Wolves and Lions, Games and Roses

It is as true now as it was true thousands of years ago. Sooner or later, all must face the cold. We will all feel the cold touch of death at some point. But while we wait for that final chill, the cold will still get to us because of one simple fact: Winter is coming.

Nothing in today's mainstream culture makes that more clear than the HBO show Game of Thrones. That is where those words are taken from. The show is focused on a series of conflicts over who gets to rule the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. But even though the events shown on TV are fictional, they are based on real history. And the real history is just as good as the fictional one.

The words "Winter is coming" are the words of House Stark. The Stark family is an influential one, and serves as one of the main focal points of the series. Their real counterparts were also focal points, but for something far more real: The Wars of the Roses.

The historic foundation that Game of Thrones is built upon is the Wars of the Roses. The Wars was a series of conflicts over who would sit on the throne of England, back in the middle ages during the 15th century. It involved two opposing sides; The House of York and the House of Lancaster. These houses, and their members, serve as the inspiration for House of Stark and House of Lannister, respectively.

Take Tywin Lannister for example. In the show, he is the patriarch of House Lannister. He is portrayed as a strong leader who is feared wherever he goes. All he is concerned with is how the world around him respects the name of Lannister. He works hard to make sure that his children do not tarnish the family legacy, and he is not above committing violent crimes to those outside his family who wants to see them brought down.

The real counterpart to Tywin Lannister is Edward I of England. While Edward I was not a part of the Wars of the Roses, his characteristics are what Tywin is based upon. Just as Tywin, Edward was not afraid of using brutality to get what he wanted. Burning villages who opposed him in any way was not out of the question.

Edward did not trust his children to maintain the strength of the family name after he died, and this is also a big concern for Tywin. Edward's son, Edward II closely resembles Tywin's son, Jamie, and both fathers wish that their sons would be more than what they are. The fact that they are not causes great frustration, and this turns Edward and Tywin into cold-hearted, scary men. Legend has it that Edward was so frightening that he once scared a man to death.

The other son of Tywin, Tyrion, is also based on a historical person. In the show, Tyrion is portrayed as a dwarf who enjoys drinking and reading. The person Tyrion is based on is Richard III of England. While Richard was actually a member of the House of York, in the show, Tyrion is part of House Lannister.

History has treated Richard III badly, much like Tyrion is treated in the show. Richard was defeated in the last battle of the Wars of the Roses. Hence, the victors were the ones who got to edit how the wars were documented, and this led to Richard being portrayed in a way that might not have been accurate or fair. The historians described Richard III as a deformed cripple, and while that was not true, it led to the creation of the dwarf of House Lannister, Tyrion.

Along with two sons, Tywin also had a daughter, named Cersei. The inspiration for her character was Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England. Because of her husband's insanity, she had to rule the kingdom from time to time. It was actually her initiative to exclude the House of York that led to the Wars of the Roses. She always wanted power, and made an impact with it once she gained it.

With her power, Cersei Lannister manipulates individuals around her so that her son, the prince, will not be challenged when his time to rule arrives. It just so happens that in the process of doing so, she creates a monster. The things her son does once he becomes king is scary, and once again, his character is also taken from the books of history.

King Joffrey Baratheon, son of Cersei Lannister and Robert Baratheon, is hated. There are no other words to describe it. People hated him from the first time they saw him on the show, and they cheered when he died. The reason for this is what he did while he was alive. The real Joffrey was a king by the name of Richard II of England. Both he and Joffrey ascended to the throne while they were young, but neither of them really knew how to be a king.

None of them were the leaders they were supposed to be. They had no military experience, but they knew they had power, and they got drunk with it. They were spoiled, aggressive, and very demanding on the people around them. The only real difference between them is how they spent their last days. While it's not certain exactly how Richard died, Joffrey's death was well documented.

There are a few weddings in Game of Thrones. It would be smart to stay away from them, judging by what has happened at the ones we have seen. The occasion of Joffrey's death is his wedding, and it is called the Purple Wedding. He was poisoned to death in a very public setting, but that can almost be seen as mercy compared to how another wedding went down. The other wedding's color was the color of blood. The Red Wedding.

