‘House of the Dragon’ was inspired by the chaos of the Middle Ages, a world without law and order

Daemon Targaryen, played by Matt Smith, finds himself in the middle of an internecine struggle between two warring families. Ollie Upton/HBO

Students in my medieval history courses often wonder whether historical reality can be gleaned from medieval cinematic fantasy.

I tell them that fantasy does not aspire to historical verisimilitude. But it can reflect medieval conflicts, values and norms.