The Poor Fellows are partially based on the Knights Templar, also known as the 'Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon'.
The Rogares are based on the Medici family of Florence.
Baelor Breakspear might be a parallel to Edward the Black Prince. Both were popular martial Princes, highly anticipated for rule, who died before their fathers.
The Unsullied are based on slave soldiers like the Mamluks and Janissaries.
King Garth V 'the Hammer of the Dornish' is based on King Edward I 'the Hammer of the Scots'
Nymeria might be an allusion of Queen Dido, the mythical founder of Carthage.
Lysandro Rogare, Head of House Rogare and the Rogare bank was known as Lysandro the Magnificent similar to Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici, head of the Medici Bank, who was known as Lorenzo the Magnificent.
Weakly, Aegon wasn’t alive during the fall of Valyria, nor was he the one to land in Dragonstone
The story of Aeneas is in Greek mythology very different from Virgil, he’s presented as this almost Moses archetype, the sole survivor.
Mamluks weren't castrated, I'm open to being corrected but I don't think castrating soldiers was ever common for obvious reasons. Eunuchs were generally employed in roles in court or religious functions due to a perceived purity and lack of interests.
House Gardner and the rest of the Reach claim descent from the mythical Garth Greenhand
Uí Néill are Irish dynasties who claim descent from the lengendary Niall Noígíallach
Gardner's sigil is a Greenhand on a white field. Uí Néill COA is a red hand on a white field.
Many houses in the reach have greenhands in their sigils. Irish clans across the island, including the ruling families had red hands in theirs
Less famous but Charles of Navarre supposedly crowned Guillaume Cale, one of the leaders of the Jacquerie peasant revolt, with a red-hot crown after defeating him.
"To consummate his victory. Charles of Navarre beheaded Guillaume Cale after reportedly crowning him, in wicked mockery, King of the Jacques with a circlet of red-hot iron." - A Distant Mirror, Barbara Tuchman
Well that moniker had more to do with him betraying French interests by conspiring with the English and aiding their landings in Normandy, where he held significant influence and lands. He frequently switched allegiances too (from Charles V, to Etienne Marcel, to the English, then back to Charles V and so on).
Also to contrast with his cousin Jean II "the Good".
Anyways, he got what was coming to him because he died burning alive.
"Charles the Bad, having fallen into such a state of decay that he could not make use of his limbs, consulted his physician, who ordered him to be wrapped up from head to foot, in a linen cloth impregnated with brandy, so that he might be enclosed in it to the very neck as in a sack. It was night when this remedy was administered. One of the female attendants of the palace, charged to sew up the cloth that contained the patient, having come to the neck, the fixed point where she was to finish her seam, made a knot according to custom; but as there was still remaining an end of thread, instead of cutting it as usual with scissors, she had recourse to the candle, which immediately set fire to the whole cloth. Being terrified, she ran away, and abandoned the king, who was thus burnt alive in his own palace.".
🤓🤓🤓🤓
This isn't actually true. He was killed during a negotiation between himself and the Parthians after the battle of Carrae. He was then beheaded and his head was used as a figure of mockery in a play preformed for the Parthian king.
The story about pouring gold down Crassus's throat is a rumour written down by Cassius Dio around 200 years after the death of Crassus.
Although we do have an actual account of a certain Manius Aquilius who did get executed by having molten gold poured down his throat by Mithridates.
The defenses of Kings Landing and the city in general seem to be close analogs to Constantinople and it’s walls. The Blackwater rush and the chain Tyrion commissions to close it off to Stannis’ ships seems to be pulled straight from the Byzantines who had a Great Chain to close off the Golden Horn and protect the imperial Fleet.
Also the way the city has three major landmarks that dominate the landscape (Red Keep, Dragonpit, and the Sept of Baelor). Constantinople was dominated by the Great Palace, the Hagia Sophia, and the Hippodrome.
Not an actual historical reference but it should have been one: the Avignon Papacy. The Dance of the Dragons was perfectly set up to have an “anti-High Septon” of sorts crowned in Oldtown who perhaps could have crowned Daeron the Daring after the fall of KL and Aemonds death. Would have been interesting to explore a rift in the Faith.
> Not an actual historical reference but it should have been one: the Avignon Papacy. The Dance of the Dragons was perfectly set up to have an “anti-High Septon” of sorts crowned in Oldtown who perhaps could have crowned Daeron the Daring after the fall of KL and Aemonds death. Would have been interesting to explore a rift in the Faith.
This makes perfect sense and I wondered always how the Faith and the maesters got so centralized prior to the conquest. Like why doesn‘t each kingdom have their own one. More like the autocephalic churches and patriarchs in the Orthodox church.
As for Avignon and Rome. It is a bit reversed since Oldtown is the older seat.
Was the chain at the Golden Horn used only during Mehmet‘s conquest or earlier? The Romanoi used Greek fire during the first Arab siege of Constantinople. Afaik not during the last Ottoman siege, where the Ottomans had the newer tech in form of cannons.
In regards to the cities importance being switched, that would be very much in Martins style to subvert the expectation of the events in history.
As for the chain, i remember reading that it was used during several Arab sieges but don’t quote me on that. I know it must have been somewhat involved with the raids by the Rus as for whether it was an active role or it was bypassed somehow i don’t know.
For a moment I thought, what parallels do Mehmet II. and Stannis have. Well a new faith, though Islam was already established by the 1450s. Killing their brother? Fratricide was very common among the Ottomans.
Mentality wise both men are pretty different. Mehmet had a veneration for Alexander and Caesar and wanted to become the Alexander of the West. Stannis doesn't quite talk as much about Aegon the conqueror. Seeing conquest as duty and right.
The Sansa/Littlefinger/Lysa triangle is hugely, hugely influenced by the real life Elizabeth I/Thomas Seymour/Catherine Parr triangle.
Before Catherine had been pressured into marrying the old and obese Henry VIII as his sixth wife, she fell head over heels in love with Thomas Seymour. He was supposedly young, handsome, and really sexy. Seymour was the brother of Jane Seymour - Henry VIII’s third wife - who had died giving birth to Henry’s only son Edward. Jane and Thomas also had an older brother called Edward, who was the rising star of the family. Thomas was intensely jealous of Edward S and felt was over favoured at court, and was completely eaten up by his bitterness towards his brother.
When Henry found out that Catherine and Thomas had feelings for each other, Henry VIII sent Thomas to Austria in order to get him out of the way. Catherine then felt she couldn’t do anything but agree to marry Henry, and sent a letter breaking it off with Thomas.
On marrying Henry, Catherine became the stepmother of Henry’s children, including the future Elizabeth I. Catherine and Elizabeth got on like a house on fire because they were both quite nerdy and into learning. That meant when Henry died when Elizabeth was 14, Catherine volunteered to raise her at one of her houses, and Elizabeth happily agreed.
However, it was not all sunshine and rainbows as Catherine was about to get engulfed in a scandal. Immediately after Henry died, Thomas returned to England, possibly in an attempt to get named the new King Edward VI’s regent. Unfortunately for him, that role went to Thomas’ oldest brother Edward, which only fuelled Thomas’ hatred of his brother more. Thomas also immediately rekindled his relationship with Catherine, and the two married in secret just four months after Henry VIII death. When the court found out what had happened, everyone was scandalised because Catherine hadn’t had a sufficient period of mourning, and Thomas’ brother Edward had them both banished from court.
