7 Historical Parallels to 'Game of Thrones'

Wikimedia Commons / HBO
When creating his highly detailed fantasy world, George R.R. Martin based much of Game of Thrones on medieval European history. In particular, Martin drew heavily from the War of the Roses, which pit the honorable North against the cunning South. As we've pointed out before, even The Red Wedding was based on two historical events. Here are seven more possible historical connections.
(We don't know how far you've made it in the show/books, so assume there are spoilers ahead.)

1. King Joffrey is Edward of Lancaster.

As evil as he his, King Joffrey's vicious personality seems to be rooted in history. Edward of Lancaster was the son of King Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou—and, like Joffrey, he was rumored to be of illegitimate birth. Also like Joffrey, Edward had a touch of madness, and he shared Joffrey’s affinity for lopping off the heads of his enemies. The Ambassador of Milan once wrote, "This boy, though only thirteen years of age, already talks of nothing but of cutting off heads or making war, as if he had everything in his hands or was the god of battle or the peaceful occupant of that throne." History also had a much more satisfying ending: Edward was stabbed to death after being slapped by Edward IV of York, the real-life equivalent to Robb Stark.

2. Theon Greyjoy is George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence.

Wikimedia Commons / HBO
Theon grew up in Winterfell as a ward to Eddard Stark and a surrogate brother to Robb. Once the War of the Five Kings started, Theon was one of Robb’s most trusted advisors. After Robb sent Theon to meet with his father, Balon Greyjoy, Theon turned on his friend and invaded the North. 
Theon's historical counterpart, George Plantagenet, was brother to Edward IV of York and, like Theon, began the War of the Roses as a staunch York defender. Much like Theon, George Plantagenet turned on his brother during the War of the Roses and defected to the Lancasters. After Edward won the war, George was drowned in a butt of wine for his treason, which is a much kinder punishment than what Theon has endured.

3. The Red Faith is Zoroastrianism

Wikimedia Commons / HBO
In the show, Stannis follows the advice of the “Red Lady,” Melisandre, who worships a foreign lord of light, R’hllor. The faith of the R’hllor appears to be based on the ancient Persian religion Zoroastrianism. In Zoroastrianism, "fire is considered a medium through which spiritual insight and wisdom is gained," and worshipers often pray in the presence of fire or in fire temples. Like the followers of The Lord of Light, Zoroastrianism also stresses a great struggle and the duality between good and evil (in the series it is referred to as “The Lord of Light” and “The Great Other”). As of right now, there is no evidence to suggest that demon shadow babies actually existed.

4. Jaime Lannister is Gottfried von Berlichingen.

Wikimedia Commons / HBO
In the season 4 premiere, Jaime Lannister received a shiny new gold hand to replace the one that was hacked off. The Kingslayer, however, follows in the footsteps of Gottfried von Berlichingen, or as he was known, "Gotz of the Iron Hand." Like Jaime, Gotz was born to a noble family before serving as an Imperial Knight. During battle, Gotz's hand was blown off by a cannon. Not easily deterred, Gotz designed a prosthetic iron hand and returned to combat. He's well known for his catchphrase, "er kann mich am Arsche lecken" ("he can lick my arse"), which also makes him a precursor to Futurama's Bender.

5. Lyanna Stark is Lucretia.

Tarquinius and Lucretia by Titian
Lyanna Stark was the sister of Eddard Stark and the beloved of Robert Baratheon. While never depicted in the television show, her alleged kidnapping by Rhaegar Targaryen and the events that followed sparked Robert's Rebellion, which placed him on the Iron Throne. Lucretia is a Roman figure whose "rape by the Etruscan king's son and consequent suicide were the immediate cause of the revolution that overthrew the monarchy and established the Roman Republic." Her last words, "Pledge me your solemn word that the adulterer shall not go unpunished," also seem to mimic Lyanna's famous final words, "Promise me, Ned..."

6. The Battle of Blackwater Bay is The Second Arab Siege of Constantinople.

Wikimedia Commons
The Battle of Blackwater Bay—when Stannis Baratheon attempted to siege the capital of King’s Landing—was the climax of season two. Stannis was defeated after Tyrion burnt his navy with wildfire, a chemical that burns on water. Tyrion might have gotten this idea from The Second Arab Siege of Constantinople, where Greek Fire, a similar substance, was used to repel invaders. Additionally, in the books, Tyrion employed a giant chain to cut through Stannis’ navy, which is clearly inspired by the Great Chain of Constantinople, also used in the Second Arab Siege.

7. The Red Wedding is from The Kojiki

HBO
The Red Wedding on Game of Thrones is one of the most shocking moments in TV history. In one move, Tywin Lannister (in collusion with the Roose Bolton and Walder Frey) kills Rob Stark and ends the northern rebellion with the "Rains of Castamere." As we've mention before, the Red Wedding is said to be based on two British massacres, but it also draws parallels to an ancient Japanese event. The Kojiki is half-historical, half-mythological text that chronicles the rise of Japan's first ruler, Emperor Jimmu. The second part of the Kojiki describes how Jimmu consolidated his power: By murdering all of his political rivals at a feast. Like the Red Wedding, the start of the massacre was a song, this one sung by Jimmu himself.

