Series: Lessons From the Citadel -- House Targaryen [Contributor: Melanie]

Formally the most powerful and ruling house of Westeros, the Targaryens are equally feared, admired, and hated by their subjects. Their lineage to Valyria and mastery of dragons made them an unstoppable force during their conquest of Westeros. However, due to their practice of intermarrying brother to sister, many of them became predisposed to insanity that lead to the fall of their house.

• Words: Fire and Blood
• Sigil: A red three-headed dragon on a black field
• Region: The Crownlands (formally)
• Seat: Red Keep (formally)
• Titles: King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men (disputed), Lord of the Seven Kingdoms (disputed), Prince of Dragonstone (formally)
• Bastard Names: Blackfyre 
• Members On Screen: Viserys II Targaryen (deceased), Daenerys Targaryen 
• Current head: Daenerys Targaryen

House Targaryen constituted the fourth and final migratory group in Westeros. Their ancestral homeland was a peninsula on the southern coast of Essos, in the city of Valyria. Traditionally, the Valyrians were shepherds who stumbled on dragon eggs. They learned magic from them and formed a nearly unbreakable bond, and to this day only those of Valyrian descent can control a dragon. With these dragons, the Valyrians conquered much of Essos, forming an empire known as the Valyrian Freehold. During this time, the Targaryens were a seated minor house (counted among the forty dragonlords) in Valyria.

One day Daenys “the Dreamer” Targaryen had a vision of a cataclysmic event befalling their homeland and her father, heeding her warning, moved the family and their five dragons to a small island off the coat of Westeros which they named Dragonstone. A decade later, the Doom destroyed Valyria and shattered their empire. While some houses and minor descents of Valyria survived the Doom, the Targaryens became the sole dragonlords in the world. On Dragonstone, they waited a century to build up their strength before Aegon and his sisters landed on the continent and declared, “There will be one king.”

The War of Conquest began in the region that would one day become the capital. Aegon, Viseyna, and Rhaenys lead their small army along side their dragons and conquered the Seven Kingdoms one by one. They brought six of the seven kingdoms into the realm and Aegon was anointed king by the High Septon in Oldtown and forged the Iron Throne as a symbol of his power. A hundred years later, however, the last of the dragons would die out after a civil war within the family known as the Dance of the Dragons. It was also the closest Westeros came to having a reigning queen, but Princess Rhaenyra was defeated.

They were able to incorporate the seventh and final kingdom of Dorne after tensions with the Dornish boiled over and Princess Daenerys (not to be confused with our current Daenerys) married Maron Martell, cementing their last alliance. But succession crises plagued the family as a line of bastards known as the Blackfyres waged war for the throne from their legitimate cousins. The escalations of violence were not helped by the propensity for Targaryen rulers to go insane as a result of several generations of inbreeding.

Ultimately, it was King Aerys II who would ruin the house. His unhappy marriage with his sister Rhaella was forced upon him by the result of a prophecy foretelling a messianic ruler would be born of their line. Despite the personal misery, his reign started out with promise, but he grew increasingly paranoid. He became obsessed with fire, and like many Targaryens believed himself to be fireproof. He began executing his enemies without restraint. The unrest caused by this was only hastened by Prince Rhaegar’s public courtship of Lyanna Stark. This angered not only the Martells (as Rhaegar’s wife was Elia Martell) but also Robert Baratheon, who was betrothed to Lyanna. Ultimately, the tension boiled over when Lyanna disappeared in Rhaegar’s company.

After Aerys had Rickard and Brandon Stark executed when they demanded Rhaegar pay for his actions, Ned Stark, Robert Baratheon, and Jon Arryn called their banners and began Robert’s Rebellion (remembered by Targaryen loyalists as the War of the Usurper). The yearlong campaign sought to depose the Targaryens and place Robert Baratheon on the throne. Of the decisive battles, the Battle of the Trident is remembered most vividly as Rhaegar reappeared to engage Robert in single combat. The crown prince was defeated and Aerys, sensing doom, sent his pregnant wife and remaining child to Dragonstone.

Shortly after, the rebels sacked King’s Landing. Aerys had set up defensive measures against an invasion by means of wildfire throughout the city. Rather than obeying the order to “burn them all,” including innocent civilians, Ser Jaime Lannister broke his Kingsguard oath and killed Aerys in the throne room. The Lannisters also saw to it that Princess Elia and her children were killed to prevent a rallying point for loyalists. Robert claimed the Iron Throne and sent his brother Stannis to capture the remaining Targaryens on Dragonstone.

