Egg Targaryen Family Tree: Parents, Siblings, Wife and Children

The Targaryen family tree is filled with repeated names, complicated marriages and unexpected claims to the Iron Throne. Among its most interesting members is Aegon Targaryen, better known by his childhood nickname, Egg.

Egg begins his story as a young prince travelling across Westeros in disguise. He serves as the squire of Ser Duncan the Tall, a wandering hedge knight commonly called Dunk. Their adventures form the heart of George R. R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg stories, which are collected in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Egg’s place in the family becomes even more important when he unexpectedly rises to the throne as King Aegon V Targaryen. Through his children and grandchildren, he becomes a direct ancestor of major figures such as Aerys II Targaryen, Rhaegar Targaryen, Daenerys Targaryen and Robert Baratheon.

Understanding the Egg Targaryen family tree therefore helps connect the era of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms with the later events of Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire.

Quick Bio Table

Detail	Information
Full name	Aegon Targaryen
Nickname	Egg
Royal title	King Aegon V Targaryen
Other name	Aegon the Unlikely
Dynasty	House Targaryen
Father	Maekar I Targaryen
Mother	Dyanna Dayne
Famous brother	Maester Aemon
Wife	Betha Blackwood
Children	Duncan, Jaehaerys, Shaera, Daeron and Rhaelle
Mentor and companion	Ser Duncan the Tall
Great-grandchildren	Daenerys Targaryen and the Baratheon brothers
Place of death	Summerhall

Who Is Egg Targaryen?

Egg is the nickname of Prince Aegon Targaryen, the fourth son of Prince Maekar Targaryen. Because he has several older brothers and other relatives ahead of him, nobody initially expects him to become king.

As a child, Aegon shaves his head to hide the distinctive silver-gold hair associated with House Targaryen. He travels under the name Egg and becomes the squire of Ser Duncan the Tall.

Dunk first believes that Egg is an ordinary boy. In reality, his young companion is a royal prince with close ties to the ruling family.

The official description of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms presents Dunk as a young and inexperienced hedge knight accompanied by his small squire, Egg, whose true identity is far more important than it initially appears.

Egg eventually becomes Aegon V Targaryen, also called Aegon the Unlikely. The name reflects how far removed he originally seemed from the Iron Throne.

Family Tree at a Glance

A simplified version of Egg’s immediate family tree looks like this:

King Daeron II Targaryen
↓
King Maekar I Targaryen married Dyanna Dayne
↓
Prince Aegon “Egg” Targaryen married Betha Blackwood
↓
Duncan, Jaehaerys, Shaera, Daeron and Rhaelle

Egg’s branch later divides into two historically important lines.

Through his son Jaehaerys II, Egg becomes the great-grandfather of Daenerys Targaryen.

Through his daughter Rhaelle, he becomes the great-grandfather of Robert, Stannis and Renly Baratheon.

This means that some of the fiercest rivals in the later history of Westeros descend from the same man.

Egg’s Father

Egg’s father is Prince Maekar Targaryen, who later becomes King Maekar I Targaryen.

Maekar is the fourth son of King Daeron II Targaryen and Queen Myriah Martell. Like Egg, he is not born as the most obvious future king. The deaths of other family members eventually move Maekar closer to the throne.

Maekar is known as a proud, serious and forceful man. He is a skilled warrior, but he can also be stern and quick-tempered. His personality often contrasts with Egg’s curiosity and growing sympathy for ordinary people.

During Egg’s childhood, Maekar allows him to travel with Ser Duncan. The experience gives Egg an unusual education for a Targaryen prince. Instead of spending all his time in royal castles, he sees villages, roads, tournaments, poverty and disputes between common people and powerful lords.

Those experiences later influence the kind of king Egg tries to become.

Maekar eventually rules Westeros as King Maekar I. He dies while fighting during the Peake Uprising, creating a difficult succession crisis because the strongest remaining royal candidates all have complications surrounding their claims.

Egg’s Mother

Egg’s mother is Lady Dyanna Dayne of House Dayne.

House Dayne is one of the oldest noble families in Westeros. Its ancestral home is Starfall in Dorne, and its history is closely connected with the legendary sword Dawn and the title Sword of the Morning.

Dyanna marries Maekar before he becomes king and gives birth to several children. She dies before the main events of the Dunk and Egg stories, so readers receive less information about her than they do about Maekar.

