The HBO series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms concluded its first season on Monday, February 23, 2026, on the streaming platform HBO Max. The season finale surprised many viewers when Egg revealed that the “seven kingdoms” referenced in the title were actually nine.
But what does this mean? Why the initial mention of seven kingdoms, followed by nine? And will the series’ name change for its second season? Here’s what we recognize.
Please note: the following article contains spoilers for the series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
“Everyone is Wrong”
In the season one finale, Dunk and Egg set off on their next adventure. When Ser Duncan admits he hasn’t seen many places within the Seven Crowns, he’s corrected by Egg: “Notice nine Crowns, ser.”
Dunk and Egg head off on their next adventures. © HBO
A surprising statement for a series titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, set in Westeros, the realm of the Seven Crowns. But as the young Egg points out, “everyone is wrong,” and there are indeed nine crowns in Westeros.
The modified title of the series, visible in the final episode. © HBO
To understand this, we demand to look back at the main continent of George R.R. Martin’s universe just before the arrival of Aegon I Targaryen, known as Aegon the Conqueror. This is 209 years before the events of the spin-off, 129 years before House of the Dragon, and 298 years before Game of Thrones.
At that time, Westeros consisted of seven individually governed kingdoms:
- The North
- The Mountain and the Vale
- The Riverlands
- The Rock
- The Reach
- The Stormlands
- Dorne
Aegon the Conqueror. © Magali Villeneuve
Following the War of the Conquest, and Aegon the Conqueror’s takeover of six of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, the Targaryen reorganized the continent into nine regions, as Egg enumerates:
- The Crownlands
- The Westerlands
- The Stormlands
- The Riverlands
- The Iron Islands
- The North
- The Reach
- The Vale of Arryn
- Dorne
Dexter Sol Ansell in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. © HBO
Aegon the Conqueror applied a political logic to the historical base of Westeros, dividing some kingdoms to better rule, but as well to better administer them.
The show’s creator, Ira Parker, assured fans that this minor last-minute modification shouldn’t force a name change for the series. He explained it was simply another joke in a show that likes to play with tropes and expectations.
Fans can look forward to season two of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, slated for release in 2027.
