There are many noble houses at play in House of the Dragon, and it can be hard to keep track of everyone’s motivations. HBO’s fantasy universe is based on the A Song of Ice & Fire book series by George R.R. Martin, which is well-known for its complex political world-building, with a feudal system ruled by a monarch and specific regions delegated to vassal lords. Game of Thrones covered a lot of ground in introducing TV audiences to most of the prominent noble families in Westeros, but the landscape is different in House of the Dragon’s timeline, 200 years earlier.

House of the Dragon season 1 saw the stage set for a Targaryen civil war of succession known as the Dance of the Dragons. The battle lines were drawn between the “Greens” and “Blacks,” representing the two factions of the war, with Rhaenyra Targaryen heading the former and Aegon II Targaryen leading the latter. While season 1 remained relatively intimate, focusing on family drama, season 2 and, to an even greater extent, the ending of House of the Dragon season 3, expanded into all-out war.

Yes, the core conflict of the Dance of the Dragons is between the two sides of House Targaryen, but the rest of the realm is greatly affected by this. Naturally, over the course of House of the Dragon thus far, the other great houses of Westeros have declared their loyalties to either side, and that is without mentioning the scheming politics that see betrayals and surprises face the show’s main characters. With all that said, here are the most important major houses that have a role in House of the Dragon.

9

House Targaryen

Of course, as House of the Dragon’s title and entire premise typify, House Targaryen is the main Westerosi house involved in the HBO prequel. The Targaryen history traces back to the ruins of Old Valyria, an empire in Essos that was destroyed by a cataclysm centuries before House of the Dragon. Prior to that destruction, the Targaryen family had settled on Dragonstone, just off the shore of Westeros. 130 years before the Dance of the Dragons began, Aegon the Conqueror and his sister-wives flew to Westeros and united the kingdoms under his banner, beginning the Targaryen dynasty.

House of the Dragon begins with the rule of King Viserys, as the Targaryen-led country has seen periods of relative peace. However, as alluded to, a conflict of succession surrounding Viserys’ heirs leads to the Dance of the Dragons. As a result, House Targaryen makes up the majority of the House of the Dragon cast, as both sides are represented by a claimant to the Iron Throne. Other notable Targaryen characters include Daemon, Rhaenyra’s husband and uncle, Rhaenys, Viserys’ sister, Aemond, Aegon’s brother, and Helaena, their sister, who lend support to each side as dragonriders.

8

House Velaryon

House Velaryon is arguably the second-most powerful family in House of the Dragon and, by default, perhaps the second-most important to the events of the show. Interestingly, though, the name will be fresh to Game of Thrones fans, as the family doesn’t play a prominent role in House of the Dragon‘s sequel. Like the Targaryens, the Velaryon house comes from Valyria, and thus, they have their share of dragonriders present in their lineage. At the onset of House of the Dragon, House Velaryon is ruled by Corlys Velaryon, who has built his family to be one of the most influential in the Seven Kingdoms.

Corlys’ marriage to Rhaenys Targaryen produced their children, whose subsequent engagement to Viserys’ family members brought the Velaryons and Targaryens close together. As a result, the Velaryons proved to be the main ally to Rhaenyra Targaryen and the Blacks during the early days of the Dance of the Dragons. Even going into House of the Dragon season 4, the Velaryons remain tied to the Targaryens, though some tensions are rising between Corlys and Rhaenyra due to the illegitimacy of the former’s bastard children, one of whom happens to be one of Rhaenyra’s dragonriders.

7

House Hightower

House Hightower is one of the most historic houses in Westeros, with lineage dating back thousands of years in the southern city of Oldtown. Ser Otto Hightower was the Hand of the King to Viserys at the onset of House of the Dragon, leading Otto’s daughter, Alicent Hightower, to become childhood friends with Rhaenyra and, eventually, Viserys’ second wife. This meant that, by the time of the Dance of the Dragons, the Hightowers were the primary allies of the Greens, due to Alicent siring one of Viserys’ successors, Aegon II.

After all, Alicent Hightower’s infamously defiant green dress at Rhaenyra and Laenor Velaryon’s wedding, along with the green Hightower sigil, is the reason that Aegon’s party is referred to as the Greens. Upon the outbreak of the civil war, House Hightower, led by Criston Cole, commands a sizable portion of the Greens’ army, with Alicent’s family members, Gwayne and Ormund, becoming bigger characters in House of the Dragon season 3. Conversely, though, the likes of Alicent somewhat defected, instead helping Rhaenyra to avoid bloodshed, likely brewing trouble among both camps for season 4.

6

House Stark

The Starks of Winterfell are the leading house in Game of Thrones; In House of the Dragon, they were largely absent from seasons 1 and 2, though season 3 made the Northmen more important, and season 4 will only continue that. When Viserys summons lords of Westeros to King’s Landing to swear fealty to Rhaenyra as his heir, Lord Rickon Stark is seen promising loyalty to her. In House of the Dragon season 2, Rickon’s son, Cregan Stark, is the chief representative for the historic family, again pledging loyalty to the Blacks.

