In ‘Game Of Thrones’, a civil war happened during the Targaryen rule of the Seven Kingdoms. The civil war is known as ‘The Dance of the Dragons’ and also as ‘Dying of the Dragons’.
In this civil war that happened between Aegon II and his half-sister Rhaenyra for the throne, almost all of the dragons died. The epic showdown will be depicted in ‘House Of The Dragon‘. Know how all the dragons met their fateful end in the war.
Related: 20 Saddest And Most Horrific Deaths On ‘Game of Thrones’ Ranked
How Did The Dragons Die In The Civil War?
Daenerys’ dragons were the biggest weapon in her arsenal as she looked to conquer Westeros and claim the Iron Throne, and for much of ‘Game of Thrones‘ run seemed near-impossible to kill. That may have changed in the final two seasons of the show, which saw both Viserion and Rhaegal die.
In the time of the Targaryen Civil War – the Dance of the Dragons – approximately 20 dragons existed in Westeros. Lasting for around two years, the Dance of the Dragons was and remains one of the bloodiest conflicts in Westeros’ history. With countless deaths on each side of the war – and that goes for dragons too. Many Targaryen dragons were killed in the Dance – only four survived.
Both prior to and during the Dance of the Dragons, many of the winged beasts were kept confined within the Dragonpit at King’s Landing. Although the Targaryens wanting somewhere to house them is somewhat understandable given their immense power, keeping them caged up stunted the dragons’ growth. This resulted in some that were smaller and weaker, and so less likely to survive anyway, with Tyrion Lannister noting, “the last dragons were no larger than cats.”
Another possible reason for the dragons dying out in ‘Game of Thrones‘ lies with the Maesters of the Citadel, and their apparent attempts to snuff out magic from the world. Archmaester Marwyn tells Samwell Tarly: “Who do you think killed all the dragons the last time around? Gallant dragonslayers armed with swords? The world the Citadel is building has no place in it for sorcery or prophecy or glass candles, much less for dragons.”
In case you missed: ‘House Of The Dragon’: How Did Dragons Come Into Existence? Were They Created By Magic?
Did All The Dragons Die In Civil War?
After the Civil War, four dragons actually survived the war. They were: Silverwing, Sheepstealer, The Cannibal and Morning. Aside from these four dragons, the Targaryens owned several dragon eggs. The family tried to hatch more dragons but mysteriously always ended in failure.
Most attempts to hatch eggs either were completely unsuccessful or resulted in stunted malformed dragons that died young. It’s unknown what caused this but many believed it was due to being cooped up in the Dragonpit. However, in the books, it’s hinted that the Maesters secretly poisoned the hatchlings due to their hatred of anything with magic.
The last dragon is unnamed but is said to have died young, being no larger than a cat. Before she died she laid five eggs which never hatched. This occurred again in 153 AC, 22 years after The Dance of the Dragons.
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