In the annals of Westeros, there’s been a continuous cycle of empires rising and collapsing. Among these, the Targaryens from Old Valyria have made the most significant impact. Originating from Dragonstone, the westernmost outpost of the Valyrian Freehold, they initiated their conquest around 2 BC. In less than two years, Aegon and his sister-wives managed to establish a political dominance over Westeros (excluding Dorne). They ruled directly over the Crownlands, while the Seven Kingdoms – previously independent regions like the Mountain and the Vale, the Rock, the North, the Reach, the Stormlands, the Isles, and the Rivers – were put under the indirect rule of the crown. This division was later made by Aegon into the Riverlands and the Iron Islands.