The World Of 'ASOIAF': The Major Houses Of The Seven Kingdoms
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HBO made television and cultural history when showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss took a risk and adapted the modestly successful, unfinished, A Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R.R. Martin into a worldwide phenomenon and propelled the books onto the New York Times bestseller lists. While those of us who have read the books are eagerly waiting for the next installment, The Winds of Winter, to finally hit the publisher, in the meantime, HBO is capitalizing on the original series’ success by producing prequels, namely: House of the Dragon which is slated to premiere its third season in 2026, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is also set to drop in the new year. These delve into the history of Westeros, the land where the majority of the action of A Song of Ice and Fire takes place.
George R.R. Martin has been praised for creating a world that is said to be on par with J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings’ Middle Earth. Within the world of Westeros, there are Great Houses that act like governors over their appointed lands and smaller houses and “little” people within their domain. Each of the nine Great Houses figures into the prequels and shows how the history of Westeros evolves into the main work of A Song of Ice and Fire. Here, I will look at the four Houses that have had ruling roles in the Seven Kingdoms.
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House Targaryen
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Coming from the lands of Valyria after the Doom brought destruction to others, the Targaryens brought their dragons to Westeros and began their Conquest in 2 BC. Once they finished their conquest and united the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, the Targaryens ruled Westeros for almost 300 years, beginning with Aegon the Conqueror, who made his Throne out of the 300 swords of his enemies, and ending with Aerys II, the “Mad King”, who was killed by his own appointed Kings Guard, Jaime Lannister. The actions that led to Jaime Lannister, a sworn protector of the King to do this seemingly dishonorable act, was the culmination of Robert’s Rebellion, brought on by Aerys’s son, Prince Rhaegar, who was married to Princess Ella Martell, with whom he had a son, Aegon, nonetheless disappearing with Lyanna Stark, the betrothed of Robert Baratheon.
The surviving children of Aerys II, Viserys and Daenerys, went into exile across the Narrow Sea in the Free Cities. Known for their otherworldly beauty of platinum silver blond hair and purplish blue eyes, the Targaryens also stood out for being able to handle and ride dragons. It was their custom to give a dragon egg to each newborn Targaryen. Unfortunately, as this was a power that the Targaryens wanted to keep in the family, they intermarried with each other, leading to mental instability as the generations went on; hence, Aerys, the “Mad King”. The dragons themselves became smaller with each passing generation, due to the conditions they were kept in, and because of infighting and succession wars, the dragons died out, with the last one passing in 153 AC.
Sigil: A red three-headed dragon, breathing red fire on black
Motto: “Fire & Blood”
Seat: Formerly Valyria, King’s Landing, Dragonstone
House Baratheon
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The first major House to rule Westeros since the Seven Kingdoms were united under Aegon the Conqueror of House Targaryen, the Baratheons, whose ancestral lands are the Stormlands, also have a connection to the Targaryens through the youngest daughter of King Aegon V, Princess Rhaelle Targaryen. This came about in order to settle a dispute between the two Houses: Prince Duncan (the Small) Targaryen was engaged to Lord Lyonel Baratheon’s daughter. Prince Duncan instead married Jenny of Oldstones, and this renege angered Lord Lyonel, who reacted by declaring independence for the Stormlands and naming himself The Storm King. This short insurrection was put to an end when Duncan the Tall, who had fought together with Lord Lyonel at a tournament, killed Lord Lyonel. Prince Duncan the Small then renounced his claim to the throne and King Aegon promised that his own daughter would marry Lord Lyonel’s heir. Because of this connection, Robert Baratheon, leader of Robert’s Rebellion (or, the Usurper’s Rebellion) said he had the better claim to the throne once the Targaryens were disposed.
Robert Baratheon’s parents, Steffon Baratheon and Cassana Estermont, were killed in a storm at sea, and Robert, along with Eddard Stark of Winterfell, was fostered by Jon Arryn in the Vale. Robert inherited Storm’s End as the oldest son, and he became betrothed to Lyanna Stark. However, Lyanna disappeared with Rhaegar Targaryen, which set off Robert’s Rebellion. Robert himself killed Rhaegar at the Battle of the Trident, and Eddard Stark found his sister Lyanna dying in the Tower of Joy. After the war, Robert had himself crowned King Robert I in King’s Landing and lived in the Red Keep. He also married Cersei Lannister, though his true feelings would always be for Lyanna. His brother Stannis was in charge of Storm’s End, and youngest brother Renly became part of the small council once he became old enough to do so. Robert has three children with Cersei, Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen.
