The world George R.R. Martin created for A Song of Ice and Fire is vast. He built out a rich landscape packed with different peoples, traditions, and beliefs. He gave that landscape further character by building its history. Westeros, or the Seven Kingdoms, has experiences periods of peace but perhaps more times of turmoil. Houses of major and minor standings alike have played key roles in who gets control of the Iron Throne.

House Baratheon currently holds the ruler's seat in King's Landing, but it won't always be that way.

 

As mentioned, the Houses of Westeros help turn the tide. As such, we're breaking them down and looking at an overview of each house including a brief history, the house sigil, the house words, and the location of the house seat. Part one of these series included Houses Stark and Tyrell, and for part two, we'll focus on Houses Lannister and Targaryen.

House Lannister

Sigil: A roaring lion, gold on crimson

Words: "Hear Me Roar!"

Location: Casterly Rock

From the beginning of both A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones, it is apparent that the Lannisters are one of the most powerful families in all of the Seven Kingdoms. They possess impressive wealth, so much so that their unofficial motto is "A Lannister always pays his debts." The Lannisters are descended from from the Andals and made a home in the western hills of Westeros. They were once defeated by the Targaryens after being involved in the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.

It was Tywin Lannister who was responsible for turning the fate of House Lannister around and shaping it into a force to be reckoned with. Tywin served as Hand of the King to Aerys II Targaryen but their friendship didn't last. Eventually Aerys was killed (by Tywin's son Jaime) and Robert Baratheon took the Iron Throne. Sensing an opportunity, Tywin wed his daughter Cersei to Robert and the rest, as they say, is history.

House Targaryen

Sigil: A red three-headed dragon, breathing flame on black

Words: Fire and Blood

Location: Dragonstone

The tangled past of the House Targaryen could easily take up several pages in any history book. Actually, it could be told in complete books. The Targaryens date back to Valyria; they're one of the ancient noble houses. They and their dragons survived the Doom of Valyria by moving to the island of Dragonstone. After many years, Aegon the Conqueror turned his eyes towards Westeros and set out with the goal of uniting the Seven Kingdoms under a single ruler - himself, obviously. He was anointed king, and the Targaryens took King's Landing for the seat of the throne. Their dynasty lasted almost 300 years and was definitely aided by having powerful dragons on their side.

Their downfall came because of Aerys II Targaryen. Known as the Mad King, he lost the trust of the nobles and in fact had provoked them. He became increasingly paranoid throughout his reign and was eventually killed by Jaime Lannister. Daenerys Targaryen is, as far as we know, the last remaining heir. She's currently working in the lands across the Narrow Sea but plans to retake the Iron Throne for House Targaryen.