I take my role as my friend group’s token history nerd very seriously. Last semester I took a French Revolution class which opened my eyes to the vast amount of history we miss out on in typical middle and high school history classes. Obviously, it’s not realistic to be able to dive deep into these subjects in typical public schools, so I take my knowledge from class and spread it to whoever will listen to me yap.Â
This semester, I’m taking a class called “ the history of England to 1688”, and boy, the can of worms this class has opened for me! Coincidentally I started watching the very popular show Game of Thrones over winter break right before I joined this class. Game of Thrones was fascinating – fantasy with a little bit of historical accuracy will always do it for me. However, it wasn’t until my history of England class started until I noticed the parallels between English history and Game of Thrones. Spoilers ahead!Â
the 7 Kingdoms
Game of Thrones takes place in a fictional continent called Westeros. In every intro credit, a map of Westeros is displayed along with its 7 kingdoms. These 7 kingdoms parallel the original 7 kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England. The monarchy we know today is much different from how the first Englishmen were ruled. These 7 kingdoms would transfer power between each other over time, similarly to the 7 kingdoms in GOT.
Edward the confessor & robert baratheon
Very early on in GOT we are introduced to one of the most important plots. The death of King Robert Baratheon and the arrest of Ned Stark. We the viewers see Robert on his deathbed asking Ned Stark to act as protector of the realm while his son, Jamie, is underage. Jamie and his mother refuse the idea and arrest Ned Stark – leading to disaster after disaster. Just as this was a major plot point in Game of Thrones, this same scenario happened in real life and changed England forever. King Edward the Confessor of England died in 1066 with no heir. His brother in law, Harold Godwinson, claimed that the king had given him the throne on his deathbed. King Edward’s wife did not buy this, but Harold Godwinson was given the throne. Meanwhile, William the Duke of Normandy in France felt that the English crown was his. He invaded, killed Godwinson, and took England for himself – colliding early French and English culture and language forever. This is why the English language has multiple words for the same things, think cow and beef, pig and pork, etc.
the war of the roses
In the early seasons of Game of Thrones, one of the major plot points is the war between the house of Lannister versus the house of Stark. You would not believe how my ears perked up when I heard who was fighting in the War of The Roses –house Lancaster versus the house of York. The names of the fighting houses alone show clear inspiration, but it’s the events of The War of The Roses that really does it. In Medieval times… there was a lot of incest. So much so that the royal lineage eventually formed two branches, both with claims to the throne. The Lancastrians symbolized with a red rose, and The Yorkists with a white rose, hence “The War of The Roses.”Â
One major event in The War of The Roses was the princes in the tower. Henry V took the throne as a child, and was quickly taken over by his uncle Richard III. Richard kidnapped the young king and his brother and trapped them in a tower. The two boys were never seen again, and it is heavily suspected that Richard was either involved in or caused their deaths. Early in season 2 of Game of Thrones, character Theon Greyjoy betrayed the Starks and took Winterfell for himself. He displayed two young burnt bodies to the people of Winterfell, implying that he had killed the young Stark boys. Although he did not actually kill the boys, this act confirmed his control over Winterfell.
history & the present
Watching the similarities unfold before my eyes is a great reminder of just how much the past has influenced the present. As for how the war ends, a man named Henry Tudor invaded England and fought Richard for the throne. He won the battle and took the throne, also ending the Medieval period and starting England’s modern era. How does Game of Thrones relate? I’m not sure. I haven’t got that far…