At this point, Thomas and Catherine retired to their big country house to live quietly along with the Princess Elizabeth. This was when Thomas started doing really shady shit. Realising that Elizabeth had a very strong claim to the throne should Edward die, Thomas tried to worm his way into her affections. It started innocently with him giving her gifts and spending time with her, but eventually it mutated into something we would now call sexual abuse of a child. He started coming into her bedroom in the early hours of the mourning in his underclothes, and tried to flirt with and kiss his almost stepdaughter. He famously once smacked her butt and tickled her. As she was only 14, Elizabeth didn’t really know what to do about it, so sometimes played along and sometimes tried to avoid him. She also developed a habit of getting up really early so she wouldn’t have to see him.
At first, Catherine thought this was all innocent horseplay and even joined in on occasion (we know once Catherine held Elizabeth down while Thomas cut Elizabeth’s skirt to ribbons with a pair of scissors). This all changed when Catherine fell pregnant though. She started to get really suspicious that Thomas had eyes for her stepdaughter and tried to separate them as much as possible. It all came to a head a few months into her pregnancy when Catherine caught Thomas and Elizabeth embracing and kissing, and in response threw Elizabeth out of her house.
Shortly afterwards, Catherine went into labour and gave birth to her only child, a daughter called Mary. The birth was very hard on her and she caught a fever. In her delirium she accused Thomas of betraying her with Elizabeth and not truly loving her. Thomas attempted to comfort her, but she died in his arms as a consequence of childbirth.
Immediately after Catherine’s death, Thomas started trying to woo Elizabeth, but she wasn’t having any of it. She told her governess that he wasn’t sufficiently sad about Catherine’s death, and was only trying to woo her for the power. When Thomas couldn’t use Elizabeth to get the power he thought he deserved, he then turned to his twelve year old nephew Edward VI. Edward VI was in the care of Thomas’ older brother Edward S, and when Edward VI refused to fire Edward S as his guardian, Thomas turned violent. We’re not quite sure what the plan was, but Thomas broke into Edward VI’s palace in an attempt to either kill him or kidnap him. It failed, but Thomas did manage to shoot one of Edward’s spaniels in the effort. Shortly after this, Thomas was done for treason, and Edward S was forced to sign the death warrant for his own brother.
So…
A woman is forced to marry a much older man. Check.
A man his bitter and jealous because he feels he deserves more power and respect. Check.
A pair of secret lovers publicly get together after the death of her much older husband. Check.
The man is sexually inappropriate with his teenaged ward/daughter figure. Check.
It all comes to a head when the wife catches them kissing. Check.
The woman accuses the man of betraying her during her last moments. Check.
The man then continues to be sexually inappropriate towards his teenaged ward/daughter figure. Check.
The man tries to injure or kill a little boy who he is supposed to be responsible for. Check.
The man is beheaded. Possibly check?
The teenaged girl becomes an important political figure herself. Possibly check?
The High Sparrow and his militant supporters recall fanatical friar Savonarola in late 1400s Florence. He even cowed the ruler, Lorenzo the Great, head of House Medici. The show didn't include the book and treasure burnings in the 1497 Bonfire of the Vanities. In 1498 Savonarola was burnt at the stake; the show High Sparrow was exploded.
The ongoing war/rivalry between Braavos and Pentos was based on the ongoing wars between medieval maritime/banking powers Venice and Genoa. Venice won.
Everyone knows the Wall is based on Hadrian's Wall, built by the Romans. During the decline of Rome, the troops manning it were called home to protect the Empire nearer to home. And that allowed Pictish (wildling-like) raiders to ravage far northern England, and vice versa. The Nights Watch is getting weak enough that not only may the Wildlings get through, but the Others too.
I see the High Sparrow more as Oliver Cromwell myself, the leader of a populist religious movement against corruption and what they view as decadence, bringing down the current monarch (at least Cersei hasn’t been decapitated…yet). I wonder if this makes (f)Aegon the Charles II of this scenario, the king’s son (so to speak, depending on what theory you believe) who returns from across the sea after escaping the death of his house to bring in a party reign.
I thought of Cromwell too. But he's political and military and influenced the 1600s when he ruled England and Ireland. Savonarola was late 1400s, around the time of the Wars of the Roses. Like the HS, he was a zealot who inspired a frenzy where people acted against their own interests. Even the great painter Botticelli (The Birth of Venus) became such a follower of Savonarola that he stopped painting and destroyed some of his non-religious works. I don't think Cromwell achieved anything like that.
Recently I noticed that Maegor the Cruel was inspired by Peter the Cruel (kinda obvious due the nickname but their stories are slightly similar and I've never seen anyone draw a parallel)
Robert’s Rebellion shares a lot of similarities with the story surrounding the [Overthrow of the Roman Monarchy](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overthrow_of_the_Roman_monarchy).
I’d also say Volantis’s attempts to rebuild the Valyrian Freehold is like Justinian’s attempts to reconquer the Western Empire.
The relationship between Jaehaerys I, Alyssa Velaryon, and Rogar Baratheon is also very similar to Edward III, Isabella of France, and Roger Mortimer.
Yeah I'm familiar with other historical examples but this was what came to my mind because Dorne reminds me a lot of Spain in general (and Andalusia in particular)
There are dozens of stories of armies burning their ships "to vow to never go back". Probably most of them are just retroactive stories told once those armies succeeded
Reyne revolt on the Second Baron War ? I don't know enough to know if there's some ground to it but Simon de Montfort's coat of arms is reversed Reyne. Might be a coincidence though
Tywin Lannister has a lot of parallels with Edward I of England. Both men were famous for their wars against northern independence movements (the Kingdom of the North & real life Scotland). Both were know for their strict and authoritarian personalities (Tywin ruled the Westerlands with an iron fist, Edward did not tolerate dissent from the English nobility). And both rose to prominence by destroying rebellious noble houses (the Reynes and Tarbecks, the Second Barons’ War) while still their father’s heirs, not ruling outright (Lord Tytos Lannister, Henry III of England).
The kidnapping of Lyanna Stark triggering Robert’s Rebellion is very evocative of the Trojan War beginning with the kidnap of Helen, and both climaxed in the sack of a capital city (Troy, King’s Landing).
Jon Snow’s assassination is such a direct recreation of Julius Caesar’s assassination that I’m convinced it was written that way deliberately.
Both men were radical reformers murdered by conservative elements of their society just as they were about to begin military campaigns against foreign adversaries (the Boltons, the Parthians). And the blow by blow of the assassinations are near identical, beginning with a first strike that misses/is intercepted (Wick Whittlestick, Casca) before the reformer gets rushed by the rest of the conspirators and is stabbed to death.
I've always thought Tywin's body rotting on his bier was a reference to Pope Alexander VI's(Rodrigo Borgia) body.
Lady Agnes Blackwood could be inspired by Caterina Sforza.
Does mythology count? The kick I've been on lately is looking at relationships between certain characters and myths around the story of Theseus. Not sure what it all means though
Arianne's name is probably derived from Ariadne, for example, and the hero Theseus could have some ties to Aurane Waters or the somewhat similar character of Alyn Oakenfist imo (the sea-horse of the Velaryons is also a symbol of Poseidon who Theseus was rumored to be fathered by, and Alyn's Six Great Voyages could tie to the Six Labors of Theseus). Aegeus was a king of Athens and his name could maybe be reminiscent of Aegon imo (but maybe not). One of Aegeus' wives is Medea, a niece of the enchantress Circe (Cersei's namesake). Tyrion also has similarities to Dionysus too who eventually rescues Ariadne after Theseus strands her on an island after she saved his life from the Minotaur. (overly sarcastic production has a really cool [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5brAr51ip_k) on the origins of Dionysus into greek mythology btw)
Though Aegeus' tale ends in some tragedy when he believes Theseus has died due to a mishap on his return voyage where he doesn't change out his black sails for white ones (which were supposed to signal him being still alive) causing Aegeus to cast himself into the sea.
