In the second season of the Game of Thrones spin-off, fans will finally experience what they’ve been waiting for: the infamous Targaryen civil war. Queen Rhaenyra’s party (the Blacks) will come into conflict with Queen Alicent’s faction (the Greens), and the great houses of Westeros will have to choose who they will serve.
The George Martin universe is famous for its many characters with strange names and complicated family relationships. If you’re feeling lost, we’ve created this guide to who all the main characters in House of the Dragon are and what happened to them in season 1.
We will keep the character list updated. We have a similar guide on all the dragons in the series.
If you want to know more about the series, check out our House of the Dragon season 2 roundup.
Major spoilers for season 1 below.
Here is the list of the most important characters who appeared in the first season of the series.
Viserys Targaryen
Played by Paddy Constantine
Dragon: Balerion, the Black Terror
In season 1, he was the king of Westeros, grandson of King Jaehaerys Targaryen. One of her rivals for the Iron Throne was her cousin Rhaenys Targaryen, who was rejected because of her gender.
Viserys married Aemma Arryn, who bore him a son, Baelon (who died in infancy) and a daughter, Rhaenyra. Alicent Hightower became the king’s second wife. The couple had three children: Aegon, Aemond and Helaena.
In his youth, Viserys was close to his brother, Daemon. He was considered a good and generous king.
He died near the end of last season and had initially named Rhaenyra as his successor. His last words to Alicent caused some confusion, as she believed he had named Aegon the next king. However, it told a story about Aegon the Conqueror.
Targaryen Demon
Played by Matt Smith
Dragon: Caraxes
Called the Rogue Prince (or Lord of Flea Bottom), Daemon is the younger brother of King Viserys and the uncle of Rhaenyra. For a time, he was considered the heir to the throne, as Viserys and Aemma had no living sons.
Daemon is a very skilled knight and possesses a Valyrian steel sword called the Black Sister. He is considered handsome and charming but also violent and ambitious. He likes to gamble, drink, fight and visit brothels. His favorite mistress was Mysaria, a dancer from Lys.
His hated first wife was Rhea Royce. After her death, he married Laena Velaryon, who bore him two daughters, Baela and Rhaena. His third wife became his niece, Rhaenyra, with whom he had sons named Aegon and Viserys.
Daemon will be one of the main leaders against the Greens in House of the Dragon season 2, fighting for Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne.
Rhaenyra Targaryen
Played by Emma D’Arcy
Dragon: Syrax
Rhaenyra is the beloved daughter of Viserys and Aemma. The former king proclaimed her heir to the Iron Throne, causing conflict between her and her old friend (and Viserys’ new wife), Alicent Hightower.
As a young girl, she had an affair with Ser Criston Cole, a sworn member of the Kingsguard. She married Laenor Velaryon but had a long-term relationship with Ser Harwin Strong, who is the secret father of her sons, Jacaerys, Lucerys and Joffrey, although they have Velaryon as their last name.
Her second husband is her uncle, Daemon Targaryen. They have two sons, Aegon and Viserys. In season 2, she will fight for her right to the Iron Throne and seek answers and revenge on her son, Lucerys.
Rhaenys Targaryen
Played by Eve best
Dragon: Meleys
She is the cousin princess of Viserys and Daemon. Rhaenys was descended from King Jaehaerys’ eldest son and her claim to the Iron Throne was stronger than Viserys’s. However, according to tradition, the throne of Westeros could not be inherited by a woman and Rhaenys’ candidacy was rejected by the great houses.
She married the powerful Corlys Velaryon and is the mother of Laenor and Laena. She fights for Rhaenyra and the Blacks in the Dance of Dragons.
Corlys Velaryon
Performed by Steve Toussaint
Known as the Lord of the Tides and the Sea Serpent, he was a member of the royal council and oversaw the fleet. Like the Targaryens, his family possessed Valyrian ancestry, although Velaryons are not associated with dragons but with the sea. Corlys is an exceptionally talented sailor and has visited every known land.
The Sea Serpent brought back many exotic goods from his travels, which made the Velaryons richer than the Lannisters and the Hightowers. He married Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, hoping that her descendants would one day inherit the Iron Throne. He is the father of Laenor and Laena.
In the first season, Corlys sided with Rhaenyra, even though he didn’t fully trust her.
Laenor Velaryon
Performed by John MacMillan
Dragon: Sea Smoke
He is the son of Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen. Thanks to the alliance of Viserys and Corlys, Laenor married Rhaenyra. In name, he is the father of Jacaerys, Lucerys and Joffrey – but they are not his real sons.
In season 1, Laenor, Rhaenyra and Daemon planned a plan. They faked Laenor’s murder and, to make the case plausible, planted a burned corpse. As a result, Rhaenyra could marry Daemon and strengthen her claim to the throne, while Laenor escaped from court life to seek refuge in Essos. However, his parents are unaware of the plot.
Laena Velaryon
Performed by: Nanna Blondell
Dragon: Vhagar
She was the daughter of Corlys and Rhaenys and the sister of Laenor. Originally intended to be Viserys’ second wife, she eventually married Daemon and gave birth to Baela and Rhaena.
Laena died right after a difficult labor – unable to give birth to a child, she let her dragoness Vhagar burn her.
