George R.R. Martin explains the history of Targaryens, Velaryons and Hightowers in a new House of The Dragon video

Game of Thrones fans are all hyped up about the upcoming prequel House of The Dragon. The official trailer received plenty of positive views, and the recent World Premiere was attended and praised by some of the most renowned critics. The main storyline will be revolving around the three most powerful families in Westeros right before the Dance of the Dragons – the Targaryens, the Velaryons, and the Hightowers. Not much is known about these houses from Game of Thrones, so George R. R. Martin recently provided a little introductory class about the origins of these once flourishing families.

In a recent tweet by House of The Dragon, Martin speaks to the viewers in a new video captioned, “Little by little, the seeds of war spread throughout the realm.”

Little by little, the seeds of war spread throughout the realm. pic.twitter.com/IKGNUQN8bp

— House of the Dragon (@HouseofDragon) August 5, 2022

He narrates, “The best fiction, the best drama, is about the characters. The story of House of The Dragon is a story about very flawed human beings capable of doing good things, capable of doing monstrous things. Capable of courage, capable of cowardice. These are the kinds of characters that I love the most.”

He continues, “Game of Thrones begins roughly 298 A.C., almost 300 years after Aegon’s Conquest. House of The Dragon takes place a couple hundred years before Game of Thrones. Jaehaerys Targaryen, the old king, who was the 4th Targaryen to rule over Westeros, he was only 14 when he ascended to the Iron Throne, and he ruled for 55 years. It was a very peaceful time in the history of Westeros. It was a time of prosperity and King’s Landing really grew enormously. It was a good time.”

“Viserys I who is the heir that was chosen by the Great Council, when Jaehaerys passes away, he takes over. And he is now reigning over the 7 kingdoms. There were a lot of Targaryens at that point, and you can see how the seeds of war are sometimes planted in a time of peace.”

Martin later goes on to describe the history of the Hightowers, whose name comes from the High Tower in the middle of the Old Town, which was the biggest town in Westeros for thousands of years. It was also the center of trade and commerce, making Hightowers the richest house in Westeros.

The Velaryons were actually the first ones to visit Westeros from the land of Valyria, even before Aegon’s Conquest. Their seafaring abilities and trade with the rest of the world made them one of the richest in Valyria, and their relationship with Targaryens, the dragonlords, solidified their place of power in Westeros after the conquest.

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