Even so, her position in the family tree is important. Egg is not purely Targaryen by ancestry. Through his mother, he also carries the blood of House Dayne.

This makes Egg part of two ancient and highly respected Westerosi families: the dragonlords of House Targaryen and the mysterious Dornish nobility of House Dayne.

Egg’s Grandparents

Egg’s paternal grandfather is King Daeron II Targaryen, often remembered as Daeron the Good.

Daeron II is known more for diplomacy and administration than personal conquest. His peaceful incorporation of Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms is one of the major achievements of his reign.

Egg’s paternal grandmother is Myriah Martell, a princess of Dorne. Her marriage to Daeron strengthens the connection between the Iron Throne and House Martell.

Through them, Egg belongs to the direct royal line descending from King Aegon IV Targaryen.

His simplified paternal ancestry is:

Aegon IV Targaryen
↓
Daeron II Targaryen
↓
Maekar I Targaryen
↓
Aegon V Targaryen

This line also shows why Egg is a legitimate prince, even though he begins life far down the order of succession.

Egg’s Siblings

Egg has several brothers and sisters. Each sibling affects either his early life or the events that eventually place him on the Iron Throne.

His known siblings are Daeron, Aerion, Aemon, Daella and Rhae Targaryen.

Daeron the Drunken

Egg’s eldest brother is Prince Daeron Targaryen, commonly called Daeron the Drunken.

Daeron experiences prophetic dreams, but he appears troubled by them. Rather than embracing his possible gift, he often drinks heavily and attempts to avoid royal responsibilities.

His visions sometimes relate to real future events, although their meaning may not be clear when he first experiences them.

Daeron’s life shows that the Targaryens’ connection with dreams and prophecy can be more frightening than useful. He does not become king and dies before Egg’s eventual selection.

He should not be confused with Egg’s own son, who is also named Daeron.

Aerion Brightflame

Another of Egg’s older brothers is Prince Aerion Targaryen, known as Aerion Brightflame.

Aerion is one of the most dangerous members of Egg’s immediate family. He is proud, cruel and convinced of his own superiority. He also appears to believe deeply in the idea that Targaryens are closer to dragons than ordinary people.

His violent behaviour plays an important role in The Hedge Knight. When Aerion attacks a puppeteer, Dunk intervenes, setting off a chain of events that leads to a trial of seven.

Aerion later dies after drinking wildfire. He reportedly believes the substance will transform him into a dragon. Instead, it kills him.

Aerion leaves behind a young son named Maegor Targaryen. However, Maegor is passed over when the succession is later discussed. His age and concerns about Aerion’s unstable character make the lords reluctant to place him on the throne.

Maester Aemon

Perhaps Egg’s most famous brother is Aemon Targaryen, better known as Maester Aemon.

Aemon studies at the Citadel and becomes a maester rather than pursuing a traditional royal life. When the Iron Throne becomes available after Maekar’s death, Aemon could have been considered a serious candidate.

However, Aemon refuses the crown.

He believes his vows as a maester must come before his royal blood. He supports Egg instead, helping clear the way for his younger brother to become Aegon V.

Aemon later joins the Night’s Watch and serves at Castle Black. Many years afterward, he becomes a mentor to Jon Snow in the main A Song of Ice and Fire story.

His memories of Egg remain deeply personal. To most people at the Wall, Aegon V is part of royal history. To Aemon, he is still the little brother he once knew as Egg.

Daella and Rhae

Egg also has two sisters, Daella Targaryen and Rhae Targaryen.

Much less is known about them than about Daeron, Aerion and Aemon. They do not play major roles in the published Dunk and Egg novellas.

Their relative absence from the story does not make them unimportant to the family tree. Both are royal princesses and possible parts of the wider network of Targaryen marriage alliances.

The limited information surrounding them also reflects an important feature of Westerosi history: surviving records often focus more heavily on kings, heirs and politically active princes than on women whose lives did not directly alter the succession.

Ser Duncan the Tall

Ser Duncan the Tall is not one of Egg’s biological relatives, but no explanation of Egg’s family would feel complete without him.

Dunk becomes Egg’s knight, teacher, protector and closest companion. Their relationship begins as an unusual partnership between a poor hedge knight and a stubborn young prince.

Over time, Dunk becomes one of the strongest influences on Egg’s character.