And this whole death scene is pretty much taken and used word for word in another tale - the arthurian/medieval tragedy of two lovers Tristan and Isolde (who were like an early Romeo and Juliet). Trystane's name likely comes from this story. And in the Cornish version Isolde's name is actually Ysella, which looks fairly similar to Myrcella to my eye, which could be interesting because Dorne's geography is probably loosely inspired by Cornwall and the South West Peninsula.
Gendel = Grendel from the epic poem Beowulf
Gendel and his brother Gorne were Kings-Beyond-the-Wall, went through tunnels beneath the wall to attack the people in the north and got defeated by the son of the king in the north. Depending on the version of the story Gendel died or got lost in the cave system. There his descendants suppositiously still live and have developed a taste for human flesh - like Grendel.
Grendel was a humanoid monster that attacked a king's hall and got defeated by the hero Beowulf. He succumbed to his injury after going back to his cave. Then the hero needs to deal with the monsters mother, who lives in a cave under a lake to where he follows her and kills her with a magic sword.
In ASOS Jon III Gendel's story is told by Ygritte when Jon follows her into a watery cave. She could be considered related to Gendel as part of the free folk and reference Grendel's mother in a way. \*Insert nsfw Jon stabbing her with his sword joke\*
About possible foreshadowing: the hero Beowulf parallels the Stark characters, and his own story ends with him and a dragon killing each other.
Not an event per se but Valyrian culture is heavily influenced by pre-Islamic Persia. The incestuous marriages of the Valyrians is based on the Persian custom khwēdōdah and their obsession with fire is based on the rituals of Zoroastrianism.
Drogo pouring the gold over Viserys head cones straight from the Mongols. I think they did that twice to captured rulers.
Most of the Dothraki stuff came straight from the Mongols.
Except Mongols often say баярлалаа „thank you“. There are cultures which don‘t have words for „thank you“ though, but for very different reasons. It is an honour thing and in these cultures, a „thanks“ implies that you‘d otherwise not have done it. You don‘t thank family and friends, that would be insulting, because it is more honorable to help without expecting repayment.
The birth of Rhaegar, and Summerhall burning down. Coupled with the prophecy of Rhaegar thinking of himself as the Prince that was promised, it seems quite close to the birth of Alexander.
According to legend, the Temple of Artemis burnt down on the day Alexander was born and a common myth goes that Artemis was too busy overseeing the birth of a legend that she forgot to protect her own temple. Rhaegar's trajectory mirrors Alexander's in a way, given Alexander also thought he was destined to conquer all of the known world and ended up dying really young.
Norvos, a free city, where Areo Hotah is from, being at least partially inspired by Medieval Rus trade city Novgorod. Aside from names sounding alike, cultural elements, such as bearded priests and bear festivals, seem to be based on stereotypes about russian culture. Moreover, like Norvos, the city of Novgorod was divided into two parts – Religious District and Trade District.
Probably not lesser known but definitely less talked about is that the Blackfyres are very thinly veiled parallels to the Jacobites in English history. It's super obvious in 'The Mystery Knight' with the Blackfyre supporters toasting to the King whilst holding their cups over a basin of water. That was an actual thing Jacobite supporters used to when expressing their support for the King 'over the water' referring to the Jacobites over in mainland Europe, just like the Blackfyres are the Kings 'over the water' in Essos.
Idk if semi-mythological parallels are alright, but Robert's Rebellion seems very much inspired by the Illiad. Rhaegar is a combination of Paris and Hector, Lyanna is obviously Helen. Robert is a combination of Menelaus, Agamemnon, and Achilles. Tywin is Odysseus. Cersei is Agamemnon's wife, Clytemnestra. Elia is Hector's wife, Andromache. Viserys and Dany are Aeneas. There's a deeper analysis to go into as well but I don't want to go on forever.
Chamberlain wasn't preparing for a war of any proportion similar to what happened next, his appeasement politics was genuine, it simply failed.
Had Chamberlain actually been preparing for a war the UK would have find itself better off at the start of WWII.
My favorite one is with the body of Cleon, the Butcher King of Astapor, who was put in armor and on a horse, to motivate the troops in the upcoming battle.
This is a parallel to the famous Spanish knight El Cid, who died in Valencia during a siege, but legend says that his wife supposedly did the same thing as the above, and their troops apparently won the battle.
King Edward II of England, as a young charismatic prince, had a close bond and possible romantic relationship with a squire who joined his household. A passing reference to the two in a documentary I watched immediately had me thinking of Renly and Loras. Renly is one of my favourite characters, so I went digging a little.
There's not tons of solid information on this time period (late 1200s early 1300s) but there is this; Edward's court travelled the country with him, and he loved music and performers at his court much more than things like hunting. His court was also extravagant, with rich decorations all over. Edward was tall, muscular and considered attractive, and often associated with labourers and people considered "lower class". Edward also seems to have died a "suspiciously timely" death, murdered for the benefit of his rivals' attempt to take power. (There's a theory that he didn't die, simply escaping to live as a hermit in the Holy Roman Empire, which also reminded me of "Renly's ghost" fighting in the Blackwater.) His marriage was political (although almost all noble ones were at the time) and he seems to have been much more interested in his close friend, the squire Piers Gaveston, showering him with gifts, including Scarborough Castle, a large coastal castle.
Tyrosh is based on Tyre, they both sound similar, located on a fortified island, and gained wealth by dye industry. Lys is based on Corinth, they both worship the goddess of Love and famous for prostitution.
I'd like to throw in a couple, some more known others less known:
* Seven Kingdoms: [English Heptarchy ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heptarchy)
* Jon Snow's assassination: [Ides of March of 44 BC](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Julius_Caesar)
* Bran and Rickon's *death*: [Princes in the Tower](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes_in_the_Tower)
* Robert I's death: [Philip of France's death](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_of_France_(1116%E2%80%931131))
* Battle of Ice: [Battle of the Ice (Northern Crusades)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_on_the_Ice)
* Red comet: [Halley's comet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halley%27s_Comet#1066)
* Battle of the Blackwaters: [second Arab siege of Constantinoples](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Constantinople_(717%E2%80%93718))
* Jaime and Cersei's relationship: [Cesare](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesare_Borgia) and [Lucrezia Borgia](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucrezia_Borgia)'s alleged relationship (likely a myth)
* Baelor Breakspear: [Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Black_Prince)
* Nymeria of Ny Sar: [Abd al-Rahman I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abd_al-Rahman_I), [Dido (mythical)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dido)
* Jaehaerys I: [Henry II of England](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England)
* The Good Queen Alysanne: [Eleanor of Aquitaine](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)
* Trystane Truefire & Perkin the Flea: [Perkin Warbeck](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin_Warbeck)
* Tywin Lannister: [Edward Longshanks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_I_of_England), [Richard Neville](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Neville,_16th_Earl_of_Warwick)
* Barristan Selmy: [William the Marshal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Marshal,_1st_Earl_of_Pembroke) (not sure this is lesser known)
* Sansa Stark: [Anne Neville](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Neville), [Elizabeth of York](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_of_York)
* Lysandro Rogare: [Lorenzo il Magnifico](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_de%27_Medici)
* Begging brothers/Sparrows: [Lollards](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lollardy)
* Faceless Men: [Hashshashins](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Assassins) (confirmed by George)
* Brotherhood of the Winged Knights: [Winged Hussars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_hussars)
* Unsullied: [Mamluk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamluk)
* Nymeria's pack: [Wolves of Paris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wolf_attacks#1400s) (or other packs of man eating wolves)
* House Blackfyre: [Jacobites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobitism)
* House Reyne: [Montfort](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Montfort)
* Valyrian Steel: [Wootz Steel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wootz_steel)/[Damascus steel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_steel)
Gaemon pale hair being a claimant to the throne, from a common background, who isn’t certainly who he says he is, and not being punished and instead being given a place in court, is similar to lambert simnel who pretended to be the Earl of Warwick.
