S.

Duncan 1

The Significance of the Historical Parallels of Game of Thrones

Currently, the academic interest in social studies is dwindling between the primary and

secondary school students1, which corresponds with the decline in history majors graduating

from college2. And, yet, Game of Thrones, the hit T.V. series based off the best-selling books by

George R.R. Martin, is one of the most popular shows in the world right now, despite being

heavily based on real historical events3. The show draws inspiration from ancient Roman

architecture and military tactics, as well as the 11th century Nazari Ismailis, the 13th century

Mongols, the 16th century Protestant Reformation, the 19th-century Ku-Klux Klan, and so on.

What's more, it is all tied into a few central stories that resemble Medieval Europe4. This paper

will be exploring two specific historical events that the show took its inspiration from, and

develop a theory to explain why a show with so many historical references is the biggest hit of

all time, even though the interest in history is declining. My opinion is that if history were taught

with some entertainment value, then people would remember more because the stories are there,

drama included; it is how the story is portrayed that determines the individuals ability and desire

to remember it.

First, some information about the geography and backstory is helpful. Game of Thrones

is about a fictional world, referred to as The Known World, which consists of three discovered

1
Milo, Greg. 2015. "Why Do Students Hate History?" Education Week 35 (5): 19. Accessed October 25, 2017.
doi:110010808.
2
Townsend, Robert B. 2017. "Decline in History Majors Continues, Departments Respond." American Historical
Association. September. Accessed November 1, 2017.
3
Kasperkevic, Jana. 2017. "Let's do the numbers on "Game of Thrones"." Marketplace. July 24. Accessed October
25, 2017.
4
BBC History Magazine. 2016. "Game of Thrones: medieval inspiration." History Extra. March 21. Accessed
October 21, 2017.
 Duncan 2

continents: Westeros, Essos, and Sothoryos. Westeros is in the far west, and that is where a

majority of the story takes place. Most of Westeros is united as a political entity labeled the

Seven Kingdoms, where a King rules on the Iron Throne in the city of Kings Landing. The

monarch on the Iron Throne use the title King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men,

referring to the major ethnic groups from which most Westerosi descend.5

In each region, there are Great Houses that have sworn fealty to the King. Those lords

were given a certain extent of autonomy and authority over their small folk and minor lords.

Over time, houses have fallen and risen. The current Houses are: House Stark of the North,

House Arryn of the Vale, House Martell of Dorne, House Lannister of the Westerlands, House

Tully of the Riverlands, House Greyjoy of the Iron Islands, House Tyrell of the Reach, House

Baratheon of the Stormlands, and House Targaryen of the Crownlands, the only house to ever

rule with dragons6.

Beginning with season one, the overall backstory that everything stems from is the

history of the Wars of the Roses. Specifically, the Lancaster and the York family, who have an

uncanny resemblance to that of the two Great Houses of the Lannisters and the Starks. A few of

the resemblances from 1483 can be seen in Ingulfs The Croyland Chronicle: Part VII:

The more prudent members of the council, however, were of opinion that
guardianship of so youthful a person, until he should reach the years of maturity,
ought to be utterly forbidden to his uncles and brothers on his mothers side. This,
however, they were of opinion, could not so easily be brought about, if it should
be allowed those of the queens relatives who held the chief places about the
prince, to bring him up for he solemnization of the coronation, without an escort
of a moderate number of those. The advice of the Lord Hastings, the Captain of
Calais, at last, prevailed; who declared that he himself would fly thither with all
speed, rather than await the arrival of the new king if he did not come attended by
a moderate escort. For he was afraid lest, if the supreme power should fall into the
hands of the queens relations, they would exact a most signal vengeance for the
injuries which had been formerly inflicted on them by that same lord; in

5
n.d. "Seven Kingdoms." A Wiki of Ice and Fire. Accessed November 17, 2017.
6
Ibd.
 Duncan 3

consequence of which, there had long existed extreme ill-will between the said
lord Hastings and them. The queen most beneficently tried to extinguish every
spark of murmuring and disturbance...7
This is almost an exact parallel of what happened between Queen Regent Cersei

Lannister and Lord Eddard Stark. Ned Stark was fearful of what Cersei would do following the

Kings upcoming death. The quote from George R.R. Martins book, A Game of Thrones, shows

how this played out in the show as well:

The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard examined the paper. King Roberts
seal, and unbroken. He opened the letter and read. Lord Eddard Stark is herein
named Protector of the Realm, to rule as regent until the heir comes of age.
He trusted neither Pycelle nor Varys, and Ser Barristan was honor-bound to
protect and defend the boy he thought his new king. The old knight would not
abandon Joffrey easily. The need for deceit was a bitter taste in his mouth, but
Ned knew he must tread softly here, must keep his counsel and play the game
until he was firmly established as regent. There would be time enough to deal
with the succession when Arya and Sansa were safely back in Winterfell, and
Lord Stannis had returned to Kings Landing with all his power Ned had
expected Cersei to strike quickly; the summons came as no surprise8.

