The timeline of the House of the Dragon so far

By James On Jun 15, 2024

House of the Dragon season 1 did one lot: It set the stage for a Targaryen civil war, followed the waning glory days of a peacetime king, fit into the story of a quick war before the main event, and even traced the dissolution of several relationships (while forging new ones at the same time ). the ones). It jumped back in time with calculated abandon, jumping 10 years between episodes 5 and 6. Considering everything that was packed into the first season, it would be easy to forget details here and there. Remember how important that green dress was to the shifting allegiances? Do you remember the Crabfeeder?!

You may be saying, “Oh shit, I’m really not doing that.” Do not worry; that makes sense! House of the DragonGeorge RR Martin’s time jumps form the book’s “history” of Westeros Fire & Blood come to life with equal meaning. Knowing that viewers would jump ahead a few months or even years each week meant that episodes could just deliver good stuff. Game of Thrones found an epic scale on the map (which often had to be cut back to fully map); House of the Dragon finds that same scope in time. Moreover, HBO has anticipated this. An easy-to-digest recap video was created that you can watch to remember the finer points of season 1 ahead of the second season premiere (as you can see above).

But if you need a little more timeline on where – and, more importantly, when – all this takes place, we have a handy guide for you. As Rhaenyra (now Emma D’Arcy) and her story map out a few decades of Westeros history, it might be helpful to remember how long all these players have been circling each other, or even how much younger her brother/rival Aegon is. (now played by Tom Glynn-Carney) is then her.

Episode 1, “The Heirs of the Dragon,” cold open

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

Martin documents time in his A Song of Ice and Fire lyrics using a BC/AD equivalent called ‘AC’, short for ‘After the Conquest’. In 1 AC, Aegon I Targaryen was crowned king after conquering his way across Westeros.

House of the Dragon opens in 101 AC, 197 years before the events of Game of Thrones‘ first season. We get one important scene in this period: King Jaehaerys I Targaryen announcing that, after his son Baelon kicked the bucket, his new heir would not be the genealogical choice of his eldest grandchild, Princess Rhaenys, but of his eldest great-grandchild.son, Prince Viserys. What we don’t see is Jaehaerys dying – in 103 AD, according to Fire & Blood – and pass the crown to Viserys.

Later in Episode 1, aka most of “The Heirs of the Dragon.”

It’s hard to say precisely when House of the Dragon gets underway, but a title card explains that the show takes place nine years into the reign of King Viserys. Do the math and we are around 112 AC.

This is the moment when Rhaenyra loses her mother (and Viserys his wife and queen), and – mostly as a way of rejecting Daemon – Viserys declares Rhaenyra his heir.

Episode 2, ‘The Rogue Prince’

The show’s first jump jumps ahead six months, as tensions with Daemon Targaryen – not to mention the factions in the Stepstones – begin to escalate. Daemon squats in Dragonstone with Mysaria, who he claims (read: lies) to be carrying his heir as he makes a bid for the throne. Rhaenyra sees through him and collects some dragon eggs he has. Also, everyone tries to marry off their daughters to Viserys, but eventually Otto Hightower manages to get his daughter (and Rhaenyra’s best friend!) Alicent betrothed to him.

Episode 3, ‘Second of His Name’

Three years later – so around 115 AC – the situation becomes reality in the Stepstones. Whatever talk of war there was in Episode 2 has exploded into real violence, with Prince Daemon wiping out the Crabfeeder with the help of Lord Corlys Velaryon. This is also when Alicent Hightower is properly pregnant with her and Viserys’ first child, who we will eventually see as a more worthy heir to the throne after the next time jump.

Episode 4, ‘King of the Narrow Sea’

Daemon Targaryen, anointed, wearing a red shirt and gray robes, staring at someone while holding his wine in House of the Dragon

The time jump in episode 4 is a bit murky, but we know that Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen has been urged to find a husband, and has spent at least a few months since Daemon’s triumph trying to find someone worthy of her. This is also when Daemon and Rhaenyra have a bit of an affair. This is where the show differs from Martin’s Fire & Blood timeline, which shows Daemon himself around 109 AD. proclaimed king of the narrow sea.

Episode 5, ‘We Light the Way’

House of the Dragon and the source material continues to split in episode 5. Most of Daemon’s exploits are in Fire & Blood take place around 115 AC, but when we pick up the troubled guy, probably around 114 AC on the show, he’s already staging the untimely death of his new wife Lady Rhea Royce. We also see Rhaenyra’s marriage to Ser Laenor Velaryon, which has been moved forward slightly in time from when it appears in the books. But Condal has put everything in order to make history more digestible for when the big leap happens…

Episode 6, ‘The Princess and the Queen’

Halfway through House of the Dragon‘s first season makes a 10-year time jump (confirmed when Laenor says, “And I have faithfully played my part here… for 10 years”) to about 124 AC. Like anyone who has gone through Martin’s Fire & Blood will tell you: This is when shit gets ugly. And it’s already pretty ugly. But at least we know when the ugly things happen.

Episode 7, ‘Driftmark’

Alicent, Viserys, Helaena, Corlys, Rhaenys and Baela stand in a row and look somber

This episode picks up more or less exactly where the last episode left off, as it’s time for Laena Velaryon’s funeral. (She is the daughter of Corlys and Rhaenys, and wife and mother of Aemond.) The family! is! to fight! Not as bad as them shall Sure, but after Aemond gets a dragon and loses an eye, the Targaryen family is certainly on edge. Viserys does his best to stop people from fighting, but Alicent and Rhaenyra are still sad.

Episode 8, ‘The Lord of the Tides’

Paddy Considine as Viserys Targaryen, wearing a gold mask, brandishing a dagger and standing before the Iron Throne on House of the Dragon

The calm before the storm, ‘The Lord of the Tides’, begins six years after ‘Driftmark’, so around 130 AD. Both Rhaenyra and Alicent’s children are grown, and Viserys is almost fully grown – in fact, this is the episode where he dies. Sadly, his death comes just moments after Alicent and Rhaenyra were about to bury the hatchet, and seconds after Alicent misunderstands Viserys’ final words and mistakenly believes that he has summoned Aegon to become king after all.

Episode 9, ‘The Green Council’

Alicent sits at the Small Council table with her hands folded on the table in front of her. To her right stands her father with his hands slightly folded; To her left, Ser Criston stands ready

This takes place on the one day after the last episode, so there’s that Real no time jump. But there’s a lot going on here: The Hightowers, Criston Cole, et al. conspire to put Aegon on the throne before anyone outside the titular rebel council knows what’s what. Rhaenys is captured, but escapes, thanks to the help of a twin brother in the Kingsguard, and refuses to burn Team Green alive with her dragon, but goes to Dragonstone to let Rhaenyra know what happened here.

Episode 10, ‘The Black Queen’

Rhaenyra stands in front of a roaring fire and looks directly at the camera in House of the Dragon

Again, House of the Dragon eliminates the time skips in favor of immediate response. While it’s been a while since the events of “The Green Council” compared to the jump between the last episodes, “The Black Queen” picks up more or less directly after Episode 9, with Teams Green and Black each trying to solidify their support . support (and collect more dragons) around the Seven Kingdoms.

This leads to Aemond accidentally killing Rhaenyra’s son Lucerys, and actually killing one completely war that will become the main event of the series – and bring us up to speed in Season 2!