The 7 Worst Crimes Of The Targaryens In House Of The Dragon 

House of the Dragon is littered with crimes. But the worst ones were committed by House Targaryen. And we have a full list of it!

By Ishita Chatterjee
December 12,2022
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House of the Dragon depicts the Targaryens at the height of their power. But this power also lets them commit barbaric acts of violence against others, whether commonfolk or noble. Here we will chart the seven worst crimes the Targaryens have committed:

1) Rhaenys Targaryen Kills Hundreds At Aegon II Targaryen’s Coronation

Princess Rhaenys and Meleys
Princess Rhaenys and Meleys

At the coronation scene of Aegon II Targaryen, the Queen Who Never Was brought her dragon, Meleys, and disrupted the proceedings. The beast literally emerged from beneath the boards and wrecked havoc in the enclosed space.

The number of commonfolk who gathered there to watch the coronation are unknown. But the devastation and chaos caused by the dragon’s appearance will surely have resulted in the death of many. What makes the scene worse is that Rhaenys doesn’t kill the gathered Greens and Targaryens with dragon fire.

She later says that it wasn’t her war to start, but ironically, she could have ended the war before it ever began if she had torched the actual usurpers rather than just making an entrance that killed many and didn’t accomplish much.

2) Aegon II Targaryen’s Vile Actions

Aegon II as the King of seven kingdoms

Aegon II, unlike his namesake isn’t a great contender for a ruler or even a half-decent human being. From sexually assaulting the maid to being a sexual deviant all around, he is a scum who isn’t fit to be a monarch. But he gets away with literally a slap by Queen Alicent because he’s a Targaryen and the male heir to the Iron Throne.

3) Daemon Targaryen Killing Rhea Royce

Lady Rhea Royce of House Royce in HOTD
Lady Rhea Royce of House Royce in HOTD

Daemon Targaryen is the one House of the Dragon character frequently romanticized by fans. The only one action of his that caused an uproar was him choking Rhaenyra. But viewers tend to forget another egregious act of his- killing his innocent wife, Rhea Royce.

When we meet Daemon, one of the first things he tells his brother is that sheep are more attractive than his wife. But after meeting Rhea, we know that he was obviously exaggerating. He probably just hated her for not being a Targaryen. So he killed her to free himself from the shackles of marriage and get her inheritance.

4) Viserys Cutting Open Aemma

Aemma
Aemma

In episode 1, we see Viserys growing desperate for an heir. And when the time comes for him to choose between Aemma and the unborn baby, he chooses the latter. He agrees to cut open his wife so that they can take the baby out and he can get his heir.

The show presents the act as barbaric as Aemma screams in pain while being held down as she’s cut open. The blood gushes out of her and floods the bed. It’s a scene meant to be brutal and portray how women were used as breeding mares for male heirs.

5) Rhaenyra And Daemon Killing The Guard 

Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen
Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen

When Rhaenyra and Daemon decide to marry, there’s one problem they need deal with- her husband, Laenor. Now Laenor has not been attentive to his duties as the King Consort because he doesn’t enjoy the life or role he has put in.

So in an effort to give him the freedom to live the life he deserves, they hatch a plan to kill a guard and burn him. This makes everyone think that Laenor‘s dead, as the body is unrecognizable. And the real Laenor sets off to live far away from the royal courts. So an innocent guard was killed, burned, and passed off as Laenor, so that the Velaryon prince could be free.

6) Aemond Killing Lucerys And Arrax With Vhagar

Vhagar killing Arrax and Lucerys Velaryon
Vhagar killing Arrax and Lucerys Velaryon

Targaryen on Targaryen violence makes up a good chunk of this show. But the one that took the cake was Aemond inadvertently killing Lucerys and Arrax because he failed to control Vhagar.

7) Lucerys Talking Out Aemond’s Eye

Lucerys Velaryon
Lucerys Velaryon

Most fans think Aemond was just toying with Lucerys, but Vhagar had a mind of her own and chomped down on him and his dragon. However, others speculate that Aemond had suppressed animosity towards Lucerys since he was the one who took out his eye.

When Aemond claimed Vhagar, Rhaena, Baela, and Lucerys were outraged and confronted him. During the tussle Lucerys sliced Aemond’s eye. King Viserys didn’t give him any justice regarding the matter and just swept it all under the carpet.

So it’s possible that even after all these years, Aemond wanted revenge and got it. It’s just that he also started the Targaryen civil war unknowingly.

Would your like to add anything to the worst crimes list? Let us know.