TV show
Centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones, House Targaryen—the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria—took up residence on Dragonstone. Fire and Blood begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart.
Aegon Targaryen and his sister-wives Visenya and Rhaenys land at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush with their dragons, beginning the conquest of the Seven Kingdoms. Key battles include the Field of Fire and the burning of Harrenhal. Dorne alone remains unconquered.
King Aegon I consolidates his rule through continued military campaigns, including the First Dornish War and the suppression of rebellions across the newly unified realm.
Aegon establishes the governance of the Seven Kingdoms, creates the Iron Throne, founds King's Landing, and rules with his two queens at his side.
The reigns of Aegon's sons, Aenys I and Maegor I (the Cruel). Aenys's weak rule gives way to Maegor's brutal suppression of the Faith Militant uprising.
The young prince Jaehaerys claims the throne after Maegor's death, with his mother Alyssa Velaryon and sister-wife Alysanne at his side.
Jaehaerys and Alysanne marry, along with other significant Targaryen unions, marking a turning point in the early reign.
The political landscape shifts as various claimants and regents vie for power in the turbulent years following Maegor's reign.
Jaehaerys undertakes major reforms, including the unification of laws, road-building, and strengthening the realm's infrastructure.
Personal tragedies strike the royal family, including the deaths of children and the challenges of maintaining the Targaryen bloodline.
The long partnership between king and queen produces both great achievements and deep sorrows, including the loss of their children.
Jaehaerys's extended rule brings prosperity but also succession concerns as his many children and grandchildren create competing claims.
The death of Jaehaerys's sons forces a grand council at Harrenhal to determine the heir, choosing Viserys over the female claim of Rhaenys.
The realm fractures into two factions following Viserys I's death: the Blacks (supporting Rhaenyra) and the Greens (supporting Aegon II).
The Dance of the Dragons begins in earnest with assassinations and escalating violence, including the murder of Prince Jaehaerys.
Major dragon battles erupt, including the clash between Meleys and Sunfyre, as the war spreads across Westeros.
Rhaenyra captures King's Landing and sits the Iron Throne, but her hold on power proves tenuous.
Rhaenyra's reign collapses amid betrayal, riot, and the loss of her dragons, forcing her to flee the capital.
Aegon II's brief restoration ends with his mysterious death, leaving the throne vacant and the realm in chaos.
Lord Cregan Stark marches south to enforce justice, presiding over the trials and executions of the conspirators.
The regency for young Aegon III begins, with various hands and regents struggling to maintain order.
The regency navigates foreign wars, domestic unrest, and the peculiar challenges of ruling a dragonless realm.
The young admiral Alyn Velaryon leads a daring naval expedition, securing trade and demonstrating the crown's reach.
The regency finally ends as Aegon III comes of age, marking the close of Volume One and a new era for House Targaryen.
