Key Events That Happened Before 'Game of Thrones' Even Started
Robert Had A Rebellion Of His Own
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- Courtesy of HBO
Robert's Rebellion is probably the most pressing matter facing the world of Westeros when the first book in the series, A Game of Thrones, begins. The rebellion happened for a couple of reasons:
1. The Targaryen crown prince, Rhaegar, kidnapped (or perhaps, ran away with) Robert Baratheon's betrothed, Lyanna Stark, which peeved the North, the Stormlands, and fans of not-kidnapping-people everywhere.2. The reigning king, Aerys II Targaryen, had gone quite mad and developed a sick affinity for fire and burning people. He was teetering on the edge of civil war with his own son Rhaegar, the region of Dorne, and several other paranoid fantasies of his own.
The war was won by the rebel forces, which had some important consequences:
1. Rhaegar died.
2. King Aerys II Targaryen died.
3. Lord Rickard Stark and his son, Brandon, died, making Ned Stark the new Lord of Winterfell.
4. Robert Baratheon didn't die. He became the first non-Targaryen king in nearly three centuries.
5. Jon Arryn became Hand of the King.
6. The Lannisters sacked King's Landing, smashed the infant Targaryen heirs, and expected to be rewarded with the Handship.
7. The Lannisters didn't get the Handship, but they got to marry their oldest daughter, Cersei, to Robert instead.- Photo:
The Wall Was Built To Keep Out Frozen Death
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- Courtesy of HBO
When you crack open a book or start the show, the first thing you're going to learn about is the Wall. A 300-mile-long preventative measure, the Wall was built 8,000 years before A Song of Ice and Fire. It separates the pleasant and habitable southern half of Westeros from the hellish northern tundra where the wildlings are, as well as the White Walkers.
The Wall is more than just a giant wall of ice, however. It was also warded, meaning that magic was embedded in the Wall to repel White Walkers.
It also separates the normal folk from spooky supernatural monster sh*t, but when the story begins, that is all taken for granted. Since Westeros hasn't seen the "Others" (aka, the White Walkers) and their army of undead wights for several generations, they've practically been forgotten.
Attacks by the Walkers seem to coincide with Westeros's ridiculously slow-progressing seasons and now, at last, "winter is coming," so... it's kind of a problem that the Wall is now understaffed, under-equipped, and under-provisioned. It's also manned exclusively by criminals, bastards, and other undesirables.
Oh, and Bran has been marked by the Night King, which could very possibly unward the Wall and invite the undead army right into the south and from there, the rest of the world. There's a very good chance that Bran will be a part of bringing down the Wall or at least a piece of it.- Photo:
Lyanna Stark Was "Kidnapped" By Rhaegar Targaryen
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- Helen Sloan/Courtesy of HBO
During the reign of Aerys II Targaryen, Lyanna Stark was betrothed to Robert Baratheon. She was kidnapped by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen - which, depending on whom you ask, was either very romantic or very rapey. It should be noted that Rhaegar was already married at the time. Lyanna's father, Rickard, and older brother, Brandon, were executed without trial in a horrible, torturous way by the Mad King after they tried to rescue her. This ignited Robert's Rebellion.
Lyanna died in Dorne in the Tower of Joy after making her brother Eddard swear a secret promise. We now know from the Season 7 finale that Lyanna made Ned promise to keep her son's identity a secret. Why? Because he is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen, Robert's sworn enemy—not to mention the true heir to the Iron Throne. She made Ned swear to protect the baby, named Aegon Targaryen, because Robert would have had him murdered.- Photo:
The Children Of The Forest Created The White Walkers
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- Courtesy of HBO
The books are getting there, but Game of Thrones revealed that the Children created the White Walkers to fight the First Men by sacrificing a First Man at their ancient weirwood tree beyond what is now the Wall. They ran a dragonglass dagger into his heart and created an unstoppable monster. Well, sh*t.