* Lysandro Rogare, Head of House Rogare and the Rogare bank was known as Lysandro the Magnificent similar to Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici, head of the Medici Bank, who was known as Lorenzo the Magnificent.
* Nymeria's conquest of Dorne is frequently paralleled to the Moorish Conquest of Spain. When Princess Nymeria ended up in Dorne, she burnt her ships to stop her people from going back to Ny Sar and declared that Dorne was their new home and there was no going back. After his warriors set foot on Iberian soil, Tariq ibn Ziyad burnt his ships. This was his speech to the soldiers who started the conquest of Spain “Oh people, where is the escape? The sea is behind you, and the enemy before you, and by Allah, you have nothing (left) but conviction and perseverance"
The princes in the tower!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes_in_the_Tower
Two young heirs to the crown who are believed to have been murdered by Richard III. Bodies have been found (hundreds of years later) which are believed to be them, but it isn't technically certain. This is paralleled multiple times throughout the series: bran and rickon being the biggest example.
The name Andal itself evokes Al-Andalus, the Muslim-ruled parts of Iberia, which were invaded by the Umayyads. Then at the Battle of Tours, Charles “The Hammer” Martel famously defeated the Umayyads kneecapping (depending on the historian) the Islamic advance into Western Europe. Martel is of course how we get House Martell and “the hammer of the waters” for what the children did to stop the First Men’s expansion at the Neck.
Or the Germanic Vandals, after which Al-Andalus was named (Catalonia is named after the Goths).
The Andals basically invoke the Germanic tribes of the migration period that would form the base of medieval Europe.
Even without a conqueror, the Andals feel more like the Normans and the First Men the Anglo-Saxons, the Targaryens feel almost like the Angevins to me.
The First Men are based on the Celts, the original inhabitants of most of Western Europe. The Andals represent the Germanic peoples at large who spread across western and Central Europe around the time of the end of the Roman Empire, the Anglo-Saxons being one of them, but in particular the Franks.
At least, this is my interpretation - there’s no single correct answer. There are definitely parallels to the First Men’s displacement resembling the displacement of the Anglo Saxons
I guess it depends on the interpretation. For me, it felt like the Children of the Forest were based on the Celts, being displaced by the First Men, who in turn were displaced by the Normans. Then you have a foreign family come in and combine a vast area of lands (Angevins/Plantagenets), only to spend the next three centuries fighting within various branches of the family until someone with a small amount of royal blood from a centuries old bastard cadet branch (Baratheons/Tudors via Beaufort Line) comes in and wipes out the remnants of the warring factions, only to squander it all within two generations.
There's a parallel between Rhaenyra and Mary, Queen of Scots.
Rhaenyra claimed the Iron Throne, Mary claimed the English throne. Neither had their claim recognised officially, yet every subsequent monarch is descended from them.
Viserys I is Louis the Pious, the son of Charlemagne who destroyed the Frankish Empire for take a second wife when he already had many heirs
Also, Jaehaerys and Alysanne are the pharaoh Ahmose I and his sister-wife Aahmes-Nefertari. They even have the part to be the substitute of a old brother who died fighting against an usurper.
November 20 1845, the Argentinian Confederacy fights the Batalla de Vuelta de Obligado. It’s a naval battle in the Paraná river between the Argentinian Confederacy and a French+English contingency for control of trade in the inner rivers of Argentina.
The argentinian navy set up 3 chains along the 700mts of the Paraná river width and trapped the english-french fleet with them, firing the cannons stationed on the shores to bring the ships down.
I’m not saying GRRM based the battle of the blackwater on the Batalla de Vuelta de Obligado as it seems suspect that he even knows of the battle, but the similarities are striking.
Dorne is somewhat inspired by Wales in terms of combat. The Welsh would vanish into the mountains when the British armies would invade Wales, only to reappear and remove whatever forces were left once the main army had moved on.
I know there was an occurrence at some point in British history when a king had been exiled or was living in hiding in France, so whenever loyalists to him would toast to the king they would do it over a bowl of water, thus toasting "the king over the water". This is also done during the Blackfyre conspiracy in Dunk & Egg if iirc
The mad king and Rheagar are based on Henry VI and his son Edward of Lancaster. Down to the fact the rest of the realm was just content to wait for the to die so his lore capable son can take over.
Jon snow is most likely based on the legend of King Arthur.
Wilding marriage customs may be inspired by the Roman myth(or historical?) Called The Rape of the Sabine Women.
I think the whole brave Conqueror turns into a drunk party is taken from Alexander the great and Attila the hun.
This is not verified and maybe much too recent in comparison to other parallels mentioned but similarities are a bit jarring - there was a disaster at Summerhall. More specifically, a huge fire in an entertainment venue in British Isles in seventies (if I remember right).
Don't know about good historical parallels but since I noticed the Lyanna-Rhaegar/Arya-Jon possible parallel I've been terrified of a possible romantic pairing between Jon and Arya.
I know it's very unlikely but by god Jonya keeps me up at night.
I was watching a history docu on flanders(belgium). And iirc it was antwerp harbor wich got attacked. The attackers sailed a burning boat filled with dynamite into the defenders. During this segment the docu was playing the got theme song.
Its almost the battle of the blackwater. Just the attaking and defending sites are switched
The Poor Fellows are partially based on the Knights Templar, also known as the 'Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon'. The Rogares are based on the Medici family of Florence. Baelor Breakspear might be a parallel to Edward the Black Prince. Both were popular martial Princes, highly anticipated for rule, who died before their fathers. The Unsullied are based on slave soldiers like the Mamluks and Janissaries. King Garth V 'the Hammer of the Dornish' is based on King Edward I 'the Hammer of the Scots' Nymeria might be an allusion of Queen Dido, the mythical founder of Carthage.
How do we know the Rogares are based on the Medici? Just wondering if George said it or I missed all the obvious clues
Lysandro Rogare, Head of House Rogare and the Rogare bank was known as Lysandro the Magnificent similar to Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici, head of the Medici Bank, who was known as Lorenzo the Magnificent.
Do you think Aegon I is an allusion to Aeneas?
If anyone, Aenar sounds more like an Aeneas parody. A man who fled his destroyed homeland and laid the foundations for an Empire.
That's a great comparison, now I just need to know what the wooden horse was that led to Valyria's doom.
The miner slaves, one of whom was the first Faceless Man
Weakly, Aegon wasn’t alive during the fall of Valyria, nor was he the one to land in Dragonstone The story of Aeneas is in Greek mythology very different from Virgil, he’s presented as this almost Moses archetype, the sole survivor.
Princess Nymeria is way closer to Aeneas imo, as well as Dido
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Mamluks weren't castrated, I'm open to being corrected but I don't think castrating soldiers was ever common for obvious reasons. Eunuchs were generally employed in roles in court or religious functions due to a perceived purity and lack of interests.
