The history of House Hightower plays an important role in House of the Dragon despite the family not being featured in Game of Thrones. While the House of the Dragon cast is primarily composed of the Targaryen family dynasty 200 years before Game of Thrones, the prequel show also introduced several families that were cut from or went extinct before the original series. Alongside House Velaryon, the most powerful family in House of the Dragon (outside of the Targaryens) that wasn’t included in Game of Thrones is House Hightower.

Considering House Hightower’s history and family tree were almost entirely ignored during Game of Thrones, it’s exciting that House of the Dragon has offered a glimpse at another prominent house. Otto Hightower and Alicent Hightower are the two most prominent members of the house in the series, and Targaryens like Aegon, Aemond, and Helaena share Hightower blood through Alicent. The Hightowers are one of the oldest families in Westeros, with a fascinating history to dive into.

House Hightower Family Tree & History

House Hightower Is One Of The Oldest Houses In Westeros

Before Aegon’s Conquest, the ancient family existed in the dawn of days as petty-kings, with the sons of an ancient Hightower king being significant to the foundation of the Citadel. The Hightowers joined the realm upon marriage to the Kings of the Reach, House Gardner of Highgarden. The Hightowers became one of the first great lords in Westeros to embrace Game of Thrones‘ Faith of the Seven, supporting the building of the Starry Sept and the establishment of the High Septon’s position.

When Aegon Targaryen conquered Westeros, Lord Manfred Hightower yielded Oldtown to the King and the High Septon anointed Aegon as Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. Ceryse Hightower became the first bride of Aegon’s eldest son Prince Maegor Targaryen, but when Meagor declared that Ceryse was infertile, he took another wife. During King Maegor Targaryen’s reign, Manfred’s son Lord Martyn Hightower was ordered to behead Maegor’s niece Rhaelle Targaryen but refused and decided to support the claim of Maegor’s nephew King Jaehaerys I Targaryen instead.

While serving as allies to the Targaryens during the reign of King Jaehaerys Targaryen under Donnel and his unnamed heirs. Shortly before his passing, King Jaehaerys brought on Otto Hightower as his Hand of the King. Jaehaerys was bedridden during this time, allowing Otto to be the acting ruler of the Seven Kingdoms for the final two years of the good king’s reign. Following Jaehaerys’ passing, King Viserys I Targaryen ascended the throne.

House Hightower’s Story In House Of The Dragon Explained

House Hightower Contributed Significantly To The Dance Of The Dragons

House Hightower’s role in House of the Dragon begins with Otto Hightower being Hand of the King to Viserys Targaryen, with the character suggesting that Viserys marry his daughter Alicent following the death of his wife Aemma. While Viserys’ daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower had a very close relationship growing up together in King’s Landing, they began to feud more often following Alicent’s marriage to Viserys.

House Hightower members in House of the Dragon

Character
Actor

Otto Hightower
Rhys Ifans

Alicent Hightower
Emily Carey/Olivia Cooke

Hobert Hightower
Steffan Rhodri

Lynesse Hightower
Alana Ramsey

Gwayne Hightower
Will Willoughby/Freddie Fox

Alicent and Rhaenyra’s feud separated the realm between the “Green” and “Black” parties long before the Dance of the Dragons, with the monikers being derived from Alicent’s green dress at Rhaenyra’s wedding. The feud worsened as Rhaenyra’s sons and Alicent’s sons came of age around the same time and questions surrounding the true parentage of Rhaenyra’s children. It was the conspiring of House Hightower that truly began the Dance of the Dragons, as the small council decided to put Alicent’s son Aegon Targaryen on the Iron Throne after King Viserys’ death despite Rhaenyra being the named heir.

What Happens To House Hightower After The Dance Of The Dragons

Despite Alicent Surviving, House Hightower Struggled In Subsequent Years

Following the Dance of the Dragons, House Hightower comes into opposition with the Faith of the Seven. Lyonel Hightower intended to marry his father’s widow, Lady Samantha Tarly, but the High Septon forbade the union due to incest. Lyonel still kept Lady Sam as a paramour and had six children with her, with their attendance at the coronation of King Aegon III Targaryen becoming a source of scandal with the Faith. Sam was even commanded to become a silent sister but refused, causing even further tension with House Hightower.

However, later in the reign of Aegon the Broken King, a new High Septon reversed his predecessor’s ruling and legitimized Lord Lyonel Hightower’s marriage to Samantha and, thus, all six of their children. Around the same time, Daemon Targaryen’s daughter Rhaena married Garmund Hightower, with whom she had six daughters. While there were still several important Lord Hightowers after House of the Dragon’s era, one of the most notable was Jon Hightower, who served as Hand of the King to Aegon IV Targaryen, the grandson of Emma D’Arcy’s character Rhaenyra Targaryen.

Alicent was confined to Maegor’s Holdfast for the remainder of her life, where she frequently wept, talked to herself, and began hating the color green

After watching her father, four children, and almost all of her grandchildren die during the Dance of the Dragons (129 AC-131 AC), Alicent Hightower miraculously survived the civil war. She opposed the marriage of her granddaughter Jaehaera to Rhaenyra’s son Aegon the Younger, so she was absent from the ceremony and later suggested to her granddaughter that she slit Aegon’s throat. Alicent was confined to Maegor’s Holdfast for the remainder of her life, where she frequently wept, talked to herself, and began hating the color green. In 133 AC, Alicent Hightower died amidst the outbreak of Winter Fever.

Where Is House Hightower During Game Of Thrones?

House Hightower Has Close Ties To Main Characters In Game Of Thrones

While hardly mentioned during the Game of Thrones TV series, there are many members of House Hightower still alive at this time; they simply lost the power and prominence they previously held. The Lord of the Hightower during Game of Thrones’ timeline is Leyton Hightower, known as the “Old Man of Oldtown,” whose daughter Alerie is the mother of Game of Thrones’ Margaery and Loras Tyrell. Leyton’s daughter Lynesse Hightower is the former wife of Ser Jorah Mormont. At the beginning of Game of Thrones, House Hightower supported the claim of Renly Baratheon, later changing their allegiance to the Tyrells.

The Only Member Of House Hightower Seen In Game of Thrones

Game Of Thrones Season 6 Features Ser Gerold Hightower

Only one member of the family is seen on-screen in Game of Thrones: Ser Gerold Hightower, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard under Aerys “The Mad King” Targaryen. Gerold was only featured very briefly during Bran’s vision of the Tower of Joy in Game of Thrones season 6’s flashback. The Hightower descendant was one of the knights guarding Lyanna Stark, with the character being killed by Ned Stark and his fellow soldiers in the ensuing fight. Despite House Hightower being depicted so prominently in House of the Dragon, the family only had one scene in Game of Thrones.