Westeros is getting crowded. With the release of the new series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, HBO has now given us three different windows into the history of the Iron Throne, and keeping track of who is related to whom (and which dragons are still alive) can be a headache.

You might be wondering if this new story happens before the dragons destroy each other or after the White Walkers fall. To save you the confusion, here is a clear, in-depth look at the timeline of the TV universe and exactly where the new show sits in the saga.

To understand the timeline, it’s essential to understand the calendar. Just as our world uses BC and AD, Westeros centres its history around one defining event: Aegon’s Conquest.

• AC (After Conquest): These years count forward from the moment Aegon Targaryen was crowned King.
  • Example: 298 AC means 298 years after the conquest.
• BC (Before Conquest): These years count backward.
  • Example: 100 BC means 100 years before the conquest.

Ideally, think of Aegon’s Conquest as Year Zero.

Every date listed below is measured by how many years it has been since the Targaryens first arrived and united the Seven Kingdoms.

Be careful for spoilers from the books and wider universe as we dive into key events below.

Era 1:
The Height Of The Empire
(House of the Dargon)

The Show: House of the Dragon

Timeline: 101 AC – 131 AC, Approx. 170 Years Before Game of Thrones

This is the earliest point in history we have seen on screen. The Targaryen family is at its absolute peak, ruling with the power of living, weaponised dragons.

101 AC | The Great Council (Seen in the opening scene of Season 1) The Old King, Jaehaerys, calls a council to choose an heir. He passes over Rhaenys (the ‘Queen Who Never Was’) and chooses Viserys I. This decision plants the seed for the civil war to come.

112 AC – 129 AC | The Reign Of Viserys I (Season 1) King Viserys I rules during a time of peace, but his court is divided between his daughter Rhaenyra and his second wife Alicent Hightower.

129 AC – 131 AC | The Dance Of The Dragons (Season 2 onwards) King Viserys dies, and the family instantly fractures into civil war. This is the most destructive event in Targaryen history. By the end of this war, most of the dragons are dead, and the few survivors are stunted or dying.

World Guide Note: This era is defined by Magic and Excess. The Targaryens are treated like gods. They do not need to play politics because they can simply burn their enemies.

• The Status Of The World: Powerful, wealthy, and stable—until the family turns on itself.
• The Key Event: The series covers the “Dance of the Dragons,” a brutal civil war. This is the most critical event in history because it causes the extinction of the dragons.
• The Connection: You are watching the ancestors of Daenerys and Jon Snow destroying their own house. This is why the family is so small and weak by the time the main show starts.

The Bridge:
The Death Of Magic

Timeline: 131 AC – 209 AC

Between the two shows, a quiet catastrophe occurs.

• 153 AC: The last dragon dies. It is small, sickly, and deformed.
• 196 AC: The First Blackfyre Rebellion. Without dragons to scare people, a rival branch of the Targaryen family (the Blackfyres) tries to seize the throne. This starts a civil war that haunts the realm for decades.

Era 2:
The Wandering Knight Era
(A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms)

Watch This Show: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (The New Show)

Timeline: Starts in 209 AC, Approx. 90 Years Before Game of Thrones

This series takes place roughly 80 years after ‘House of the Dragon’ and 90 years before ‘Game of Thrones’. The world is in a strange middle ground: the dragons are gone, but the Targaryens still rule.

209 AC | The Tourney At Ashford Meadow (Season 1) We meet ‘Dunk’ (Ser Duncan the Tall) and ‘Egg’ (Prince Aegon Targaryen).

• Dunk: A massive, homeless knight from the slums of King’s Landing (Flea Bottom).
• Egg: A Targaryen prince who shaves his head to hide his silver hair so he can travel anonymously as a squire.

World Guide Note: This era is defined by Paranoia. The King (Aerys I) is weak and obsessed with books. The realm is peaceful on the surface, but everyone is terrified of another Blackfyre Rebellion. You will hear people whispering about ‘The Black Dragon’ (the rebels) versus ‘The Red Dragon’ (the current kings).

• The Status Of The World: It is a time of relative peace, but the Targaryen kings are paranoid. There is a lot of tension in the background regarding “The Blackfyres” (a rival branch of the family trying to steal the throne).
• The Main Characters:
  • Dunk: A massive, homeless knight trying to make a living.
  • Egg: His bald squire. Spoiler: Egg is actually a Targaryen prince (Prince Aegon) in disguise.
• The Connection: The little boy “Egg” eventually grows up to be the great-grandfather of Daenerys Targaryen. He is also the younger brother of Maester Aemon (the blind old man at the Wall in Game of Thrones).

The Bridge:
The Fall Of The House

Timeline: 259 AC – 298 AC

Before the main show begins, the Targaryen dynasty collapses completely.

• 259 AC: The Tragedy at Summerhall. King Aegon V (the grown-up version of ‘Egg’) dies in a mysterious fire while trying to hatch dragon eggs.
• 282 AC: Robert’s Rebellion. The ‘Mad King’ burns the Stark lords alive—Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark rebel. The Targaryen dynasty is destroyed, and the survivors (Daenerys and Viserys) flee to Essos.

Era 3:
The Fall Of The Dynasty
(Game of Thrones)

The Show: Game of Thrones (The Original Series)

Timeline: 298 AC – 305 AC, The “Present Day”

This is the ‘modern day’ of the universe. History has turned into myth.

298 AC | The Return Of The White Walkers (Season 1) Robert Baratheon visits Winterfell. The long summer ends. Daenerys Targaryen hatches three dragon eggs in the desert, bringing magic back to the world for the first time in 150 years.

299 AC – 302 AC | The War Of The Five Kings (Seasons 2–5) The realm fractures after Robert’s death. This war destroys much of the countryside that Dunk and Egg once travelled through.

305 AC | The Final Battle (Season 8) The living defeat the dead at Winterfell. The Iron Throne is destroyed.

World Guide Note: This era is defined by Ruin and Rebirth. The great monuments you saw in ‘House of the Dragon’ are now ruins. The dragons are a shock to the system because nobody alive has ever seen one.

• The Status Of The World: The Targaryen dynasty has been overthrown. King Robert Baratheon is in charge. Magic is gone, dragons are a myth, and the “White Walkers” are returning for the first time in thousands of years.
• The Key Event: The War of the Five Kings and the battle against the Dead.
• The Connection: When Daenerys hatches her three dragon eggs in Season 1, she is bringing magic back into the world for the first time since House of the Dragon.