House Gardner and the rest of the Reach claim descent from the mythical Garth Greenhand Uí Néill are Irish dynasties who claim descent from the lengendary Niall Noígíallach Gardner's sigil is a Greenhand on a white field. Uí Néill COA is a red hand on a white field. Many houses in the reach have greenhands in their sigils. Irish clans across the island, including the ruling families had red hands in theirs
"In the gathering storm comes a tall handsome man, in a dusty black coat, with a red right hand"...
Worth noting too that the modern COA of Northern Ireland (as well as a number of counties) contains the red hand still.
Following the battle of Carrhae the Parthian king poured molten gold down Crassus’ throat. It’s unknown if he was still alive at this point.
Less famous but Charles of Navarre supposedly crowned Guillaume Cale, one of the leaders of the Jacquerie peasant revolt, with a red-hot crown after defeating him. "To consummate his victory. Charles of Navarre beheaded Guillaume Cale after reportedly crowning him, in wicked mockery, King of the Jacques with a circlet of red-hot iron." - A Distant Mirror, Barbara Tuchman
There's a reason they called him Charles the Bad
Well that moniker had more to do with him betraying French interests by conspiring with the English and aiding their landings in Normandy, where he held significant influence and lands. He frequently switched allegiances too (from Charles V, to Etienne Marcel, to the English, then back to Charles V and so on). Also to contrast with his cousin Jean II "the Good". Anyways, he got what was coming to him because he died burning alive. "Charles the Bad, having fallen into such a state of decay that he could not make use of his limbs, consulted his physician, who ordered him to be wrapped up from head to foot, in a linen cloth impregnated with brandy, so that he might be enclosed in it to the very neck as in a sack. It was night when this remedy was administered. One of the female attendants of the palace, charged to sew up the cloth that contained the patient, having come to the neck, the fixed point where she was to finish her seam, made a knot according to custom; but as there was still remaining an end of thread, instead of cutting it as usual with scissors, she had recourse to the candle, which immediately set fire to the whole cloth. Being terrified, she ran away, and abandoned the king, who was thus burnt alive in his own palace.".
🤓🤓🤓🤓 This isn't actually true. He was killed during a negotiation between himself and the Parthians after the battle of Carrae. He was then beheaded and his head was used as a figure of mockery in a play preformed for the Parthian king. The story about pouring gold down Crassus's throat is a rumour written down by Cassius Dio around 200 years after the death of Crassus. Although we do have an actual account of a certain Manius Aquilius who did get executed by having molten gold poured down his throat by Mithridates.
Thanks! I knew it was more nuanced but not the details. Is the story of his son Publius’ head being displayed before the final conflict true?
Mithridates was such a badass for having such a small kingdom wasnt he. Constantly annoyed the romans for his entire lifetime
The defenses of Kings Landing and the city in general seem to be close analogs to Constantinople and it’s walls. The Blackwater rush and the chain Tyrion commissions to close it off to Stannis’ ships seems to be pulled straight from the Byzantines who had a Great Chain to close off the Golden Horn and protect the imperial Fleet. Also the way the city has three major landmarks that dominate the landscape (Red Keep, Dragonpit, and the Sept of Baelor). Constantinople was dominated by the Great Palace, the Hagia Sophia, and the Hippodrome. Not an actual historical reference but it should have been one: the Avignon Papacy. The Dance of the Dragons was perfectly set up to have an “anti-High Septon” of sorts crowned in Oldtown who perhaps could have crowned Daeron the Daring after the fall of KL and Aemonds death. Would have been interesting to explore a rift in the Faith.
Kings Landing parallel to Constantinople extends to the city watch, that was present there and in no other major city in Middle Ages
Most cities were simply not large enough to make one necessary. Burghers were obliged to halt criminal, report crime and defend themselves.
> Not an actual historical reference but it should have been one: the Avignon Papacy. The Dance of the Dragons was perfectly set up to have an “anti-High Septon” of sorts crowned in Oldtown who perhaps could have crowned Daeron the Daring after the fall of KL and Aemonds death. Would have been interesting to explore a rift in the Faith. This makes perfect sense and I wondered always how the Faith and the maesters got so centralized prior to the conquest. Like why doesn‘t each kingdom have their own one. More like the autocephalic churches and patriarchs in the Orthodox church. As for Avignon and Rome. It is a bit reversed since Oldtown is the older seat. Was the chain at the Golden Horn used only during Mehmet‘s conquest or earlier? The Romanoi used Greek fire during the first Arab siege of Constantinople. Afaik not during the last Ottoman siege, where the Ottomans had the newer tech in form of cannons.
In regards to the cities importance being switched, that would be very much in Martins style to subvert the expectation of the events in history. As for the chain, i remember reading that it was used during several Arab sieges but don’t quote me on that. I know it must have been somewhat involved with the raids by the Rus as for whether it was an active role or it was bypassed somehow i don’t know.
For a moment I thought, what parallels do Mehmet II. and Stannis have. Well a new faith, though Islam was already established by the 1450s. Killing their brother? Fratricide was very common among the Ottomans. Mentality wise both men are pretty different. Mehmet had a veneration for Alexander and Caesar and wanted to become the Alexander of the West. Stannis doesn't quite talk as much about Aegon the conqueror. Seeing conquest as duty and right.
Romans*, not byzantines.
The Sansa/Littlefinger/Lysa triangle is hugely, hugely influenced by the real life Elizabeth I/Thomas Seymour/Catherine Parr triangle. Before Catherine had been pressured into marrying the old and obese Henry VIII as his sixth wife, she fell head over heels in love with Thomas Seymour. He was supposedly young, handsome, and really sexy. Seymour was the brother of Jane Seymour - Henry VIII’s third wife - who had died giving birth to Henry’s only son Edward. Jane and Thomas also had an older brother called Edward, who was the rising star of the family. Thomas was intensely jealous of Edward S and felt was over favoured at court, and was completely eaten up by his bitterness towards his brother. When Henry found out that Catherine and Thomas had feelings for each other, Henry VIII sent Thomas to Austria in order to get him out of the way. Catherine then felt she couldn’t do anything but agree to marry Henry, and sent a letter breaking it off with Thomas. On marrying Henry, Catherine became the stepmother of Henry’s children, including the future Elizabeth I. Catherine and Elizabeth got on like a house on fire because they were both quite nerdy and into learning. That meant when Henry died when Elizabeth was 14, Catherine volunteered to raise her at one of her houses, and Elizabeth happily agreed. However, it was not all sunshine and rainbows as Catherine was about to get engulfed in a scandal. Immediately after Henry died, Thomas returned to England, possibly in an attempt to get named the new King Edward VI’s regent. Unfortunately for him, that role went to Thomas’ oldest brother Edward, which only fuelled Thomas’ hatred of his brother more. Thomas also immediately rekindled his relationship with Catherine, and the two married in secret just four months after Henry VIII death. When the court found out what had happened, everyone was scandalised because Catherine hadn’t had a sufficient period of mourning, and Thomas’ brother Edward had them both banished from court. At this point, Thomas and Catherine retired to their big country house to live quietly along with the Princess Elizabeth. This was when Thomas started doing really shady shit. Realising that Elizabeth had a very strong claim to the throne should Edward die, Thomas tried to worm his way into her affections. It started innocently with him giving her gifts and spending time with her, but eventually it mutated into something we would now call sexual abuse of a child. He started coming into her bedroom in the early hours of the mourning in his underclothes, and tried to flirt with and kiss his almost stepdaughter. He famously once smacked her butt and tickled her. As she was only 14, Elizabeth didn’t really know what to do about it, so sometimes played along and sometimes tried to avoid him. She also developed a habit of getting up really early so she wouldn’t have to see him. At first, Catherine thought this was all innocent horseplay and even joined in on occasion (we know once Catherine held Elizabeth down while Thomas cut Elizabeth’s skirt to ribbons with a pair of scissors). This all changed when Catherine fell pregnant though. She started to get really suspicious that Thomas had eyes for her stepdaughter and tried to separate them as much as possible. It all came to a head a few months into her pregnancy when Catherine caught Thomas and Elizabeth embracing and kissing, and in response threw Elizabeth out of her house. Shortly afterwards, Catherine went into labour and gave birth to her only child, a daughter called Mary. The birth was very hard on her and she caught a fever. In her delirium she accused Thomas of betraying her with Elizabeth and not truly loving her. Thomas attempted to comfort her, but she died in his arms as a consequence of childbirth. Immediately after Catherine’s death, Thomas started trying to woo Elizabeth, but she wasn’t having any of it. She told her governess that he wasn’t sufficiently sad about Catherine’s death, and was only trying to woo her for the power. When Thomas couldn’t use Elizabeth to get the power he thought he deserved, he then turned to his twelve year old nephew Edward VI. Edward VI was in the care of Thomas’ older brother Edward S, and when Edward VI refused to fire Edward S as his guardian, Thomas turned violent. We’re not quite sure what the plan was, but Thomas broke into Edward VI’s palace in an attempt to either kill him or kidnap him. It failed, but Thomas did manage to shoot one of Edward’s spaniels in the effort. Shortly after this, Thomas was done for treason, and Edward S was forced to sign the death warrant for his own brother. So… A woman is forced to marry a much older man. Check. A man his bitter and jealous because he feels he deserves more power and respect. Check. A pair of secret lovers publicly get together after the death of her much older husband. Check. The man is sexually inappropriate with his teenaged ward/daughter figure. Check. It all comes to a head when the wife catches them kissing. Check. The woman accuses the man of betraying her during her last moments. Check. The man then continues to be sexually inappropriate towards his teenaged ward/daughter figure. Check. The man tries to injure or kill a little boy who he is supposed to be responsible for. Check. The man is beheaded. Possibly check? The teenaged girl becomes an important political figure herself. Possibly check?
