Westeros

Westeros
Name	Westeros
Region	The Known World
Capital	King's Landing
Largest city	King's Landing
Official language	Common Tongue (Low Valyrian remnants)
Population	Variable (estimates vary by region and era)
Rulers	Iron Throne; Great Houses
Area	Seven Kingdoms (approximate)

Westeros Westeros is a large continent in the fictional world of the A Song of Ice and Fire saga and its television adaptation, A Game of Thrones. It is the setting for conflicts involving houses such as House Stark, House Lannister, House Targaryen, House Baratheon, and House Tyrell, and features key locations including The Wall, King's Landing, Winterfell, The Eyrie, and Casterly Rock. The continent's narrative intersects with events like the War of the Five Kings, the Rebellion of Robert Baratheon, the Dance of the Dragons, and incursions tied to The Long Night and the Others.

Geography and Climate

Westeros spans diverse regions such as the North, the Riverlands, the Vale of Arryn, the Westerlands, the Reach, the Stormlands, Dorne, and the Crownlands, bounded by the Sunset Sea and the Shivering Sea. Major geographic features include the The Wall, the Trident river system, the Dreadfort environs, the Fifth Moon-adjacent islands like the Iron Islands, and the basalt of Dragonstone. Climates range from the tundra around Beyond the Wall to the Mediterranean-like heat of Sunspear and Oldtown; seasons such as prolonged winter and summer—in narrative terms—are unpredictable events tied to folklore about greenseers, Children of the Forest, and the celestial cycles noted in Old Nan's tales.

History

The continent's prehistory includes the settlement by the First Men and the arrival of the Andals, the construction of The Wall by legendary figures like Bran the Builder, and the cultivation of faiths such as the Old Gods of the Forest and the Faith of the Seven. Notable epochs include the Age of Heroes, the Targaryen Conquest that followed the fall of Valyria, the rise of dynasties like House Targaryen and later House Baratheon, and pivotal conflicts exemplified by the War of the Five Kings, the Greyjoy Rebellion, and the Blackfyre Rebellions. Key historical personages include Aegon I Targaryen, Rhaegar Targaryen, Robert Baratheon, Eddard Stark, Cersei Lannister, and the prophetic figures surrounding Azor Ahai.

Politics and Governance

Feudal power is concentrated in Great Houses such as House Stark, House Lannister, House Tyrell, House Martell, House Arryn, House Tully, House Greyjoy, and House Baratheon, each ruling regions with vassal lords like House Mormont, House Tarly, and House Frey. The Iron Throne in King's Landing claims suzerainty over the Seven Kingdoms, contested during crises like the War of the Five Kings and the Dance of Dragons; institutions include the Small Council, the Citadel with its Maesters, and religious authorities such as the Faith Militant and the High Sparrow. Diplomacy and treaties—examples include truces brokered by houses such as House Royce and marriages linking House Tyrell and House Lannister—shape succession disputes, while clandestine networks like the Faceless Men and Houses' spies influence intrigues associated with figures such as Varys and Petyr Baelish.

Society and Culture

Westerosi society manifests regional identities: northern customs tied to Old Nan's lore and the Weirwood worship, the riverlands' hospitality exemplified in Riverrun, the southern chivalry of Highgarden, the Dornish traditions of Sunspear, and the ironborn rites of Pyke and The Drowned God. Cultural artifacts and institutions include the Tourneys held at Harrenhal, the Maester scholarship at the Citadel, the Guilds of Oldtown, and ballads about figures like Ser Arthur Dayne, Lyanna Stark, and Khal Drogo (via contacts with Essos). Social stratification is visible in servile groups such as squires and smallfolk, urban populations in King's Landing and Oldtown, and the noble orders of knights and lords.

Economy and Infrastructure

Regional economies rely on resources like the mines of Casterly Rock, the agricultural fertility of The Reach around Highgarden, the fisheries and shipbuilding of the Iron Islands, and the trade routes linking White Harbor, Pentos, and Braavos. Key infrastructure includes roads such as the Kingsroad, ports like Dragonstone and Lannisport, the Harrenhal river systems, and fortifications like Moat Cailin and The Twins. Monetary systems use coinage minted in centers such as Lannisport; commerce is mediated by merchant houses and institutions including the Sparrows-influenced markets, and the Free Cities in Essos provide external trade links with families like the Iron Bank of Braavos.

Military and Warfare

Westerosi warfare features levies raised by bannermen, professional retinues, and elite units such as House Dayne's swordsmen, House Umber footmen, and The Kingsguard. Sieges at Winterfell, Casterly Rock, and Riverrun showcase engineering like trebuchets and defensive designs exemplified by The Wall and the Eyrie's impregnable position. Notable battles include the Battle of the Trident, the Battle of Blackwater, the Red Wedding massacre site at The Twins, and skirmishes with Wildlings and The Others beyond The Wall. Commanders and tacticians such as Tywin Lannister, Robb Stark, Stannis Baratheon, Daenerys Targaryen, and Jon Snow illustrate combined arms including cavalry, heavy infantry, siegecraft, and—when available—dragon warfare introduced by Aegon the Conqueror's descendants.

Flora, Fauna, and Magic

Flora ranges from the weirwood groves of the North to the orchards of The Reach and the arid flora of Dorne; fauna includes direwolves tied to House Stark, albino ravens of the Maesters, and the sea-born ironborn longships' use of stallions and crows. Magic resurges in periods such as the Long Night aftermath and the return of dragons under Daenerys Targaryen; practitioners include warlocks of Qarth, Red Priests like Melisandre, and greenseers exemplified by Bloodraven. Mystical artifacts—dragonglass spearheads, Valyrian steel swords like Longclaw and Ice, and giants' weaponry—play decisive roles in conflicts with supernatural forces such as White Walkers.

Category:Fictional continents