Summary
House of the Dragonis a prequel toGame of Thronesand covers events approximately 200 years before the original. The realm in the latter experiences major changes, such as political upheavals, rebellions, a new ruling House on the Iron Throne, the rise of Noble Houses, and the lapse of Great, to name a few.
It should be noted that the focus of the two HBO shows is entirely different, in that,House of the Dragoncovers kin warfare, and Targaryen rule in the Seven Kingdoms, whileGame of Thronescovers events after the Targaryens have been ousted and the realm is fractured between Noble families who wage a war against each other, and in the end unite to face the threat arising from the North. What is common in bothThronesandHouse of the Dragonare the wider repercussions that wars have on families that make up the realm. House Arryn, Baratheon, Stark, Lannister, and Targaryen are seen in both, but these so far are missing from the prequel.
6House Tully Of Riverrun
The Riverlands Are Essential To The Blacks
House Tully, which rules the Riverlands, is a key player inGame of Thrones, as Catelyn Stark and Lysa Arryn are the daughters of the Lord of Riverrun, Hoster Tully. Their marriages ally the Tullys with two Great Houses, and they bolster the rebel faction in Robert’s Rebellion. During the War of the Five Kings, the Tullys suffer by declaring for the King in the North, Robb Stark. Hoster’s son, Edmure, is held hostage in the events of the Red Wedding, and the Tullys are stripped of their lands and titles.Edmure’s uncle - Ser Brynden the Blackfish, reforms the Tully army and retakes Riverrun from the treacherous Freys. He lays down his life in the Second Siege of Riverrun against the Freys and the Lannister forces. At the end ofThrones, the Lannisters are gone, Arya Starks wipes out House Frey, and Edmure rules as Lord of Riverrun.
By contrast, inHouse of the Dragon, Lord Grover Tully’s name comes up when the Blacks deliberate the question of war. Rhaenyra’s Maester Gerardys tells her:
Riverrun was always a close friend to your father, Your Grace. With Prince Daemon’s acquiescence, I’ve already sent ravens to Lord Grover.
Rhaenyra replies that Lord Grover is a fickle-minded person who could break the very oath he swore in front of her father - King Viserys. Daemon adds,“I am going to treat with him myself.”
5House Tyrell Of Highgarden
The Reach Is Divided But House Tyrell Remains Neutral
House Tyrell rules over the Reachand it comes into prominence inGame of Throneswhen Ser Loras Tyrell joins the Lannisters against Stannis Baratheon in the Battle of the Blackwater. As a reward, Lady Margaery Tyrell is betrothed to Cersei’s eldest, King Joffrey I Baratheon. The wedding feast marks an end to Joffrey’s life and later, Margaery marries Joffrey’s younger brother, Tommen. House Tyrell, which rose in the aftermath of Field of Fire, crumbles at the end of the War of the Five Kings. Cersei has Margaery, Loras, and Mace Tyrell killed by Wildfire in the Great Sept of Baelor, while Jaime Lannister sacks Highgarden for siding with Daenerys Targaryen in the Last War.
Towards the end ofHouse of the Dragon, Alicent Hightower’s father, Otto, counts the Tyrells as the Greens' allies at the council:
Let Ravens be sent to our allies, Riverrun and Highgarden.
That being said, lore says that Lord Lyonel Tyrell’s regents decide that Highgarden has no good reason to get involved in the Dance of the Dragons, and remain neutral while their bannermen are split between the Greens and the Blacks.
4House Martell Of Sunspear
Pursues Isolationism
InGame of Thrones, House Martell rules over Dorne and resents the Lannisters because of the brutal treatment meted out to Elia Martell and her children during the Sack of King’s Landing at the end of Robert’s Rebellion. InThrones, Oberyn Martell fought and died at the hands of a man - Gregor Clegane - a Lannister loyalist who’d killed his sister, Elia, and her children. While Cersei fosters her daughter Myrcella Baratheon at Dorne during the War of the Five Kings, she is given the kiss of death by Oberyn’s paramour, Ellaria Sand, and returns home dead. House Martell also sides with House Targaryen against Cersei but meets a terrible end, thanks to Euron’s Greyjoy’s ambush.
The Martells remain aloof in the Dance of the Dragons, and as such, take no part in the politicking and warfare.Game of Throneslore says that Prince Qoren refuses to side with Otto and the Greens, and responds with,“Dorne has danced with dragons before. I would sooner sleep with scorpions.”
3House Greyjoy Of Pyke
Yet To Be Seen In House of the Dragon
The Greyjoys are no friends to the Iron Throne and continually seek independence. Soon after Robert’s reign begins, the Greyjoy Rebellion against the crown is crushed. As seen inGame of Thrones, Ned Stark brings Balon Greyjoy’s heir, Theon, as a ward to Winterfell.Balon, one of the Five Kings in the War of the Five Kings, redeclares the independence of the Iron Islands during the tumultuous period in the realm.
More Greyjoys enter the picture inThrones, but so far, House Greyjoy hasn’t made an appearance inHouse of the Dragon. That said, Lord Dalton Greyjoy ruled the Iron Islands during the Dance, and he sides with Rhaenyra’s faction in lore.
2House Frey Of The Twins
No Major Appearance So Far
House Frey plays a key role in decimating Robb Stark’s host at the Twins inthe Red Wedding massacre. Later, Arya Stark strikes back and kills Lothar and Black Walder and has them cooked into a pie. She serves this pie to the Freys' father, Lord Walder, and proceeds to slit his throat.
House Frey cannot be trusted inThrones, and a Lord named Forrest Frey arrives at Storm’s End and lines up among other men from the realm to ask for Rhaenyra’s hand in marriage. The Freys side with the Blacks during the Dance, and Forrest Frey lays down his life fighting against the Westermen in the Battle by the Lakeshore.
1Northern Houses
House Bolton And House Mormont Are Missing From House of the Dragon
A few Northern Houses such as the Boltons and Mormonts, both of which were sworn to the Starks of Winterfell, are missing fromHouse of the Dragon. But that is understandable, as the North isn’t a seat of action in the Dance.
The Boltons conspired against House Stark during the War of the Five Kings and got to rule over the North before Jon Snow and the Knights of the Vale wiped them out inthe Battle of the Bastards. House Mormont sided with House Stark and Lyanna and Jorah Mormont died fighting the Dead in the Battle of Winterfell.