On the island, Viserys was crowned king and Princess Daenerys named his heir. The princess was born during the worst storm in recent memory, which battered the castle and destroyed the fleet. Thus she was given the title “Stormborn.” The queen died in childbirth and the children were ferried away to Essos to escape their would-be assassins. They spent life as beggars on the street before a wealthy Pentoshi merchant (under Varys’ instructions) took them in and brokered a marriage between Daenerys and the Dothraki khal, Drogo. Viserys was killed for his disrespect to Dothraki culture but Dany thrived, eventually becoming a khaleesi in her own right after the death of her husband and unborn son.

Daenerys currently claims the title of Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and has gained support from Ser Jorah Mormont, Ser Barristan Selmy, and Tyrion Lannister, among others, on this front. She controls a vast army and three dragons but has currently taken up residence in Meereen while the city learns to survive without the yoke of slavery. She has recently been taken captive by a Dothraki khalasar after an uprising in her city.

Traits and Customs

Targaryens are the most recognizable house when it comes to physical features. Like all Valyrians, they have silver-blond hair, pale skin, and purple eyes (the show omitted this part). They are considered to be ethereally beautiful and are immune to most sicknesses that affect human races. While they are tolerant of higher levels of heat, they are not fireproof (proven by several Targaryens over the years who attempted to test this theory). Only Daenerys Targaryen has shown repeated immunity to flames for unknown reasons.

Though they worshipped their own Valyrian gods, they converted to the Faith of the Seven upon their anointment as the ruling family. They have a natural and unique bond with dragons that, individually, lasts for the lifetime of either party (only one dragon to one rider and vice versa). They practiced intermarriage between family members in order to keep their bloodline as pure as possible.

Who's ready for Game of Thrones to return? Take a look back at our entire series as you prepare for the show's premiere!

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Series: Lessons from the Citadel -- House Baratheon [Contributor: Melanie]

House Baratheon is by far the youngest of the Great Houses of Westeros, only achieving their seat and status during the time of the Targaryen invasion. Currently, they are the official ruling house of Westeros. However, given Cersei Lannister’s children are all revealed to be bastards by her own twin brother, no Baratheon currently sits on the Iron Throne.

• Words: Ours is the Fury
• Sigil: A black stag on a golden field
• Region: The Stormlands 
• Seat: Storm’s End
• Titles: Lord of Storm’s End
• Bastard Names: Storm
• Members On Screen: Robert Baratheon (deceased), Renly Baratheon (deceased), Stannis Baratheon (deceased), Princess Shireen Baratheon (deceased), Selysa Florent Baratheon (deceased), Gendry Waters
• Current head: None 

The Baratheons trace their ancestry back to Orys Baratheon. Orys was Aegon’s closest friend (and rumored to be his bastard brother) and one of his fiercest generals. Upon Aegon’s Landing and coronation, he was made the first Hand of the King. However, the Baratheons trace their claim to Storm’s End and the titles therein through the female line. Orys slew the last Storm King of House Durrandon and married his daughter Argella Durrandon. Aegon granted Orys the Stormlands and the seat of Storm’s End.

Like many houses during the Dance of the Dragons, House Baratheon pledged a side. Like the Lannisters, Borros Baratheon pledged for Aegon Targaryen. This flew in the face of his father’s wishes as he had supported Princess Rhaenyra while he was still alive. The Baratheons stayed clear of battlefields where dragons were present but did manage to reclaim King’s Landing for Aegon.

Despite their closeness, they were not always entirely friendly with the Targaryens throughout the years. About 250 years after Aegon’s Conquest, the daughter of Lyonel Baratheon was pledged to the Targaryen crown prince, who broke the engagement for love. This prompted Lyonel to break from the realm and declare himself Storm King. The prince, however, defeated Lyonel in single combat and crushed the rebellion. As recompense, the king promised his daughter Rhaelle Targaryen to Lyonel’s son Ormund. It is through this union Robert Baratheon, the grandson of Ormund and Rhaelle, would make his claim on the Iron Throne.

About 300 years after the Conquest, Robert Baratheon lead a rebellion against his Targaryen cousins after Prince Rhaegar abducted his own betrothed Lyanna Stark. Backed by his childhood friend Ned Stark and their shared foster father Jon Arryn, Robert waged a yearlong campaign against the Targaryens and their loyalists. Ultimately, Robert was able to claim the Iron Throne with help from the Lannisters, who killed the king and the remaining Targaryens in the capital. Robert’s younger brother Stannis did not, however, manage to capture Aerys’ surviving children Viserys and Daenerys, who spent years eluding their would-be assassins.

