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2 days ago · The Interactive Game of Thrones map is incredibly easy to use. You can scroll through areas, East to West and North to South. But the fun doesn’t stop there! Use the key on the right side to explore castles, ruins, kingdoms, and even iconic landmarks including Tumblers Falls and Crossroads Inn.
Jun 3, 2021 · Pan, zoom, and explore the vast map of Westeros, uncovering the intricate details and diverse landscapes that define each region. Discover iconic locations: Explore key locations from the TV series and books, such as the Red Keep, Winterfell, and the Wall.
- Overview
- History
- Government
- Justice
- Economy and money
- Military
- Culture
- Major religions
- References
"The realm. Do you know what the realm is? It's the thousand blades of Aegon's enemies. A story we agree to tell each other over and over until we forget that it's a lie."
―Petyr Baelish to Varys, referring to the Iron Throne
The Seven Kingdoms is the name given to the former realm that controlled most of the continent of Westeros and its numerous offshore islands, ruled by the King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men from the Red Keep in the city of King's Landing.
The name of the realm dates back prior to Aegon's Conquest when seven independent kingdoms existed on the continent. The realm actually consisted of nine distinct regions, the remaining two being formally established after the Targaryen conquest, and thus they were not actually considered to be "kingdoms." Regardless, all nine provinces were subject to the rule of the Iron Throne.
The realm was fractured several times from years of civil warfare, with the most recent resulting in the North and the Iron Islands attempting secession. However, the North under Jon Snow pledged to Daenerys Targaryen, while the Iron Islands under Euron Greyjoy allied with House Lannister. Both sides agreed to an armistice to deal with the Great War in the North, though Cersei Lannister and Euron Greyjoy held their forces back. After the Great War was won, the Last War resumed, and Daenerys and her forces took King's Landing at the Battle of King's Landing, though much of the population and structures were destroyed when she laid waste to the city.
Daenerys was subsequently assassinated by Jon Snow to prevent more destruction. A Great Council elected a new king, Bran I the Broken, who then allowed the North to secede under Queen Sansa Stark, resulting in the realm's reformation into the Six Kingdoms.
When Aegon I Targaryen embarked on his conquest of the continent of Westeros from his seat on Dragonstone he had to contend with seven independent realms formed by the First Men thousands of years ago and later taken over by the Andals during their invasion thousands of years later (with the exception of the North and the Iron Islands; Dorne also later adopted the practices of the Rhoynar when they migrated to Westeros). These were:
•The Kingdom of the North, ruled by House Stark of Winterfell, the Kings in the North.
•The Kingdom of the Mountain and the Vale, ruled by House Arryn of the Eyrie, the Kings of the Mountain and the Vale.
•The Iron Islands, ruled by House Hoare of Harrenhal, the Kings of the Iron Islands.
•The Kingdom of the Rock, ruled by House Lannister of Casterly Rock, the Kings of the Rock.
•The Stormlands, ruled by House Durrandon of Storm's End, the Storm Kings.
The Seven Kingdoms are an absolute monarchyruled by a king, who bears the titles of "King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men," "Lord of the Seven Kingdoms," and "Protector of the Realm." The second most powerful position is that of the Hand of the King, an appointed Lord who serves as the monarch's topmost advisor and, in his absence, holds court and may even sit on the Iron Throne. If the King is a minor and, thus, unfit to properly rule, the government falls in the hands of a Regent, who may be the Hand, the Queen Dowager or another Lord selected for the task.
Aiding the King and the Hand in the capital is the Small Council, a chamber of Lords that advise the King and/or the Hand in matters such as economy, intelligence or law. The permanent Small Council positions are:
•The Master of Laws
•The Master of Coin
•The Master of Ships
•The Master of Whisperers
In the Seven Kingdoms, justice is administered by the King and/or lords. Penalties for crimes may include scourging, mutilation, castration, excessive tickling, or imprisonment. South of the Neck, where Andal culture is prevalent, punishments are carried out by headsmen, executioners - like the King's Justice in the capital - or knights carrying out the will of their lords. In the North, however, where the ways of the First Men are prevalent, it is expected for lords to carry out sentences personally.
Treason and rebellion may be punished in several ways, such as hanging or beheading, but also by exile or being stripped of lands and titles - which may also extend to the entire family of the one attainted. In the case of nobles, the taking of a close family member, such as a son or daughter, as hostage for the noble's good behavior is also commonplace.
Slavery or slave trading is also forbidden, and punishable by death. Thieving and smuggling are usually punished by mutilation through amputating a hand, while rapists are subject to castration. Bearing arms against a liege lord or refusing to answer a liege lord's summons is also considered a capital offense.
Suspects of crimes are judged by lords or by the King himself. Parties may invoke a trial by combat to prove the justice of their positions. Both parties may fight themselves or name a champion to represent them. The victorious party is held to have been judged to be right by the Seven.
"Under the Targaryen dynasty, Westeros prospered. Gone were the petty wars of Seven Kingdoms, and the endless thirst for minor glories that drove them. The Westerlands enriched the realm, the North guarded it, and the Reach and Riverlands fed it."
―Margaery Tyrell
Monetary transactions in the Seven Kingdoms use a form of minted coin money known as the gold dragon, and its various denominations, such as the silver stag and copper penny.
The feudal society of the Seven Kingdoms has a primarily agrarian economy. Surplus food supports the populations of the five major cities and the various large towns. The five major cities are, in decreasing order of size: King's Landing, Oldtown, Lannisport, Gulltown, and White Harbor.