Travelling with him allows Egg to see how royal decisions affect ordinary people. Dunk does not always behave like a polished court knight, but he possesses a powerful sense of fairness. That sense of justice helps shape Egg’s later political outlook.

Dunk eventually joins the Kingsguard and rises to become its Lord Commander during Egg’s reign.

Egg’s eldest son is named Duncan, apparently linking the royal family permanently with the man who protected and guided him. Westerosi family records describe Duncan as the firstborn son of Aegon and Betha, though George R. R. Martin has avoided definitively confirming whether he was named for Ser Duncan.

Egg’s Wife

Egg marries Lady Betha Blackwood, who later becomes Queen Betha Targaryen.

Betha is a member of House Blackwood of Raventree Hall, one of the most prominent noble families in the Riverlands. House Blackwood follows the old gods and has a long rivalry with House Bracken.

Egg and Betha marry in 220 AC. Their marriage faces little opposition at the time because Egg is still far from the throne and is not expected to become king.

Their union is generally described as a love match. They eventually have five children together.

That love match later creates an awkward family pattern. Egg and Betha attempt to arrange politically valuable marriages for their children, but several of those children choose love over duty, just as their parents once did.

Duncan Targaryen

Egg and Betha’s eldest child is Prince Duncan Targaryen, sometimes called Duncan the Small or the Prince of Dragonflies.

As Egg’s firstborn son, Duncan is initially expected to inherit the Iron Throne.

His future changes when he falls in love with Jenny of Oldstones, a woman of uncertain or humble noble status. Duncan has already been promised to a daughter of Lord Lyonel Baratheon, so marrying Jenny creates a major political crisis.

Duncan chooses Jenny and gives up his claim to the throne.

His decision damages relations between the crown and House Baratheon. It also changes the succession by making his younger brother Jaehaerys the next likely heir.

Duncan’s story closely mirrors his parents’ marriage. Egg married Betha for love when political expectations around him were limited. Yet as king, he discovers how dangerous such choices can become when the person involved is the heir to the throne.

Jaehaerys Targaryen

Egg’s second son is Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen, who later becomes King Jaehaerys II Targaryen.

After Duncan gives up his inheritance, Jaehaerys moves closer to the throne.

Egg and Betha plan a politically useful marriage for him, but Jaehaerys secretly marries his sister Shaera instead. Their decision follows the old Targaryen practice of marriage between close relatives.

The marriage frustrates Egg because it destroys another valuable alliance. Nevertheless, he ultimately accepts it after the union has been completed.

Jaehaerys and Shaera have two children:

Aerys Targaryen, later King Aerys II
Rhaella Targaryen, later Queen Rhaella

Jaehaerys eventually succeeds Egg, although his reign is brief.

Through Jaehaerys, Egg’s bloodline continues directly into the final generations of the ruling Targaryen dynasty.

Shaera Targaryen

Princess Shaera Targaryen is Egg and Betha’s eldest daughter and third child.

She is originally intended to marry outside the family as part of her parents’ alliance-building plans. Instead, she and Jaehaerys run away and marry each other.

Shaera becomes queen when Jaehaerys takes the throne.

She is also the mother of Aerys II and Rhaella, making her the grandmother of Rhaegar, Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen.

Family records identify Shaera as the thirdborn child of Aegon V and Betha Blackwood, with Duncan and Jaehaerys as her older brothers and Daeron and Rhaelle as her younger siblings.

Daeron Targaryen

Egg’s younger son is Prince Daeron Targaryen.

Daeron is promised to Olenna Redwyne, who later becomes Olenna Tyrell, the famous Queen of Thorns. The marriage never takes place.

Like several of his siblings, Daeron breaks the arrangement made for him. He does not marry or produce recognized children.

Daeron dies young while fighting an uprising. His death removes another potential branch from Egg’s direct line.

He is remembered less prominently than Duncan or Jaehaerys, but his broken engagement is another example of Egg’s inability to control his children’s marriages.

Rhaelle Targaryen

Egg and Betha’s youngest child is Princess Rhaelle Targaryen.

Rhaelle marries Ormund Baratheon, the heir to Storm’s End. This marriage helps repair the relationship between House Targaryen and House Baratheon after Duncan breaks his earlier betrothal.

Rhaelle and Ormund have a son named Steffon Baratheon.