Robert was killed, however, fifteen or so years after the start of his rule while on a boar hunt. He was succeeded by his son Joffrey, whose real father was Jaime Lannister, the queen’s twin brother. As a result, the only issue Robert had in life were his multiple bastard children throughout the capital, and no true Baratheon sits on the Iron Throne. Because of this, his brothers Renly and Stannis made attempts to claim the throne for themselves. They both died in the effort, however.

Traits and Customs

The Baratheons are distinguished by their dark hair and burly builds but beyond that they have little unique characteristics. They are primarily of Andal descent and share little in common with their distant Targaryen cousins.

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Series: Lessons From the Citadel -- House Lannister [Contributor: Melanie]

House Lannister is the wealthiest and most powerful house in the Seven Kingdoms. From their seat at Casterly Rock, to their presence in court in various fashions, they’ve managed to become a virtual shadow monarchy over the official Baratheon rulers. However, like the “Rains of Castamere” warn, power can be fleeting.

• Words: Hear Me Roar
• Sigil: A golden lion on a red field
• Region: The Westerlands 
• Seat: Casterly Rock
• Titles: King of the Rock (formally), Lord of Casterly Rock, Warden of the West
• Bastard Names: Hill 
• Members On Screen: Tywin Lannister (deceased), Joffrey Baratheon (deceased), Myrcella Baratheon (deceased), Tommen I Baratheon, Jaime Lannister, Cersei Lannister Baratheon, Tyrion Lannister, Sansa Stark Lannister 
• Current head: Kevan Lannister

The Lannisters are descended from the Andals, though they note their ancestors did intermarry with many First Men, mixing their heritage slightly. Their founding ancestor, Lann the Clever, was believed to have been descended from the First Men. Lann tricked the Casterly family from their own seat and took up Casterly Rock. Though he was never called King of the Rock in his lifetime, he has been posthumously credited as the first one to use that title.

Before the Targaryens ever arrived, the Lannisters amassed an amazing amount of gold from their various lower seats and sworn bannermen. Casterly Rock itself was precariously positioned on top of a goldmine, giving them nearly unlimited access to funds. Later, through their efforts as lenders, they amassed more by way of their debtors, which would eventually included the crown of the Seven Kingdoms itself. When the Targaryens arrived, the Lannister king formed an alliance with the King of the Reach to attempt to fight them off. While the “Host of Two Kings” boasted over 50,000 men, Aegon and his sisters unleashed their three dragons at once (the only time they ever did so) and gave the battle its name: the Field of Fire. King Loren the Last survived the battle and bent the knee to the Targaryens.

During the Dance of the Dragons, the Lannisters backed Aegon for the throne. One Lannister, Lord Jason, already sat on the Small Council as Master of Ships and was named Master of Coin after declaring for Aegon. He secretly divided up the crown’s treasury and utilized a portion of it for bribes. He was killed in battle and his brother Tyland was imprisoned and tortured as punishment for the gold his brother lost. They would later side with the Tagaryens against their Blackfyre cousins during the Blackfyre Rebellion.

The Lannisters remained close and loyal friends to the Targaryens for some time. Tywin Lannister, after restoring the Lannisters from their hard times brought on by his father Tytos, was named Hand of the King by Aerys II. However, Tywin’s long and diplomatic approaches to resolving conflicts fueled Aerys’ paranoia, and the king’s desires for Tywin’s wife Joanna drove a wedge between the two. Tywin eventually resigned his position when Aerys called off the betrothal between Cersei Lannister and Prince Rhaegar and accepted Jaime’s oath to join the Kingsguard.

When the rebellion broke out, the Lannisters remained decidedly neutral for the majority of it. When Prince Rhaegar was finally killed, Tywin declared for Robert. Tywin helped orchestrate the Sack of King’s Landing by utilizing his loyalist, Maester Pycelle, who convinced the king to open the gates to the Lannisters who were there to declare for him. The result was the death of Aerys at the hand of Jaime Lannister, as well as Princess Elia and her children. Cersei was then wed to the new king Robert ,who continued to owe Tywin larger and larger amounts of money over the years. 

The children of the royal union were revealed to be in fact the result of Cersei’s illicit relationship with her twin brother, Jaime, making the Lannisters the technical ruling house. However, they’ve recently fallen from grace after their public image was blotched by the revelation about Cersei’s children, the assassinations of King Joffrey I and Princess Myrcella, the murder of Tywin by his own son, and Cersei’s imprisonment.