Leaf and the Children turned to Bran for help to defeat the nuclear bomb of death they had created in their weirwood lab. He’s going to need all of the able-bodied heroes the world can provide because his rogue warging has already done some damage. The Night King was able to mark him.- Photo:
Azor Ahai Ended The Long Night Once Before
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Ask any follower of R’hllor and you’ll get the lowdown on Azor Ahai. He was the hero that brought about the generation-spanning Long Night, occurring during the Age of Heroes around 8,000 years before Aegon’s Conquest. If you got Old Nan wound up, she’d tell you of the never-ending darkness where the cold killed kings in their castles and mothers killed their children to end their suffering as the Others rode upon their dead horses killing everyone in their frosty wake.
Wielding his sword Lightbringer (forged through the heart of his beloved wife Nissa Nissa), Azor Ahai lead brave men and women to fight the Others and drive them back to the Land of Always Winter. A second coming of the Long Night is nigh, so this needs yet another Azor Ahai. Many speculate that the role will fall to Jon Snow with the help of his aunt Daenerys. Others speculate that the hero will be Dany. Aegon Targaryen thought HE was the guy. In any case, a happy ending is not guaranteed as the prophecy states that if the hero fails, the world ends. Womp womp.
This explains the obsession the followers of the Lord of Light have with finding the one true Azor Ahai. He or she is also known by other names in other cultures such as Yin Tar, Neferion, Eldric Shadowchaser, Hyrkoon the Hero, and Help! Come Save Me! A Wight Is Eating My Face!- Photo:
Elia Martell And Rhaegar Targaryen Had A Challenging Marriage
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Elia Martell (sister of Oberyn) was a Dornish princess who married the Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. They had two children before her womb stopped working. When Rhaegar won a tournament at Harrenhal, he chose Lyanna Stark as the Queen of Love and Beauty instead of his own wife.
During the sack of King's Landing, Elia Martell was raped and murdered by the Mountain, Gregor Clegane. He also smashed her babies (Rhaenys and Aegon).
The Dornish were already suspicious of the Iron Throne and craving their independence. After Elia's unhappy life, they really hate being ruled by King's Landing.- Photo:
Lord Varys And Magister Illyrio Teamed Up
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You might not understand what Varys and Illyrio are trying to do at any given time (or ever), but it's important to understand that they are buddies. Really good buddies.
Here's another thing they have in common: they were both born as commoners. Illyrio was a common Braavosi sellsword who became the Magister of Pentos. Varys was a castrated street urchin who became the crime lord of Pentos (with Illyrio's help) and then spymaster of Westeros.They revel in their ability to clandestinely control noble houses.
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Aegon The Conqueror Did His Conquering
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Before they devolved into infighting and insanity, the white-haired and purple-eyed Targaryens were the most powerful house in Westeros. They owed that status to Aegon I Targaryen and his two sisters/wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, who united six of the seven existing kingdoms (Dorne just wouldn't cooperate). They used dragons to make all the other kings "bend the knee." The year of Aegon's conquest is Year Zero as far as the Westerosi calendar is concerned.
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The Doom Of Valyria Went Down
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The Valyrian Freehold was a sprawling empire, and at its apex, it covered nearly the entire continent of Essos. It was technologically advanced and knew the ways of sorcery and dragon taming.
About a century before the Targaryens conquered Westeros, however, a mysterious cataclysm struck Valyria and broke it into a series of smoked-out islands. The freehold was lost, and with it, the method for forging Valyrian steel and creating armies of tame dragons.
The Targaryen family fled before the Doom thanks to a precognitive vision experienced by one of their youngsters. They founded a new seat at Dragonstone and launched their whole conquering project from there.- Photo:
Aerys II Targaryen Went Mad
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There were many reasons that Aerys II Targaryen became known as "The Mad King." To break it down chronologically:
1. So much inbreeding.
2. He was naturally cruel and flighty. He would announce preposterously ambitious directives, start the kingdom working on them, and then abandon them.