Following that, Ned received a summons from the Queen, and, with only a few loyal

guards at his side, he appeared at court where he presented the Kings letter saying that he shall

be Protector of the Realm until the heir comes of age. Despite that, the Queen tore up the paper

and demanded he bend the knee to her son. This is seen two pages later in the same book:

We have a new king now, Cersei Lannister replied. Lord Eddard, when last we
spoke, you gave me some counsel. Allow me to return the courtesy. Bend the
knee, my lord. Bend the knee and swear fealty to my son, and we shall allow you
to step down as Hand and live out your days in the grey waste you call home.
Would that I could, Ned said grimly. If she was so determined to force the issue
here and now, she left him no choice. Your son has no claim to the throne he sits.
Lord Stannis is Roberts true heir.9

7
Ingulf. 2012. "Richard III Society - American Branch." The Third Continuation of the History of Croyland Abbey:
January, 1477 - June 1483 With Notes. 12. Accessed September 11, 2017.
8
Martin, George R.R. 1996. A Game of Thrones. Vol. 1, chap. 49 in A Song of Ice and Fire, 486-488. Bantam Spectra.
Accessed November 3, 2017.
9
Martin, George R.R. 1996. A Game of Thrones. Vol. 1, chap. 49 in A Song of Ice and Fire, 486-488. Bantam Spectra.
Accessed November 3, 2017.
 Duncan 4

To recap the season one associations, the daughter of the Lancastrians, Elizabeth

Woodville, bears a resemblance to Cersei Lannister in that they both married the King, and they

both fought hard to ensure their child would be crowned the next King, despite claims that the

child was illegitimate10. On the opposing side, Lord Eddard Stark was much like Lord William

Hastings11. Both men married women who were widowers of war, Eddard married Catelyn

Tully, and William married Katherine Neville, both couples had three boys and two girls, and

both men were executed for trying to protect the throne by ensuring it went to the rightful heir

after the Kings death12. There is a lot to compare with regards to the Wars of the Roses and

Game of Thrones. However, there are other historical comparisons also worth reading.

In Season 3, a tragic event occurred, known to fans as The Red Wedding. Initially, Robb

Stark had agreed to marry one of Walder Freys daughters, in exchange for passage, yet after

receiving the passage, he broke his agreement when he fell in love with a foreign woman, Talisa,

and wed her instead, also getting her pregnant. This angered Walder Frey, and eventually, he

sent emissaries from House Frey to negotiate terms of reconciliation with Robb Stark. These

terms resulted in a marriage proposal for his uncle, Edmure Tully, who was Catelyn Starks

younger brother. The Starks were weary upon arrival at the home of Walder Frey for the

wedding. However, Walder extended the guest right to the Starks by formally eating bread and

salt from the same bowl as his visitors13.

10
Encyclopdia Britannica. 1999. "Elizabeth Woodville." Encyclopdia Britannica. Edited by The Editors of
Encyclopdia Britannica. March 5. Accessed November 13, 2017.
11
Ashdown-Hill, John. 2016. "1483: The Succession Problems." In The Private Life of Edward IV, Xxi-xii. Stroud,
Gloucestershire: Amberley Publishing. doi:1445652455.
12
Ingulf. 2012. "Richard III Society - American Branch." The Third Continuation of the History of Croyland Abbey:
January, 1477 - June 1483 With Notes. 12. Accessed September 11, 2017.
13
Game of Thrones Wiki. n.d. Red Wedding. Accessed November 3, 2017
 Duncan 5

To violate guest right is to break all the laws of men and gods, which the Starks never

thought that even such a despicable man as Frey would sink so low as to break such a sacred

pact. So, there was a feast with music and celebration as Edmure is wed to a surprisingly

beautiful Frey girl. Everyone was enjoying themselves, up until Edmure and his new wife Roslin

were carried away for the bedding ceremony, and that was when the only exit was closed and

locked. Meanwhile, the planning was very meticulous. Roose Bolton and other men had

positioned themselves around the hall, secretly wearing chainmail and weapons. They drank very

little and carefully sat behind Stark soldiers. Then, the music changed to something ominous, no

one sang, but Catelyn Stark knew it was The Rains of Castamere, a Lannister song14.

