The House of the Dragon HBO premiered its first episode and made clear its considerable ambition. With a much more explicit and well-planned look than Game of Thrones on the conflicts of power, the production dazzles. Especially because of his intention to renew the universe of George RR Martin to a new dimension of sophistication and splendor.
In The House of the Dragon everything goes through amazing spaces about how the legendary regents assumed their sacred duty on the Iron Throne. Much more interesting still, is the exploration of the life of a Westeros (West), very different from the one he showed Game of Thrones. The seroe details, in all likelihood, the most prosperous and opulent time of the fictional continent.
But with all this unpublished information on your back, The House of the Dragon it can be confusing. Especially for audiences who are not entirely familiar with Martin’s work. This is a detailed guide to explore the universe of the series with everything you need to fully enjoy it.
When does it happen in The House of the Dragon?
The series is a prequel to the events narrated in Game of Thrones. From the first scenes of it, it clarifies that it is located 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. The plot focuses on the events that preceded the complicated and bloody civil war in the royal house. A long interim confrontation between factions of the same family that was narrated in the book Dance of the Dragons.
However, most of the plot is based on another story by Martin: fire and blood, published in 2018. In the book, the tensions on the Iron Throne are detailed in depth. It also recounts how the succession showdown shattered the delicate balance of the royal house. In the end, the Targaryens ended up becoming terrifying legends and myths in Westeros, with one survivor seeking to reclaim family power.
As commented on more than one occasion in Game of Thrones, the Targaryens came from Valyria to conquer Westeros. They succeeded, thanks to a withering attack that included, of course, the use of dragons. Aegon and his two sisters/wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, seized power and established total rule over the continent. From there, the family established itself in an unbroken line, making them the first house of power and status in the Seven Kingdoms.
In The House of the Dragontells the story of how, after sixty years of a peaceful and prosperous reign, King JaehaerysI he had to choose his succession. The father of a long family, he faced the tragedy that only his son, Aemon, and his daughter, Rhaenys, survived infancy. Already almost very close to death and after losing Aemon, he left the decision about the new King in the hands of the Great Council. The group of nobles ended up choosing his grandson Viserys as heir, even though Rhaenys had a better claim to the throne. But until then, the idea of a female ruler was unthinkable in Westeros.
Years later, Viserys went through a similar situation when he lost his wife and son in a tragic childbirth. So he had to choose his eldest daughter, Princess Rhaenyra as his successor. That, to prevent his violent and cruel brother Daemon from accessing the throne or having a direct claim as his heir. Later, the king marries Alicent Hightower for the second time, with whom he finally conceives a prince. Aegon II will then become the center of a total fracture of power and the focal point of a devastating civil war.
The House of the Dragon will narrate all the events of the confrontation. Also, the disputes in a Westeros (West) that must deal with the terrors and pains of total war between the Targaryens.
Who are the main characters in The House of the Dragon?
Unlike Game of Thrones, The House of the Dragon focuses exclusively on the Targaryens. Which translates into a minimal and even only referential representation of the rest of the great powerful families. For now, the Hightower stands out — to which the King’s hand and his future wife belongs — and the Velaryon, with important places in the central story.
But, like all of Martin’s work, there is an array of interesting characters that are part of a board of where the power lies. Although they all belong to the Targaryen house, they have personalities as diverse and complex as those that the world of Westeros is used to displaying. The historical line of production could be summarized as follows:
Jaehaerys Targaryens
The regent with the longest and most prosperous reign of the Targaryen house barely appears a couple of minutes in the first episode. He is played by Michael Carter and represents the starting point. Known as the “Old King”, he is one of the most beloved figures in the history of the continent and the Targaryen royal house. Jaehaerys was the successor to King Maegor the Cruel and ascended the Iron Throne at a very young age.
Jaehaerys ruled for six decades and losing his heir, he convened a Great Council to choose his direct successor. From this selection, he got a place in the story of Viserys I, the king around whose story the plot revolves. dragon house.