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Sigil: A crowned stag black on a golden field
Motto: “Ours is the Fury”
Seat: King’s Landing, Storm’s End
House Stark
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As much of the story through the books of A Song of Ice and Fire are told through the viewpoints of members of the Stark family, many readers and TV show watchers are probably most familiar with this House. It is an ancient House, with its ancestry reaching back to the First Men and being established as a House by Bran the Builder, who is credited with building the castle of Winterfell and the Wall that separates the lands of The North from the Free Lands of the Wildlings and The Others beyond The Wall. The Starks established their sovereignty of The North for eight thousand years. This came to and end during Aegon’s Conquest, when King Torrhen Stark went south with 30,000 men, but then pledged his allegiance to Aegon, bringing an end to the North as its own kingdom. The Starks continued to be in charge of the North as Wardens of the North. They have also been friends and supporters of The Night’s Watch, a brotherhood of soldiers who defend the Wall against Wildling invaders and whatever else may enter the North from beyond the Wall. The Starks themselves went to The Wall when they had no chance of advancing themselves or inheriting because of their position in the family. The Starks were able to defend the North and their position for centuries. Lord Rickard Stark wanted to strengthen his Southern alliances, so he sent his son Eddard to live at the Vale with the Arryns, where he met Robert Baratheon. Rickard also arranged for his oldest son and heir Brandon to become betrothed to Catelyn Tully of Riverrun, and his daughter Lyanna to Robert Baratheon.
When Brandon heard of Lyanna’s disappearance with Rhaegar Targaryen, after he had crowned her “Queen of Love and Beauty” at the Tournament at Harrenhal (ignoring his own wife, Ella Martell) he rode to King’s Landing, where he was promptly arrested by King Aerys. King Aerys had Brandon and his father executed in a way befitting The Mad King, who also demanded the deaths of Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon. This set off Robert’s Rebellion. Eddard led his own battalion, rescuing Robert at one point in the war at the Battle of the Bells, and upholding his family’s honor by marrying Catelyn Tully himself. After the war, Eddard found his dying sister Lyanna in the Tower of Joy. He brought her body home to Winterfell to be buried in the family crypts under the castle, with a statue likeness of her and a wolf guarding her final resting place. Eddard’s younger brother Benjen went ahead and joined the Night’s Watch. Eddard and Catelyn had five children, Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon, along with Eddard’s bastard son, Jon Snow.
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Sigil: A running gray direwolf on an icy white field
Motto: “Winter is Coming”
Seat: Winterfell
House Lannister
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The Lannisters have almost as old a history as the Starks; however, they are the Wardens of the West, with blond hair and green eyes, whereas the Starks have dark hair. The Lannisters come from Lann the Clever in the Age of Heroes, who tricked the Casterlys into leaving Casterly Rock, that becoming the Lannister stronghold. During The Wars of Conquest during Aegon’s Conquest, King Loren I (and Last) was captured after a huge defeat. He was allowed to become the Warden of the West. Since that time, the Lannisters remained loyal to the Targaryens, even when there were disputes in Westeros. The Lannisters kept a fleet of ships at Lannisport, and were at times at odds with the Ironborn, a seafaring culture that live in the Iron Islands. During Robert’s Rebellion, the Lannisters stayed neutral: Aerys and Tywin Lannister had become friends when they were younger. Tywin and his brothers, Kevan and Tygett had shown bravery and honor during the War of the Ninepenny Kings, and when Aerys became King, Tywin became the youngest Hand of the King at age 20. Tywin took after his grandfather Gerold and became a discerning ruler. Unfortunately, this style proved too slow for Aerys, and when Aerys thought Tywin took too long to settle a dispute, he thought Tywin did it on purpose to plot against him. Aerys also fell in love with Tywin’s wife, Johanna.
Tywin and Johanna had three children, twins Jaime and Cersei, and their younger brother, Tyrion, a dwarf. Tyrion’s dwarfism was an embarrassment for Tywin, and while Tyrion grew to be one of the smartest men in the realm, Tywin put him in charge of the sewers of Casterly Rock. Unbeknownst to Tywin, his twin boy and girl have a more than sibling-love relationship. When Aerys appointed Jaime as a King’s Guard, Tywin was furious because he felt that his heir was stolen from him. Jaime thought this appointment to be a great opportunity to break his engagement to Lysa Tully and to stay near Cersei in King’s Landing. Tywin resigned as Hand of the King and went back to Casterly Rock with Cersei. He stayed there until Robert Baratheon killed Rhaegar Targaryen, and then led 12,000 men to King’s Landing where his son Jaime killed Aerys himself. Tywin’s knights killed Princess Ella Martell and her children. After the war, Cersei married Robert and became Queen while Jaime stayed on as part of the King’s Guard. As mentioned above, Robert and Cersei have three children: Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen.
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Sigil: A roaring lion, gold on crimson
Motto: “Hear me Roar!” (Though many believe it is actually “A Lannister Always Pays his Debts”)
Seat: Casterly Rock
Even if you have not had a chance to read the books, I hope this information is helpful in understanding the goings-on in House of the Dragon and the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. I have much admiration for world-building at this level, and I hope there is more to read in the near future!
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Source: A Wiki of Ice and Fire, A Wiki of Ice and Fire, A Wiki of Ice and Fire, A Wiki of Ice and Fire,
Martin, George R. R. A Game of Thrones. Bantam Books, 1996.
Martin, George R. R., Elio M. García Jr., and Linda Antonsson. The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones. Bantam Books, 2014.
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