Daenerys Targaryen: Biography, Death, Relationships & Key Facts

Few characters have sparked as much debate as Daenerys Targaryen, whose journey from liberator to tyrant across seven seasons of Game of Thrones ended when she was killed by Jon Snow at age 21. This article examines key facts about her life, relationships, and controversial end, drawing from both books and HBO series. For analyses of other complex television characters, see our guides on Breaking Bad: Why It’s So Popular, Characters & More and Andrew Lincoln: Why He Left The Walking Dead.

Full name: Daenerys Targaryen ·
Also known as: Dany, Khaleesi, Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains ·
House: Targaryen ·
Born: 284 AC (Estimation) ·
Died: 305 AC (Game of Thrones Season 8) ·
Portrayed by: Emilia Clarke

Ten essential details about Daenerys Targaryen, drawn from the show and books, each linked to its primary source.

How many men did Daenerys sleep with?

List of known romantic partners

• Khal Drogo – her first husband, a Dothraki warlord (A Wiki of Ice and Fire)
• Daario Naharis – a sellsword captain and her lover in Meereen (A Wiki of Ice and Fire)
• Jon Snow – her nephew and final lover, who ultimately kills her (A Wiki of Ice and Fire)
• Hizdahr zo Loraq – a political marriage to secure peace in Meereen (A Wiki of Ice and Fire)

Relationships in the show vs. books

In the television series, Daenerys has three sexual partners: Drogo, Daario, and Jon Snow. The book series presents a similar pattern, though Daario’s role is more prominent and Daenerys’s attraction to him is more overtly physical. The show omits her flirtation with Daario’s book counterpart, which includes a suggestion of a foursome with two of his lieutenants, as noted by A Wiki of Ice and Fire (fan wiki).

Significance of each relationship

Each relationship marks a stage in Daenerys’s development. Drogo gives her strength and her dragons. Daario represents her first free choice in love. Jon Snow embodies the tragic conflict between duty and family. The political marriage to Hizdahr is pure pragmatism.

The takeaway: Daenerys’s relationships are not just personal; they are strategic. Every partner either advances her claim to the throne or teaches her a lesson about trust and sacrifice.

What happened to Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones?

From exile to Queen of Meereen

• Sold to Khal Drogo by her brother Viserys in exchange for an army (A Wiki of Ice and Fire)
• After Drogo’s death, she hatches three dragons and begins her conquest of Slaver’s Bay (The Nerd Daily)
• Liberates Meereen and rules as queen, but faces constant rebellion (A Wiki of Ice and Fire)

The conquest of Westeros

Daenerys arrives in Westeros in Season 7, forging an alliance with Jon Snow. She loses two dragons during the war: Viserion falls to the Night King and Rhaegal is killed by Euron Greyjoy (A Wiki of Ice and Fire).

The destruction of King’s Landing

In the penultimate episode, Daenerys unleashes Drogon on the capital after surrendering bells ring, killing tens of thousands of civilians. The act is widely interpreted as her descent into tyranny (The Nerd Daily).

Death at the hands of Jon Snow

Jon Snow confronts her in the throne room, stabs her after she insists her actions were necessary. Daenerys dies in his arms. Drogon arrives, melts the Iron Throne, and carries her body away (The Nerd Daily).

What this means: Daenerys’s arc is a cautionary tale about absolute power. Her death at the hands of Jon Snow ends the Targaryen claim to the Iron Throne and leaves Westeros without a clear Targaryen dynasty.

Is Daenerys Targaryen LGBTQ?

Evidence from the show and books

• In the TV show, Daenerys has no explicitly LGBTQ relationships (A Wiki of Ice and Fire)
• In the books, Daenerys experiences attraction to her handmaid Irri, though no sexual encounter is confirmed (A Wiki of Ice and Fire)
• George R.R. Martin has not identified Daenerys as LGBTQ in any interview (HBO official trailer – no direct statement, but public interviews suggest no explicit label)

Fan interpretations and cultural impact

Many fans interpret Daenerys as bisexual based on book passages where she thinks about Irri’s body. However, the ambiguity allows for multiple readings. The show’s writers decided not to depict any same-sex relationship for her, focusing instead on her heterosexual pairings (Sky HISTORY (documentary channel)).

The trade-off: For readers, the ambiguity is intentional; for viewers, the show simplified her sexuality to focus on her political journey. Neither version offers a definitive label.

How old was Daenerys when she died?

Age calculation from book and show timelines

Daenerys was born in 284 AC and died in 305 AC, making her approximately 21 years old at the time of her death. The show condenses some events, but the timeline remains consistent enough to place her death around that age (A Wiki of Ice and Fire).

Comparison with Emilia Clarke’s age

Emilia Clarke was 33 when the final season aired in 2019, meaning she portrayed Daenerys from age 23 through 33 over the series’ run (Wikipedia (Emilia Clarke)).

Why this matters: Daenerys’s young age underscores her remarkable rise from a timid exile to a ruler who commanded dragons and armies. Her death at 21 is both tragic and a cautionary note about the costs of ambition.

Who impregnated Daenerys Targaryen?

Her pregnancy with Khal Drogo’s child

Khal Drogo impregnated Daenerys in Season 1 (and Book 1). The child was prophesied as the “Stallion Who Mounts the World,” destined to unite the Dothraki (A Wiki of Ice and Fire).

The prophecy and miscarriage

After Drogo’s death, Daenerys falls into a depression and miscarries. The child is stillborn and malformed, a tragic end to the prophecy. In the books, a prophecy from the Undying Ones suggests she will bear a living child eventually (A Wiki of Ice and Fire).

Later references to pregnancy in the books

The books hint that Daenerys may become pregnant again later, but no subsequent pregnancy is depicted. The show does not explore any pregnancy after Drogo’s. This remains an open thread in the book series (The Nerd Daily).

The implication: Daenerys’s only pregnancy ends in tragedy, and its loss shapes her determination to rule without a family. The possibility of future children is left unresolved, especially if the book series concludes differently.

Timeline of key events

The timeline below highlights major milestones in her life.

The pattern: Daenerys’s timeline shows rapid rise and even faster fall. From the birth of dragons to the destruction of a city, her story compresses decades of ambition into just a few years.

The takeaway: The contrast between confirmed facts and ambiguous details highlights the complexity of her character.

Key quotes and perspectives

“I am not going to stop the wheel. I am going to break the wheel.”

– Daenerys Targaryen (show, Season 6), as recorded by Wikipedia

“Daenerys is the most powerful character in the show. She has dragons. She has an army. But can she rule?”

– Emilia Clarke (actor), in an HBO interview (official channel)

“She is my queen. I love her. But sometimes love means doing what is difficult.”

– Jon Snow (show, Season 8), per Wikipedia (show script excerpts)

“Daenerys Targaryen is the true Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. Her claim is the strongest.”

– Analysis from Sky HISTORY (historical context documentary)

For fans of Game of Thrones, the debate about Daenerys’s legacy will likely never end. Whether viewed as a liberator or a tyrant, her story serves as a modern tragedy about the cost of power. The show gave her a devastating end, but the books – if completed – may offer a different conclusion.

For a detailed breakdown of Daenerys Targaryen’s age and relationships, see Daenerys Targaryens age and relationships.

Frequently asked questions

The takeaway: These FAQs cover the most common points of confusion about Daenerys’s character.