3. His sister/wife Rhaella suffered an obscene number of miscarriages and infant deaths. Only three of his many children survived, leaving him suspicious, jealous, and threatened.
4. He felt jealous and threatened by his exceedingly efficient Hand, Tywin Lannister.
5. He felt jealous and threatened by his charismatic and athletic son, Prince Rhaegar.
6. He was a really lousy king.
7. He really liked burning people.- Photo:
Tywin Lannister Sacked King's Landing
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At the close of Robert's Rebellion, after the Battle of the Trident took his champion and son, King Aerys II Targaryen opened his gates to Tywin Lannister and his army, despite warnings from Jaime and Varys. But the Mad King listened to Grand Maester Pycelle and opened the gates anyway.
That turned out to be bad idea, because Tywin sacked the city. Amidst the chaos, Aerys had a couple of even worse ideas. He ordered the Lord Commander of his Kingsguard, Jaime Lannister, to behead his own father (Tywin). He also ordered his pyromancers to use wildfire (planted throughout King's Landing) to burn the city and everyone in it.
Faced with some tough decisions, Jaime killed King Aerys and his pyromancers instead. He broke his vow to protect the king, but also saved thousands of lives. Sadly for Jaime, not everybody comprehends why he slayed the king. When he entered King's Landing, Eddard Stark found Jaime presumptuously seated on the Iron Throne, and he never seemed to forgive the faux pas.
Meanwhile, Gregor Clegane was busy raping women and also smashing the Targaryen babies (who were also half-Dornish). The whole event was upsetting to many great houses.- Photo:
Jorah Mormont Was Forced To Flee Westeros
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House Mormont of Bear Island has a weird history, and since Ser Jorah has toughed out six seasons (so far), you're going to want to know more about it.
Lord Jeor Mormont deserves a "#1 Dad" mug, because he left Bear Island to become Lord Commander of the Wall, which is a crappy, crappy job. He did it so his son Jorah could be the Lord of Bear Island. After winning some serious military and tournament acclaim, Jorah married above his station and found himself slaving to pay the bills. When caught, he fled Westeros.
That's why we find him bouncing around Essos, leaving House Mormont in the hands of his Stannis-sympathizing Aunt Maege (aka the She-Bear). In the show, we learn that Maege is killed fighting for Robb Stark; her oldest daughter Dacey was killed at the Red Wedding. House Mormont rule falls to Maege's youngest daughter, 10-year-old Lyanna Mormont, who despite having lost so much to the Starks, remains loyal to them. She declares Jon Snow the King in the North- Photo:
Robert Baratheon Had Multiple Bastards
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If you've watched Season One of Game of Thrones, you know that Robert Baratheon loved sex. It didn't matter if he was married or unmarried, king or not king, Robert was an expert at making babies... especially bastards (exclusively, in fact). While the show focuses on one bastard, Gendry, and treats him like the last and only surviving Baratheon bastard, the books have a few more and they're not unimportant characters. Mya Stone is in charge of transportation in and out of the Aerie. Edric Storm is hidden in Essos but would make an excellent figurehead for an invasion of Westeros.
All the scenes in Game of Thrones where Gendry interacts with Stannis, Melisandre, and Davos are actually scenes that happened to Edric in the books.- Photo:
Multiple Religions Were Established
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There are three main religions in the ASoIAF universe, with other belief systems that pop up in different areas as well:
Followers of "The Seven" worship seven godly aspects of a higher power. Their clergy are called Septas and Septons, who live in a Sept. This is a popular religion in Westeros, at least south of Winterfell.
Followers of R'hollor worship a singular fire God. They love burning things (and people) and believe in magic, resurrection, and precognitive visions. This is popular across the Narrow Sea. Their clergy are called priests and priestesses and they say, "The night is dark and full of terrors."
