House of the Dragon: Who is Jason Lannister and how does he relate to Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion?

Jason attempts to woo Rhaenyra Targaryen in ‘House of the Dragon’ episode three

A familiar name takes the floor in the third episode of House of the Dragon released Monday (5 September).

Jason Lannister (Jefferson Hall) announces his proposal to marry Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), the heir to the throne chosen by her father, King Viserys I (Paddy Considine).

Carrying all the arrogant swagger of a medieval Old Etonian, Jason is easily recognisable as the ancestor of beloved Game of Thrones characters such as Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion Lannister.

So, how does Jason relate to his Game of Thrones successors?

Jason precedes Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion by roughly 200 years

Ser Jason attempts to woo Rhaenyra with little success on the king’s hunting trip in House of the Dragon. He has a twin, Ser Tyland, who we may see in episodes to come...

Spoiler alert: When Viserys dies in 129 AC, his widow and second wife, Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower defies the king's last will, and crowns his son Aegon II while Rhaenyra resides on Dragonstone, dividing the kingdom.

The Lannisters aligned themselves with Aegon’s succession due to the position of influence they’d gained at small council.

Jefferson Hall stars as Ser Jason Lannister (Ollie Upton/HBO)

Jason is killed in the war over Westeros but Daemon and Rhaenyra spare Tyland, hoping he will give up the secrets to the royal treasury, which he does not.

Jason’s wife and son, Lady Johanna Lannister and Loreon Lannister, survive, however, and it is this line that carries through to the characters of Thrones.

There is then a bit of a gap in the lore crafted by author George R R Martin, which picks back up with Damon Lannister who remained loyal to the Targaryens in 196 AC during the First Blackfyre Rebellion.

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Then came Tybolt, whose brother Gerold Lannister succeeded him following his and his daughter’s mysterious demise.

Gerold’s son, Tytos, was a weak ruler but his sons, Tywin, Kevan and Tygett, won honour for their house in the War of the Ninepenny Kings.

The events of Game of Thrones begin

Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister in HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ (HBO)

Ser Tywin Lannister (played by Charles Dance) was the childhood friend of Aerys II Targaryen, AKA... “The Mad King”.

After Aerys succeeded to the Iron Throne in 262 AC, he made Tywin the youngest man to serve as Hand of the King.

For all his success at court, Tywin’s legacy remained uncertain as his twin children, Cersei (Lena Headey) and Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), began an incestuous relationship and his wife Joanna died giving birth to their dwarf son Tyrion (Peter Dinklage).

Growing in jealousy, Aerys appointed Tywin’s heir, Ser Jaime, to his Kingsguard in 281 AC, leaving Tywin with Tyrion for an heir.

However, Jaime, earning his monicker of “Kingslayer” killed Aerys in the throne room of King’s Landing, allowing Lord Robert Baratheon (played by Mark Addy) to succeed.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Lena Headey in ‘Game of Thrones’ (HBO)

Following his victory and his wife’s death, Robert married Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) to secure an alliance with House Lannister.

Meanwhile, Aerys’s remaining heirs Viserys and Daenerys fled to Essos where they attempted to recruit followers and reclaim the Iron Throne.

Thus we join the first series and chaos unfolds.

Read our recap of House of the Dragon episode three here.

House of the Dragon continues Sundays in the US on HBO at 9pm. The episode is simulcast on Monday mornings in the UK on NOW, and is shown again at 9pm on Sky Atlantic.