Targaryen family tree explained: how House of the Dragon links to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Trying to keep the Targaryen family tree straight can feel like taking a midterm you did not study for. With HBO rolling out 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, ' here is the clean, no-headache version of how it ties back to 'House of the Dragon ' and eventually 'Game of Thrones ' — and yes, the dragons are all related.

How 'House of the Dragon' links to 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'

Start with the power couple: Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith ). They are the great-great-great-grandparents of Aegon V — better known as Egg — who shows up in the first season of 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' played by Dexter Sol Ansell.

Their connection runs through their younger son, Viserys II, who we actually glimpse as a little kid in 'House of the Dragon.' For the lineage math: Viserys II is the great-grandfather of Egg's father, Maekar I. Here is the full line that takes you from 'House of the Dragon' straight to Egg and, from there, to 'Game of Thrones':

• Rhaenyra Targaryen + Daemon Targaryen
• their son: Viserys II
• his son: Aegon IV
• his son: Daeron II
• his sons: Baelor (Prince Baelor in 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms') and Maekar I
• Maekar I's son: Aegon V 'Egg'
• Egg's son: Jaehaerys II
• Jaehaerys II's son: Aerys II 'the Mad King'
• Aerys II's children: Daenerys Targaryen and her brother Viserys (often styled Viserys III)

Small but fun detail: Prince Baelor in 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' is also a son of Daeron II, which plants him on the same branch as Egg.

Where this all sits on the timeline

'House of the Dragon' plays out roughly 80 years before 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' and more than 150 years before 'Game of Thrones.' Different eras, same chaotic family.

Egg, Dany, and the part fans always ask about

Egg grows up to be King Aegon V. He is Aerys II's grandfather, which makes him the great-grandfather of Daenerys and her brother Viserys. If you are counting generations from Rhaenyra to Daenerys, Rhaenyra is Daenerys's great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother. Yes, six greats — the math checks out.

Quick refresher on Rhaenyra's kids (because they drive the whole saga)

In George R. R. Martin's 'Fire & Blood,' Rhaenyra has six children, though one, her daughter Visenya, is stillborn.

Her first three sons — Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey Velaryon — are officially Laenor Velaryon's boys, but they are widely believed to be Ser Harwin Strong's in everything but name.

After Laenor exits, Rhaenyra marries her uncle Daemon and has two more sons: Aegon and Viserys. Aegon eventually becomes King Aegon III after the Dance of the Dragons. Viserys later ascends as King Viserys II — and it is his line that runs directly to Egg and the events of 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.'

Messy? Absolutely. But once you line up the names, the throughline from 'House of the Dragon' to Egg to Daenerys is actually pretty tidy. What do you make of the Targaryen chain reaction across the shows? Drop your take in the comments.