‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Timeline Explained: Where Dunk and Egg Fit in ‘Game of Thrones’ History

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Duncan and Egg cheering in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

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Carolyn Jenkins is a voracious consumer of film and television. She graduated from Long Island University with an MFA in Screenwriting and Producing where she learned the art of character, plot, and structure. The best teacher is absorbing media and she spends her time reading about different worlds from teen angst to the universe of Stephen King.

The following contains spoilers for The Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas by George R.R. Martin, the books that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based on.

The Game of Thrones finale in 2019 hasn’t stopped the fever that continues to tear through HBO. The series spawned two spin-offs, the most recent of which premiered on January 18. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has already set itself apart from its predecessors by resisting the court intrigue of greater Houses. Instead, this series follows Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) – so named because of his large stature – who is just a hedge knight at the start of the series. Hopeful that he can be a true knight and protect the innocent, he travels to Ashford to enter the journey lists. Along the way, he meets Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), his young would-be squire who is more than meets the eye.

As the third series in George R.R. Martin’s in-depth A Song of Ice and Fire mythology, it can be difficult to place exactly where in the story these characters live and die. The timeline of A Game of Thrones generally spreads across three centuries, starting with the conquest of Westeros by Aegon and his sister-wives, Visenya and Rhaenys Targaryen. HBO has covered two separate time periods in this vast timeline, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms lands somewhere in the middle.

When Does ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Take Place?

HBO’s A Song of Ice and Fire adaptation started with George R.R. Martin’s flagship series, but Game of Thrones is at the end of that timeline. Ser Duncan’s story takes place in 211 AC, quite a few generations after the Dance of the Dragons, which occurs in House of the Dragon. At the time of Dunk, all the dragons have already died out, an event that had to do with housing the beasts in domed structures and the civil war between the Greens and the Blacks.

While the dragons had died off, Targaryens kept breeding, leading to the birth of Egg, who would become King Aegon V, otherwise known as Aegon the Unlucky. Egg is the fourth son of Prince Maekar, which leads to his decision to squire for the hedge knight, Duncan. This line of Targaryens is descended through Daemon (Matt Smith) and Rhaenyra's (Emma D'Arcy) son, Viserys II.

Son of Prince Maekar, Aegon also happens to be the brother of Aemon, whose large respectability stems from being the Grand Maester at Castle Black during Jon Snow’s (Kit Harington) time. Maester Aemon (Peter Vaughan) was the one to give Aegon the nickname of Egg and mentions him on his deathbed in Season 5. Aegon V continued the line of kings, becoming grandfather to the Mad King Aerys and great-grandfather to Daenerys Targaryen.

This puts Dunk and Egg directly in a time of peace. Even though the Targaryens lost their god-like stature because of the death of the dragons, they still hold on tightly to their power. Unlike House of the Dragon, the Targaryens have an abundance of male heirs. So many that Aemon is sent to the Citadel during the time of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, so there are not too many to vie for the throne. This is also what made Aegon an unlikely candidate for king and a folk figure for the local peasantry.

What Happens to Dunk and Egg?

The tales of Dunk and Egg are interesting enough for a lengthy television series, but they also have a lasting impact on the world of Westeros. Dunk and Egg’s friendship shaped the course of the Iron Throne and continued through the history books. After Dunk discovers that Egg is not just an orphan boy as he assumed, the young princeling continues in his service, and they forge a bond that can never be broken. The two had many adventures together and traveled all over Westeros.

When the time came to decide the line of succession, Aegon was met with some trepidation. King Maekar had four sons, all with various issues. Both Daeron and Aerion died before Maekar, leaving his younger sons up for contention. Since Aemon had taken vows, he could not be called to the throne. Aegon was extremely popular with the smallfolk because of his travels with Dunk, which is exactly why he was not the preferred choice of the lords and ladies of Westeros. The prince was considered half a peasant himself because of his empathy for the lower class, but eventually, he was chosen by the council to rule.

Dunk joined him on this journey, being chosen for Aegon’s Kingsguard and eventually rising to the Lord Commander. Dunk’s name remains in the Kingsguard's White Book, with four pages attributed to his great deeds. This was mentioned in Game of Thrones when Jaime Lannister notes they said Ser Duncan was a great man. This is a far cry from the morally bereft knights that viewers often see in Game of Thrones. Dunk and Egg were both considered some of the best when it came to high lordship, believing in truth and honor above all else.