A GAME OF HISTORY: THE GREAT HOUSES MAPPED
There is deep understanding in the fanbase of A Game of Thrones that not everything is made up, nor are the great houses. In human hist0ry, different cultures have risen and fallen in power, but in some points in history, the great nations ruled by even greater dynasties lived at a point. There was chaos, but borders still. The great houses of Westeros are comparable to the nations in Europe.
A great example of these similarities is Iberia. Known for once being totally ruled by Muslims, this nation experienced many wars due to different religions and regions. However, just like Dorne, Iberia in medieval times was ruled by people from an Eastern part of the world. This may remind you of one Prince Doran Martell, who could be seen as a sort of Emir or Sultan, but for now let us focus on the facts here.
Dorne is a peninsula. So is Iberia. Dorne has two main cultures, Salt and Sand Dornish. Iberia has Spanish and Portuguese. Dorne has defended itself from all invasion since they invaded the peninsula, just like the Moors.
Another great and purposeful comparison is the British Isles. This group of islands was once united in medieval timed by the British Crown, just like the Westerlands. The lion is a big symbol in both areas, with the famed triple gold lion adorning the sigil of England, and a single gold lion in the Westerlands. House Lannister, which is the ruling house of the Westerlands, has a lion on their sigil, and is known for having blonde haired children. The significance of the gold is not just in the Lannister coffers and mines, but also in the history of England. There have been times when the English Crown is low on funds, but due to taxation, the Crown maintains large coffers through government service, which is basically a blank check. That blank check system is comparable to the Lannisters of the Westerlands, who take extreme loans from the Iron Bank of Braavos, which takes back the debt after wars from the gold mines in the capital of the Westerlands, Casterly Rock.
Geography wise, the Westerlands, like Dorne, is very similar to England, with it having rolling hills and small ranges of mountains. As castles were usually built on rocky cliffs (due to Roman siege defense systems) in England, so are the mighty castles of the Westerlands. These castles on cliffs provide no landing area for an amphibious assault, and no more than one direction for an army to siege. The castles in the Westerlands are known for being almost impenetrable, just like the English castles.
The Reach is a agrarian/merchant kingdom with a strong army, resembling the French in the 15th century. France was a nation so strong that it could hold its own against the large coalition armies, just as the Reachmen did against several large coalition armies during a rebellion. The architecture closely resembles the French in style, as well as the large towns such as Oldtown or Ashford.
The Reach’s geography is oddly similar to France, with large countrysides filling the money bags of traders. Of course, the occasional large castle pops up from small villages, reminding the peasants who they serve.
The Riverlands points to the Lowlands (Dutch, Flemish nations) in Europe, who rely on the rivers as waterways for trade and strategical battle advantages. There is not much in terms of similarities except for the marsh and rivers.
Nations like the North, Iron Islands, Stormlands, and the Vale are hard to place on a map of Earth without second thoughts. Areas of large, snowy grasslands are very prominent in eastern Europe, causing too many connections between kingdom similarities. The map at the beginning of the blog post clearly shows that the kingdoms are placed in somewhat rocky areas or large stretches of land, like the Russian valley. This placement, although perfectly fine for one fan, is not enough for me. Since a major portion of Europe faces storms with snow, the North and Stormlands are too similar, with the Vale and Iron Islands having very fluid placement due to both kingdoms being rocky, with viking-like inhabitants.
However, the North could be placed as Russia due to one factor, the Wall. Russia consists of the Russian valley, Siberia, and parts of Caspian Sea territory, which includes the large and very blocking Ural Mountain Range. This range separates Europe and Asia almost perfectly, dividing Russia in two, just like the Wall divides the North from people just like them on the other side. Also, Russia has scarce population centers and one large port city by the name of St. Petersburg, which resembles the population placement in the North, with White Harbor also being a large port town.
Overall, the kingdoms of Westeros have striking features that point to real life civilizations in Europe. These features lead a reader to believe that the geographical factors in the Game of Thrones series are very much based on actual factors faced in Europe during the Medieval Age.
Next time on A GAME OF HISTORY, we will enter the juicy character origins. That means the War of the Roses, Mongol Hordes, and crazy Spanish Reconquests. I hope you enjoyed this new insight on Game of Thrones.
