what happened to aegon targaryen

Aegon Targaryen is a name used for several different Targaryens, so “what happened to Aegon Targaryen” depends on which one you mean.
Below is a quick, spoiler-heavy scoop for the most–asked versions from the books/series.
Aegon II Targaryen (Dance of the Dragons era)
- Aegon II is the king who fights his half‑sister Rhaenyra in the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.
- He’s badly burned and crippled in battle at Rook’s Rest when his dragon Sunfyre clashes with Princess Rhaenys and Meleys.
- After Rhaenyra takes King’s Landing, Aegon is smuggled out, then later returns, has Rhaenyra killed by Sunfyre, and briefly “wins” the war.
- His reign ends when he is poisoned in King’s Landing; several of his own political allies are later executed or punished for their roles.
Aegon I Targaryen (Aegon the Conqueror)
- This is the original Aegon who unites almost all of Westeros with his sisters and their dragons, founding the Targaryen dynasty.
- What “happens” to him is relatively simple: he conquers, rules, and dies peacefully compared to later Targaryens, passing the throne to his son Aenys.
Aegon V Targaryen (“Egg”)
- This is the “Egg” from the Dunk & Egg stories, later crowned Aegon V (“Aegon the Unlikely”).
- He tries to bring back dragons by hatching eggs at Summerhall, but something goes catastrophically wrong.
- Aegon V, his son Prince Duncan the Small, Ser Duncan the Tall, and others die in the resulting fire at Summerhall.
Aegon Targaryen, son of Rhaegar (book canon)
- In the books, Aegon is the baby son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell in King’s Landing during Robert’s Rebellion.
- Officially, he is killed when Lannister forces sack the city: Gregor Clegane smashes the infant against a wall.
- Later, it’s revealed that the spymaster Varys may have secretly swapped the real Aegon with another baby; a young man raised as Aegon appears in the story claiming to be this “saved” prince.
- In the published books so far, his final fate is still unresolved; he’s alive on page and moving against the Lannisters.
Aegon Targaryen in the TV show (Jon Snow)
- In the HBO series, Jon Snow learns his real name is Aegon Targaryen, son of Rhaegar and Lyanna Stark.
- After killing Daenerys in the throne room, he’s exiled back to the Night’s Watch and then heads north of the Wall with the Free Folk in the series finale.
- The show ends with him alive, living beyond the Wall; there’s no on‑screen death or later canon continuation yet.
Tiny HTML table of key fates
| Which Aegon Targaryen? | Era / Context | What happened to him? |
|---|---|---|
| Aegon II Targaryen | Dance of the Dragons | Battles Rhaenyra in civil war, badly maimed, later poisoned in King’s Landing. | [1]
| Aegon I Targaryen | Aegon’s Conquest | Conquers most of Westeros, rules as first Targaryen king, dies and passes throne to Aenys. | [2]
| Aegon V (“Egg”) | Pre–Game of Thrones | Becomes king, dies in the mysterious Summerhall tragedy while trying to hatch dragon eggs. | [3]
| Aegon, son of Rhaegar (books) | Robert’s Rebellion & after | Officially killed as a baby; later a young man appears who may be the real Aegon, fate unresolved so far. | [4]
| Aegon Targaryen (Jon Snow – TV) | Game of Thrones show | Exiled after killing Daenerys, joins the Free Folk beyond the Wall; alive when the show ends. |