The toughest blow the House of Stark ever took was probably the Red Wedding. Almost all of the remaining Starks were eliminated, and of course, the Lannisters were behind it. The real Red Wedding, however, wasn't even a wedding. It was a dinner. The Black Dinner.

The Black Dinner took place in 1440. The king of Scotland invited important members of the Douglas clan to dine with him. They were having a dispute at the time, but since there were old traditions in Scotland regarding how guests should be treated, the people involved were having a good time. It wasn't until a black skull was placed in front of the Earl of Douglas that things turned ugly. The Earl and his brother were dragged out of the castle and beheaded.

The other event in world history that inspired the Red Wedding was the Massacre of Glencoe, which took place in 1692. It involved the Campbells, the MacDonalds, and plenty of swords. The Campbells were invited to stay with the MacDonalds, also because of the traditional norms of hospitality, but this time it was the guests who would disregarded tradition.

At five o'clock in the morning, the Campbells got up and started slaughtering every MacDonald they could find under the age of 70. George R. R. Martin himself said that these two events were the foundation of the Red Wedding. On the show, however, Martin changed the events in his book so that it was the hosts who ignored tradition and slaughtered his guests.

The Red Wedding was a traumatic for whoever watched it, as well as the Stark family. Especially since it was so soon after they lost their patriarch, Eddard "Ned" Stark. Ned was seen as the main protagonist throughout the first season of the show, but it all ended when King Joffrey sentenced him to die. Of course, this was also drawn from real history.

The real Ned Stark was a man named William Hastings. Just like Ned, he was a good friend of the former king. Both men tried to stand up for what they thought was right once the crown passed on to the next king, and both men paid for it with their heads. Their friendship with the former kings didn't seem to matter when it mattered the most.

The former King of the Seven Kingdoms on the show was Robert Baratheon. He was a brilliant military mind who never lost a battle in his life. But once he became king he didn't really know what to do with the power, so he fell into a vicious circle of drinking and whoring. His life is almost an identical copy of the life Edward IV led. Just like Robert, Edward took the throne from a mad king. And both men died because of the way they decided to live once they became kings.

Most of these characters events are based on real figures and incidents from the real world. The Wars of the Roses were a major source of inspiration for all of this. There is so much drama and intrigue going on within the Seven Kingdoms that it's easy to forget that they are only one part of a much bigger world. There are things happening on all sides of the kingdoms. Especially to the north.

When you reach the northern edge of the Seven Kingdoms you get to The Wall. A massive structure made out of ice and magic. There is nothing in the real world that can truly compare to this wall, but that doesn't mean that it is something Martin just made up out of thin air. His inspiration was Hadrian's Wall.

Just like in the show, Hadrian's Wall was designed to keep unwanted people out. In the show it's the wildlings. Hadrian's Wall was meant to keep the Scots out. The Romans built the wall in the second century AD, and named it after their emperor, Hadrian. While it is not as big as the wall on the show, it is still very impressive, and it can still be seen in northern England.

Just like there were soldiers all along Hadrian's Wall, the wall in show also has its soldiers to stand guard. They are called the Night's Watch. The Night's Watch is a military order who swears to protect everything to the south from everything to the north. They promise to do this for as long as they live, as well as not owning anything while they're alive. They are the fictional Templars.

The real Templars were knights who swore to protect Jerusalem and any christian soul who wanted to go to the holy land during the crusades. Their enemies were the Muslims, and while they were active, the Templars were one of the main reasons why the Christians held Jerusalem as long as they did.

The reason they are called Templars is that they chose to occupy the ancient temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. They grew to become incredibly powerful. So much so that the kings of Europe felt threatened by them. That is why the the Templars were shut down by the french king on Friday, the 13th of October in 1307. This is now why we think of Friday 13th as a day of hardship and misfortune.

The Scots or the Muslims of that age might have been seen as something similar to the wildlings we see on the show, but the people of Westeros has something much more dangerous to worry about that the Romans didn't have to worry about. They have to worry about the undead White Walkers.

While not much is known about exactly what the White Walkers are or where they come from, there are theories claiming that the icy Walkers are somehow connected to the Children of the Forest. These creatures are based on beings from ancient Irish mythology, called Sidhe. They share some similarities with beings we like to think of as elves or fairies. In other words, they are surrounded by mystique and magic, which leads us to another type of magic beings.