Followers of the Old Gods are pagan(ish) nature worshippers. The Children of the Forest worshipped these gods way before the First Men arrived. They worship specific trees, called weirwoods, and carve faces in them. The trees grow in a godswood which is where followers go to pray. When the men began cutting down the Children's trees, the CotF fought back and created the first White Walker to help win the war against men.
The wildlings north of the Wall have their own versions of Old God worship. Essos has lots of religions, including worship of the Many-Faced God. The Iron Islands worship the Drowned God, who might be the wackiest of them all. What is weird may never die.- Photo:
The Dance Of Dragons Was Danced
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Centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones (the first book in the ASoIAF series), King Viserys I Targaryen fathered children with two different queens. That's pretty much asking for civil war.
His daughter and chosen heir, Rhaenyra, expected to be queen, but was opposed by his second wife, Alicent, and sexist precedents. This was mirrored by the later conflict between Cersei Lannister and Margaery Tyrell, except this conflict had armies and real live dragons.
It was a near-fatal blow to the dragon population, and demonstrated how fragile and confusing the Targaryen bloodline could get. Several civil wars followed, as did the near-extinction of dragons.- Photo:
Military Growth Became Incredibly Important
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Whether you're in Essos or Westeros, rich or poor, noble or common, the best way to grab and maintain power is to have an army. But that means two very different things in Westeros and Essos.
In Westeros, armies are constructed with fealty. The king and his high council rule over all the highest lords who rule over the smaller lords who rule over the itty-bitty lords who rule over their common folk. So depending on geography and history, everybody owes their allegiance up the command tree. In times of instability, people revert to the lord to whom they feel the deepest ties.
In Essos, things are more economically motivated, but just as violent. You can buy an army, like the highly trained but genitally bereft Unsullied - that's top shelf. You can also rent an army. These are called the Free Companies. They're basically big gangs of unruly dudes with a taste for war who will join up with the highest bidder. Too cheap for that? Slavery is legal in many parts of Essos, so just enslave your populace and make them fight. Need a navy? Sign up some pirates and hope for the best. Then there are hedge knights and sellswords, which are pretty much nice names for "violent, unemployed, solo drifters." If you like high-risk investments, you can try to ally with the Dothraki horselords, a massive nomadic tribe that can conquer continents, but they are very difficult to control.- Photo:
Balon Greyjoy Conducted A Rebellion
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After all the upheaval of Robert's Rebellion, the seafaring Iron Islanders couldn't sit back and let the realm enjoy a little peace. Balon Greyjoy declared himself king and started attacking the mainland. The insurrection was smashed by Robert's forces, which is why his son, Theon, was raised as a hostage/ward of Winterfell.
The Siege of Pyke that ended the rebellion is where Jorah Mormont earned his knighthood. It's also why Balon has so few heirs left. His brothers Aeron, Euron, and Victarion, however, were away from home.
Euron showed up and pulled a kingsmoot, supplanting his nephew and niece Yara and Theon. He's headed for a clash with Dany as his kin have aligned themselves with the Targaryen of many titles and would-be ruler of Westeros.- Photo:
Essos Became An Important Continent
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When you first get deep into Game of Thrones, you might feel like the entire story-world is comprised of Westeros, but Essos is actually the larger continent, with a less brutal climate and an older, more sophisticated culture.
It's nearly too much to summarize, but to very broadly break down the contrast in attitudes, Westeros is a lot like Camelot, with its knights, courts, and noble houses. Essos has more of a Conan the Barbarian situation going on, with its nomadic cultures, bustling slave trade, and a larger population spread over a much bigger surface area.
Not much is known about the Shadow Lands, the region beyond Asshai where Dany's dragon eggs came from.
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Jon Connington Didn't Really Die
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"Who the hell is Jon Connington?" is what you're saying right now if you only watch the show. He was the third Hand of the King under Aerys II Targaryen (aka "The Mad King"), who went into exile after failing to prevent Robert's Rebellion. He was assumed to have died, but he didn't!
