Ever wondered what the 'Seven Kingdoms' in Game of Thrones actually are?
The North, Dorne, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub.
"I am the rightful queen of the Seven Kingdoms," said Daenerys to Jon Snow in Season 7 Episode 3, 'The Queen's Justice'. Sound familiar? Joffrey used to style himself "Lord of the Seven Kingdoms", among other things. But which seven kingdoms are these, then? In a nutshell, a couple of hundred years ago, Aegon The Conqueror defeated seven separate kingdoms in order to establish a new nation. (Actually six, but we'll get to that.) To get you up to speed ahead of next year's final season, here they are…
The North
Pretty straightforward – the North, a massive, dreary district from the Neck to the Wall, was a holdover from the First Men.
Those guys – the first humans on Westeros – took over the land in ancient times from the fairy-like Children of the Forest and were later invaded themselves by the Andals, though they kept their old traditions, like worshipping trees.
Torrhen Stark was their last king, till Robb Stark and later Jon Snow revived the tradition.
The Kingdom of Mountain and Vale
The area comprising the Vale and its surrounding Mountains of the Moon, governed from The Eyrie.
Its last sovereign ruler was boy-king Ronnel Arryn, who got his mum to surrender to Aegon Targaryen's sister, presumably on the threat of her giving him a wedgie.
The Kingdom of the Isles and Rivers
Technically this kingdom included the Iron Islands, but they've been an independent kingdom on and off through Westeros' history. (They're the ones off there to the left.)
Governed from Harrenhal (where Arya served Tywin Lannister and met the Faceless Man Jaqen H'Ghar) it was ruled over by the Iron Islands' Hoare dynasty at the time of Aegon's conquest.
The Kingdom of the Rock
Ever wondered why the Lannisters have such delusions of grandeur? It's because, like the Starks, they used to be a royal house. Loren I Lannister (aka Loren The Last) was the final King of the Rock.
The Kingdom of the Stormlands
It's a bit windy on the coast, hence the name.
The Stormlands also include the region known as the Crownlands, where you can find King's Landing – though of course it wasn't called King's Landing until Aegon landed there.
The last king was Argilac Durrandon, who refused to bend the knee to Aegon and was killed in battle by Orys Baratheon (Aegon's Hand) for his troubles.
The Kingdom of the Reach
If Westeros had a Shire like in The Lord of the Rings, the Reach would be it – relatively peaceful and full of orchards, gardens and ruddy-cheeked farmers. It also includes the Arbor – that island off the south-west coast that provides the best wines on the continent.
Highgarden is its capital, home of the Gardener dynasty, who got ousted by Aegon and his sisters (well, by their dragons, specifically, who slaughtered 4,000 men simultaneously at a battle called the Field of Fire).
The Targaryens kicked out the Gardeners and gave Highgarden to the Tyrells. (Olenna, Margaery and co.)
The Principality of Dorne
Why "Principality" not "Kingdom"? Because the Martells, the rulers of Dorne, style themselves in the fashion of the Rhoynish people of Essos from whom they're descended.
Dorne, incidentally, is the only district that Aegon the Conqueror failed to defeat, and it only joined the greater nation when they married into the royal family.
Which is why Oberyn and Doran got to be called "Prince" still, 200 years later, and were a bit cocky.
Editor, Digital Spy Chris has over 25 years' experience as a writer and editor, having worked as a journalist covering TV and movies since the '90s. Starting out as a TV listings editor at the Press Association, he was quickly hired by the nascent Heat magazine, where he rose to become Senior Editor, interviewing the likes of Simon Cowell, Boris Johnson and Paris Hilton. Over the years he has written about entertainment with clarity and wit for Heat, Elle, Q, The Telegraph and of course Digital Spy, and has served many times as a judge in the Royal Television Society awards. He has written and recorded a novelty single with Lord Lloyd-Webber, written scripts for the National TV Awards, made Noel Edmonds cry, accidentally punched an Inbetweener and stolen a small piece of rubble from the Battle of Hogwarts movie set. (They can't have it back.) LinkedIn
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