--- description: The new prequel series chronicles the adventures of hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire Egg. title: How A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Connects to Game of Thrones image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79cececd79dcde94/6998cceff1b082c8476f203b/A-Knight-of-the-Seven-Kingdoms-Peter-Claffey.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Television](/tag/television/) ## Television Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How _A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms_ Fits Into the _Game of Thrones_ Universe  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Jan 16, 2026 10:05 PM CUT  Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan "Dunk" the Tall in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan "Dunk" the Tall in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.Steffan Hill—HBO  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Jan 16, 2026 10:05 PM CUT [_Bloodmoon_](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/game-thrones-naomi-watts-led-prequel-dead-at-hbo-1250795/ "undefined"), [_Snow_](https://ew.com/jon-snow-game-of-thrones-sequel-reportedly-revived-hbo-11886345 "undefined"), [_Empire of Ash_](https://winteriscoming.net/2018/07/10/rumor-hbo-also-making-game-thrones-prequel-valyria/ "undefined"). In the nearly seven years since [_Game of Thrones_](https://time.com/game-of-thrones-2017/ "undefined") came to what we'll generously refer to as a [polarizing end](https://time.com/5591754/game-of-thrones-series-finale-review/ "undefined"), a number of successor shows set within the _A Song of Ice and Fire_ universe have either been announced or rumored to exist, only to later be canceled or shelved. With the exception of [_House of the Dragon_](https://time.com/7007125/house-of-the-dragon-season-2-finale-review/ "undefined"), a prequel series chronicling the war of succession that broke out between the ruling Targaryens 170 years before the events of _Thrones_, none of the titles have made it to air, until now. On Jan. 18, the first episode of _A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms_, a spinoff series co-created by showrunner Ira Parker (_House of the Dragon_, _Better Things_) and author George R. R. Martin that centers on the adventures of hedge knight Ser Duncan "Dunk" the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his bald young squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), will premiere on HBO. Based on Martin's beloved _Tales of Dunk and Egg_ prequel novellas, the first season of _A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms_ follows Dunk over six episodes. When his mentor, Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb), the knight Dunk grew up squiring for, dies of a chill on the road to a jousting tournament—before he has a chance to officially knight his humble apprentice—Dunk sees a chance to improve his fortunes. He'll travel to Ashford Meadow, a rural gathering place located in the region of Westeros known as the Reach, and pass himself off as a true knight so he is able to compete in the tourney. Along the way, he encounters the wily and sharp-witted Egg and takes him on as his squire, leading to an unlikely friendship between the pair. **(For those who want to avoid book spoilers in an effort to avoid spoilers for the show, now is your warning to turn back!)** Only, Dunk is unaware that 10-year-old Egg is actually Prince Aegon V Targaryen, the fifth child and fourth son of Prince Maekar Targaryen and youngest grandson of King Daeron II Targaryen. When we meet Egg, he's disguised as a commoner. However, he eventually goes on to unexpectedly inherit the Iron Throne, becoming known as "Aegon the Unlikely."  (L-R): Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg and Peter Claffey as Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Steffan Hill—HBO The series is intended to be a more light-hearted affair than its predecessors and will focus mainly on the lives of the "smallfolk" of Westeros rather than the ruling elite. "This doesn’t have any dragons or big battles," Martin told the [Hollywood _Reporter_](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/george-rr-martin-interview-thrones-winds-dragon-knight-1236473519/ "undefined"). "It has a field and a lot of tents and some horses." "At the end of the day, we are _Game of Thrones_ without all the stuff," Parker added. "We have one of the ingredients— two unusual characters like Arya and the Hound, or Brienne and Podrick—who are paired together and having conversations. I hope that’s what \[made _Thrones_ work\]. It’s a big part of what it was for me." As for where _A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms_ fits into the _Song of Ice and Fire_ universe, the show takes place around 80 years after the events of _House of the Dragon_ and 90 years before those of _Thrones_, a relatively peaceful time period when the Targaryens still ruled but dragons were long gone. Season 1 faithfully follows the story laid out in the first installment of Martin's novella series, _The Hedge Knight_, while Season 2, which has already been greenlit, will be adapted from the second, _The Sworn Sword_. "The big issue is that I have only written three novellas, and I have a lot more stories about Dunk and Egg in my f-cking head," Martin told the _Reporter_ of where the show is headed. "I’ve got to get them down on paper." ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7346922/a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms-game-of-thrones-universe/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7346922/a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms-game-of-thrones-universe/"},"headline":"How A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Fits Into the Game of Thrones Universe","datePublished":"2026-01-16T22:05:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:51:03.022Z","description":"How the new HBO prequel series fits into the Game of Thrones universe.","url":"https://time.com/7346922/a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms-game-of-thrones-universe/","keywords":["Television","Explainer","culturepod"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79cececd79dcde94/6998cceff1b082c8476f203b/A-Knight-of-the-Seven-Kingdoms-Peter-Claffey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79cececd79dcde94/6998cceff1b082c8476f203b/A-Knight-of-the-Seven-Kingdoms-Peter-Claffey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A-Knight-of-the-Seven-Kingdoms-Peter-Claffey","caption":"Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan \"Dunk\" the Tall in 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.'","creditText":"Steffan Hill—HBO","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/television/","name":"Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7346922/a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms-game-of-thrones-universe/","name":"How A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Fits Into the Game of Thrones Universe"}}]}] ```