What Happened to the Hightowers by the Time of Game of Thrones?

By now, anyone watching House of the Dragon will know just how heavily the Hightowers are involved in the Targaryen family mess. Otto Hightower and his daughter Alicent are basically the architects behind the biggest family feud in Westerosi history, happily stirring up drama that splits the royal kids right down the middle. Oddly enough, when we get to Game of Thrones 172 years later, the Hightowers are nowhere near the spotlight. Which begs the question: where did they go, and why don’t they pop up in the main show?

Old Money, Old Problems

The Hightowers have serious pedigree in George R.R. Martin’s world—think less nouveau-riche, more ancient-aristocracy. They’re from Oldtown, and their family history supposedly dates back 10,000 years, making them one of the oldest houses in Westeros (putting the Targaryens to shame, actually). They started as petty-kings, and no one’s really sure if they descend from the First Men or if they just turned up before even the First Men did.

If you recall the maesters at the Citadel, thank the Hightowers’ ancestors. King Uthor Hightower’s lot are supposed to have founded the Citadel, which later becomes the Hogwarts-for-adults version of Westeros. Through marriage with House Gardener (original rulers of Highgarden, before the Tyrells took over), they went from local bigwigs to proper nobility—and they sided with the Andals early, which cemented their hold on power.

During Aegon’s Conquest, the Hightowers switched allegiance smartly, welcoming the Targaryen newcomers and even marrying into the family. Not surprisingly, those connections run deep by the time House of the Dragon kicks off: King Jaehaerys Targaryen makes Otto his Hand, and Otto goes on to become a central antagonist through half the series.

The Dance and the Fallout

Otto and Alicent’s ambition lights the fuse for the infamous Dance of the Dragons. Basically, once Viserys kicks the bucket, the Greens (that’s the Hightower-backed faction) shoehorn Aegon II onto the throne over Rhaenyra, and all hell breaks loose between Targaryen alliances. If you haven’t read Fire & Blood, it gets complicated, but here’s the bit people care about: Rhaenyra does technically win by the end, but by then the kingdom is so battered it barely matters.

After Rhaenyra takes King’s Landing, the people turn on her (thanks to taxes, executions, and some vicious PR), and the situation gets so ugly that the mob actually storms the dragonpit. Rhaenyra flees, is caught at Dragonstone, and killed by Aegon II. But even then, the Hightower-aligned ‘greens’ can’t hold onto anything—Aegon II gets poisoned, and Rhaenyra’s son Aegon III ends up crowned. To broker a bit of peace, marriages happen: Aegon III marries Aegon II’s daughter Jaehaera, and Rhaena Targaryen ties the knot with Garmund Hightower, having six kids with him once the chaos dies down.

In short: the Hightowers don’t implode, but the schemers we follow most don’t get happy endings. Ormund Hightower dies mid-civil war and his son Lyonel inherits, though Lyonel’s relationship with his stepmum upsets the church crowd. Alicent, meanwhile, is kept in Maegor’s Holdfast, growing bitter and isolated until she dies—a pretty grim fate.

Where Were They in Game of Thrones?

By the time Game of Thrones rolls around, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Hightowers had gone extinct or fled the scene. In reality, they’re still down in Oldtown, living off their sprawling fortune with less taste for power games. After the Dance debacle, the family seem to have learned their lesson: they sat out Robert’s Rebellion, bent the knee when he won, and followed the Tyrells in backing Renly and then Joffrey during the big war—all very safe, not exactly glamorous. During the main show’s timeline, Leyton Hightower is Lord of Oldtown, but he’s famous for being a recluse who never leaves his literal tower.

Gerold Hightower is the only Hightower character you’ll actually spot in Game of Thrones—and that’s in the Tower of Joy flashback in Season 6.

You never meet Leyton’s daughter Lady Alerie on screen, but fans of the books will know her: she’s married to Mace Tyrell and is mother to Loras and Margaery. The Hightowers’ money and local influence keep them comfortable, but they’re essentially hanging around in the background while the other Great Houses grab all the headlines.

• House of the Dragon is set roughly 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones.
• Key cast: Milly Alcock and Emily Carey (young Rhaenyra and Alicent), Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke (older versions), Matt Smith (Daemon Targaryen), Paddy Considine (King Viserys).