The Reach and the Riverlands are the two main breadbasket regions, which have such fertile and productive farmland that they not only meet their local needs but can export foodstuffs to the other kingdoms. The Reach is also a major wine-producing region, and in particular, contains the Arbor, a large island off the southern coast of Westeros which is the main wine-producing hub for the entire realm.
The Crownlands are more or less lumped in with the Riverlands in this regard, as they were created only three centuries ago when Aegon I Targaryen carved them out from disputed regions of the eastern Riverlands which neighboring kingdoms were fighting over. The Crownlands are not explicitly said to export food, but rather, are needed to deal with the large food demands of the capital city, as King's Landing is the largest city on the continent.
The Seven Kingdoms does not possess a large standing military force, as do some of the Free Cities. Instead, each lord permanently maintains only a relatively small retinue of well-trained and well-equipped personal knights and warriors. In wartime they function on the principle of feudal levies, with each lord raising his own armies from the commoners who live on his lands. Sometimes they can provide these levies with reasonably standardized and good quality armor and weapons - though sometimes, they are little more than peasants wielding sharpened farming tools, clubs and staves, or a board with a nail in it. These are usually supported by archers, or even crossbowmen.
Each lord raises a military force from his vassals on behalf of his or her own superior lord. These "bannermen" march under the war banners of their overlord, combining their strength with his own. For example, House Stark draws soldiers from the lands immediately around Winterfell, but then adds to these knights and footsoldiers from the lands of House Umber, who in turn have their own minor bannermen. This hierarchy extends up to the King on the Iron Throne. The regions of Westeros vary considerably in population and wealth, dramatically affecting the number and quality of the soldiers that can be raised.
The King on the Iron Throne does appoint four "Wardens" who are meant to command and coordinate regional armies when in times of crisis, when bannermen and levies are called up. The regional lords in that quarter of the realm are expected to put their armies at the overall command of the Warden in their quarter of the realm. The Warden of the North guards against wildling attacks from beyond the Wall, the Warden of the East guards against attack from across the Narrow Sea, and so on.
The Seven Kingdoms also employ a large number of naval forces. The three main fleets are the royal fleet (stationed in the east at King's Landing and Dragonstone island), the Redwyne fleet (at the Arbor in the southwest), and the Iron Fleet of the Ironborn (in the west).
The culture and customs of the Seven Kingdoms are heavily influenced by the dominant ethnicity in each of its constituent regions. Four major cultural groups or regions can be distinguished.
The influence of the Andal culture is stronger in "the south", namely in the Vale, Riverlands, Westerlands, the Reach, the Stormlands, the Crownlands, and some parts of Dorne. It is in these regions where the tradition of knighthood is more prevalent.
The Northmen, meanwhile, continue to practice the customs and culture of the First Men. For example, whereas in the south the execution of criminals is carried out by headsmen and executioners, in the North tradition holds that "he who passes the sentence should swing the sword."
Despite being blood of both the Andals and the First Men, the people of the Iron Islands developed their own cultural identity. With strong ties to the sea, the Ironborn culture is centered around activities such as piracy and raiding. They believe they have the right to seize by force what they consider necessary - "paying the 'iron price'."
Three major religions are followed by large numbers of people in the Seven Kingdoms. By far the most dominant is the Faith of the Seven, after the Andal invaders brought it to the continent 6,000 years ago, pushing out worship of the Old Gods. The North remained independent from the Andals so the worship of the Old Gods remained strong there, with ...
Notes
1.In "Aegon, First of His Name," Viserys Targaryen states that the maesters divided history into Before and After Conquest following Aegon I Taragaryen's coronation in Oldtown; therefore, Aegon's Conquest concluded in 1 AC. 2.In "Winter Is Coming," which takes place in 298 AC, Sansa Stark tells Cersei Lannister that she is 13 years old and Bran Stark tells Jaime Lannister that he is 10 years old. Arya Stark was born between Sansa and Bran, making her either 11 or 12 in Season 1. The rest of the Stark children have been aged up by 2 years from their book ages, so it can be assumed that she is 11 in Season 1. Arya is 18 in Season 8 according to HBO, which means at least 7 years occur in the span of the series; therefore, each season of Game of Thrones must roughly correspond to a year in-universe, placing the events of Season 8 in 305 AC. 3.In "Valyria & the Dragons," Viserys Targaryen states that Aegon began his conquest 100 years after the Doom of Valyria in 102 BC, placing it in 2 BC. In "Aegon, First of His Name," Viserys Targaryen states that the maesters divided history into Before and After Conquest following Aegon I Targaryen's coronation in Oldtown; therefore, Aegon's Conquest began in 2 BC and ended in 1 AC. 4.The Lineages and Histories of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms states that Daenerys Targaryen was born in 182 AC and married Maron Martell in her 17th year; therefore, Dorne joined the Seven Kingdoms in 199 AC.
Explore the world of Game of Thrones! An interactive Google Maps style webapp.
A map of Westeros and the rest of the known world in Game of Thrones and the Song of Ice & Fire novels. Mark how much of the TV show or novels you've seen to prevent seeing any spoilers. See the path of major characters over time.
Jul 2, 2022 · This full guide to the entire Game of Thrones map isn't limited to just Westeros and Essos. It also covers the uncharted regions to the far east and south that haven't been expanded upon even in George R.R. Martin's books.
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Aug 6, 2024 · From the icy wilderness beyond the Wall to the sun-soaked lands of Dorne, the map of Westeros and Essos offers a captivating glimpse into the diverse and richly imagined settings that form the backdrop of the beloved series. Table of Content hide. 1 What is ‘Game of Thrones’ map? 2 Geographic features. 2.1 Westeros. 2.1.1 Major Regions of Westeros.