In George R.R. Martins book, A Storm of Swords, Walder Frey spoke to Robb saying,

"Your Grace, I feel I've been remiss in my duties. I've given you meat and wine and music, but I

havent shown you the hospitality you deserve. My King has married, and I owe my new Queen

a wedding gift.15 Roose Bolton pulled back his sleeve to show Catelyn the chainmail armor

beneath it, and it was then that she knew they were set up, and it was too late. A son of Walder

Freys abruptly came up behind Talisa Stark and stabbed her in the stomach with a dagger

rapidly and continually, killing the baby instantly, and she collapsed on the ground, bleeding out.

The musicians were assassins with crossbows and coupled with the Bolton and Frey men; they

slaughtered every Northerner in the main hall. Even outside of the fortress, Bolton and Frey's

men abruptly began killing off the drunken Northern soldiers in the camp16.

14
Ibid
15
Martin, George R.R. 2000. A Storm of Swords. Vol. 3, in A Song of Ice And Fire, 403-405. Bantam Spectra.
Accessed November 3, 2017.
16
Game of Thrones Wiki. n.d. Red Wedding. Accessed November 3, 2017
 Duncan 6

This event, as said by George R.R. Martin in an interview with James Hibberd from

Entertainment Weekly, was inspired by the Glencoe Massacre of 1692, as well as The Black

Dinner of 1440:

Hospitality laws were real in Dark Ages society. A host and guest were not
allowed to harm each other even if they were enemies. By violating that law, the
phrase is, they condemn themselves for all timeThe Red Wedding is based on
a couple of real events from Scottish history. One was a case called The Black
Dinner. The king of Scotland was fighting the Black Douglas clan. He reached
out to make peace. He offered the young Earl of Douglas safe passage. He came
to Edinburgh Castle and had a great feast. Then at the end of the feast, [the kings
men] started pounding on a single drum. They brought out a covered plate and put
it in front of the Earl and revealed it was the head of a black boar the symbol
of death. And, as soon as he saw it, he knew what it meant. They dragged them
out and put them to death in the courtyard. The larger instance was the Glencoe
Massacre. Clan MacDonald stayed with the Campbell clan overnight, and the
laws of hospitality supposedly applied. But, the Campbells arose and started
butchering every MacDonald they could get their hands on. No matter how much
I make up, theres stuff in history thats just as bad, or worse17.

Furthermore, in the National Library of Scotland they have the original order sent to

Captain Robert Campbell instructing him to kill the MacDonalds of Glencoe saying:

You are hereby ordered to fall upon the rebels, the McDonalds of Glenco, and put
all to the sword under seventy. You are to have a special care that the old Fox and
his sons doe upon no account escape your hands, you are to secure all the avenues
that no man escape. This you are to putt in execution at fyve of the clock
precisely; and by that time, or very shortly after it, I'll strive to be att you with a
stronger party: if I doe not come to you att fyve, you are not to tarry for me, but to
fall on. This is by the Kings speciall command, for the good & safety of the
Country, that these miscreants be cutt off root and branch. See that this be putt in
execution without feud or favour, else you may expect to be dealt with as one not
true to King nor Government, nor a man fitt to carry Commissione in the Kings
service. Expecting you will not faill in the fulfilling hereof, as you love your selfe,
I subscribe these with my hand att Balicholis Feb: 12, 1692For their Majesties
serviceTo Capt. Robert Campbell of Glenlyon(signed) R. Duncanson

The subsequent massacre is remembered not just for its intentional ruthlessness but for its

violation of an unwritten code of conduct: the culprits had benefited from the hospitality of their

17
Martin, George R.R., interview by James Hibberd. 2013. 'Game of Thrones' author George R.R. Martin: Why he
wrote The Red Wedding Entertainment Weekly, (June 2). Accessed September 25, 2017.
 Duncan 7

victims for twelve days before turning on them. Which, is much like Walder Freys guest rights,

where he ate bread and salt with his guests.

18

All things considered, when you look at the comparisons side by side, history, and Game

of Thrones do not seem so different, yet, history is not enjoyed as much. We love stories that

pull us in, stories that dont gloss over the excitement. We are drawn to stories that make us a

part of it. That highlight the humanity. That require us to struggle with themes that we can relate

to, like right and wrong or good and bad. Far too often, we model a very hands-off approach to

18
National Library of Scotland, and R. Duncanson. 1925. 1692 - Order for the Massacre of Glencoe. Document.
Edinburgh, Scotland. Accessed November 18, 2017. doi:23.6.24.
 Duncan 8

life in the Social Studies.19 On the other hand, the statistics show that Game of Thrones is being

viewed by numerous people in every country that can watch it. With the latest season 7, each

episode was averaging around 30 million views across all viewing platforms20. In addition to

that, the premiere episode was pirated illegally 90 million times21. So, it is safe to say that this

show is unquestionably well-liked.