Traits and Customs

Unlike the Targaryens and houses of the North, the Lannisters do not adhere strictly to ancient customs. They do, however, have a strong and notable appearance. Members of the house are recognizable by their golden blonde hair and green eyes.

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Series: Lessons from the Citadel -- House Stark [Contributor: Melanie]

House Stark is one of the Great Houses of Westeros and possibly the oldest noble house on the continent, as they trace their lineage back to the First Men 8,000 years ago. Though they currently sit nearly extinct and deposed of their lands and titles, they controlled the largest stretch of land among any of the Great Houses.

• Words: Winter is Coming
• Sigil: A grey direwolf on a white field
• Region: The North (formally)
• Seat: Winterfell
• Titles: Warden of the North (formally), Lord of Winterfell (formally), King in the North (formally)
• Bastard Names: Snow
• Members on Screen: Eddard “Ned” Stark (deceased), Benjen Stark (missing), Catelyn Tully Stark (deceased), Jon Snow (deceased), Sansa Stark Lannister, Arya Stark (officially missing), Brandon “Bran” Stark (officially deceased), Rickon Stark (missing)
• Current head: Disputed 

The Starks claim lineage from Brandon “Bran the Builder” Stark (through whom they claim further descent from High King Garth Greenhand), a legendary figure during the Age of Heroes who fought in the War for Dawn against the White Walkers. During the Long Night (a period of winter and utter darkness) when the White Walkers (also known as the Others) attacked, Bran built the 700-foot Wall out of ice and stone to keep them back. He is also credited with constructing Winterfell a few hundred miles south of the Wall, which served as the seat for the Kings in the North and later Wardens of the North.

As the first defense against Wildling attacks, several Starks have served as Lord Commanders of the Night’s Watch (including the thirteenth Lord Commander, who later became the Night’s King — that creepy ice dude giving Jon the business last season). They have a cadet branch, the Karstarks (the man Robb beheaded in season three) and have a strong connection with the North and the people residing there. This fierce loyalty the people of the North have towards the Starks continue to make it difficult for the Boltons to maintain absolute power over Winterfell.

The Kings in the North fell to the Targaryens like the others. King Torrhen famously bent the knee to Aegon without question after witnessing the might of his dragon Balerion. The Inn of the Kneeling Man now marks the spot where this oath of fealty took place. The Starks were loyal servants to the crown, and signed the Pact of Ice and Fire with the Targaryens after declaring allegiance to Princess Rhaenyra during the succession crisis known as the Dance of the Dragons. Within their own borders they faced the issue of dwindling volunteers for the Night’s Watch and attacks from Wildlings. 

However, toward the end of the Targaryen reign, House Stark played a pivotal role in supplanting them. Lyanna Stark, the daughter of Lord Rickard Stark, was engaged to Robert Baratheon but captured the interest of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen (despite already being married with children). The nature of her feelings toward the prince are unclear (though her disdain for Robert was obvious) but she disappeared with him a year after he made his first advance toward her. As a result, Rickard and his eldest son Brandon marched south and demanded Rhaegar answer for his crime. In response, the mad Targaryen king had them executed. Eddard Stark, now Lord of Winterfell, called his banners, along with his fosterfather Lord Jon Arryn, and Robert Baratheon. Together, the three of them waged a yearlong campaign to place Robert on the throne.

Ned married Catelyn Tully, who was originally promised to his late brother during the course of the war, and had a falling out with Robert after learning that Rhaegar’s innocent wife and children had been brutally murdered by the Lannisters, who had switched to support the rebels at the last minute. One of the last skirmishes of the war was fought by Ned and his bannermen at the Tower of Joy where his sister, finally located, died in his arms. It is unknown what Ned and his sister discussed but he returned from the war with an infant Jon Snow, whom he claimed was his bastard son. A few years thereafter he took on Theon Greyjoy as a hostage after ending the Greyjoy Rebellion.

The Starks have been pushed to near extinction since the death of Robert Baratheon. With Ned executed, Robb and Catelyn betrayed and murdered, Bran and Rickon officially presumed dead, Arya missing, and Sansa forced into marriage with the Lannisters, the Boltons now claim the title Wardens of the North and hold Winterfell. Jon Snow, an illegitimate (though in the book Robb legitimized him and made him his heir) bastard stands as the last living descendent of the family, along with his trueborn sister Sansa.

