Diksha Sundriyal
HBO’s ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ expands the world created by ‘Game of Thrones‘ by giving us the story of a hedge knight and his squire who travel the different kingdoms of Westeros. The first season serves as a setup for the characters, and the finale paves the path for the journey that will continue with the second season. At the end, on their way out of Ashford, Egg asks Dunk where they are heading, and the knight says that they could go anywhere in the Seven Kingdoms. This is when Egg corrects him, stating that there are “nine” kingdoms in Westeros, which throws Dunk into a state of confusion, along with the audience that has heard the term “Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm” since Season 1 of ‘Game of Thrones.’ SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Discrepancy in the Number of Kingdoms Reflects Westeros’ Complex Geography and Politics
When Egg points out that there are nine, not seven, kingdoms in Westeros, he is technically correct. By the time the events of ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ take place, there are, in fact, nine kingdoms, but it wasn’t always so. Before Aegon the Conqueror completely refined the shape and structure of the continent and its houses, there were seven kingdoms. It included the North ruled by House Stark, the Rock under the command of House Lannister, the Isles and Rivers in control of House Hoare, the Stormlands ruled by House Durrandon, the Vale falling under House Arryn, the Reach belonging to House Gardener, and Dorne of House Martell. It would have most likely stayed that way if Aegon hadn’t had the dream to unite them all under one banner, but things didn’t turn out that way.
Aegon’s Conquest resulted in a significant shuffle as entire houses were wiped out, leading to the emergence of other houses that eventually went on to play an important role in the history of Westeros. After about two years since he started the war, Aegon managed to bring a majority of these houses and their kingdoms under the rule of House Targaryen. The Martells of Dorne were the only ones that continued to fight against him, famously engaging in guerrilla warfare to keep the Targaryen forces at bay for the better part of the next two centuries. Eventually, it was a marriage pact that brought Dorne under the Targaryen rule, bringing all the original seven kingdoms together. However, by then, some major changes had already been implemented. In the war, House Hoare lost so hard that it was entirely wiped out.
This left their kingdom, the Isles and Rivers, open for a new Lord. However, instead of giving it to a single house, Aegon made a strategic decision to separate it into two kingdoms: the Riverlands, given to House Tully, and the Iron Islands, given to House Greyjoy. This meant that the original seven kingdoms were now eight in number, with the North, the Vale, and the Westerlands (previously the Rock) staying in the hands of the Starks, the Arryns, and the Lannisters. The ownership of the Stormlands was taken away from the Durrandons and handed to the Baratheons. Meanwhile, the Gardeners lost the Reach, which was placed in the hands of the Tyells. The ninth kingdom was established by Aegon as the Crownlands, the foothold of House Targaryen, from where they would rule the entirety of Westeros.
Aegon’s Decision to Retain the Number Seven Could Have Been a Strategic Move
When Aegon the Conqueror’s war came to an end with six of the seven kingdoms under his rule, he still decided to take the title of “Lord of the Seven Kingdoms.” A major reason behind this could be to show Dorne that they hadn’t escaped his ambitions and would eventually come under the Targaryen rule. In the same vein, declaring himself the Lord of Six Kingdoms would have undermined his prowess, sending a wrong message to the kingdoms that he had conquered. They would see it as a sign of defeat that Aegon had accepted the fact that Dorne couldn’t be conquered, and this could lead to the idea of rebellions that would weaken his control.
One could say that he could have gone with “Lord of the Nine Kingdoms,” with the creation of the Riverlands, the Iron Islands, and the Crownlands, but the idea was to establish dominance over the original seven houses. Moreover, the number seven also holds importance in the religious context. Aegon knew that just conquering the lands wouldn’t make him the king. At the end of the day, the people would need to accept him as such, and for the commonfolk, he needed to be the king in the eyes of their god.
Because the Faith of the Seven was the prevalent religion in Westeros, House Targaryen adopted it as their religion, though they didn’t entirely let go of their customs and beliefs from Old Valyria. This added another layer of meaningful context to the number seven, while also giving more legitimacy to the Targaryen claim to the throne. So, unsurprisingly, it was likely found best to stick to being the Lord of the “Seven” Kingdoms, rather than nine. This is why, even though there are technically nine kingdoms, the king’s title and the name of the show use the number seven.
Read More: What does the Prophecy About Egg Mean in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
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