In fact, he's been posing as a sellsword in Essos and raising a boy who he claims is the true Targaryen heir (Aegon, the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell). That seems important. The show will have to catch up or find a way to skip over this controversial storyline.- Photo:
The Blackfyre Rebellions Took Place
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King Aegon IV Targaryen had some legitimate sons and some not-so-legitimate sons, but he gave his legendary sword, Blackfyre, to his favorite bastard, Daemon. Then, on his deathbed, he legitimized all of his bastards, sparking controversy about his intentions regarding succession.
Daemon led the first of four unsuccessful Blackfyre rebellions as the sword was passed down the bastard side of the Targaryen tree until the whole male line was killed. Ser Duncan the Tall and Ser Barristan Selmy made themselves royal favorites by killing various Blackfyre figureheads.
Though the Targaryen line has withered to the point where Danaerys is the last (known) survivor, no one knows how much "blood of old Valyria" might be running through the veins of clandestine Blackfyre bastards.- Photo:
Jon Arryn Was Dead As A Doornail Before We Ever Met Him
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Jon Arryn was a good man whose big mistake was marrying cray cray Lysa. As Hand of the King, he brokered peace with Dorne, kept Robert from sending assassins after Viserys and Dany, and tried to keep the realm together in general. When he learned of Jaime and Cersei’s incest and the resulting three children from that union, Jon Arryn suddenly dies.
We later learn that Littlefinger asks Lysa to poison Arryn with the tears of Lys so they could finally be together. He also makes her so paranoid about her own safety and that of her son that she flees to the Eyrie. Lysa writes a letter to Catelyn telling her that the Lannisters killed Jon Arryn, setting the stage for a Stark-Lannister showdown and maintaining Littlefinger’s chance to rise within a corrupt ruling family rather than a Baratheon-Stark-Tully concern.- Photo:
Catelyn Tully And Brandon Stark Were Betrothed
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Just as Lyanna Stark was promised to Robert Baratheon before his rebellion, Catelyn Tully was set to marry Brandon Stark. When Rhaegar Targaryen kidnapped Lyanna, however, Brandon went with his father Rickard to execute a rescue. They got themselves executed instead. When Rickard demanded a trial by combat, the Mad King named "fire" as his champion. Brandon was thrown in chains and strangled himself trying to escape as he was forced to watch his father burn.
After all that, Catelyn married Eddard instead. They were married in a double ceremony with Caty's sister Lysa and Jon Arryn.
Catelyn was left to wonder how life would be different had she married the fiery Brandon instead of the dour Ned. The Tullys still have a weird hang-up about the switcheroo, but Ned and Cat got along pretty well considering they were united in a surprise re-arranged marriage.- Photo:
The Tragedy At Summerhall
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Around the year 259 CE, a massive fire broke out in the Targaryen castle of Summerhall. This tragedy led to the deaths of Aegon V Targaryen along with his son (and heir) Prince Duncan the Small. The mysterious fire is sometimes blamed on the Targaryens' attempt to bring back dragons and hatch their volatile eggs. Jon Snow's true father, Rhaegar Targaryen, was born on this day.
In Season 8 episode 2 of the series, Podrick sings a tune called "Jenny's Song," which refers to Dany's uncle (in the show he is Dany's uncle; in the books, he is Aery II's uncle). Jenny of Oldstones is the woman Duncan Targaryen marries. He was supposed to marry someone from House Baratheon for political reasons, but Duncan spited his family and gave up his succession to the throne. In the show, this is important because without this forfeit of the throne, Aery II would have never been on the Iron Throne, and Dany would not have as strong of a tie to the throne.
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Petyr Baelish Dueled With Brandon Stark
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You have to understand that young Catelyn Stark was one hot number. She was also the key to locking up friendship with the Riverlands and House Tully. That's why she was betrothed to Brandon Stark of Winterfell.
That didn't sit well with her father's ward, the technically-noble-son-of-one-of-the-dinkiest-lords-in-all-of-Westeros, Petyr Baelish. Petyr challenged Brandon to a duel and barely survived it.
