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The conclusion of Season 1 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms finally clears up a long-standing mystery for fans of HBO’s Game of Thrones universe: why is Westeros commonly referred to as the Seven Kingdoms when, in reality, there are nine?
**Spoilers ahead for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 6, “The Morrow,” available now on HBO Max**
As Ser Duncan the Tall (portrayed by Peter Claffey) and his squire, Aegon Targaryen (played by Dexter Sol Ansell), depart from Ashford, they find themselves without a clear destination. Dunk casually mentions that they have the freedom to explore anywhere within the Seven Kingdoms.
“Nine,” Egg interjects, leaving Dunk puzzled.
Egg is correct. The realm indeed comprises nine kingdoms, which he proceeds to enumerate: the Crownlands, Westerlands, Stormlands, Riverlands, the Iron Islands, the North, the Reach, the Vale of Arryn, and Dorne.
Dunk puzzles through this, wondering why his native land is called the Seven Kingdoms if there are truly nine regions.
As an extra stinger, the show’s final title card is a cheeky joke, rewriting the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ title as “A Knight of the Nine Kingdoms.”
So why are the Seven Kingdoms called that if there are nine kingdoms?
How Many Kingdoms are In Westeros? Why Are There Nine Kingdoms in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
Why is the realm called the Seven Kingdoms if there are nine kingdoms? Well, when Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters conquered Westeros, there were seven kingdoms in Westeros with seven kings they had to treat with or conquer.
At the time of the Conquest, the Crownlands didn’t exist yet. They were taken from territory that was always being fought over between the Riverlands and Stormlands. The Targaryens used this as their foothold on the continent, making it their capital as well as a new “kingdom.”
The Stormlands were ruled by Storm King Argilac “The Arrogant” Durrandon, but he was defeated by King Aegon’s best friend (and bastard brother) Orys Baratheon. Orys married Argilac’s daughter Argella, starting House Baratheon.
Both the Riverlands and the Iron Islands were both ruled by Harren the Black, of Harrenhal infamy. Aegon and his dragon Balerion destroyed both Harren and his mighty hall. His Ironborn brethern were pushed off the continent and onto the Iron Islands, creating a new region.
House Tully was then given control of the Riverlands. House Tully had been leading the local rebellion against Harren the Black and made an early strategic alliance with the dragonlords. Thus, they reaped the rewards.
The Vale of Arryn bent the knee to the Targaryens after seeing what had happened to Harrenhal.
House Lannister of the Westerlands and House Gardener of the Reach combined their forces to take on the Targaryens. They had 55,000 men to the Targaryens’ 5000. Nevertheless, the Targaryens had dragons. The battle would be called the Field of Fire. House Gardener was literally immolated into extinction. When the Targaryens arrived at Highgarden, the stewards of the castle, House Tyrell, offered their allegiance and were raised to Wardens of the Reach.
House Lannister escaped the Field of Fire and King Loren bent the knee, giving the Targaryens the Westerlands.
The North was initially going to resist House Targaryen and King Torrhen Stark marched his men south. Ultimately, though, Torrhen sent his half-brother, Brandon Snow, and some maesters to treat with Aegon. After lengthy negotiations, a treaty was struck and Torrhen bent the knee.
Dorne was the only kingdom that managed to resist King Aegon I and his sisters. The territory was ideal for guerrilla warfare and many Dornish were descendants of the Rhoynar, a people who fought many wars against Valyria in Essos before the Doom of Valyria. Dorne would not officially be part of the “Seven Kingdoms” ruled by House Targaryen until two strategic marriage alliances. First, Egg’s grandfather King Daeron II married Princess Myriah Martell in a diplomatic bid. Then, Daeron wed his sister Daenerys to Myriah’s brother, Prince Maron.
And there you have it. The path that made Seven (original) Kingdoms technically nine.
(Also, seven is a holy number in Westeros, so it’s a marketing thing, too.)