Daenerys Targaryen hatched three fossilized dragon eggs in her husband Drogo’s funeral pyre:
| Dragon | Rider |
|---|---|
| Drogon | Daenerys Targaryen |
| Rhaegal | None |
| Viserion | None |
These dragons enabled Daenerys to begin amassing power in Essos and set her sights back on retaking Westeros for her family. For the first time in centuries, House Targaryen had living fire-breathing dragons again. But sadly, Viserion was killed in the Great War against the White Walkers. And later Daenerys lost her mind and was killed before she could retake the Iron Throne, leaving only Drogon and Rhaegal alive.
The Fate of Daenerys’ Dragons
Here is what happened to Daenerys’ three dragons she hatched from eggs:
- Drogon – survived and was last seen flying east towards Volantis
- Rhaegal – killed by Euron Greyjoy’s scorpion bolt while ridden by Daenerys
- Viserion – killed by the Night King and turned into an undead ice dragon before being shattered at the Battle of Winterfell
So in the end, House Targaryen only had one surviving dragon by the time Daenerys was killed during her sack of King’s Landing. The dragon species had gone from extinction back to the brink of extinction again within a couple decades.
Conclusion
At the absolute height of their power, the Targaryens had around 20 dragons during the reign of King Jaehaerys I. But lack of space and the Dance of the Dragons civil war culled their numbers down to just one survivor. For 150 years, the Targaryens had no dragons at all until Daenerys hatched her three thanks to blood magic. But despite dragons returning briefly, House Targaryen was never able to reclaim their throne or breed more of the beasts. So while dragons made the Targaryens near invincible conquerors, their neglect of the species led to its decline. Within three centuries, they went from having the most formidable dragons on earth to barely avoiding extinction of dragons for good.