A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has captivated audiences worldwide, but a lingering question remains: why did Game of Thrones choose to focus on seven when, in fact, there were nine kingdoms in the realm? Delving into the world of Westeros, here’s a detailed breakdown of the reasoning behind this creative decision.
Why did people say seven kingdoms of Westeros instead of nine?
The latest GOT prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, tackles the long-standing question of why it is called the “Seven Kingdoms” when Westeros historically had nine in Season 1’s Episode 6.
When Egg corrects Dunk, saying there are actually nine kingdoms, it’s a funny moment that highlights the discrepancy, which has been explained below:
Westeros had a long, complex history before Aegon’s Conquest, with numerous kingdoms rising and falling over thousands of years. However, by the time Aegon Targaryen arrived, the landscape had consolidated into seven distinct kingdoms, each with its own monarch:
Aegon Targaryen conquered six of the seven kingdoms, but Dorne remained independent, eventually joining the realm in 161 AC. He excluded the lands beyond the Wall and Dragonstone, his ancestral seat.
However, when Aegon became king, he took the title Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, significant partly because seven is a sacred number in Westeros, tied to the Faith of the Seven. To maintain this title, Aegon split the Riverlands and Iron Islands into separate territories, keeping the “Seven Kingdoms” name intact.
Despite the name sticking around for 209 years, Aegon Targaryen’s decision to develop King’s Landing and create the Crownlands, combined with Dorne’s later inclusion, resulted in nine regions in Westeros, namely:
- The North – House Stark
- The Vale – House Arryn
- The Iron Islands – House Greyjoy
- The Riverlands – House Tully
- The Reach – House Tyrell
- The Stormlands – House Baratheon
- The Westerlands – House Lannister
- The Crownlands – House Targaryen
- Dorne – House Martell
Hence, Egg’s technical correctness is understandable, but Dunk’s confusion is totally relatable for fans.