His flame for Cat still burns, but it might not be half as prevalent as his bruises (to his ego and otherwise). He hates the Starks, views philanderers as easy marks, and gets overly attached to girls who look like Cat (like her daughter, Sansa Stark, but not her sister, Lysa Arryn, whom he unceremoniously tossed out the Moon Door at the Eyrie).- Photo:
Mance Rayder Defected To The Wildlings
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Mance Rayder is an interesting guy, and dead on TV, but you should still know about him and his legacy. He was born a wildling, but he was taken in by the Night's Watch. After a dispute over cloak colors (a slight simplification, but yes, really), he abandoned them to try to unite the wildling tribes. He was burned by Melisandre, but left behind an unnamed baby boy and his wife's sister, Val.
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The Vision Of House Tyrell
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The Tyrells were already powerful, but a royal marriage helped them to fulfill their house motto, “Growing Stronger.” With fertile land, the Tyrells feed the realm and have a large population to serve in the army and navy. But other houses directly descended from the former kings of Highgarden and the Reach have been rumbling over the years. House Tyrell needed a royal marriage to ensure their future.
In Season 6, Cersei blew up House Tyrell’s future when she had wildfire set off under the Sept of Baelor. Mace Tyrell and his children Ser Loras and Margaery (married to King Tommen) were killed. Lady Olenna, meanwhile, survived into Season 7 before her death via Lannister poison.- Photo:
Stannis Got All... Stannis-y
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There isn't a defining event that made Stannis so Stannis-y, but there are definitely a few things you might want to know.
With boisterous Robert and (literally and figuratively) gay Renly for brothers, Stannis was seen as the dour and brooding Baratheon boy.
He and Robert witnessed the death of their parents when their ship crashed in Shipbreaker Bay. This is when Stannis gave up on the religion of the Seven.Stannis's main job during Robert's Rebellion was defending their family seat, Storm's End, from a siege conducted by Lord Mace Tyrell of Highgarden. Thanks to Stannis's stubbornness and Ser Davos Seaworth's smuggling, the Stormlanders prevailed, and Stannis (personally) cut off Davos's fingers for smuggling.- Photo:
The Night's King Led The Night's Watch
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In the show, the Night King is the blue-eyed villain leading an army of undead soldiers. In the books, there is another character with a very similar name: the Night's King.
According to the books, the Night's King was the 13th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, around 8,000 years before the series timeline starts. This Commander allegedly fell in love with a "woman with blue eyes" over the wall, AKA a Walker. He married the woman and dubbed her the Night's Queen and gave himself the title of Night's King. He abandoned the Night's Watch.
Author George R.R. Martin was coy when creators of the Game of Thrones wiki asked if the two characters were connected in any way.
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The Andals Invade Westeros
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About 6,000 years before the events of Game of Thrones - and 6,000 years after the First Men made their way to Westeros - the Andals traveled from Essos to Westeros. The Andals were ready to colonize and take what they believe is rightfully theirs. The Andals and the First Men battle each other for territory, and eventually a truce is signed. The First Men stayed up in the North, and they continued to worship the forest gods just like the Children of the Forest. The Andals spread across the rest of Westeros, and established the Faith of the Seven.
At this point, the Children of the Forest seemingly disappear into myth.
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The Travels Of Dunk And Egg
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George R.R. Martin wrote a compilation of companion novellas titled Tales of Dunk and Egg which outline events that occurred 90 years before the Game of Thrones timeline. The stories follow Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Prince Aegon 'Egg' Targaryen. Egg grows up and becomes King Aegon V, AKA Aegon the Unlikely.
During this time, the Targaryns are struggling to keep their power, as the last of their dragons perished 50 years prior. As Dunk and Egg travel, a massive plague known as the Great Spring Sickness sweeps across the lands. The plague causes further polarization in the already tense Seven Kingdoms. Duncan eventually becomes the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard once Aegon V becomes king.
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