When does House of the Dragon take place? In 2019, the hit fantasy TV series Game of Thrones concluded, but our time in Westeros isn’t over just yet. The prequel series to George RR Martin’s thrilling story, House of the Dragon, is officially on its way. However, you may be wondering where exactly the new show falls in the Game of Thrones timeline?
Based on a portion of Martin’s 2018 novel, Fire and Blood, House of the Dragon is a prequel series that follows the fall of House Targaryen. That’s right Queen Daenerys fans; it is time to rejoice because we are looking at the Game of Thrones character‘s family history, which is packed with fire-breathers, civil wars, and plenty of sibling drama. House of the Dragon is set to hit HBO Max on August 21, 2022, but despite the fast-approaching release date, you may still be confused about when the show is actually set.
If you aren’t familiar with the Game of Thrones books, you may not know the expanded Westeros lore. With this in mind, we answer the big question of when does House of Dragon take place? And deliver on all the historical details we need to know before the drama series’ big debut.
When does House of the Dragon take place?
House of the Dragon is a prequel series, and takes place two hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones. As mentioned above, the series will follow the Targaryen family, detailing their days ruling over Westeros and their ultimate downfall.
When the series begins, the Targaryen family have already been in power for 100 years, following Aegon I Targaryen’s conquest of Westeros. Currently, King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) is in power. However, peace isn’t going to last long, and a major succession battle is on its way.
Despite having three male heirs with his second wife, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), Viserys I has named his daughter Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), born from his first queen Lady Aemma Arryn, as his successor. This will lead to conflict between Rhaenyra and Alicent’s son Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), with factions forming to overthrow each other for the throne.
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The succession war would later become known as the ‘Dance of the Dragons’ in the Game of Thrones timeline. In George RR Martin’s novels, this civil war lasts for three years and leads to the eventual extinction of Dragons from the seven Kingdoms – a bit of a bummer, we know.
And there you have it! That’s the answer to ‘When does the House of Dragon take place in the Game of Thrones timeline?’ For more fantasy fun, here is our guide on everything we know about Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series – The Rings of Power.