Like House Hightower, House Stark’s family tree can be traced back to the First Men, making them one of the most historic families in the Seven Kingdoms. In House of the Dragon season 3, the “Winter Wolves,” made up of many Northern houses including the Starks, were a key ally to Daemon, Rhaenyra, and the rest of the Blacks. In season 4, Cregan Stark will return in the adaptation of the “Hour of the Wolf,” making House Stark an incredibly important house in House of the Dragon.

5

House Lannister

House Lannister was another prominent family in Game of Thrones, represented by antagonists like Cersei and Tywin, as well as protagonists like Tyrion. The Lannisters were one of the houses that attempted to take up arms against Aegon the Conqueror, though they were lucky enough not to be wiped out completely. At the time of House of the Dragon, House Lannister rules the Westerlands from Casterly Rock, with its leader maintaining the title “Warden of the West.” Though not as prominently powerful as in Game of Thrones, House Lannister is still quite influential in the prequel.

In House of the Dragon season 1, House Lannister is represented by two twin brothers, both played by Jefferson Hall. Jason Lannister is slightly older and more arrogant, attempting to vie for Rhaenyra’s hand in marriage in episode 3. Tyland Lannister becomes the Master of Coin to King Viserys, making him part of the king’s small council. At the start of the Dance of the Dragons, House Lannister sides with the Greens. In season 3, Tyland led a naval army bolstered by the Triarchy in the Battle of the Gullet.

4

House Cole

Criston Cole is introduced in House of the Dragon season 1 as a lowborn Dornishman with exceptional skill in battle, earning himself a place on the Kingsguard by impressing Rhaenyra at a tournament. After defeating Prince Daemon, Cole finds himself elevated to a rank entirely uncommon for a lowborn man, especially at his age. While a knight of the Kingsguard, Ser Criston breaks his oath by bedding Rhaenyra Targaryen. After she decides not to run off with him, his bitterness leads him to become a supporter of the Greens.

House Cole is unique to House of the Dragon in that no other members of the family appear. Nonetheless, Criston’s role is so large as an integral member of the politicking and the leader of the Greens’ armies that House Cole cannot be classed as anything other than vital to the story. That said, going forward, House Cole’s influence over House of the Dragon will diminish, given Criston’s death near the tail end of season 3.

3

House Cargyll

House Cargyll is another minor family with little-known history aside from the characters who appear in House of the Dragon. Erryk and Arryk Cargyll are twin brothers who are both selected to join King Viserys’ Kingsguard in the show’s first season. Once the division forms between Blacks and Greens, the brothers choose opposite sides, with Arryk choosing to remain with Aegon II and Erryk venturing to Dragonstone to swear fealty to Rhaenyra. In House of the Dragon season 2, both Cargyll brothers die in a tragic duel, setting forth the next stage in the Dance of the Dragons.

2

House Strong

Game of Thrones made it abundantly clear that the castle of Harrenhal is a vital strategic location, and it belongs to House Strong in House of the Dragon. The castle’s size and centralized location have made it a constant strategic point for generations, and this continues in House of the Dragon. In season 1, Lord Lyonel Strong is a member of King Viserys’ small council, becoming his Hand of the King for a brief time. His sons are Ser Harwin Strong, Rhaenyra’s love interest and the illegitimate father of her children, and Larys Strong, the show’s most notable schemer.

In season 1, episode 6, Larys Strong is complicit in murdering his father and older brother by trapping them in a fire, making him the heir to Harrenhal. Larys then chooses to side with the Greens in the Dance of the Dragons. His great-uncle, Ser Simon Strong, rules the castle while Larys serves in King’s Landing and will be introduced as a new character in season 2. Harrenhal continues to be a major point of contention for both sides of the Dance of the Dragons in House of the Dragon season 3, only making the Strong family more key to the proceedings.

1

House Baratheon

Like House Stark, House Baratheon’s importance to House of the Dragon has only grown as the show has gone on, culminating in season 4. In season 1, the pledge of the Baratheon house was coveted by both sides of the Dance of the Dragons. This resulted in one of Rhaenyra’s children, Lucerys, being killed by Aemond Targaryen, as both envoys with bad blood between them coalesced on the Baratheon stronghold of Storm’s End. Since then, the BAratheon’s have played little to no role in the show, but season 4 will likely change that.

Borros Baratheon, the leader of the house, fights in the Battle of the Kingsroad, one of the final conflicts in the Dance of the Dragons. On the side of the Greens, Borros tries to defend King’s Landing from the advancing armies loyal to the Blacks, eventually failing to do so. Whether this is shown in House of the Dragon season 4 remains to be seen, but it will undoubtedly be mentioned due to its importance in the civil war’s final stages. With that said, the Baratheon house is one of the final major houses important to the show, save for a few individuals from wider known houses of Westeros.