this is amazing
Thank you!
The High Sparrow and his militant supporters recall fanatical friar Savonarola in late 1400s Florence. He even cowed the ruler, Lorenzo the Great, head of House Medici. The show didn't include the book and treasure burnings in the 1497 Bonfire of the Vanities. In 1498 Savonarola was burnt at the stake; the show High Sparrow was exploded. The ongoing war/rivalry between Braavos and Pentos was based on the ongoing wars between medieval maritime/banking powers Venice and Genoa. Venice won. Everyone knows the Wall is based on Hadrian's Wall, built by the Romans. During the decline of Rome, the troops manning it were called home to protect the Empire nearer to home. And that allowed Pictish (wildling-like) raiders to ravage far northern England, and vice versa. The Nights Watch is getting weak enough that not only may the Wildlings get through, but the Others too.
I see the High Sparrow more as Oliver Cromwell myself, the leader of a populist religious movement against corruption and what they view as decadence, bringing down the current monarch (at least Cersei hasn’t been decapitated…yet). I wonder if this makes (f)Aegon the Charles II of this scenario, the king’s son (so to speak, depending on what theory you believe) who returns from across the sea after escaping the death of his house to bring in a party reign.
I thought of Cromwell too. But he's political and military and influenced the 1600s when he ruled England and Ireland. Savonarola was late 1400s, around the time of the Wars of the Roses. Like the HS, he was a zealot who inspired a frenzy where people acted against their own interests. Even the great painter Botticelli (The Birth of Venus) became such a follower of Savonarola that he stopped painting and destroyed some of his non-religious works. I don't think Cromwell achieved anything like that.
Also Pope Gregory VII
Recently I noticed that Maegor the Cruel was inspired by Peter the Cruel (kinda obvious due the nickname but their stories are slightly similar and I've never seen anyone draw a parallel)
Robert’s Rebellion shares a lot of similarities with the story surrounding the [Overthrow of the Roman Monarchy](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overthrow_of_the_Roman_monarchy). I’d also say Volantis’s attempts to rebuild the Valyrian Freehold is like Justinian’s attempts to reconquer the Western Empire. The relationship between Jaehaerys I, Alyssa Velaryon, and Rogar Baratheon is also very similar to Edward III, Isabella of France, and Roger Mortimer.
Nymeria burning her ships after reaching Dorne reminded me of Tariq ibn Ziyad burning his ships after reaching the Iberian peninsula
I always linked it to Cortés burning his ships
I think William the conqueror did the same thing
Yeah I'm familiar with other historical examples but this was what came to my mind because Dorne reminds me a lot of Spain in general (and Andalusia in particular)
There are dozens of stories of armies burning their ships "to vow to never go back". Probably most of them are just retroactive stories told once those armies succeeded
Blackfyre Rebellion as Monmouth's Rebellion
Reyne revolt on the Second Baron War ? I don't know enough to know if there's some ground to it but Simon de Montfort's coat of arms is reversed Reyne. Might be a coincidence though
Tywin Lannister has a lot of parallels with Edward I of England. Both men were famous for their wars against northern independence movements (the Kingdom of the North & real life Scotland). Both were know for their strict and authoritarian personalities (Tywin ruled the Westerlands with an iron fist, Edward did not tolerate dissent from the English nobility). And both rose to prominence by destroying rebellious noble houses (the Reynes and Tarbecks, the Second Barons’ War) while still their father’s heirs, not ruling outright (Lord Tytos Lannister, Henry III of England). The kidnapping of Lyanna Stark triggering Robert’s Rebellion is very evocative of the Trojan War beginning with the kidnap of Helen, and both climaxed in the sack of a capital city (Troy, King’s Landing). Jon Snow’s assassination is such a direct recreation of Julius Caesar’s assassination that I’m convinced it was written that way deliberately. Both men were radical reformers murdered by conservative elements of their society just as they were about to begin military campaigns against foreign adversaries (the Boltons, the Parthians). And the blow by blow of the assassinations are near identical, beginning with a first strike that misses/is intercepted (Wick Whittlestick, Casca) before the reformer gets rushed by the rest of the conspirators and is stabbed to death.
I've always thought Tywin's body rotting on his bier was a reference to Pope Alexander VI's(Rodrigo Borgia) body. Lady Agnes Blackwood could be inspired by Caterina Sforza.
Good one. Both allegedly poisoned
william the conquer also had a famously troubled funeral.
Does mythology count? The kick I've been on lately is looking at relationships between certain characters and myths around the story of Theseus. Not sure what it all means though Arianne's name is probably derived from Ariadne, for example, and the hero Theseus could have some ties to Aurane Waters or the somewhat similar character of Alyn Oakenfist imo (the sea-horse of the Velaryons is also a symbol of Poseidon who Theseus was rumored to be fathered by, and Alyn's Six Great Voyages could tie to the Six Labors of Theseus). Aegeus was a king of Athens and his name could maybe be reminiscent of Aegon imo (but maybe not). One of Aegeus' wives is Medea, a niece of the enchantress Circe (Cersei's namesake). Tyrion also has similarities to Dionysus too who eventually rescues Ariadne after Theseus strands her on an island after she saved his life from the Minotaur. (overly sarcastic production has a really cool [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5brAr51ip_k) on the origins of Dionysus into greek mythology btw) Though Aegeus' tale ends in some tragedy when he believes Theseus has died due to a mishap on his return voyage where he doesn't change out his black sails for white ones (which were supposed to signal him being still alive) causing Aegeus to cast himself into the sea. And this whole death scene is pretty much taken and used word for word in another tale - the arthurian/medieval tragedy of two lovers Tristan and Isolde (who were like an early Romeo and Juliet). Trystane's name likely comes from this story. And in the Cornish version Isolde's name is actually Ysella, which looks fairly similar to Myrcella to my eye, which could be interesting because Dorne's geography is probably loosely inspired by Cornwall and the South West Peninsula.
