Who is Game of Thrones' Rhaegar Targaryen again, and why is he important? 

By using this site you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our cookie policy.

This website uses cookies. Learn more.

TV guide: what you should watch this week

George Shelley being awkward over web history is...

Netflix\'s most popular show will surprise you

Watch Game Of Thrones stars\' audition tapes Watch Game Of Thrones stars\' audition tapes

Who was Game Of Thrones\' Mad King, exactly? Who was Game Of Thrones\' Mad King, exactly?

Spoiler alert Game of Thrones: who is this Lady Stoneheart anyway? Spoiler alert Game of Thrones: who is this Lady...

Game of Thrones: 11 more amazing theories Game of Thrones: 11 more amazing theories

Here\'s what GoT\'s Wun Wun looks like in real life Here\'s what GoT\'s Wun Wun looks like in real life

Who is Game of Thrones\' Rhaegar Targaryen? Who is Game of Thrones\' Rhaegar Targaryen?

Nigel Farage: Leave\'s £350m NHS claims were a mistake Nigel Farage: Leave\'s £350m NHS claims were a mistake

Star Trek 2017 TV show will be 13 episodes Star Trek 2017 TV show will be 13 episodes

Every Game of Thrones Death, Ranked Every Game of Thrones Death, Ranked

Celebrity Brexit! Who wanted out & who wanted in? Celebrity Brexit! Who wanted out & who wanted in?

This Morning, Loose Women pulled from ITV after Brexit This Morning, Loose Women pulled from ITV after Brexit

First look at Robot Wars revival\'s house robots First look at Robot Wars revival\'s house robots

Netflix has a new logo, and this is what it means Netflix has a new logo, and this is what it means

Mary Berry shocked by Pointless "motherf**ker" Mary Berry shocked by Pointless "motherf**ker"

If there\'s one thing you could legitimately complain about in

. Jeor this, Wylis that, Aegon, Aerys, Aemon, Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich.

Is it any wonder we can\'t always keep track of who\'s who? One name that keeps coming up is Rhaegar Targaryen. He plays a significant part in

, yet we\'ve never so much as seen him. That\'s because he\'s dead: Robert Baratheon crushed his chest with a warhammer on the Trident River before taking the throne from Aerys II long before the events of series one. 

But Rhaegar nevertheless played a very important part in the events that followed, and probably will for events yet to come in the next two series. There are possible SPOILERS below, so now\'s the time for those who would remain pure to follow a link to something else. 

Crown prince Rhaegar was the elder son of Aerys II, the Mad King, and by all accounts a strong, forceful, charismatic guy. Cersei Lannister was in love with him, but King Aerys felt the Lannisters - despite Tywin being Hand of the King - were beneath Rhaegar, so he was married instead to Elia Martell, the sister of Prince Doran and Sexy Prince Oberyn of Dorne. (Which explains why the Lannisters killed Elia and the children after the sack of King\'s Landing, and why Prince Oberyn really hated Lannisters.)

While Elia was loyal and true - and bore Rhaegar a daughter (Rhaenys) and a son (Aegon) - he was a bit of a turd to her. He fell for Lyanna Stark (Ned\'s sister) at a jousting tournament and kidnapped her, infuriating her beloved, Robert Baratheon, and precipitating the war of Robert\'s Rebellion. 

The lords who supported King Aerys II in that war did so mostly because even though the king was psychotic, his heir was an altogether better bet. But Robert beat Rhaegar, so that was that.

Rhaegar not only kidnapped Ned\'s sister, he kept her for months at a place called The Tower of Joy. That was the castle that young Ned and Howland Reed went to in Bran\'s vision of the past, where they battled Sir Arthur Deyne, the badass knight who fought with two swords simultaneously.

According to the (now seemingly unassailable) fan theory "R + L = J", Rhaegar got Lyanna pregnant, and Ned found her at the Tower as she was dying in childbirth with baby Jon. He then returned to Winterfell with him, claiming - even to his own wife - that Jon was his own bastard son rather than risk the boy\'s murder by anti-Targaryen zealots. Such as his buddy Robert, for example, who by then had taken the kingdom from Aerys II.

"So what?", you may be asking. Well, if R + L = J is true, it means Jon Snow has the blood of the dragons, and is therefore potentially a dragon rider like Daenerys. Who, by the way, is his aunt. (Daenerys was Rhaegar\'s baby sister.) And in all the Targaryen lore, the dragon has three heads. Like Aegon The Conqueror and his two sister-wives with their three dragons, Daenerys has three dragons - but only one rider. So far. Daenerys and Jon would make two, and Tyrion, presumably would be the third, especially if the theory that he\'s Aerys\'s bastard son is true.

Every Game of Thrones death, ranked in order of how upset they made us

Watch Game Of Thrones stars\' audition tapes

Nigel Farage: Leave\'s £350m NHS claims were a mistake

UKIP leader says he can\'t guarantee more cash would go to NHS.​​ By

Star Trek 2017 TV show will be 13 episodes

Sharknado 4 trailer reveals if Tara Reid lives or dies

Expect cameos from Jedward in horror sequel. By

This Morning, Loose Women pulled from ITV after Brexit

Watch Prime Minister David Cameron resign on live TV

Tom Riley will lead ITV Encore\'s thriller Dark Heart

Sarah Jane Adventures\' Anjli Mohindra signs up too.​ By

​Originals\' Maisie Richardson-Sellers books a Waverider seat. By