Here's when House of the Dragon is set in the Game of Thrones timeline. While Game of Thrones ended in 2019 amid severe backlash from viewers, it wasn't the last audiences would be seeing of Westeros. HBO has big plans for the sprawling universe, with several Game of Thrones spinoffs in development, and first up will be House of the Dragon.

Set for release at some point in 2022, House of the Dragon will focus on House Targaryen, building toward the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, which split not only the family but the entire realm into two warring factions: the greens and the blacks. Starring the likes of Paddy Considine as King Viserys I Targaryen, Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, and Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, the show will introduce a new wave of characters in a story that takes place long before the events of Game of Thrones.

The Game of Thrones timeline is based around Aegon I Targaryen's conquest of Westeros, with events placed either before Aegon's Conquest (BC) or after Aegon's Conquest (AC). The story of Game of Thrones began in 298 AC and ended in 305 AC. The prequel's place in the timeline is much earlier: the Dance of the Dragons occurred between 129 - 131 AC. The first trailer for House of the Dragon confirms the series is set 200 years before Game of Thrones. The series won't immediately begin with the Dance of the Dragons — rather, it will build towards this explosive civil war over the course of the first two seasons, setting the stage for the political conflicts and alliances to come. What's more, the teaser trailer revealed more than the adult main characters, hinting that the backstory will take detours even farther back into the past. Namely, House of the Dragon will likely showcase the relationship between a younger Rhaenyra and Alicent, both of whom have two actors portraying them in season 1.


The casting of younger versions of Alicent and Rhaenyra suggests House of the Dragon will depict part of King Viserys' earlier days as king. It's his death and the spiraling events thereafter between his family members that lead to the Dance of the Dragons, but he was crowned King in 103 AC. So while the prequel series is primarily set 200 years before Game of Thrones, showing what happened decades prior to the series' present reveals that House of the Dragon will indeed show Viserys' time as ruler, at various points throughout his rule given the castings. To that end, Viserys could be the Ned Stark of House of the Dragon, with his death ultimately sparking the already swirling conflict in his household.

It's possible the show will start around 120 AC. Also known as the Year of the Red Spring, this was a momentous one in Viserys' time as King, including the deaths of Rhaenyra's husband, Laenor Velaryon, and the Hand of the King, Lyonel Strong. These events would help lead to the Dance of the Dragons, so could be a good starting point. Alternatively, it could pick up around 128 AC, in the last year of the King's life, allowing him to die at the end of season 1 to kick the war into motion. Either way, House of the Dragon will be taking place in a Westeros quite unfamiliar to Game of Thrones viewers. While many of the customs were established by the Targaryen dynasty, there's never been a chance to see what that actually looked like in action.