Game Of Thrones: Why It’s Called The 7 Kingdoms (When There Are 9)

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Returning to the Seven Kingdoms in House of the Dragon, the Game ofThrones spinoff series goes back to Westeros, referred to as the Seven Kingdoms – but why is this the case when there are really nine of them? Given that this is where House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones spend the vast majority of their time and that numerous characters refer to «the Seven Kingdoms,» it's surprising that the shows never explain this odd little piece of nomenclature.

Finding the genesis of the Seven Kingdoms involves going back to the time of Aegon's Conquest, which happens before House of the Dragon's Targaryen civil war, and around 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones. When Aegon Targaryen landed at Blackwater Rush with his sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, it was part of a Westeros that was divided into seven separate realms:

Related: House Of The Dragon's Release Date Already Breaks A GOT Tradition

House of the Dragon's Seven Kingdoms feature vastly different landscapes and political practices, despite being ruled under one head. The North, led by House Stark, was one of the main locations shown in GOT, along with King's Landing. The Tyrell's Highgarden was not seen. However, it was described as a beautiful place filled with flowers. The mountainous Vale had an interesting form of punishment for their prisoners, in the form of a gate on the floor that would force their inmates to fall to their deaths. Dorne is a mixture of desert and tropics, featuring a rather standard-looking prison. Casterly Rock was only seen a handful of times in Game of Thrones, though the rolling hills should return in House of the Dragon (despite the lack of Lannisters afoot). House Tully's Riverlands were featured in several episodes too. A