As Game of Thrones gets bolder and bloodier, big things are coming for Kit Harington’s Jon Snow

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HBOKit Harington as Jon Snow in HBO's Game of Thrones.

MAGHERAMORNE, IRELAND – Kit Harington is anxious. Oddly, considering the show’s penchant for relieving central characters of their heads, the 27-year-old British actor’s concern is not for the safety of his Game of Thrones character, the kind-hearted bastard Jon Snow, nor for his brothers in the order of The Night’s Watch — the Seven Kingdom’s miscreant defense against wildling humans and supernatural ice zombies. Rather, Harington’s unease stems from a worrisome mental lapse that has put both his safety and the day’s tight production schedule in grave jeopardy: He’s left his glasses in his hotel room. “I’m doing a sword fight,” Harington explains between worried cigarette puffs (an act jarring enough to break any Game of Thrones fan’s suspended disbelief), “and I’m completely blind.”

It’s an unseasonably sunny mid-October day in Northern Ireland, and Harington, in full Night’s Watch regalia, is in the middle of shooting the fourth of 10 episodes that comprise Game of Thrones’ fourth season. In the show, as in A Song of Ice and Fire, the George R.R. Martin book series it’s based on, the military outpost of Castle Black lies along The Wall — a gargantuan ice barrier built at the northern peak of civilized society. On Earth, however, The Watch’s HQ is situated in a disused quarry about an hour outside of Belfast — where the majority of the Game of Thrones is filmed and where, presently, Harington’s corrective lenses are situated.

HBOEmilia Clarke in Game of Thrones.

Harington spent little time on the Castle Black set over the past year as his character perused his own Bond-like covert mission beyond The Wall — losing his virginity, his heart and ultimately nearly his life to a fiery wildling named Ygritte. Between seasons, the budding star spent his off time in Toronto shooting Pompeii, his first leading film role. The stay coincided with Game of Thrones‘ most disturbing, blood-churning and infamous moment to date: The Red Wedding.

“I was alone in Toronto, on my own,” he recalls of taking in the butchering of his television brother and step-mother. “It was a weird feeling. I was upset because [actors] Michelle [Fairley] and Richard [Madden] were going, but at the end I literally jumped up and wept for joy because I personally thought they nailed it.”

“It was a mixed bag.”

With Snow’s fourth-season return to Castle Black, Harington admits to feeling what he refers to as “a weird sort of déjà vu.”

“I’m wearing the training gear and it’s very similar to doing the training yard fight we did in Season 1,” he says.

Similar, but not the same. “I hated the wigs. Now it’s pure Harington hair — I never knew it would be curly,” he smiles. “And this is my first beard, too. I didn’t know I could grow one.” This isn’t the first time Harrington and the rest of his castmates have felt déjà vu. After a disastrous initial run, HBO asked showrunners David Benioff and D.B Weiss to reshoot the show’s pilot, demanding a “dirtier” aesthetic.

By the start of the fourth season, Game of Thrones’ mammoth production stretches across the world, filming in Croatia, Iceland, Morocco and multiple Northern Ireland locations, and is HBO’s most successful (and costly) series, with 5.4 million viewers watching the season three finale on the paid U.S. cable network and a record 5.9 million illegally downloading the episode, according to digital piracy news site TorrentFreak.

During a break from filming, Game of Thrones’ executive story editor, co-producer and writer Bryan Cogman considers the show’s success: “I didn’t personally know if a show that was this complicated, strange and genre-bending would find a huge audience. It’s been very gratifying.” Cogman, like the rest of the cast, credits much of Game of Thrones’ accomplishments to Martin, who not only serves as a producer but also writes one episode per season. Though much has been made of the ample nudity and gory violence, it’s the hirsute author’s ability to subtly paint in shades of moral greys, Cogman argues, that elevates the show.

HBONikolaj Coster-Waldau and Lena Headey in Game of Thrones.

“The genius of George is that he makes you empathize with a man who in the first 80 pages of the book pushes a child out the window,” he says, citing the improbably sympathetic story arc of hobbled “Kingslayer” Jaime Lannister. Cogman’s job, then, is to take Martin’s rapidly escalating vision and reshape it as palatable television (a format which the author rejected as being too small for his pre-Thrones scripts).

“We’re always trying to top ourselves in every way,” Cogman explains. “We really want this to be the greatest show ever seen.” Logically, then, Cogman claims Season 4 is “without question our biggest in terms of spectacle. We’re not cutting back on anything: sex, violence or profanity.” He then adds, carefully, “This is a big season for Jon Snow.”

Moments later, Snow himself returns, glasses in hand thanks to a hustled production assistant, and Cogman ceeds the focus to the “handsome star of television and movies.” “I always knew he was a lead in the show,” Harington says when informed of Cogman’s comments. But, as the oft-cited quote goes, “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die,” and Martin — who is currently penning the sixth of the seven planned Song novels — has yet to seal Snow’s fate.

“I don’t want to know if Jon lives or dies. I want it to be a surprise,” Harington claims. If he were to perish, though, the actor wishes Snow “a good death. Something epic. Taking out a dragon maybe.” And what would Harington do in such a scenario? “I’d go somewhere warm with less beards.”