A timeline of all the major events in 'House of the Dragon' shows how old the characters are
Kim Renfro
- HBO's "House of the Dragon" begins with a prologue set in 101 A.C. (After Conquest).
- We break down how the show proceeds from there, jumping to 14-year-old Rhaenyra at court.
*97 A.C. — The future Queen Aemma gives birth to Rhaenyra Targaryen.
In Martin's books, Rhaenyra's birth year is 97 A.C., and we're pretty sure "House of the Dragon" stuck with this year to establish her as 14 years old during the opening of the show.
Rhaenyra was the only child of Aemma and Viserys' who lived. Her mother continued trying to have children but experienced either a miscarriage or stillbirth with every subsequent pregnancy.
101 A.C. — Old King Jaehaerys calls a Great Council to decide who will inherit the Iron Throne.
In the cold open of "House of the Dragon," we hear Princess Rhaenyra (voiced in this scene by actor Emma D'Arcy) explain the preluding events to her direct family's rule over Westeros.
She explains that King Jaehaerys had ruled for 60 years — overseeing peace in the realm — but his own oldest trueborn sons, Aemon and Baelon, had died tragically in the past decade. That left him with no direct heirs.
The two most prominent candidates for succeeding King Jaehaerys on the Iron Throne were his grandchildren, Viserys and Rhaenys.
"Jaheherys called the Great Council to prevent a war from being fought over his succession, for he knew the cold truth: The only thing that could tear down the House of the Dragon was itself," Rhaenyra's voiceover said.
The council voted and chose Viserys (who was the son of Baelon — the younger son of Jaehaerys) as heir to the throne.
*101 A.C. — Shortly after Viserys is named heir, Aemma experiences a still birth.
The show doesn't make it clear which child Aemma is pregnant with during the scene where her husband Viserys is chosen as heir to the Iron Throne. But we do know that when the show jumps forward about a decade, she says she had experienced five pregnancy losses in the last 10 years.
103 A.C. — Jaehaerys dies, and his grandson Viserys becomes King.
In "Fire and Blood," King Jaehaerys dies in 103 A.C., just two years after he called the council to select an heir.
King Viserys is crowned and he ascends the Iron Throne that same year. The pressure is on for him to produce a new heir, given that his only child is a 5-year-old girl.
*112 A.C. — Queen Aemma dies during childbirth, and her baby Baelon dies the same day.
After the opening sequence of the "House of the Dragon" pilot, the show tells us that we've jumped ahead in time to nine years after King Viserys' coronation.
That means Aemma's death and Viserys' ceremonial confirmation of Rhaenyra as his named heir both take place around 112 A.C.
"House of the Dragon" stars Milly Alcock and Emily Carey (who play young Rhaenyra and Alicent, respectively) told Insider that both of their characters are 14 years old in the opening episode of the series, which tracks with them each being born in the late first-century A.C.
*113 A.C. — Six months after Aemma's death, King Viserys decided to remarry.
When Alicent was about 14 or 15 years old, King Viserys chose her as his second wife.
The Small Council had been pushing Viserys for a betrothal to his young second cousin — the daughter of Princess Rhaenys and Lord Corlys Velaryon. Laena Velaryon was an 12-year-old girl who hadn't started puberty at the time.
Viserys decided his daughter's best friend — and the young girl who had been keeping him company in his grief after his wife's death — was the better match.
We'll update this timeline with the next jump forward in time in next week's "House of the Dragon" episode, which airs Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.
For more on the new series, read our breakdown of the best 14 details you might have missed in the premiere.
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