Ser Duncan the Tall

TL;DR:

Ser Duncan the Tall is a poor-born knight who becomes Lord Commander.
His stories sit 90 to 100 years before Game of Thrones.
Season 1 of HBO’s prequel adapts The Hedge Knight, premiered Jan 18, 2026.
Key dates: Ashford tourney in 209 AC, Summerhall tragedy in 259 AC.
Great entry point for new fans, short reads, tight plots.

Ser Duncan the Tall, called Dunk, starts with nothing. He grows up in Flea Bottom, becomes a hedge knight, then rises to lead the Kingsguard of King Aegon V. His path is the rare Westerosi tale where decency, grit, and luck carry a man upward. Much of what we know comes from George R. R. Martin’s novellas, collected as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

The HBO prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms makes Dunk its heart. Season 1 adapts The Hedge Knight and premiered on January 18, 2026, with weekly episodes through February 22, 2026. Peter Claffey plays Dunk, with Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg.

The quick timeline

Year (AC)	Event
209	Trial of Seven at the Ashford tourney. Dunk meets Egg, changes both lives.
239	Dunk, as Aegon’s champion, defeats Lyonel Baratheon in trial by combat.
252–253	As Lord Commander, Dunk loses at a winter tourney to a 16-year-old Barristan Selmy.
259	Dunk dies with King Aegon V in the fire at Summerhall.

Where to start in the books

The Hedge Knight

The story opens after Ser Arlan of Pennytree dies. Dunk enters the Ashford tourney, defends a puppeteer from Prince Aerion, and is forced into a rare Trial of Seven. The tale shows chivalry tested by power. It also introduces Egg, a bald boy with a secret name, Aegon Targaryen.

The Sworn Sword

Dunk serves aging Ser Eustace Osgrey in the Reach. A water dispute with Lady Rohanne Webber sparks a small, tense feud. The novella layers in Blackfyre history and questions of oath, mercy, and pride.

The Mystery Knight

Dunk and Egg stumble into a wedding tourney that hides a fresh Blackfyre plot. The stakes are quiet but sharp, and Dunk’s blunt honesty cuts through courtly lies.

How HBO is adapting Dunk

HBO’s first season follows The Hedge Knight closely, setting the tone with Dunk burying Ser Arlan and meeting Egg. People Magazine’s premiere-day piece frames Duncan as humble and grounded. Claffey called leading the new spinoff “terrifying,” a nod to the fan expectations that come with Westeros. Episodes run weekly on HBO and Max.

If you like the quieter character beats in Game of Thrones and the buddy-road moments of Tyrion and Bronn, Dunk and Egg will land for you. The prequel sits about a century before Thrones, and around 70 years after most events in House of the Dragon.

What makes Dunk different

He is decent and direct. Dunk is large, strong, and candid. He is not court-raised or silver-tongued. He tries to do the right thing and admits mistakes fast.

He learns by losing. He loses jousts and arguments, then adjusts. His famous loss to young Barristan Selmy shows how honor can survive defeat.

He stands up to princes. At Ashford, he defies Aerion Brightflame and pays a price, then wins his case on the field.

He rises without a name. Dunk has no noble house. His ascent to Lord Commander, recorded in the White Book, is the series’ clearest merit story.

Connections to the main saga

Egg becomes King Aegon V, the father of Prince Jaehaerys II and the grandfather of Aerys II, the Mad King. That makes Dunk a friend and protector of the Targaryen line that leads to Rhaegar. Dunk’s end at Summerhall ties to one of Westeros’s key mysteries, often linked to attempts to hatch dragon eggs.

Barristan Selmy’s early legend crosses Dunk’s path at the King’s Landing winter tourney, then continues into Robert’s Rebellion and Daenerys’s story. Readers see names in the White Book echo across centuries.

Reading plan and common mistakes

Reading order.

The Hedge Knight
The Sworn Sword
The Mystery Knight
All three appear in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Do not assume dragons. This era is more steel than sorcery. The novellas focus on small folk, feuds, and hard choices.

Do not skip the notes. The Blackfyre bits matter. They set up motives for lords you will see again.

Match the show to the page carefully. Season 1 tracks The Hedge Knight, but TV may compress timelines and merge minor nobles. Treat changes as translation, not error.

Quick starter checklist

Get A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms collection.
Read 30 minutes a day, finish the first novella in a week.
Watch episode 1 after chapter 3 for a fun compare.
Keep a simple name list for Ashford champions.
Revisit the Ashford chapter after the episode to spot clever tweaks.

Deeper cuts for lore fans

Ashford tourney, 209 AC. A rare Trial of Seven decides Dunk’s fate. It also changes Targaryen politics. Baelor Breakspear dies from a blow meant for another, a turn that echoes through succession.

Dunk’s heraldry. He first borrows a hanged-man sigil by chance, then adopts a green shooting star over a sunset field. Readers debate his unknown parentage and possible links across the main saga. The books leave it open.

Lord Commander years. By the early 250s AC, Dunk leads the Kingsguard. In a winter tourney, a teenage Barristan Selmy unhorses him. Aegon knights Barristan that night. The moment marks a passing of the torch.

Summerhall, 259 AC. Fire ruins the Targaryen retreat and kills Aegon V, Prince Duncan, and Ser Duncan the Tall. Records are thin, rumors thick. Many link the blaze to failed efforts to hatch old dragon eggs.

What happens next on TV

Season 1 covers The Hedge Knight. Reports indicate the show airs Sundays with six episodes and is set about a century before Thrones. Coverage also points to a second season order that would likely adapt The Sworn Sword. HBO and partners have positioned it as a character-driven road tale with tournaments, feuds, and found family.

Why it matters

Dunk is Westeros without the crown. He shows how honor looks from the mud. His bond with Egg humanizes a dynasty too often seen only in war and prophecy. The prequel brings that tone to screen, and the short books give new fans a clean way in before tackling the big novels.