Traits and Customs

Like many highborn families, the Starks boast traits common among them. Their facial features are often described as “the look” and their temperaments are known as “wolf-blooded.” They’re known for their dark hair and eyes and for their headstrong and wild nature, as well as a thirst for battle. Unlike other houses, however, they seem to possess innate, almost magical, abilities passed down from their First Men ancestors. Many members of the family have been shown to possess warging abilities (the ability to mentally enter the body of an animal for short periods), including Bran and Jon Snow. Bran also has the gift of greendreams, prophetic and clairvoyant visions through dreams, as well as some apparent telepathic abilities as the Three Eyed Raven communicated with him thusly. The Starks also seem to have a natural bond with direwolves, the sigil of their house.

In accordance with their ancestors, the Starks continue to keep the Old Gods as their faith rather than convert to the Faith of the Seven. They have a weirwood tree and a godswood within Winterfell that they use for prayer and religious services.

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Series: Lessons from the Citadel -- History of Westeros [Contributor: Melanie]

Game of Thrones takes place in a world so vast, detailed, and similar to our own that many people have suggested it’s actually modeled on an alternate view of our own history. And while we don’t have White Walkers or dragons in our world (that we know of... yet), a history lesson in the vein of our own seems to be in order. So here I am, your guide through the vast mythology of the world of Game of Thrones in these weeks leading up to the season six premiere. And in this first nifty installment we’ll discuss the broad world history that lead up to the first scenes we saw in season one.

While there may be other lands, the only four we know of are Westeros, Essos, Sothoryos, and Ulthos. The only important ones are the first two continents separated by the Narrow Sea (which is totally not the English Channel...). Their histories are fairly unique but do blend together on occasion. We’ll start with the more prominent of these two landmasses and where the majority of our story takes place: Westeros.

Children of the Forest and the First Men

Long before the events depicted on the show (12,000 years earlier, to be exact), Westeros was inhabited by its native race known as the Children of the Forest. These were a non-human species that were said to worship nature spirits and the Old Gods. They also practiced various types of nature magic, often gifting dragonglass to the Night’s Watch to help abate the White Walkers. And like all great stories starring white people, a foreign race came tromping in on their way of life.

The First Men was the title given to the first human inhabitants of Westeros, who crossed into the continent by way of a land bridge in the south. Their original relationship with the Children was friendly, even dependent. The First Men converted to the native religion, and the two races united during the War for the Dawn against the White Walkers, 8,000 years before the events of the show. Together, they built the Wall under the direction of Brandon Stark, known as Bran the Builder, who then ruled as the first King in the North. It is from the First Men that many houses in the North claim descent (most notably, the Starks), as well as the Wildlings, who are distant cousins to many houses in the North.

The Children of the Forest began to dwindle in numbers over the centuries, hastened by the arrival of the Andals.

Arrival of the Andals

The Andals were the second foreign race to touch down in Westeros. This group also came from Essos, but farther north, from a region known as Andalos. Their religion, the Faith of the Seven, is what sent them sailing west in the effort of obeying visions. They conquered the majority of the continent, driving the Children of the Forest to extinction, establishing their religion as the dominant one, and intermarrying on occasion with the First Men.

Their reach over the continent is so vast that many peoples in Essos refer to Westeros as “Land of the Andals” despite the North retaining strong ties to their heritage. It was, however, this second group that introduced the ideas of chivalry and more modern weapons to Westeros, which was quickly adopted by the already-present First Men. The majority of the noble houses of Westeros claim descent from this ethnic group and keep their culture from religion (Faith of the Seven), to language (Common Tongue), to the use of chivalry and knighthood that permeates through the continent into present day. However, the families of the North retain their ancestral religion of the Old Gods.

The Rhoynar

So, the Rhoynar haven’t actually been named in the TV show (except for one hot second in the season four finale) but you’ve seen plenty of them. This was the third race to enter Westeros, several thousands of years after the First Men and the Andals. They were driven there by the oppression of the Valyrian Freehold. The Valyrians and their dragons (who will make a reappearance in our history soon) turned much of Essos into an empire, and so the Rhoynish fled before they could be sold into slavery, landing in what would become Dorne on the southernmost tip of Westeros.

The houses in the South, specifically the Martells, are direct descendants of the Rhoynish refugees, though they’ve intermarried with the other ethnicities across Westeros since then.

Take all this, put it together and what do you get? The king’s official style: “King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men.” And hopefully that makes a little more sense.

Seven Kingdoms

So, we’ve got the ethnic groups down, but you’ve probably noticed that you’ve never actually seen these Seven Kingdoms you’ve heard so much about. Well, as things stand at the beginning of the series, those Seven Kingdoms don’t actually exist anymore; now, there are actually nine.

