“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” delves into a previously unexplored era within the “Game of Thrones” universe. While “House of the Dragon,” HBO’s first prequel, focuses on major, dramatic events in Westeros’s past, much of the rich history remains untold. Author George R.R. Martin has built a world spanning 10,000 years, and though the Targaryen family is currently central to the TV series, there’s a vast history beyond them.
The story starts with Aegon’s Conquest, and all dates are counted from that event, marked as “AC” (After Conquest). House of the Dragon is set over a century after the Conquest, while Game of Thrones takes place nearly 300 years later, after the Targaryen dynasty is finished. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms falls somewhere in between those two time periods.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Is ~90 Years Before Game of Thrones
The story in Game of Thrones unfolds over roughly eight years, from 297 AC to 305 AC. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms starts much earlier, in 209 AC with the Tourney at Ashford, as established in The Hedge Knight. While often promoted as taking place a full century before Game of Thrones, and the TV series doesn’t always emphasize this precisely, the actual time difference is closer to 88 or 89 years at the beginning. The following shorter stories then cover only a few years.
- The Hedge Knight: 209 AC
- The Sworn Sword: ~210-211 AC
- The Mystery Knight: 212 AC
This is crucial because HBO has a limited time to adapt the source material before the actor playing Egg, Dexter Sol Ansell, ages too much. As a result, a second season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is confirmed and is already in production, with an expected release in 2027.
This story is set in a different era than Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, taking place during a time of peace in Westeros instead of during periods of war. Despite this, we might see some recognizable faces. Characters like Maester Aemon are still alive during this time, as mentioned in the source novels, and younger versions of Brynden Rivers (who later becomes the Three-Eyed Raven) and Walder Frey appear in one of the novellas.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Is ~78 Years After House of the Dragon
According to official sources like Fire & Blood, the Dance of the Dragons takes place from 129 to 131 AC. This means the show will end about 78 years before the events in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Because of this time gap, it’s unlikely any characters from House of the Dragon will appear in the Dunk and Egg spinoff. The story of House of the Dragon actually starts even earlier, with the Great Council of 101 AC, making Season 1 over 100 years before the Dunk and Egg storyline.
However, understanding House of the Dragon is crucial. The war depicted is frequently seen as the start of the Targaryen dynasty’s decline, mainly because it severely weakens both warring factions and decimates their dragons. The absence of dragons in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms highlights this decline, and while dragons aren’t completely gone in House of the Dragon, the show establishes the beginning of the Targaryens losing their most significant advantage.
While the Dance of the Dragons is a major conflict in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the story is also set about thirteen years after the initial Blackfyre Rebellion. This earlier uprising continues to affect the characters and plot, much like Robert’s Rebellion did in Game of Thrones.
The Blackfyre Rebellion began when King Aegon IV Targaryen officially recognized his illegitimate children just before he died. This caused a division within the Targaryen family, with King Daeron leading one side and Daemon Blackfyre, one of the bastards, leading the other. George R.R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg stories, especially the second book The Sworn Sword, explore this historical conflict in detail, making it a crucial element of the overall Game of Thrones history as presented in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms releases Sundays at 10pm ET on HBO and HBO Max from January 18th.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Read More
- Darkwood Trunk Location in Hytale
- Best Controller Settings for ARC Raiders
- Hytale: Upgrade All Workbenches to Max Level, Materials Guide
- Ashes of Creation Rogue Guide for Beginners
- Daredevil Is Entering a New Era With a Chilling New Villain (And We Have A First Look) (Exclusive)
- So Long, Anthem: EA’s Biggest Flop Says Goodbye
- 7 Announcements We’re Dying to See at Dragon Ball’s Genki Dama Festival This Month
- We’ll Never Get Another Star Wars Show Like Andor, But Not Because of Dave Filoni
- Katy Perry Shares Holiday Pics With Justin Trudeau & Ex Orlando Bloom
- RHOBH’s Jennifer Tilly Reacts to Sutton Stracke “Snapping” at Her
2026-01-17 21:12