A Clash of Kings

Part of the appeal behind Martin’s wildly popular epic high fantasy series owes to the intricate realization of the world the characters occupy. Although A Clash of Kings is the direct sequel to A Game of Thrones, the history of Westeros provides helpful context for the motivations of certain characters and the power struggles that inform these books.

Fifteen years before the start of A Game of Thrones, the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros were ruled by King Aerys of House Targaryen, a dynasty that spanned three centuries of rule in the continent’s history. The Targaryens conquered the Seven Kingdoms with the use of dragons. However, family infighting culminated in a civil war called the Dance of the Dragons, which marked the supposed extinction of dragons. This coincided with the decline of House Targaryen until the time of King Aerys and many of the adult characters in A Game of Thrones.

Following the kidnapping of Lyanna Stark by Aerys’s eldest son and heir, Rhaegar, Aerys ordered the deaths of Lyanna’s kin, including her brother, Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, and her betrothed, Robert Baratheon, Lord of Storm’s End. Robert, Eddard, and their respective houses marched against the Targaryens with the support of House Arryn, House Greyjoy, and House Tully. King Aerys, on the other hand, commanded the support of House Tyrell and House Martell. The resulting conflict, known as Robert’s Rebellion, lasted one year and ended with a final battle at King’s Landing. This battle marked the defection of House Lannister to the rebels, as Lord Tywin used his status as former Hand of the King to give his army access to the city. King Aerys was ultimately slain by his Kingsguard, Ser Jaime Lannister (Lord Tywin’s son), an act that would earn Jaime the moniker “Kingslayer.”

The newly installed King Robert Baratheon was advised to marry Tywin’s daughter, Cersei, to secure both his lineage and Tywin’s fealty. Their marriage saw the birth of three children, including Robert’s heir, Joffrey. Robert and Eddard saw little of each other while they ruled their respective domains. However, they were reunited upon the rebellion of Balon Greyjoy, who declared himself King of the Iron Islands. Robert and Eddard quickly ended the rebellion, and Eddard took Balon’s surviving heir, Theon, as a ward and hostage.

A Game of Thrones begins when Robert visits Eddard in Winterfell to make him the new Hand of the King. During this visit, Eddard’s second son, Bran, is pushed out of a window by Jaime Lannister when he discovers that Jaime is involved in an incestuous relationship with his twin sister, Queen Cersei. Eddard accepts his new post and travels to King’s Landing with his family, where he learns that all of Cersei’s children were fathered by Jaime. Eddard confronts Cersei, who orchestrates Robert’s death and subsequently has Eddard arrested for treason. Joffrey (who is now king under Cersei’s supervision, due to his young age) orders Eddard’s public execution. This spurs Eddard’s eldest son, Robb, to take arms against the throne. Jaime is captured by Robb in an early battle. Eddard’s family, who had all recently moved with him from their home at Winterfell to King’s Landing, are dispersed across Westeros by the ongoing threat to their lives and the instability of possible war.

The series also follows Aerys’s remaining heirs, Viserys and Daenerys, who grow up in Essos, across the sea from Westeros, for their safety. Viserys and Daenerys have been raised to understand that retaking the Westeros throne is Viserys’s destiny; however, his death in A Game of Thrones leaves that destiny in Daenerys’s hands. She is married to a horse lord named Khal Drogo, whose kingdom she inherits after he dies. A Game of Thrones ends when Daenerys’ three dragon eggs hatch, marking the first appearance of dragons in the world in over a century.