The Dance of the Dragons is the centerpiece of House of the Dragon: it is a war that pitted Targaryen vs. Targaryen over who should sit on the Iron Throne, and is known historically for causing the downfall of both their House and dragons. There are two main sides of this war — the Blacks support King Viserys I Targaryen’s decision to have Rhaenyra Targaryen succeed him, while the Greens believe that Aegon II Targaryen should be the true heir.
However, it is not only the Targaryens that are involved in this war. Both sides try to get the assistance of the various Houses in the Seven Kingdoms for different reasons, from the mighty fleet of the Velaryens, to the vast wealth of the Lannisters. It can be hard to keep track of who falls onto which side, so we will go over each team in this war and every House’s affiliation with it!
From a young age, King Viserys I Targaryen promised his daughter Rhaenyra that he would declare her as his heir. He told her of the Song of Ice and Fire — a vision that Aegon the Conqueror had of a darkness that will eventually fall over Westeros, that he believed can only be stopped if a Targaryen unites and rules the Seven Kingdoms. Rhaenyra takes her father’s declaration and the prophecy to heart, strongly believing that she must sit on the Iron Throne to help prepare for the impending darkness. This faction is named the Blacks for their use of traditional Targaryen colors: black and red.
House Arryn leads the Vale of Arryn, giving them a massive army to support the Blacks. On top of this, the Eyrie is a near impenetrable stronghold, making it a perfect place for Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen to house her younger children and dragons during the war.
The Starks have always been known for their strong sense of honor, so after they pledged fealty to King Viserys I Targaryen they stuck to their word when the war started, supporting Rhaenyra Targaryen as his heir.
The Starks rule over all of the North, which is by far the largest region in the Seven Kingdoms. This gives the Blacks a large and powerful army as their support, and being in the north gives them more coverage and options for launching a march.
Although Lord Larys Strong, the head of their House, is aligned with the Greens, his uncle and castellan of Harrenhal, Ser Simon Strong, has no love for him and quickly declares his House’s allegiance to the Blacks when Prince Daemon Targaryen arrives at Harrenhal.
Harrenhal itself is the largest castle in Westeros, and its massive walls make it a great fortress against most forces.
The Velaryons have always been close to the Targaryens, both coming from Old Valyria. Before the war even started, several Targaryens married with Velaryons, unifying the two houses. After the death of King Viserys I Targaryen, the Velaryons honored this unification and became Rhaenyra’s most trusted allies.
Velaryons give the Blacks a huge advantage at sea, as their fleet is the most powerful in Westeros, comprising almost half of the realm’s warships.
Although Alicent Hightower gave Viserys I Targaryen a male heir with Aegon II Targaryen, he stood by his decision to make Rhaenyra Targaryen the next ruler after his death. After plenty of tension and some fighting between her and Rhaenyra’s family, Alicent did eventually accept and respect this decision. However, the night Viserys died, he told Alicent about Aegon’s vision of the Song and Ice and Fire (believing she was Rhaenyra in his delusion). Alicent misinterpreted this to mean that he wished for her son Aegon to sit on the Throne, and her and her father Ser Otto Hightower worked to usurp Rhaenyra’s claim to the Throne, crowning Aegon as king instead. This faction is named the Greens because they primarily wear the Hightower colors of green and yellow, even changing their Targaryen banners to use these colors.
The leading force in the formation of the Greens in the first place. While Queen Alecent Hightower does believe that her husband wanted King Aegon II Targaryen to sit on the throne, the Hightowers as a whole wish to elevate their House drastically by having someone with their bloodline ruling over the Seven Kingdoms.
The Hightowers are one of the wealthiest and most powerful Houses in Westeros, and Oldtown is one of the biggest cities in the realm — second only to the Red Keep itself. This gives the Greens access to a huge amount and variety of resources.
Ser Tyland Lannister began sitting on the counsel of the Greens as the Master of Ships, while his twin brother Lord Jason Lannister aligned the Lannisters with the Greens shortly after the start of the Dance of the Dragons.
Casterly Rock sits on the most productive gold mine in Westeros, making the Lannisters extremely rich and powerful. This allows them to provide the Greens with an impressive bulk of resources and a formidable army.
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