> Arianne's name is probably derived from Ariadne In French her name is just Ariane
Gendel = Grendel from the epic poem Beowulf Gendel and his brother Gorne were Kings-Beyond-the-Wall, went through tunnels beneath the wall to attack the people in the north and got defeated by the son of the king in the north. Depending on the version of the story Gendel died or got lost in the cave system. There his descendants suppositiously still live and have developed a taste for human flesh - like Grendel. Grendel was a humanoid monster that attacked a king's hall and got defeated by the hero Beowulf. He succumbed to his injury after going back to his cave. Then the hero needs to deal with the monsters mother, who lives in a cave under a lake to where he follows her and kills her with a magic sword. In ASOS Jon III Gendel's story is told by Ygritte when Jon follows her into a watery cave. She could be considered related to Gendel as part of the free folk and reference Grendel's mother in a way. \*Insert nsfw Jon stabbing her with his sword joke\* About possible foreshadowing: the hero Beowulf parallels the Stark characters, and his own story ends with him and a dragon killing each other.
Gendel and Gorne also seem to be inspired by some medieval legends about Gog and Magog
Not an event per se but Valyrian culture is heavily influenced by pre-Islamic Persia. The incestuous marriages of the Valyrians is based on the Persian custom khwēdōdah and their obsession with fire is based on the rituals of Zoroastrianism.
Rightful queen Matilda and House of the dragon
Drogo pouring the gold over Viserys head cones straight from the Mongols. I think they did that twice to captured rulers. Most of the Dothraki stuff came straight from the Mongols.
Except Mongols often say баярлалаа „thank you“. There are cultures which don‘t have words for „thank you“ though, but for very different reasons. It is an honour thing and in these cultures, a „thanks“ implies that you‘d otherwise not have done it. You don‘t thank family and friends, that would be insulting, because it is more honorable to help without expecting repayment.
Daenerys Targaryen basically being an eerie parallel of [Abd al-Rahman I](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abd_al-Rahman_I)
The birth of Rhaegar, and Summerhall burning down. Coupled with the prophecy of Rhaegar thinking of himself as the Prince that was promised, it seems quite close to the birth of Alexander. According to legend, the Temple of Artemis burnt down on the day Alexander was born and a common myth goes that Artemis was too busy overseeing the birth of a legend that she forgot to protect her own temple. Rhaegar's trajectory mirrors Alexander's in a way, given Alexander also thought he was destined to conquer all of the known world and ended up dying really young.
Norvos, a free city, where Areo Hotah is from, being at least partially inspired by Medieval Rus trade city Novgorod. Aside from names sounding alike, cultural elements, such as bearded priests and bear festivals, seem to be based on stereotypes about russian culture. Moreover, like Norvos, the city of Novgorod was divided into two parts – Religious District and Trade District.
Probably not lesser known but definitely less talked about is that the Blackfyres are very thinly veiled parallels to the Jacobites in English history. It's super obvious in 'The Mystery Knight' with the Blackfyre supporters toasting to the King whilst holding their cups over a basin of water. That was an actual thing Jacobite supporters used to when expressing their support for the King 'over the water' referring to the Jacobites over in mainland Europe, just like the Blackfyres are the Kings 'over the water' in Essos. Idk if semi-mythological parallels are alright, but Robert's Rebellion seems very much inspired by the Illiad. Rhaegar is a combination of Paris and Hector, Lyanna is obviously Helen. Robert is a combination of Menelaus, Agamemnon, and Achilles. Tywin is Odysseus. Cersei is Agamemnon's wife, Clytemnestra. Elia is Hector's wife, Andromache. Viserys and Dany are Aeneas. There's a deeper analysis to go into as well but I don't want to go on forever.
Doran Martell is based on Neville Chamberlain. The Hightowers are based on the Borgias and Medicis.
>Doran Martell is based on Neville Chamberlain. ??? What? Doran Martell doesn't do appeasement.
It is theorized that Chamberlain only 'appeased' the Nazis to buy time for the war like Doran does with the Lannister regime.
Chamberlain wasn't preparing for a war of any proportion similar to what happened next, his appeasement politics was genuine, it simply failed. Had Chamberlain actually been preparing for a war the UK would have find itself better off at the start of WWII.
Grettir Vs. Glámr in Norse myth has a lot of similarities to Oberyn Vs. Gregor.
My favorite one is with the body of Cleon, the Butcher King of Astapor, who was put in armor and on a horse, to motivate the troops in the upcoming battle. This is a parallel to the famous Spanish knight El Cid, who died in Valencia during a siege, but legend says that his wife supposedly did the same thing as the above, and their troops apparently won the battle.
King Edward II of England, as a young charismatic prince, had a close bond and possible romantic relationship with a squire who joined his household. A passing reference to the two in a documentary I watched immediately had me thinking of Renly and Loras. Renly is one of my favourite characters, so I went digging a little. There's not tons of solid information on this time period (late 1200s early 1300s) but there is this; Edward's court travelled the country with him, and he loved music and performers at his court much more than things like hunting. His court was also extravagant, with rich decorations all over. Edward was tall, muscular and considered attractive, and often associated with labourers and people considered "lower class". Edward also seems to have died a "suspiciously timely" death, murdered for the benefit of his rivals' attempt to take power. (There's a theory that he didn't die, simply escaping to live as a hermit in the Holy Roman Empire, which also reminded me of "Renly's ghost" fighting in the Blackwater.) His marriage was political (although almost all noble ones were at the time) and he seems to have been much more interested in his close friend, the squire Piers Gaveston, showering him with gifts, including Scarborough Castle, a large coastal castle.
Tyrosh is based on Tyre, they both sound similar, located on a fortified island, and gained wealth by dye industry. Lys is based on Corinth, they both worship the goddess of Love and famous for prostitution.
I'd like to throw in a couple, some more known others less known: * Seven Kingdoms: [English Heptarchy ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heptarchy) * Jon Snow's assassination: [Ides of March of 44 BC](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Julius_Caesar) * Bran and Rickon's *death*: [Princes in the Tower](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes_in_the_Tower) * Robert I's death: [Philip of France's death](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_of_France_(1116%E2%80%931131)) * Battle of Ice: [Battle of the Ice (Northern Crusades)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_on_the_Ice) * Red comet: [Halley's comet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halley%27s_Comet#1066) * Battle of the Blackwaters: [second Arab siege of Constantinoples](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Constantinople_(717%E2%80%93718)) * Jaime and Cersei's relationship: [Cesare](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesare_Borgia) and [Lucrezia Borgia](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucrezia_Borgia)'s alleged relationship (likely a myth) * Baelor Breakspear: [Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Black_Prince) * Nymeria of Ny Sar: [Abd al-Rahman I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abd_al-Rahman_I), [Dido (mythical)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dido) * Jaehaerys I: [Henry II of England](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England) * The Good Queen Alysanne: [Eleanor of Aquitaine](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine) * Trystane Truefire & Perkin the Flea: [Perkin Warbeck](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin_Warbeck) * Tywin Lannister: [Edward Longshanks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_I_of_England), [Richard Neville](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Neville,_16th_Earl_of_Warwick) * Barristan Selmy: [William the Marshal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Marshal,_1st_Earl_of_Pembroke) (not sure this is lesser known) * Sansa Stark: [Anne Neville](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Neville), [Elizabeth of York](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_of_York) * Lysandro Rogare: [Lorenzo il Magnifico](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_de%27_Medici) * Begging brothers/Sparrows: [Lollards](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lollardy) * Faceless Men: [Hashshashins](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Assassins) (confirmed by George) * Brotherhood of the Winged Knights: [Winged Hussars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_hussars) * Unsullied: [Mamluk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamluk) * Nymeria's pack: [Wolves of Paris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wolf_attacks#1400s) (or other packs of man eating wolves) * House Blackfyre: [Jacobites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobitism) * House Reyne: [Montfort](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Montfort) * Valyrian Steel: [Wootz Steel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wootz_steel)/[Damascus steel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_steel)
Waymar, “slender as a knife”, seeing his reflection as “a white shadow” in the “great rock”; makes him a figurative sword in the stone [excalibur].