In short, it seems like history is not the problem, but the way it is told could be adjusted

to get people more interested. However, that is not to say it needs to be fictionalized like Game

of Thrones. On the contrary, perhaps narrating historical events rather than reading the facts of

history would establish an attention-grabbing story-mode atmosphere that would peak students

curiosity even more. Either way, George R.R. Martin has shown unequivocally that people do

enjoy history, especially if there are dragons and magic mixed in to liven it up.

19
Strauss, Valerie. 2017. "Analysis | Why so many students hate history - and what to do about it." The
Washington Post. May 17. Accessed November 18, 2017.
20
Koblin, John. 2017. "Game of Thrones Finale Sets Ratings Record." NY Times. August 28. Accessed November 1,
2017.
21
Price, Rob. 2017. "The 'Game of Thrones' season 7 premiere was pirated a staggering 90 million times." Business
Insider. July 21. Accessed October 21, 2017.
 Duncan 9

Bibliography

Ashdown-Hill, John. 2016. "1483: The Succession Problems." In The Private Life of Edward IV,
Xxi-xii. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Amberley Publishing. doi:1445652455.

BBC History Magazine. 2016. "Game of Thrones: medieval inspiration." History Extra. March
21. Accessed October 21, 2017. http://www.historyextra.com/article/premium/game-
thrones-based-on-real-medieval-inspiration.

Encyclopdia Britannica. 1999. "Elizabeth Woodville." Encyclopdia Britannica. Edited by

The Editors of Encyclopdia Britannica. March 5. Accessed November 13, 2017.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-Woodville.

Game of Thrones Wiki. n.d. Red Wedding. Accessed November 3, 2017.

http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Red_Wedding.

Ingulf. 2012. "Richard III Society - American Branch." The Third Continuation of the History of
Croyland Abbey: January, 1477 - June 1483 With Notes. 12. Accessed September 11,
2017. http://www.r3.org/on-line-library-text-essays/crowland-chronicle/part-vii/.

Kasperkevic, Jana. 2017. "Let's do the numbers on 'Game of Thrones.'" Marketplace. July 24.
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numbers-game-thrones.

Koblin, John. 2017. "Game of Thrones Finale Sets Ratings Record." NY Times. August 28.
Accessed November 1, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/arts/television/game-
of-thrones-finale-sets-ratings-record.html.

Martin, George R.R. 1996. A Game of Thrones. Vol. 1, chap. 49 in A Song of Ice and Fire, 486-
488. Bantam Spectra. Accessed November 3, 2017.
https://www.nothuman.net/images/files/discussion/2/1815b71a2e633176b1c509f3a18660
5b.pdf.

Martin, George R.R. 2000. A Storm of Swords. Vol. 3, in A Song of Ice And Fire, 403-405.
Bantam Spectra. Accessed November 3, 2017.
 Duncan 10

Martin, George R.R., interview by James Hibberd. 2013. 'Game of Thrones' author George R.R.
Martin: Why he wrote The Red Wedding Entertainment Weekly, (June 2). Accessed
September 25, 2017. http://ew.com/article/2013/06/02/game-of-thrones-author-george-r-
r-martin-why-he-wrote-the-red-wedding/2/.

Milo, Greg. 2015. "Why Do Students Hate History?" Education Week 35 (5): 19. Accessed
October 25, 2017. doi:110010808.

National Library of Scotland, and R. Duncanson. 1925. 1692 - Order for the Massacre of
Glencoe. Document. Edinburgh, Scotland. Accessed November 18, 2017. doi:23.6.24.

Price, Rob. 2017. "The 'Game of Thrones' season 7 premiere was pirated a staggering 90 million
times." Business Insider. July 21. Accessed October 21, 2017.
http://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-season-7-episode-1-pirated-90-million-
times-muso-2017-7.

n.d. "Seven Kingdoms." A Wiki of Ice and Fire. Accessed November 17, 2017.
http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Seven_Kingdoms.

Strauss, Valerie. 2017. "Analysis | Why so many students hate history - and what to do about it."
The Washington Post. May 17. Accessed November 18, 2017.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/05/17/why-so-many-
students-hate-history-and-what-to-do-about-it/.

Townsend, Robert B. 2017. "Decline in History Majors Continues, Departments Respond."

American Historical Association. September. Accessed November 1, 2017.
https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-
history/september-2017/decline-in-history-majors-continues-departments-respond.