Where is Westeros? Setting of House of the Dragon in Game of Thrones universe - and history of fantasy world

House of the Dragon is HBO’s flagship fantasy show, and is now going toe to toe with Amazon’s Rings of Power in a battle for viewers.

The series is a prequel to Game of Thrones and both shows are set in Westeros, a continent in the fantasy world created by author George R.R. Martin.

The series was filmed across the UK and Europe and many of the fictional locations including Dragonstone and King’s Landing in Westeros will be recongised by Thrones fans.

George R.R. Martin, author of the Song of Ice and Fire book series which was adapted into Game of Thrones, is a master of world building - his novels contain rich fictional histories that will be further explored in more planned spin-off shows including Ten Thousand Ships and The Golden Company.

House of the Dragon is adapted from Martin’s novel Fire and Blood, and parts of the latest instalment in the Song of Ice and Fire series, A Dance of Dragons.

Where is House of the Dragon set?

House of the Dragon is set in Westeros, a continent in the Game of Thrones world which also featured as the main setting for the original show.

The Thrones world contains three known continents - Westeros (in the west), Essos (in the east) and Sothoryos (in the south).

There is also a potential fourth continent, Ulthos, to the far east, which is completely unexplored and about which the people of the rest of the world know almost nothing.

Westeros is mostly made up of seven kingdoms - the North, the Iron Islands, the Riverlands, the Vale, the Westerlands, the Stormlands, the Reach, the Crownlands, and Dorne, which all have their own ruling families and unique customs.

The capital of the Seven Kingdoms is King’sLanding, a major city in the Crownlands where the Iron Throne and central government resides. It is here where a great deal of House of the Dragon is set.

What are the houses of Westeros?

In times of peace, the Seven Kingdoms are all ruled over by one King or Queen, who sits on the Iron Throne. During periods of unrest the Seven Kingdoms often break into factions, picking sides in civil wars.

These are the great houses of Westeros which feature in House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones:

Targaryen

House Targaryen is the main faimly featured in House of the Dragon, as the action focuses on the war of succession among Targaryen claimants.

Targaryen is the only family of dragonlords, and they used their fire-breathing pets to conquer Westeros, both before House of the Dragon and in the events of Game of Thrones.

Stark

Stark is the major house of the North, and supported Robert Baratheon in his rebellion. In Game of Thrones the major players in House Stark are Ed, Catelyn, Sansa, Arya, Robb and Bran.

Baratheon

House Baratheon came to prominence in Game of Thrones when Robert Baratheon rebelled against Targaryen rule, usurped the throne and took control of the Seven Kingdoms. The house traditionally controlled the Stormlands, but during the events of Game of Thrones, House Baratheon almost went extinct with the deaths of Robert and his brothers Stannis and Renly.

Tully

House Tully controlds lands in the centre of Westeros from their seat at Riverrun. Because of this their territory is of strategic importance during wars of conquest and rebellion which take place in both House of the Dragon and

Greyjoy

The Greyjoys control the Iron Islands from Castle Pyke, a bitterly cold and damp environment off the west coast of Westeros. They worship the Drowned God and practice near drowning as part of a religious ritual.

Lannister

The Lannisters rule over the Westerlands from Casterly Rock and are one of the richest and most powerful families in the Seven Kingdoms. In Game of Thrones, the Lannisters were the main adversaries to House Stark - Tywin, Jaime, Cersei and Tyrion were significant Lannisters.

Tyrell

House Tyrell ruled the Reach from a castle at Highgarden - in Game of Thrones, Tyrell became a major player in the War of the Five kings when Margaery Tyrell was married to Joffrey Lannister. During the war all the Tyrell’s were killed and the house became extinct.

Martell

House Martell rules Dorne, the only kingdom not to have been conquered by the Targaryens and became isolated in their politics. During Game of Thrones, Martell supported Daenerys Targaryen in her war against the Lannisters.

What is the Land Beyond the Wall?

Beyond the Seven Kingdoms in Westeros is the Land Beyond the Wall which lies outside the rule of the Iron Throne. The land is inhabited by wildlings, a nomadic people, and in Game of Thrones White Walkers are also found to exist there. The Wall was a huge wall of ice built roughly 8,000 years before House of the Dragon begins, and may feature in the series.

House of the Dragon is set roughly one hundred years after Aegon’s Conquest - an event wherein Aegon Targaryen invaded Westeros and subdued six of the Seven Kingdoms - Dorne remained independent.

From the conquest until the start of the series, Targaryens have ruled the six kingdoms, male heirs inheriting the Iron Throne from their fathers.

Where is Valyria in House of the Dragon?

Valyria is a ruined city in the continent of Essos and the ancestral home of House Targaryen.

The city was ruled by dragonlords as dragons were brought to Valyria thousands of years before.

Valyria was destroyed in a cataclysmic event known as the Doom, one hundred years before the Targaryens took control of Westeros in Aegon’s Conquest.

The Doom of Valyria was a series of volcanic eruptions - the people of Westeros dispute whether the event was a purely natural disaster or a result of mankind’s meddling with dragons.

The Targaryens left Valyria before the Doom after Daenys Targaryen, had dreams of the catastrophe. The Targaryen house moved with their dragons to Dragonstone, an island near the Crownlands in Westeros. It was from Dragonstone that Aegon launched his conquest.

Following the Doom, the race of dragons dwindled, the last dragons being malformed, small creatures until they went extinct entirely. In House of the Dragon, the winged creatures are still large and plentiful, though by the time of Game of Thrones they will have gone extinct.