But originally, after the First Men, the Andals, and the Rhoynar all showed up and settled in the region, they began to claim chunks of land for their own:

• The Kingdom of the North (ruled by House Stark) 
• The Kingdom of the Rock (ruled by House Lannister)
• The Kingdom of the Mountain and Vale (ruled by House Arryn)
• The Kingdom of the Isles and Rivers (ruled by the defunct House Hoare, later split between House Greyjoy and House Tully)
• The Kingdom of the Reach (ruled by House Tyrell)
• The Kingdom of the Storm (ruled by the now defunct House Durrandon, later passed on to house Baratheon)
• Dorne (ruled by House Martell)

So these Seven Kingdoms were fairly chill with each other and got along well in their White Walker-free zone (thanks to the efforts of the Children and the First Men thousands of years prior and the continued protection of the Night’s Watch). But there is still one last ethnic group that came to call Westeros home, people whose arrival changed the face of the continent forever.

“There will be one king...”

This is where the histories of Westeros and Essos truly start to blend. The Targaryens come from a land called Valyria, the details of which I will go into when I get to specific houses. But they made camp on a small island off the coast of Westeros they named Dragonstone. After spending a century building up their strength, Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters landed in the place that would eventually become the capital, called King’s Landing (get it?). Aegon then sent the same message to all seven kings: “There will be one king.”

Together with his sisters Visenya and Rhaenys, and their dragons Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes, Aegon collected oaths of loyalty from the Seven Kingdoms. Though some, like Dorne, were harder to bring to heel than others, they all ultimately renounced their own titles and swore fealty. These families became known as the Great Houses of Westeros, the lords of which served as direct enforcers of the king’s rule in their own land. The Iron Throne was forged out of the weapons of Aegon’s fallen enemies and the greatest dynasty in the world began its rule.

However, a little over a hundred years after Aegon’s crowning, the first of many in-fights broke out between disputed Targaryen heirs. Princess Rhaenyra and her half-brother Prince Aegon both claimed the Iron Throne and the ensuing civil war resulted in the deaths of nearly all the Targaryen dragons. The last one died during the rule of Rhaenyra’s son. This proved to be a deadly blow to the Targaryen hold over the Seven Kingdoms, as more civil wars broke out between various branches of the family, and the looming “madness” that plagued members of the house as a result of inbreeding.

Robert’s Rebellion

Roughly 300 years after Aegon’s Conquest, things weren’t looking great for the Targaryens. If things weren’t bad enough with King Aerys II (a.k.a. “the Mad King”) going execution-happy, his heir Prince Rhaegar took it upon himself to show excessive interest in Lyanna Stark (sister of Eddard Stark), who was already betrothed to Robert Baratheon. One day, Lyanna and Rhaegar go missing, prompting the Starks to march down to the capital and demand she be returned to them, believing her kidnapped. Lord Rickard Stark and his eldest son Brandon were executed by immolation and Lyanna’s whereabouts remained unknown. Stark’s second son, Eddard, and Robert Baratheon then called their banners, along with their foster father Jon Arryn, and began a yearlong conflict that ultimately ended in the deposal of the Targaryens.

Rhaegar reappeared toward the end of the war to engage with Robert directly, who had now decided he would claim the Iron Throne for himself (his grandmother was a Targaryen princess, giving him the best claim outside the house). Rhaegar ultimately died on the battlefield and Robert marched south. Aerys had his pregnant wife and remaining child ferried away to Dragonestone before the capital was sacked. Aerys, mad with paranoia, ordered his remaining men to burn the city to the ground but Jaime Lannister, a knight of the Kingsguard, broke his oath and murdered his liege to prevent further massacres. Rhaegar’s wife and children were then murdered and Robert claimed the throne for himself.

Ultimately, Lyanna died in her brother’s arms and Queen Rhaella died while giving birth to her daughter, Princess Daenerys Targaryen. Many loyalists were ready to offer up the remaining children to the waiting arms of Stannis Baratheon, but a loyal retainer managed to smuggle the children to safety across the sea. Cue a few years of heartbroken rule from Robert, in a loveless marriage with replacement bride Cersei Lannister, under the watchful eye of his Hand Jon Arryn.

And then, boom: pilot episode of the TV show!

Believe it or not, that’s actually a vague summary of events. Stay tuned for more as I go in-depth with specific house histories, all leading to the premiere of Game of Thrones on April 24th!

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