Steffon later becomes the father of:

Robert Baratheon
Stannis Baratheon
Renly Baratheon

This makes Egg the great-grandfather of all three Baratheon brothers.

Rhaelle’s marriage is therefore one of the most politically significant relationships in Egg’s family tree. It provides the later Baratheon dynasty with a direct blood connection to House Targaryen.

Egg and Daenerys

Egg is Daenerys Targaryen’s great-grandfather.

The line runs as follows:

Aegon V “Egg” Targaryen
↓
Jaehaerys II Targaryen
↓
Aerys II Targaryen
↓
Daenerys Targaryen

The same family line makes Egg the great-grandfather of Rhaegar and Viserys.

Egg is also the grandfather of the Mad King, Aerys II. He should not be confused with Aerys, as the two rulers have very different reputations.

Egg attempts to help common people and reduce abuses by powerful nobles. Aerys II becomes increasingly paranoid, violent and destructive.

Egg and Robert

Egg is also Robert Baratheon’s great-grandfather.

That line follows his daughter:

Aegon V “Egg” Targaryen
↓
Rhaelle Targaryen
↓
Steffon Baratheon
↓
Robert Baratheon

Stannis and Renly have the same relationship to Egg.

This produces an important historical irony. Daenerys Targaryen and Robert Baratheon belong to rival houses, but both are great-grandchildren of Aegon V.

Their branches descend from two of Egg’s children: Jaehaerys and Rhaelle.

His Rise to Power

Egg becomes king after the death of his father, Maekar I.

The succession is uncertain. Several possible heirs are dead, too young, considered unsuitable or unwilling to rule.

Maester Aemon refuses the crown because of his vows. Aerion’s son Maegor is still a child, and memories of Aerion’s behaviour make some nobles uneasy about his line.

A Great Council eventually chooses Egg.

He becomes King Aegon V Targaryen, earning the name Aegon the Unlikely because he had once been the fourth son of a fourth son.

His years with Dunk strongly influence his reign. Egg knows more about the lives of common people than most rulers raised entirely at court.

He tries to introduce reforms protecting the smallfolk, but many powerful lords oppose him. Without dragons, the crown struggles to force major changes upon the nobility.

Summerhall

Egg’s life ends during the Tragedy at Summerhall.

The exact events have not been fully revealed in the published books. Available accounts suggest that Egg attempted to hatch dragon eggs, possibly using fire, wildfire and ancient knowledge.

By this stage of his reign, Egg appears to believe that the return of dragons could strengthen the crown. With dragons, he might finally have the power needed to enforce reforms against resistant nobles.

Instead, the attempt ends in disaster.

Egg, Prince Duncan and Ser Duncan the Tall are among those who die at Summerhall. The tragedy ends both Egg’s reign and his lifelong relationship with Dunk.

At the same location, Rhaegar Targaryen is born, linking the death of one Targaryen generation with the arrival of another.

Why His Family Matters

Egg’s family tree matters because it connects several different periods of Westerosi history.

He is the son of Maekar I, the brother of Maester Aemon, the husband of Betha Blackwood and the father of five royal children.

Through Jaehaerys, he is an ancestor of the last ruling Targaryens.

Through Rhaelle, he is an ancestor of the Baratheon kings and claimants.

His family also shows the tension between personal love and royal duty. Egg and Betha marry for love, but their children’s romantic decisions repeatedly weaken alliances that Egg later needs as king.

The result is a family story shaped not only by blood but also by affection, rebellion, responsibility and unintended consequences.

Final Thoughts

The Egg Targaryen family tree begins with a young prince who seems unlikely ever to rule. As the son of Maekar Targaryen and Dyanna Dayne, Egg grows up within the royal family but gains a rare view of ordinary life while travelling with Ser Duncan the Tall.

He marries Betha Blackwood and becomes the father of Duncan, Jaehaerys, Shaera, Daeron and Rhaelle. Each child affects the political future of Westeros through a marriage, broken promise or place in the succession.

His son Jaehaerys continues the royal Targaryen line that eventually produces the Mad King and Daenerys. His daughter Rhaelle connects House Aegon Targaryen to Robert, Stannis and Renly Baratheon.

Egg is therefore far more than Dunk’s clever young squire. He is one of the central links between the old Targaryen monarchy and the families fighting over Westeros generations later.