One of the things that we know about Game of Thrones is that each of the houses in Westeros has a seat of power that it rules as its own territory. Winterfell is for the Starks, and Casterly Rock is for the Lannisters. Meanwhile, Dragonstone has been the territory of the Targaryens for around 400 years. Even during the time when the Targaryens were ruling Westeros as the royal family, Dragonstone was still its seat of power, as the non-ruling Targaryens and the dragons stayed there.
That said, we didn’t see a lot of Dragonstone during Game of Thrones, as it only became quite prominent later in the series. On the other hand, it is yet to be featured in House of the Dragon. So, with that said, we are here to talk about the location of Dragonstone on the map of Westeros and its historical significance to the entire storyline.
What Is The Significance Of Dragonstone?
Throughout the entire duration of the Game of Thrones storyline, one of the things that we know is that the houses of Westeros all have their territories, as that was how the Seven Kingdoms were governed. Basically, there was a king or queen in King’s Landing, but the ruler was the overlord of all of the different lords throughout the Seven Kingdoms because the monarch needed to rely on those lords to oversee those territories as wardens or Great Lords. That is why the Starks basically ruled the North, even though they were all subservient to the ruling monarch of Westeros.
Of course, each house in Westeros has a city or castle that allows them to easily oversee what is happening in their territories. We know that Winterfell is the fort that the Starks hold, as it is also the seat of power of the family for thousands of years. The same could be said of the Lannisters and Casterly Rock, which is the family’s seat of power. Meanwhile, Storm’s End is House Baratheon’s seat of power.
In that regard, House Targaryen also has its own seat of power. For nearly 300 years, the Targaryens ruled Westeros as the royal family that sat on the Iron Throne in King’s Landing. But King’s Landing is the seat of power of the king or queen but not of House Targaryen. Instead, Dragonstone is House Targaryen’s seat of power and original territory.
Unlike all of the other houses in Westeros, Dragonstone hasn’t been under the control of the Targaryens for thousands of years. That’s because they have only been on it for around 400 years. And it goes back to the Doom of Valyria.
The Targaryens were originally Valyrians instead of Westerosis. While they were the most powerful in Westeros, they were far from being the most powerful in Valyria, as there were other dragonlords that were much more powerful than the Targaryens. However, Daenys the Dreamer dreamt of the Doom of Valyria, and that was what prompted the Targaryens to sell all of their riches in Valyria to move to a secluded island just east of Westeros.
Twelve years after the Targaryens fled Valyria, a move seen as an act of cowardice on the part of the Valyrians, the empire was destroyed by a catastrophic event known as the Doom of Valyria. This led to the extinction of the Valyrian dragonlords as only the Targaryens and their dragons survived for a long time after the Doom of Valyria.
The island where the Targaryens settled became known as Dragonstone, and it was there that the Targaryens rebuilt their power using whatever fortune they could carry from Valyria. And the greatest treasures they brought to Dragonstone were five dragons, which included Balerion, the Black Dread.
A hundred years after the Targaryens settled on Dragonstone, Aegon had a dream about the danger that was to come from the northern area of Westeros. This was what prompted him to conquer the entire continent, as he managed to bend the Seven Kingdoms to his will in just two years. After becoming the one ruling monarch of Westeros, Aegon Targaryen established the monarchy’s seat of power in King’s Landing.
However, Dragonstone remained as House Targaryen’s seat of power and ancestral domain as most of the Targaryens stayed there, especially if they weren’t part of the immediate ruling family of Westeros. The heir of the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms was known as the Prince of Dragonstone and was the one who oversaw the affairs in the Targaryens’ seat of power. It was also in Dragonstone where most of the dragons were allowed to breed and thrive during the time when dragons were yet to go extinct.
After the success of Robert Baratheon’s rebellion, he gave Dragonstone to Stannis Baratheon, who was still his male heir at that time because he was yet to bear sons. As such, throughout a good part of Robert’s reign, Stannis was the one holding Dragonstone. But after Stannis fell, Daenerys Targaryen reclaimed Dragonstone not only because it was close to Essos, where she was sailing from, but also because it was always her family’s seat of power.
Where Is Dragonstone Located On The Map Of Westeros?
As mentioned, Dragonstone is a small island found just west of the great continent of Essos, which is larger than Westeros. It can also be found just east of Westeros, as the entire island is sandwiched between the two continents. But where exactly is Dragonstone located on the map of Westeros?
If you can see it there, Dragonstone is just right off the eastern coast of Westeros and the western coast of Essos. However, the fact that it is far from Valyria, which can be found south-east of Dragonstone, means that the Targaryens had to travel a long journey to get to this small rock.
Of course, the most interesting fact about Dragonstone is that it is actually just overlooking King’s Landing from the Blackwater Bay. The Crownlands, which used to be called the Stormlands before Aegon’s conquest, has a coast that can directly access Dragonstone. This probably explains why Aegon the Conqueror decided to establish the capital of the Seven Kingdoms here because it had direct access to Dragonstone, which was still House Targaryen’s seat of power.
During the events of the final two seasons of Game of Thrones, Cersei and Daenerys were actually just overlooking one another because it was quite possible that Dragonstone was visible from the Red Keep and vice versa. This also explains why Stannis Baratheon’s fleet was able to easily invade King’s Landing from the Blackwater Bay and why Euron Greyjoy’s fleet was able to easily ambush Daenerys.
As such, the sense of urgency in the war between Cersei and Daenerys was real because of the fact that the Mother of Dragons could have simply launched her entire fleet to invade King’s Landing from the Blackwater Bay, much like what Stannis did. Of course, unlike Stannis, Daenerys had three full-grown dragons that she could have used to bend King’s Landing to her will. But we all know that she opted not to do so until the very last episode as she wanted to rally the houses of Westeros against Cersei instead of taking the city by force.