Viserys Targaryens
The grandson of King Jaehaerys, he ascended the throne in the midst of an election held among members of the noble houses of Westeros. He is played by Paddy Considine and is, in fact, one of the kings who can boast of bearing the title “the first of his name”.
He is the fifth Targaryen king since the arrival of the family on the continent and also a man with an intuition based on common sense. In particular, sensing the danger he could pose to his Daemon brother with access to total power. After losing his wife and child, he names Rhaenyra, his eldest daughter, as his heir. A decision that will break the tradition of power in his family and will cause a future large-scale confrontation.
Daemon Targaryens
Cruel, violent and faithful representative of the tradition of a certain streak of madness in the Targaryen family, he was, for a time, the designated heir of Viserys I. Played in The House of the Dragon by Matt Smith, is the quintessence of the idea about the personality of rulers with dragon fire in their veins. Brutal and unstoppable, his behavior in various court positions terrified the royal council. So Viserys, after suffering the greatest tragedy of losing his wife and his future male heir, decided to choose Rhaenyra as his successor.
Of course, the eventuality of losing power will accentuate his violent and brutal trait. In particular, when he has to deal with the fact that his successor is a decision that puts pressure on his claim, which he considers more direct than any other.
Rhaenyra Targaryens
The eldest daughter of King Viserys, she was not destined to reign. And in fact, for much of the first episode, it is made clear that her status as a woman originally prevented her from doing so. But after her father’s widowhood, Viserys decides to appoint her as her successor, to avoid instability in the Kingdom. It is a decision that breaks the thread of succession and tradition, which makes Rhaenyra a target of disputes and confrontations.
A complicated point in Rhaenyra is that she must fight not only against the opposition of the continent, but also, the family. What will make her the center of intrigues, violence and later, will shape her character towards cruelty. However, the princess will try to maintain her right to her throne over a civil war of incalculable consequences and increasingly voracious.
Rhaenys Velaryon and Lord Corlys Velaryon
The most powerful couple in Westeros during the reign of Viserys I, they are also the most tragic. Rhaenys played by Eve Best, she lost the throne by the decision of the great Council and since then, she is called “The Queen that she never was”. An appellation of considerable cruelty, which, in fact, marks her place at court. That, despite being a direct descendant of Jaehaerys I and having a fundamental relevance in her family.
Her husband Lord Corlys Velaryon, played by Steve Toussaint, is known as the Lord of the Tides and is the greatest sailor on the continent. Together, they are part of the web of intrigue surrounding the Iron Throne in The House of the Dragon. One point of interest in the character is that he is directly descended from the old Valyrians, in the same way as the Targaryens. So in addition to an illustrious origin, he competes in importance and relevance in the kingdom. Something that Rhaenys will use at his convenience in the future of the show.
Otto Hightower
The Hand of the King, played by Rhys Ifans, is a man with notable influence in Viserys I’s Westeros. Especially since he was also Jaehaerys’ closest advisor during his final years. Being a Hightower isn’t just brilliant at analyzing kingdom matters. Furthermore, he is a vigilant watcher of the movements of power. And that makes him Daemon Targaryen’s first frontal opponent and his right to succession.
But more convoluted still, he is the future father-in-law of King Viserys I, which will divide their loyalties and, in all likelihood, their decisions. The character is a difficult point in the midst of the civil war that is coming. And specifically, part of the movements that take place in the most complicated places in the context of the Iron Throne.
Alicent Hightower
The daughter of The Hand of the King played by Olive Cook, will become the second wife of Viserys I and will be the mother of his male heir, Aegon II. The dispute over the king’s succession will become a considerable fracture in the peace of the territory. At the same time, that the first indication of the civil war that will come and that will destroy what the Targaryen house had been until then.
Alicent, who in the first chapter of The House of the Dragon As Rhaenyra’s closest friend and confidant, she will become a feared nemesis. Much more worryingly, she is a piece on a vast power chessboard in which she will suffer many of the most painful wounds of an unstoppable war.