Random Real Historical Parallels To 'Game Of Thrones' (15 items)

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  (#12) Attila the Hun

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  The historical image of Attila the Hun charging across the plains leading a horde of horsemen is a lot closer to Khal Drogo than it is Joffrey Baratheon. Still, Attila and Joffrey share one important life detail aside from their villainous persuasion: they both perished under mysterious circumstances at their own weddings.

  Attila’s marriage to Ildico wasn’t his first, but it would be his last. When he was discovered the next morning, he had met his demise, suffocating on his own blood. Theories on his passing range from excess alcohol to burst blood vessels, but there are plenty who believe the great leader was slain. Unlike Joffrey's end, Attila’s passing remains a mystery.
   
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  (#5) George R.R. Martin Based The Red Wedding On Two Grisly Real-Life Events

  The Red Wedding is one of the most shocking moments in all of Game of Thrones, but fans who know their Scottish lore may have seen the slaying of Catelyn and Robb Stark coming. There are actually two direct inspirations for the Red Wedding to be found in European history. 

  While the Glencoe Massacre shares the same scale of carnage as the Red Wedding, the finer details of 1440’s Black Dinner more closely mirror George R.R. Martin’s writing. As he told Entertainment Weekly:

  The Red Wedding is based on a couple 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 king's 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 - [a dark omen]. And as soon as he saw it, he knew what it meant... 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, there's stuff in history that's just as bad, or worse.
   
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  (#2) Joffrey Baratheon Echoes Edward Of Lancaster

  Many characters in Game of Thrones are inspired by historical figures, but the entire character arc of Joffrey Baratheon appears to be based almost entirely on the life of Edward of Lancaster. The English prince lived during the 15th century during the infamous War of the Roses, and the similarities between the two are impossible to ignore.

  Edward was born the son of King Henry VI and Queen Margaret of Anjou, and like Joffrey, he was rumored to be the result of an illicit affair by the queen. After being driven into exile with his mother thanks to the outbreak of fighting, young Edward developed a downright Joffrey-like disposition where he became obsessed with removing people's heads and waging vicious conflicts.

  Edward of Lancaster also met his end while still a teenager, just like Joffrey, though his demise came via the sword. 
   
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  (#14) Knights Templar

  There’s no direct real-world equivalent to the Night’s Watch in terms of their role as guardians of a magical ice wall, but they do have some cultural brothers-in-arms in the Knights Templar. In fact, the parallels between the two orders are so numerous that the Templars likely served as a direct inspiration.

  Like the Night's Watch, the Knights Templar took an oath of chastity and gave up all possessions and titles upon joining. Both orders recruited from all corners of society and promised absolution of sins, and both were led by elected commanders who led for life. Perhaps the most interesting parallel is that, like the Night's Watch in Westeros, the history and lore of the Knights Templar is so wrapped up in myth and legend that it’s difficult to fully separate fact from fiction. 
   
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  (#9) The Battle Of Blackwater Bay Follows The Plot Of The Second Arab Siege Of Constantinople

  The conflict at Blackwater Bay closes the second season of Game of Thrones and remains one of the most epic moments in the series. Some viewers might have felt the fiery action stretched the bounds of the show’s semi-medieval setting, but things actually went down a lot like the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople.

  Both conflicts featured a naval strike against a city that sat on a bay, with Constantinople protected by the Golden Horn. The Turks didn’t have access to the fictional wildfire, but they did have Greek fire, an incendiary substance that was thrown at enemy ships with great success. The bay at Constantinople was also protected by a great chain, which is the same defense Tyrion Lannister uses to turn the tide against Stannis Baratheon's fleet. 
   
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  (#8) The Ironborn Are The Vikings Of Westeros

  While the main conflict in Game of Thrones is based on the 15th-century conflicts of Europe, it isn’t tied to any particular time period. That allows George R.R. Martin to mix history up a little bit, bringing together historical concepts and figures that actually existed centuries apart. The Ironborn are a great example of this.

  As a culture based entirely around reaping and pillaging, the Ironborn are clearly inspired by the Vikings, but the Norse sailed the seas hundreds of years before the Yorks and Lancasters began fighting. By bringing the vicious Greyjoys into conflict with the Starks and Lannisters, Martin gets to mash together historical empires that never had the chance to clash in real life. 
   

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