House Of The Dragon Timeline Confirmed & Explained

Includes SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 1

Summary

• House of the Dragon explores the civil war within House Targaryen known as the Dance of the Dragons.
• The timeline spans nearly 3 decades, with significant time jumps & recastings between episodes.
• House of the Dragon season 2 will have a straightforward timeline with no more time jumps.

The House of the Dragon timeline is considerably more expansive than Game of Thrones. House of the Dragon centers on the civil war within House Targaryen, known as the Dance of the Dragons. At the root of the Targaryens’ enmity is the matter of who will succeed King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) and sit the Iron Throne. In defiance of patriarchal custom, Viserys named his only daughter, Rhaenrya Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), as his successor. But several factions within House Targaryen take issue with this, including her former childhood friend, Lady Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke).

The calendar of Westeros in Game of Thrones and the House of the Dragon timeline is determined by a pivotal event — the Conquest of Aegon Targaryen, who united the Seven Kingdoms and established House Targaryen’s history in Westeros. AC means After the Conquest, and BC means Before the Conquest. The events of House of the Dragon take place about 100 years AC, with The Dance of the Dragons happening in 129-131 AC. House of the Dragon explores nearly 3 decades of crucial Targaryen history, setting the stage for the world later on in Game of Thrones.

How Many Years House Of The Dragon Season 1’s Timeline Covered

The Game Of Thrones Prequel Will Cover Almost Three Decades

George R.R. Martin stated that the House of the Dragon timeline will span about 28 years leading up to the start of the Dance of the Dragons in 129 AC. This tracks with House of the Dragon‘s premiere episode beginning in 101 AC during the Great Council that named Viserys as King Jaehaerys’ successor, and the final episode of season 1, which ends in 129 AC. The Old King dies in 103 AC, and Viserys ascends the Iron Throne soon after.

House of the Dragon
then jumps to the ninth year of King Viserys’ reign, circa 112 AC.

House of the Dragon then jumps to the ninth year of King Viserys’ reign, circa 112 AC. At that point, Viserys’ beloved daughter and his named heir to the Iron Throne, Princess Rhaenyra, is about 15 years old (and played by Milly Alcock). By the end of the season, Rhaenyra (now played by Emma D’Arcy) is around 32 years old. The vast majority of season 1 takes place in the span of those 17 years, with three major time jumps in between.

House Of The Dragon Season 1’s Time Jumps Explained

House Of The Dragon Fastforwarded A Decade Into The Future Mid-Season 1

The question of what year is House of the Dragon set in became very tricky, which saw a few significant time jumps. There were three years between episodes 2 & 3, ten years between episodes 5 & 6, and six more years between episodes 7 & 8. House of the Dragon season 1 covered such an expanse of time that multiple recastings happened between episodes, seeing younger and older Targaryens, Hightowers, and Velaryons. Despite season 1 featuring three time jumps, the biggest one occurred between episode 5, “We Light the Way,” and episode 6, “The Princess and the Queen.”

The purpose of this time jump was to bring Rhaenyra and Alicent’s children into the mix, who played a monumental role in the upcoming Targaryen Civil War.

For the first five episodes, audiences got to know Milly Alcock as Princess Rhaenyra and Emily Carey as Queen Alicent Hightower. However, House of the Dragon season 1, episode 6 shoots audiences 10 years into the future, seeing Rhaenyra played by Emma D’Arcy and Alicent portrayed by Olivia Cooke. The purpose of this time jump was to bring Rhaenyra and Alicent’s children into the mix, who played a monumental role in the upcoming Targaryen Civil War.

House of the Dragon episode 6 picks up with Rhaenyra birthing her third child, Joffrey, though it’s made clear that none of her children are biologically Laenor’s, but rather Ser Harwin Strong’s. This is one of the many catalysts behind Alicent’s son Aegon II contesting Rhaenyra’s claim for the throne on his mother’s behalf. The major House of the Dragon timeline jump also occurs to show how Rhaenyra and Alicent’s feud has passed down to their children.

House Of The Dragon Season 2’s Timeline: How Long After Season 1 & How Much Time Will It Cover?

House Of The Dragon Season 2 Will Have A Much More Straightforward Timeline

The House of the Dragon timeline was quite confusing for some viewers in season 1. This has left many wondering if House of the Dragon season 2 will follow the same path, with gaps of multiple years between certain episodes. Fortunately, it’s been confirmed by showrunner Ryan Condal that there will be no time jumps in House of the Dragon season 2. Speaking to Deadline in 2022, Condal was candid about how confusing the time-jumps were for the show, and assured viewers that the recasts were well and truly done with:

“I will say, as a reward to our wonderful audience for following us through all the time jumps and recasts, they are done. We tell the story in real time from here forward. The actors are playing these characters until the end. We’re not recasting anybody. We’re not making any huge jumps forward in time. We are now in the Dance of the Dragons, and we’re gonna tell that story.”

This will be a relief for many viewers, who found the House of the Dragon timeline somewhat confusing to follow compared to Game of Thrones. The fact that the time jumps are done makes sense, too. The decision not to include them isn’t to do with any kind of backlash, but because the skip of a decade in season 1 served a purpose. Rhaenyra’s children play a key part in the Dance of the Dragons, and the show couldn’t tell the story cohesively without them. Season 2 picks up just days after the House of the Dragon season 1 ending and the rest of the series will progress fluidly.

How Long Before Game of Thrones’ Timeline House of the Dragon Is Set

The Prequel Takes Place Almost Two Centuries Before Game Of Thrones

Game of Thrones begins in 298 AC, a few years before Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) makes her bid to claim the Iron Throne. Therefore, Game of Thrones is set about 197 years after when House of the Dragon begins in 101 AC and 167 years after the end of the Dance of the Dragons in 131 AC. House of the Dragon also begins by establishing the 9th year of King Viserys’ reign, 112 AC, is 172 years before the death of Mad King Aerys and the birth of his daughter, Daenerys Targaryen.

That being said, the Targaryen’s prophetic visions (such as Aegon’s White Walker dream) have already established a link of sorts between House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. Seeing as HBO is planning to continue expanding the Game of Thrones universe with more spinoffs, it makes sense for them to create some formal continuity between the shows. Game of Thrones will always be the parent show and the most important story in George R.R. Martin’s universe, with prequels like House of the Dragon establishing its background context.