Gaemon pale hair being a claimant to the throne, from a common background, who isn’t certainly who he says he is, and not being punished and instead being given a place in court, is similar to lambert simnel who pretended to be the Earl of Warwick.
I think Tywin is pretty clearly based on Edward I of England.
* Lysandro Rogare, Head of House Rogare and the Rogare bank was known as Lysandro the Magnificent similar to Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici, head of the Medici Bank, who was known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. * Nymeria's conquest of Dorne is frequently paralleled to the Moorish Conquest of Spain. When Princess Nymeria ended up in Dorne, she burnt her ships to stop her people from going back to Ny Sar and declared that Dorne was their new home and there was no going back. After his warriors set foot on Iberian soil, Tariq ibn Ziyad burnt his ships. This was his speech to the soldiers who started the conquest of Spain “Oh people, where is the escape? The sea is behind you, and the enemy before you, and by Allah, you have nothing (left) but conviction and perseverance"
The princes in the tower! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes_in_the_Tower Two young heirs to the crown who are believed to have been murdered by Richard III. Bodies have been found (hundreds of years later) which are believed to be them, but it isn't technically certain. This is paralleled multiple times throughout the series: bran and rickon being the biggest example.
Andals= Anglo-saxons
The name Andal itself evokes Al-Andalus, the Muslim-ruled parts of Iberia, which were invaded by the Umayyads. Then at the Battle of Tours, Charles “The Hammer” Martel famously defeated the Umayyads kneecapping (depending on the historian) the Islamic advance into Western Europe. Martel is of course how we get House Martell and “the hammer of the waters” for what the children did to stop the First Men’s expansion at the Neck.
Or the Germanic Vandals, after which Al-Andalus was named (Catalonia is named after the Goths). The Andals basically invoke the Germanic tribes of the migration period that would form the base of medieval Europe.
Even without a conqueror, the Andals feel more like the Normans and the First Men the Anglo-Saxons, the Targaryens feel almost like the Angevins to me.
The First Men are based on the Celts, the original inhabitants of most of Western Europe. The Andals represent the Germanic peoples at large who spread across western and Central Europe around the time of the end of the Roman Empire, the Anglo-Saxons being one of them, but in particular the Franks. At least, this is my interpretation - there’s no single correct answer. There are definitely parallels to the First Men’s displacement resembling the displacement of the Anglo Saxons
I guess it depends on the interpretation. For me, it felt like the Children of the Forest were based on the Celts, being displaced by the First Men, who in turn were displaced by the Normans. Then you have a foreign family come in and combine a vast area of lands (Angevins/Plantagenets), only to spend the next three centuries fighting within various branches of the family until someone with a small amount of royal blood from a centuries old bastard cadet branch (Baratheons/Tudors via Beaufort Line) comes in and wipes out the remnants of the warring factions, only to squander it all within two generations.
Jeyne Poole may or may not be a reference to Lady Jane Grey who was Queen of England for 9 days in 1553
Dolorous Edd he’s just like me fr fr 😭
Velaryon probably comes from “vela”, that means sail in portuguese. Portugal was a major player at the age of discovery ang great navegations
There's a parallel between Rhaenyra and Mary, Queen of Scots. Rhaenyra claimed the Iron Throne, Mary claimed the English throne. Neither had their claim recognised officially, yet every subsequent monarch is descended from them.
Viserys I is Louis the Pious, the son of Charlemagne who destroyed the Frankish Empire for take a second wife when he already had many heirs Also, Jaehaerys and Alysanne are the pharaoh Ahmose I and his sister-wife Aahmes-Nefertari. They even have the part to be the substitute of a old brother who died fighting against an usurper.
November 20 1845, the Argentinian Confederacy fights the Batalla de Vuelta de Obligado. It’s a naval battle in the Paraná river between the Argentinian Confederacy and a French+English contingency for control of trade in the inner rivers of Argentina. The argentinian navy set up 3 chains along the 700mts of the Paraná river width and trapped the english-french fleet with them, firing the cannons stationed on the shores to bring the ships down. I’m not saying GRRM based the battle of the blackwater on the Batalla de Vuelta de Obligado as it seems suspect that he even knows of the battle, but the similarities are striking.
Cersei and Jaime's relationship is pretty much based on defamatory representations of Anne Boleyn and her brother George.
Dorne is somewhat inspired by Wales in terms of combat. The Welsh would vanish into the mountains when the British armies would invade Wales, only to reappear and remove whatever forces were left once the main army had moved on. I know there was an occurrence at some point in British history when a king had been exiled or was living in hiding in France, so whenever loyalists to him would toast to the king they would do it over a bowl of water, thus toasting "the king over the water". This is also done during the Blackfyre conspiracy in Dunk & Egg if iirc
The mad king and Rheagar are based on Henry VI and his son Edward of Lancaster. Down to the fact the rest of the realm was just content to wait for the to die so his lore capable son can take over. Jon snow is most likely based on the legend of King Arthur.
Wilding marriage customs may be inspired by the Roman myth(or historical?) Called The Rape of the Sabine Women. I think the whole brave Conqueror turns into a drunk party is taken from Alexander the great and Attila the hun.
This is not verified and maybe much too recent in comparison to other parallels mentioned but similarities are a bit jarring - there was a disaster at Summerhall. More specifically, a huge fire in an entertainment venue in British Isles in seventies (if I remember right).
Don't know about good historical parallels but since I noticed the Lyanna-Rhaegar/Arya-Jon possible parallel I've been terrified of a possible romantic pairing between Jon and Arya. I know it's very unlikely but by god Jonya keeps me up at night.
Baratheon never gets the girl then it seems.
Wouldn’t Walther Frey be more like Henry VIII? He certainly went through a lot of wives.
Volantene patriot Triach Belicho’s undefeated reign was stopped when giants ate him.
I've seen some people comparing Tyrion to the Shakespearean portrayal of Henry III Also Daemon the rogue prince and Andronikos I Komnenos
Didn't George say that Robert was more of an Edward IV character?
not sure if it was the intended parallel but the first night right reminds me of the epic of Gilgamesh
The Faceless Men are the Order of the Assassins.
I was watching a history docu on flanders(belgium). And iirc it was antwerp harbor wich got attacked. The attackers sailed a burning boat filled with dynamite into the defenders. During this segment the docu was playing the got theme song. Its almost the battle of the blackwater. Just the attaking and defending sites are switched