Targaryen history that House of the Dragon can explore after the Dance

Aegon’s Conquest

Before the Targaryens established their rule, the territories of Westeros ruled themselves independently, with their own respective kings and laws. That was until Aegon the Conqueror and his sister-wives Rhaenys and Visenya brought the Seven Kingdoms to their knees with the power of their dragons. Aegon subsequently established the line of kings that would last until Jaime Lannister slayed the Mad King Aerys during Robert’s Rebellion.

On House of the Dragon, we learned that part of the reason Aegon conquered Westeros is because he foresaw the return of the White Walkers. That’s a clear connection the show could use to link multiple time periods together. In addition to many cool battles, an Aegon’s Conquest show could cover the establishment of King’s Landing and the forging of the Iron Throne, which was smelted by the inferno breath of Aegon’s dragon Balerion the Black Dread.

Maegor the Cruel

Aegon the Conqueror had two sons: Aenys and Maegor. Aenys was the older and ruled first. He died under mysterious circumstances and was succeeded by his younger half-brother Maegor, who, among other things, fried members of the Faith in a sept after they rebelled, built the Red Keep and then had all the construction workers put to death, killed his nephew on dragonback, married the women of men he had killed in war, and generally gained a reputation for torture, brutality and madness. He would become known as Maegor the Cruel.

The story is grim but good, with lots of twists, turns and drama. It also leads into the events of House of the Dragon, in a manner of speaking. After Maegor is finally found dead upon the Iron Throne, the blades of one of its swords sticking through his neck, he is succeeded by his nephew Jaehaerys I Targaryen, who we meet in the prologue to House of the Dragon, then an old man played by Michael Carter.