Each House in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros comes with its own values and ways of running things. From the Targaryens who rule with the power of their dragons in King’s Landing, to the ancient and honorable Starks in the North, every House played a role in this destructive period in Westeros’s history. This can make it hard to keep track of just what Houses are involved in the storyline, and who belongs to which family.
But we are here to help! Below we will go through all the major Houses involved in the House of the Dragon, what their prominent members are, their allegiances, whom they side with in Dance of the Dragons war, and some other interesting bits of lore and events from the show.
Not much is known about this House, other than them being a vassal House from the Crownlands, and Ser Arryk Cargyll and Ser Erryk Cargyll being part of it. Both family members entered the Kingsgaurd, meaning they never had families of their own and they never spoke of their homeland.
House Cole is a minor house whose members serve as stewards to House Dondarrian in the Stormlands, so not much is known about them. The pellets on their sigil are meant to represent coal, suggesting that their name was derived from it. Despite being a noble house, many of the other Houses look down upon its members for having a “low-born” status — this is further supported by the fact that Ser Criston Cole has Dornish ancestry.
Criston is the most prominent member of the House, but having served in the Kingsguard, he was not able to have any children. Still, he plays a prominent role in the Dance of the Dragons, having been the one to crown Aegon II Targaryen as king, and later becoming his Hand.
“We Light the Way.”
One of the most prominent Houses in House of the Dragon, one of the leading forces during the Dance of the Dragons, and also one of the oldest, most powerful, and most wealthy Houses in Westeros. It is housed in the aptly named Hightower, in Oldtown. House Hightower are vassals of House Tyrell, and tend to prefer trade over war. Their house is also in possession of the Valyrian Steel sword Vigilence.
During the reign of King Viserys I Targaryen, the Hightowers had a lot of influence, since Ser Otto Hightower was his Hand, with Queen Alicent Hightower married to him — they even governed the Seven Kingdoms in his stead once Viserys became bedridden. After his death, the Hightowers took advantage of their influence and crowned Alicent’s son, Aegon II Targaryen, as King, which lead to Dance of the Dragons.
“Hear Me Roar!”
One of the oldest and most powerful Houses in Westeros, the Lannisters are well known for being the wealthiest family in the realm. They reside on Casterly Rock, which overlooks Lannisport. The location also sits atop the most productive gold mine in the Westerlands, contributing to the House’s great wealth.
While these are not the official house words, they are also known for saying “A Lannister always pays his debts”, which can have a multitude of meanings depending on the context: from a simple monetary exchange, to a revenge pursued for a wrong done to one of its members.
Ser Tyland Lannister sits on King Viserys I Targaryen’s small council as the Master of Ships, and continues having a seat on Aegon II Targaryen’s council, but as the Master of Coin. His twin brother Lord Jason Lannister becomes head of House Lannister after his father’s passing, and stands behind Aegon and the Greens when the Dance of the Dragons begins.
“Winter is Coming.”
House Stark is one of the oldest lines in all of Westeros, going back over 8000 years. They rule over the North, which is by far the largest of the Seven Kingdoms. Starks are well known for their strong sense of honor, and are one of the few Houses that still worship the Old Gods.
Ever since Aegon’s Conquest, the Starks have always sided with the Targaryens. During the reign of King Viserys I Targaryen, Lord Rickon Stark swears fealty to him and his decision to name Rhaenyra Targaryen heir to the Iron Throne. Once the Dance of the Dragons begins, Ser Otto Hightower tries to persuade Rickon’s successor to side with the Greens. However, Lord Cregan Stark speaks to Prince Jacaerys Targaryen, reaffirming the oath made by his father and siding with the Blacks.
House Strong has been a close supporter of Targaryens since the days of Aegon I Targaryen, often serving in a high position such as the Kingsgaurd and Hand of the King. Their family also have a long history of being the Lords of Harrenhal.
After Lord Lyonel Strong and Ser Harwin Strong were killed in a fire at Harrenhal, Larys Strong became Lord of the house. During the Dance of the Dragons, he served as Master of Whispers to King Aegon II Targaryen. However, when Prince Daemon Targaryen arrives at Harrenhal with Caraxes, Ser Simon Strong immediately bends the knee and declares his allegiance to Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, having no love for Larys.
“Fire and Blood.”
Easily the most powerful House in Westeros, and the central focus of House of the Dragon, it is one of the only Houses of Valyrian decent. After the Doom of Valyria, Aegon I Targaryen led his House on a conquest of Westeros, riding the Black Dread Balerion — the largest dragon in known history. Aegon’s conquest led to the unification of six of the seven Kingdoms, and the Targaryens have ruled over the realm since.
King Viserys I Targaryen’s reign was a long and relatively peaceful one, giving him the name Viserys the Peaceful. Although he officially claimed that his intended heir was Rhaenyra Targaryen, after his death, Alicent Hightower claimed that Aegon II Targaryen should succeed him, contesting Rhaenyra’s claim. This led to the Dance of the Dragons, a Targaryen civil war over who should sit on the Iron Throne.
“Family. Duty. Honor.”
One of the great Houses in Westeros, the Tullies rule over all of the Riverlands. They rose to prominence during Aegon’s Conquest, being granted dominion over the Riverlands after showing their support for the Targaryens.
Even though Lord Grover Tully swore an oath to support Rhaenyra Targaryen, the Greens try to sway them over to their side. However, his heir, Lord Oscar Tully, plans to honor his House’s oath, remaining with the Blacks.
“The Old, the True, the Brave.”
As an old house that is one of the few of Valyrian decent, they have always been allies with the Targaryens. House Velaryan are well known for having the largest and most powerful fleet in the realm.
During the reign of King Viserys I Targaryen, Targaryens and Velaryons married into each other’s houses to keep the Valyrian bloodline, as well as their strength over the rest of the realm. Once the Dance of the Dragons begins, the Velaryons are one of the biggest supporters of Rhaenyra Targaryen, having some dragon riders within their own family and being able to take advantage of their massive fleet to cut off shipping to King’s Landing.
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