Our latest return to Westeros kicked off this past weekend with the start of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. But while it’s not the only time we’ve ventured to the titular Seven Kingdoms outside of the events of Game of Thrones (and certainly won’t be the last, if HBO has any plans about it), it is the first time we’re visiting a relatively interesting period of Westerosi history… for the most part, due to how uninteresting it is.
That’s not to say Knight is boring—it’s a delight so far, and reviews indicate that’s going to hold out for the remainder of the miniseries’ first season. But it’s our first time that we’re visiting Westeros on screen at what can be described as a period of extended peace, sandwiched between the major events that shaped the region as we’ve known it. Not sure when, exactly, even after episode one? We’ve got you covered, as well as a brief rundown on the major movers and shakers of the period.
When Is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Set?
The first season of the show is a direct adaptation of the first short story in George R.R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg series, The Hedge Knight. That novella is set in 209 AC, or After Conquest—the invasion and eventual dominance of Westeros by Aegon Targaryen and his dragon-riding family after their homeland was ravaged by the Doom of Valyria.
Aside from that date, it places us firmly within the midpoint between two other notable events already depicted in House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. The year 209 AC is 78 years after the events of the Dance of Dragons, the Targaryen civil war currently being depicted in House of the Dragon, and 89 years before the inciting events that kick off Game of Thrones.
What Are the Targaryens Up to During Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
Although House Targaryen’s long rule of Westeros would persist for some 70 years after Knight with the outbreak of Robert Baratheon’s rebellion (more on them in a bit), 209 AC comes during a period of peace in the wake of profound change for the royal family. The Dance severely upended both the Targaryen dynasty and the political balance of the Seven Kingdoms, not just for the sheer loss of life, but also because it kickstarted the extinction of the family’s primary method of ensuring their vast power over Westeros: their dragons.
It would take another 20 years after the end of the Dance, in 153 AC, for the last Targaryen dragon to perish (until Daenerys revives the line during Game of Thrones‘ first season), meaning by the time of Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, there are still very few people alive to have seen a dragon at all, let alone the creatures at their height prior to the Dance. But despite that, the family’s dynasty still ruled. The king, Daeron II Targaryen, was known as Daeron the Good and most famously made the Seven Kingdoms the Seven when he successfully completed negotiations started by his cousin, Baelor the Blessed, to unify Dorne with the rest of Westeros.
Daeron’s rule survived the outbreak of the first Blackfyre Rebellion, 14 years before Knight, and his surprisingly strong punishment for the surviving rebels shifted land around the Houses of Westeros and ushered in an age of relative peace. It’s not to last though—Daeron’s rule ends the same year Knight is set during the outbreak of the Great Spring Sickness, an epidemic that kills tens of thousands across Westeros, setting the stage for House Targaryen’s continued diminishing, as well as the second of what is eventually four further rebellion attempts by the exiled Blackfyres a few years later.
What About the Rest of the Great Houses?
Just as House Targaryen is in an era of peace (before some major status quo changes occur) during this time, the remainder of the Great Houses—Stark of Winterfell, Tully of Riverrun, Greyjoy of Pyke, Lannister of Casterly Rock, Martell of Dorne, Tyrell of Highgarden, and Baratheon of Storm’s End—are likewise going through periods of relative quiet during the events of the show.
The tourney at Ashford Meadow that Knight‘s first season is largely focused on does draw together several prominent figures from the Great Houses. Aside from several Targaryens—including princes Aerion, Valarr, Baelor, and Maekar—the Lords of House Lannister and House Tyrell, Damon Lannister and Leo Tyrell, participate in the tourney.
One further prominent member of the Great Houses participating, we’ve already met: Daniel Ings’ Lyonel Baratheon. The son of the current Storm Lord, Lyonel becomes a major ally of Ser Duncan the Tall during the events of the tourney and goes on to become a major figure in Westeros’ political powers in the years after.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Read the full article here
