House of the Dragon: What year does the HBO drama take place? Timeline of the GOT prequel, explored

House of the Dragon takes place roughly 165-200 years before Game of Thrones, in a period when the Targaryens are riding high. The HBO series adopts the AC terminology for “After Conquest” and BC for “Before the Conquest” to be able to distinctly feature timelines. Season 1 of House of the Dragons is slower to develop and takes place over a number of years, for almost a decade, outlining the political events, betrayals, and alliances that led to the ultimate war.

Thus, it can be stated that the Dance of the Dragon occurred between 129-131 AC, as Season 2 depicts. This would place Season 1 somewhere within the timeline of 101 AC to 130 AC. This show takes viewers to a time when the Targareyens ruled, and the Stark, Lannister, and Baratheon stories were yet to be told.

Read on for all the details on the exact timeline of the GOT prequel, House of the Dragon.

House of the Dragon: What year does the HBO drama take place?

As mentioned, House of the Dragon takes place 175-200 years before the events we see in Game of Thrones, when the Targaryens are destroyed, and the ultimate fight for the throne takes place. The timeline is divided into two eras: Before (BC) and After (AC) the Conquest.

Season 1 covers a tremendous span of time, about 28 years in the story. It starts in 101 AC with the Great Council of Harrenhal, in which Viserys is elected as successor to King Jaehaerys I. Following the death of Jaehaerys in 103 AC, Viserys sits on the Iron Throne.

The season then makes numerous time jumps, including a jump to 112 AC, when Princess Rhaenyra, then a teen, is reasserted as Viserys’ heir during rising political unrest.

The biggest jump is between Episode 5 and 6, a decade leap to follow the next generation of Targaryens, Hightowers, and Velaryons. By the end of Season 1, the timeline ends at 129 AC, with Viserys dead, Rhaenyra and Alicent are at each other’s throats, and both sides are getting ready for war. This finale is when the Dance of the Dragons happens.

Here is when season 2 of House of the Dragons, per the Westeros timeline

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By the end of Season 1, by the final episode, King Viserys is dead, Aegon II has been crowned in secret, Rhaenyra is declared queen by her supporters, and the last moments (Luke’s death at Storm’s End) serve as the spark that officially ignites the war. Season 2 is set during the Dance of the Dragons itself, and spans from shortly after 129 AC into 130 AC. It exhibits the war taking place and therefore deals with a much narrower timespan. The style of play becomes less about political games and more about active war, including dragon warfare.

Therefore, we can say that the first season builds the tension and explores how the political games, the betrayals, corruption, and alliances impacted the events in Season 2. It is decades of simmering tension that lead to the ultimate war, Season 2 is about.

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