If you look away from Westeros, across the Narrow Sea, there's a whole new world to take in. They don't have to worry about White Walkers on that side of the sea, but that doesn't mean that they don't have magical beings themselves. These ones, however, aren't made out of ice. They spit fire.

The Targaryen dragons are something many people in Westeros think of as myths. They have heard stories about dragons, but it has been so long since anyone saw a dragon that some people think they never existed at all. But now there are three dragons, and while two of them are locked away in a cellar, the last one is out and about. Of course, dragons can be found as mythical beings in many cultures in the real world, but very rarely do you hear about people riding them.

The one person riding dragons in Game of Thrones is also one of the most complex characters on the show. Her name is Daenerys "Dany" Targaryen. In order to find the real life inspiration for Daenerys you can't just look at one historical figure. She is a mix of several.

If you want to connect her with the Wars of the Roses she would actually be a man named Henry Tudor. He was, just like Dany, kept away from his homeland across the sea. Tudor was staying in France until his forces were strong enough to go back to England. Once he did go back, it was under flags with dragons on them. He ended up defeating his enemies and establishing the Tudor dynasty.

Another source of inspiration for Dany is Joan of Arc. She was a fierce military leader who ended up being burnt alive. When Dany is set on fire, however, she simply walks through the flames. She emerged from the fire with her three dragons instead.

With her dragons she has been able to defeat army after army, liberating and uniting people wherever she goes. That is why some historians also compare her to Alexander the Great, who experienced similar success as he marched through Asia. Alexander died young, but accomplished so much. It will be interesting to see if the same thing happens to Daenerys.

Dany is also compared to the legendary queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. The most obvious reason for this is the fact that Dany takes up residence in a pyramid. But there are also other reasons for this comparison. Just like Cleo, Dany has to navigate the political environment of her time, deciding who to kill, who to marry, and who to team up with. Cleopatra was caught between some of the most famous Romans of all time, such as Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Augustus. We don't know how Dany's story will end, but Cleopatra ended up taking her own life with the help of a snake.

Now, you might think that having three dragons would be enough to stomp any opponent into the ground. Dany, however, is not so sure, and does not want to take that risk. That is why she got herself an army. Her men are the The Unsullied, and were brought up as slaves. Their only purpose in life is to fight, and they have been trained to do so since they were born.

There are many examples of slave armies throughout history. The most famous ones are probably the Turkish Janissaries or the Egyptian Mamluks. The word Mamluk actually means "property" or "owned slave".

When it comes to being trained all their lives to fight, the best comparison is with the ancient Spartans. Spartan boys were taken from their families at an early age to train for war. They were men of few words, and their goal was to either win, or die fighting. An excellent example of this is the movie "300", where a few Spartans, along with light reinforcement, stood against the entire army of Persia. They lost, but their willingness to fight and die is still the stuff of legends.

While the Unsullied follow Dany wherever she goes, they were not her first option. She first tried to get another army to fight for her. The Dothraki. They are a people who live, sleep, and eat on their horses. Their real counterparts were the Mongols of Genghis Khan, mixed with some Attila and his Huns. Nomads who brought their whole lives with them wherever they went, while also being feared warriors. They usually tipped the scales in their favor wherever they went.

These instances, where George R. R. Martin has twisted historical figures and events and turned the dial up to eleven, are only a few examples. There are many more to be found in his books. The ones listed here are probably only the most obvious ones.

While the genre of the books and the show is fantasy, I'm trying to show you that even though fantasy is a big part of it, so is real history. There are so many spectacular stories that live on, it's some times hard to know which one is better. Fiction or Fact.

Maybe, if you study the Wars of the Roses you might be able to determine where the story of Game of Thrones is going. Or maybe George R. R. Martin decides to take it a totally different direction. It's impossible to tell. But hopefully, when you watch the show in the future you remember some of the history that inspired the events you see on TV, and maybe it even makes you appreciate it a little more.

All I know is that season 6 of the show starts today, and I will be following the story very closely. Maybe I'll even see more examples of how art imitates real life.

Let's play.

#GameofThrones #Season6 #HouseStark #HouseLannister #WarsoftheRoses #History #HBO #DaenerysTargaryen #Dragons #WhiteWalkers #serfuntin #fun