The Real-Life Inspiration For Rhaenyra Targaryen in 'House of the Dragon'

Rhaenyra Targaryen’s efforts to claim ownership of the Iron Throne are the bloody heart of House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones spinoff series that tells the story of the brutal civil war that tore apart the Targaryen dynasty. 

While House of the Dragon’s dragons may have no historical basis in reality—that we know of for sure, that is—the violent succession crisis it portrays certainly does. Dynasties have been torn apart many times by efforts to claim the throne, and many of the royals in House of the Dragon were modeled after real-life historical figures who waged violent campaigns to seize or maintain power.

The Real-Life Rhaenyra

Rhaenyra Targaryen has her closest historical model in a twelfth-century empress who also faced challenges to her claim to the throne because of her gender.

Born in the year 1102, Empress Matilda was the only daughter of Henry I of England and Matilda of Scotland. She was a descendant of the Norman conquerors of England, including William I, the Duke of Normandy and King of England better known as William the Conqueror. 

At only eight years old, Matilda was betrothed to Henry V, who later became the Holy Roman Emperor. Sent to live with him in Germany, she was crowned Queen of the Romans, but returned to England at age 23 after her husband’s death. 

Her younger brother William, who was to be heir to the English throne, died at sea in the White Ship disaster of 1120. Although there had never been a reigning English queen regent, her father named Matilda his heir and ensured that all the leading nobles of the realm recognized her as heir. Like King Viserys I Targaryen, he also took a second wife, but they failed to produce an heir. 

The king also arranged for Matilda to marry again, this time to a 14-year-old named Geoffrey le Bel of Anjou. Their marriage was rocky, however, and Matilda attempted to leave him without success. They went on to have three children.

A Succession Crisis

Henry I died in 1135. Immediately afterward, his nephew, Stephen of Blois, moved quickly to lay claim to the throne. Though the nobles of the kingdom had promised to support Matilda’s claim, many preferred a male ruler over a woman with a foreign husband and chose to support Stephen over Matilda. 

Matilda rallied her supporters to challenge Stephen’s claim, and thus began a 19-year civil war known as The Anarchy. Matilda was supported by her uncle, King David I of Scotland, and her half-brother, Robert of Gloucester, while Stephen had the backing of the church, many English nobles, and the bishop of Winchester. 

In 1141, Matilda had seemingly won when she captured and imprisoned Stephen and immediately began preparing for her coronation. However, she quickly imposed taxes and other regulations on residents, and that—combined with her allegedly arrogant personality—sparked considerable resistance. 

Ultimately, an angry mob closed in on her and chased her to Oxford before she could be crowned. Unable to reclaim power, Matilda eventually secured Stephen's release from prison in exchange for the release of her half-brother Robert of Gloucester, who had been captured. Stephen was restored to the throne in 1141. 

Matilda was then trapped at Oxford Castle for three months by Stephen’s forces, who were trying to starve her out. She famously escaped during a snowstorm in the middle of the night by being lowered out of a window while dressed in white. According to some stories, she successfully crossed the frozen River Thames wearing crude ice skates. She then settled at Wallingford Castle, where she waged war for several more years. 

A Tentative Peace

At last, with her forces severely weakened, Matilda returned to France and oversaw Anjou after her husband’s death. 

But she had not relinquished her dreams of continuing her father’s line, and was determined to establish her son Henry II’s claim to the throne. With England in chaos and both sides eager for peace, Stephen signed a treaty that established Matilda’s son as king following Stephen’s death. Henry II was crowned King of England in 1154 alongside his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. 

Meanwhile, England would not see another queen regent for 400 years until Mary Tudor, better known as Bloody Mary, took the throne in 1553.

Read More: