How A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Fits into the Game of Thrones Timeline

How A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Fits into the Game of Thrones Timeline

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at exactly where “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” fits into Westerosi history. Be warned, there will be unavoidable spoilers for all “Game of Thrones” related media, but we won’t spoil anything from the new series that hasn’t already been discussed in existing shows.

Three shows currently exist set in George R. R. Martin’s universe. “Game of Thrones” came first, adapting the novels, “A Song of Ice and Fire.” It begins in the in-universe year of 298 AC, which means After Aegon’s Conquest, then covers the following 6 to 7 years. The other two shows are prequels, with “House of the Dragon” being set 200 years earlier, then roughly 90 years for “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” The latter is based upon three novellas written by Martin, covering the life of a young King Aegon V Targaryen, while squiring for Ser Duncan the Tall, his future Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

To fully understand where it fits in, we have to return to the Dawn Age. Around the year 12,000 BC, Before Aegon’s Conquest, Westeros was inhabited by magical creatures, like the children of the forest. Then, humans invaded from the Eastern continent of Essos. Fighting between men and the children lasted about 2,000 years before signing a peace treaty. The Age of Heroes followed, where most Westerosi dynasties claim descent from. The infamous Long Night and the subsequent building of the Wall also came during this era, and it ended when the Andals fled Essos and sailed to Westeros. Around this time, Valyria was the major power in Essos, but was decimated during the mysterious Doom of Valyria in about 102 BC.

The Targaryens were a Valyrian noble house that ruled as dragonlords. They weren’t too powerful, but they were lucky, because one Targaryen, Daenys the Dreamer, saw a vision of the Doom. So, in about 114 BC, the family and their dragons fled to Dragonstone in Westeros. After fighting in a century of war in Essos, the Targaryens, led by Aegon, turned their attentions west. In the year 2 BC, his famous conquest began. Having dragons made the odds overwhelmingly in his favor, and by 1 AC, he ruled 6 of the 7 kingdoms in Westeros. The last to fall was Dorne, who wouldn’t bend the knee until almost two centuries later.

Aegon lived until 37 AC, then he was succeeded by his son, Aenys I. During his short reign, the Faith of the Seven revolted against the crown. Aenys fled to Dragonstone, where he died in 42 AC, and Maegor the Cruel took charge. He ended the uprising, then passed a law making it illegal for the faith to bear arms, a law repealed by Cersei Lannister centuries later. After a six-year rule, his nephew Jaehaerys ascended to the throne and then ruled for a monumental 55 years. He famously outlived multiple heirs. This led to a Great Council in 101 AC, which named Viserys I as his heir. Both had peaceful reigns, so this era is considered the pinnacle of Targaryen rule.

We now make it to the events of “House of the Dragon,” which begins in the final years of Viserys’ reign. After he died in 129 AC, the realm split into two factions - the Greens and the Blacks. The Blacks supported his oldest daughter, Rhaenyra, from his first marriage. The Greens supported his son Aegon II, mothered by his second wife, Alicent Hightower. Without spoiling details, the Civil War claims both Rhaenyra and Aegon II’s lives. It ends when Rhaenyra’s son, Aegon III, ascends to the throne. He also married Jaehaera, daughter of Aegon II, uniting the two factions. The war tragically led to the extinction of the dragons, with dragons being last seen during Aegon III’s reign, until Daenerys, of course.

Aegon III’s rule lasted from 131 until 157 AC. He was so traumatised by the Dance, he cared little for restoring the dragons, so he’s often blamed for their extinction. He was succeeded by his son Daeron I, who successfully conquered Dorne, but lost it almost as quickly as he took it. The Dornishmen slayed Daeron, and his brother Baelor the Blessed then ruled from 161 until 171 AC. Afterwards, Viserys II ascended to the throne for a year, and he was succeeded by the infamous Aegon IV, one of Westeros’ worst kings. He was so terrible they dubbed him “the Unworthy.” His worst decision was debatably on his deathbed, when he legitimised all of his children born out of wedlock.

Aegon died in 184 AC and was succeeded by the far more likable Daeron II. He’s celebrated for diplomatically conquering Dorne via marriage. At the beginning of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” Daeron II has been king for an incredible 25 years. His reign was plagued not just by plague, but also by the Blackfyre pretenders. Daemon was a legitimised son of Aegon, who was given the iconic Valyrian steel sword Blackfyre, which was traditionally only handed to kings. So, he called himself Blackfyre, then in 196 AC, pressed his claim for the throne in the First Blackfyre Rebellion. He failed, but his brother Aegor Bittersteel fled east, where he founded the Golden Company, setting the stage for future Blackfyre uprisings.

13 years after the rebellion, Ser Duncan the Tall takes a young boy named Egg as his squire, who grows up to become Aegon V. You may also know him as Aegon the Unlikely, as no one expected him to become king. Each novella covers about a year of their adventures together, but Martin said he’d like to write more, so it’s unclear how much of their life he has planned. Two more Blackfyre Rebellions happened during Egg’s life, then two more after his death. As explained in “Game of Thrones”, Dunk and Egg perished in the tragedy at Summerhall in 259 AC. The event’s shrouded in mystery, but it’s believed Aegon was trying to revive the dragons.

After the tragedy, Aegon’s son Jaehaerys II ruled for only 3 years. Targaryen dominance ended with his successor, Aerys II, also known as the Mad King. During his reign, he became increasingly unstable, eventually leading to Robert’s Rebellion and his death at the hands of Jamie Lannister. A little over a decade later, “Game of Thrones” begins. The Targaryen dynasty didn’t end there, however. Aerys’ children, Daenerys and Viserys, fled to Essos. His son, Rhaegar, was killed, but it’s later revealed that he had a secret son with Lyanna Stark, better known as Jon Snow. In the books, there’s also a character who claims to be his son, Aegon, sired by Elia Martell. Unfortunately, he was cut from the show completely for simplicity.

The tales of Dunk and Egg are fun extra stories set within the universe, but they tie into “A Song of Ice and Fire” wonderfully well. They explore the identity of the Three-Eyed Crow, who in the show’s canon is confirmed to be Bloodraven. Additionally, fans theorise that the book Aegon isn’t Rhaegar’s son, but is a Blackfyre descendant. This could explain why Varys and Illyrio support him, alongside their destabilisation of the realm to install him as ruler. If it goes beyond the first three novellas, it could eventually dig deep into the Tragedy of Summerhall, tying it into the return of the dragons in “Game of Thrones.”

What period of Westerosi history do you find the most interesting, and has it already been explored in a book or show? Let us know in the comments below!