The story takes place in 209 AC—that’s “After Aegon’s Conquest” for the math wizards out there. To put it in perspective, Game of Thrones starts around 298 AC. So we’re talking a solid 89 years before a teenage Ned Stark gets his honor all tangled up in King’s Landing. It’s like finding out your grandpa’s wild college years happened before your dad even learned to walk.
This era is known as the “Time of Troubles” or, more accurately, “The Era When Everyone Was Really, Really Broke.” The Targaryen dragons have been dead for about 50 years, and the kingdom is limping along like a horse with a bad case of hoof rot. The crown is in debt, the lords are restless, and the Small Council probably spends more time arguing about who left the empty wine cask in the throne room than, you know, ruling.
But Wait—Who’s the Boss?
On the Iron Throne sits King Aerys I Targaryen, the first guy with that name. (Yes, the “Mad King” Aerys II is his great-grandson, so the crazy gene is still marinating in the family pool.) This Aerys is a bookish nerd who loves reading prophecies and really doesn’t care about running a kingdom. Imagine if your boss spent all day playing Tetris while the office burned down—that’s basically the state of Westeros.
The real power is with his Hand, a crafty lord named Bloodraven—yes, that’s his actual nickname, and yes, he’s an albino with a missing eye who lives in a cave full of trees. Don’t ask. The point is, the realm is a mess, which makes it the perfect playground for our heroes.
When does A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms take place on…
