- "At least her older son, Joffrey, had a man's spine"
- ―Joffrey Baratheon
Joffrey Velaryon is an unseen character in Game of Thrones. He is long dead by the time of the series. He was a Prince of the Targaryen dynasty.
Biography
Joffrey was the youngest son of Rhaenyra Targaryen and her first husband/cousin, Laenor Velaryon. His mother was the first child and daughter of Viserys I Targaryen, who did not change the succession of the Iron Throne upon the birth of his sons. This therefore made Joffrey fourth in line for the throne. When his grandfather died, his uncle was named Aegon II Targaryen, on the orders of his step-grandmother Alicent Hightower. When Rhaenyra heard the news, the Dance of the Dragons began. By this time, Laenor had presumably died and Jacaerys' mother had remarried her uncle Daemon Targaryen, and had two sons with him. By the time his mother sat on the Iron Throne, his older brothers had both died at the hands of the Greens, and she was not popular among the Smallfolk, who started to rebel against her. A certain follower of the faith, The Shepherd, declared that the dragons were demons and claimed that that they ruled this world. Pointing to the Dragonpit, he signaled to attack it and kill the dragons. This ended with the death of all four dragons in the pit, including the destruction of it. Joffrey, who watched the violence from the Red Keep, mounted his mother's dragon, Syrax, still thinking that he could save the dragons. However, Syrax did not understand Joffrey's intentions, and in stead of flying to the ruins of the Dragonpit, he moved erratically to be free of him, until he was. Joffrey fell from him, to his death. Mourning for her son, Rhaenyra decided to sail back to Dragonstone, Joffrey's death signaling that Rhaenyra would never succeed as being a peaceful Queen.
In the books
When he was three years old, his ten year old dragonless half-uncle Prince Aemond Targaryen slapped him in an attempt to claim Vhagar, for himself. Joffrey called for his two older brothers, and in the ensuing fight Aemond lost an eye.
He was twelve years old at the start of the civil war which became known as the Dance of the Dragons. Joff was ordered to Gulltown to defend the Vale of Arryn against King Aegon II Targaryen's dragons, Rhaena Targaryen was chosen to accompany him. But Grand Maester Munkun suggests that it was Jace's desire to keep his brother as far away from the fighting that was paramount in this decision. He was named the Prince of Dragonstone after the death of his eldest brother, Jacaerys, at the battle of the Gullet.
He died during the storming of the Dragonpit trying to ride Syrax in order to save the dragons in the Dragonpit.
See also
Joffrey Velaryon on A Wiki of Ice and Fire