This week HBO premiered its brand new Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and we're already hooked. Unlike the original series or House of the Dragon, this new show focuses on the smallfolk far beneath the notice of great lords; namely, it follows a near-destitute hedge knight named Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his bald, mouthy squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). Together they end up at Ashford Meadow, where Dunk hopes to win renown and possible employment by one of the lords of Westeros by distinguishing himself in the lists.
Based on George R.R. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms introduces us to a very different Westeros than we've seen in the past. Yes, there are familiar elements like knights, jousts, and Targaryen princes mucking about, but it's set far enough back in time that none of the characters we know and love from the original show have been born yet, and far enough away from House of the Dragon that all of that show's majestic creatures have long since died out.
If you're diving into A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for the first time, you may be wondering when exactly the series takes place in relation to its predecessors. Let's break down the timeline.
When does A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms take place?
The events of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 occur roughly 100 years before Game of Thrones. If we're getting exact, the gap is 89 years. The book on which A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 is based, "The Hedge Knight," takes place in 209 AC. Meanwhile, the events of Game of Thrones begin in 298 AC.
As for House of the Dragon, though that prequel series begins as a generational saga that spans decades, beginning with the Great Council of 101 AC in the show's prologue scene, the bulk of the action for the Dance of the Dragons civil war takes place between 129 and 131 AC. So by the end of House of the Dragon, there will be a 78 year gap before A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms begins.
That makes this new series a perfect mid-point between the height of the Targaryen empire that we see at the start of House of the Dragon, and the Westeros of Game of Thrones, where the Targaryens have been all but wiped out and King Robert Baratheon sits the Iron Throne.
Do you need to watch Game of Thrones before A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
Because A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place so long before Game of Thrones, one question you may have is whether you need to watch the original show before the new spinoff. The answer to that question is a solid no. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms stands even more on its own than House of the Dragon, and unlike that other spinoff it has no real ties to the original series beyond a few subtle easter eggs. Don't expect lots of connective tissue between the series.
Part of why this works so well for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — and why I can say with utter confidence you don't need to watch Game of Thrones first — is that George R.R. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg books are their own series set in Westeros which stand firmly on their own. There are details about the world you'll pick up on if you're intimately familiar with Westeros' lore, but overall these stories are truly meant to be a discreet tale, fully independent of Game of Thrones or A Song of Ice and Fire.
So whether you've watched Game of Thrones a million times or this your very first trip to Westeros, tune in to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms without reservation! The series premiere is available to stream now on HBO Max. New episodes debut every Sunday at 10:00 p.m. ET.