Jacaerys Velaryon
Performed by Harry Collet
Dragon: Vermax
He is the eldest son of Rhaenyra and (officially) Laenor Velaryon. However, his biological father is Ser Harwin Strong. If Rhaenyra wins the Iron Throne, Jacaerys will succeed her.
At the end of season 1, he is sent as an emissary to House Stark of Winterfell.
Lucerys Velaryon
Performed by Elliot Grihault
Dragon: Arrax
He was the second child of Rhaenyra and (officially) Laenor Velaryon, but in reality he is the bastard child of Ser Harwin Strong. As the youngest son, he would inherit Castle Driftmark, the mighty fortress belonging to the House of Velaryon. As a child, he caught the eye of Aemond Targaryen during a fight.
In Season 1, he was sent as an emissary to House Baratheon in Storm’s End. On his way back, he was attacked by Aemond and his dragoness, Vhagar. Although Aemond’s goal was only to frighten the boy, he lost control of his dragon which tore Lucerys apart, which became the direct cause of the civil war.
Baela Targaryen
Played by Bethany Antonia
She is the eldest daughter of Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velaryon. She was raised by her grandmother, Rhaenys, at Castle Driftmark.
Rhaena Targaryen
Performed by Phoebe Campbell
She is the youngest daughter of Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velaryon. She was raised by Rhaenyra and her father and does not own a dragon.
Otto Hightower
Performed by Rhys Ifans
Hand of King Jaehaerys, King Viserys, and King Aegon, Ser Otto is the younger brother of the powerful Lord Hightower of Old City. He is considered a competent governor but also a proud, ambitious and harsh man. Ser Otto has many enemies among the lords, and his fiercest adversary is Daemon Targaryen.
During the first season, Otto manipulated his daughter, Alicent, into becoming Viserys’ wife and queen of Westeros.
Alicent Hightower
Performed by Olivia Cooke
She is the intelligent and formidable daughter of Ser Otto. As a young girl, she arrived in King’s Landing and befriended Princess Rhaenyra. However, their relationship deteriorated after Alicent married Viserys.
After marrying the king, Alicent gave birth to Aegon, Aemond and Helaena. She is a woman committed to her family, duty, and faith, but she is also stubborn and will do anything possible to protect her family’s name.
She wishes for her eldest son to inherit the Iron Throne instead of Rhaenyra, as she believes it was Viserys’ last wish. However, without knowing it, she misinterpreted his last words.
Aegon Targaryen
Performed by Tom Glynn-Carney
He is the eldest son of King Viserys and Alicent and, according to the Hightowers, the rightful heir to the throne. He is a drunkard and a rapist and has many bastard children. In keeping with Targaryen tradition, he is married to his sister, Helaena. They have two children together, twins named Jaehaerys and Jaehaera.
He was officially crowned king, which became one of the main reasons for the conflict between the Rhaenyra and Alicent factions.
Aemond Targaryen
Performed by Ewan Mitchell
Dragon: Vhagar
He is the second son of Viserys and Alicent. He despises Aegon and considers himself a better candidate for king. Aemond is well educated and is an excellent swordsman, but he is also violent and ruthless. He illegally claimed the dragon Vhagar, even if Baela Velaryon was to inherit it.
As a child, he lost an eye in a fight with Lucerys, Rhaenyra’s son. As revenge, he wanted to scare Lucerys on her journey from Storm’s End, which ended with the boy’s death and the outbreak of war.
Helaena Targaryen
Performed by Phia Saban
Dragon: Dreamfire
She is the third child of Viserys and Alicent and married to his older brother, Aegon, with whom she had two children. She is a calm and peaceful girl who is interested in insects. Helaena has prophetic abilities: she foretold the loss of Aemond’s eye, Vhagar’s claim, and Rhaenys’ intrusion at the coronation.
Mr Criston Cole
Performed by Fabien Frankel
He is a handsome knight, the son of Lord Dondarrion’s steward. He is a talented warrior and member of the Royal Guard. He broke his vows by having an affair with young Rhaenyra. Bitter at having been rejected by the princess, he supported Alicent Hightower’s party.
Harwin Strong
Performed by Ryan Corr
He was the eldest son of Lyonel Strong, the Hand of the King. Harwin was the heir to Harrenhal Castle, but for a time he remained in King’s Landing as commander of the city guard. He was Rhaenyra’s lover during her marriage to Laenor and the biological father of her children Jacaerys, Lucerys and Joffrey.
Harwin and his father were killed in the Harrenhal Fire, started on the orders of his younger brother, Larys.
Larys Forte
Performed by Matthew Needham
He is the younger brother of Ser Harwin Strong, Rhaenyra’s lover. He is physically disabled but well educated, intelligent and cunning. He spied for Queen Alicent and became one of her most loyal allies.
Knowing that he had no chance of formally inheriting the titles and estates of the Holds, he ordered the murder of his father and older brother.
Mysaria
Performed by Sonoya Mizuno
She was the mistress of Daemon Targaryen, a Lily Dancer. Their relationship has not stood the test of time: probably after the events surrounding the theft of the dragon egg, Mysaria left the prince and returned to King’s Landing. Eventually, she became a spy for Ser Otto Hightower.
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