House Velaryon’s fate by the time of Game of Thrones, explained

If you've spent any time watching House of the Dragon, you've probably noticed that House Velaryon is absolutely everywhere — always draped in money, sails, and more silver wigs than most costume shops keep in stock. But if you fast forward past all the dragon drama of the prequels, by the time we get to Game of Thrones, the Velaryons have basically vanished. Not even a passing mention most of the time. So how exactly did Westeros's second-most powerful family fade into near-obscurity?

House Velaryon had the biggest navy in the Seven Kingdoms and was richer than the Lannisters at their peak.

Glory Days at Driftmark

The Velaryons came over with the Targaryens from old Valyria, settling on Driftmark (just next to Dragonstone) well before anyone ever heard of a dragon in Westeros. Unlike their fire-breathing cousins, the Velaryons weren't dragonriders, but they absolutely ran the seas. Close ties to the Targaryens (through marriage, not just politics) paid off — Aegon the Conqueror himself had a Velaryon mum. In matters nautical, the Targaryen kings usually left the job of Master of Ships to a Velaryon, which got so routine people might've assumed it was a hereditary title.

The real golden age? That would be Lord Corlys Velaryon — you see him in House of the Dragon played by Steve Toussaint, known as the Sea Snake for good reason. He took his ships further than anyone, made the family much richer than the famously minted Lannisters, and even tried to marry into the Iron Throne by wedding Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) and promoting claims for his children. When the Targaryen civil war (the Dance of the Dragons) broke out, Corlys and company threw their weight behind Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) — big ships, big money, big risks.

Downfall in Fire and Fire Again

If you've been keeping up with the new series in 2026, you've seen the start of the decline. In the Season 3 opener, Corlys takes what's left of his fleet to face the Triarchy at the Battle of the Gullet. Velaryon wins, but only just — most of their navy is sunk, their stronghold High Tide is burnt to a crisp, and Spicetown, their biggest port, is gone. Corlys himself sums it up grimly after the carnage:

‘If this be victory, I pray I never win another.’

House Velaryon staggers out of the Dance bloodied but technically alive. It doesn't get much cheerier from there. Corlys' successor is Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim plays him), later legitimised as Alyn Velaryon. He does a lot (none of which will likely ever hit the screen): helps finish the Daughters' War in the Stepstones using what's left of their ships, later aids King Daeron I in his Dorne campaign. But he's got none of Corlys' Midas touch — in fact, Alyn sinks a fortune investing with a dodgy bank in Lys (run by one Lysaro Rogare, whose creative accounting leaves the Velaryons nearly skint). After Alyn disappears at sea, the family sort of limps along, powerful enough for the area, but nothing like what they were.

All But Forgotten in Game of Thrones

Here's where things get a bit bleak. Without dragons (they die out before the events of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), the Targaryens can't offer the same perks, so marriages between the royal house and Velaryons dry up. Fleets belonging to the Lannisters and Redwynes catch up or even surpass house Velaryon by the time of Robert's Rebellion. The Velaryons (predictably) back the doomed Targaryens, and for their loyalty get knocked down yet another peg when Robert Baratheon takes over. Being a regular on the Small Council dries up too.

By the start of Game of Thrones, House Velaryon are just minor vassals sworn to Dragonstone and sticking with Stannis Baratheon in the War of the Five Kings. You'll find them in George R.R. Martin's books, if you dig, but TV-only fans never heard their name. Lord Monford Velaryon dies in the Battle of the Blackwater and his six-year-old son Monterys is left to pick up the pieces — not that the wider world cares. There's even a bastard half-brother, Aurane Waters, who gets made Master of Ships by Cersei Lannister, only to nick the royal fleet and vanish off to play pirate when Cersei lands herself in the cells.

• House Velaryon controls the seas at their height, fuels Targaryen ambitions, and is critical in major wars, until investment disasters and battlefield losses whittle them down.