How Scottish History Inspired Game of Thrones (And House of the Dragon?)
Channel: Celtic History Decoded
Date: 21/08/2021

How Scottish History Inspired Game of Thrones (And Maybe House of the Dragon)

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TV series rise and fall just like empires. Yet the fall of Games of Thrones was of biblical proportions, from being odds on to being the greatest TV series ever made, to them finishing with that last series. Oh yes, that last series. 

If we put that nightmarish final season to one side for a minute however, and refrain from opening old wounds and pouring lemon juice inside, the world that George R. R. Martin created was nothing short of genius, with all sorts of historical realities inspiring the plot. 

Martin has previously discussed how the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism (with its fascination with fire), the Wars of Roses and the Hundred Years War were all notable historical inspirations for the Game of Thrones world. 

Today however, I want to focus on the role that Scottish history played in inspiring the world and the plot. Martin, who is currently involved in creating an HBO prequel called the House of the Dragon, said in an interview with Brown University Library that “Scotland has a lot of incredibly bloody history” from which he has drawn inspiration from. 

More specifically, Martin revealed that the Red Wedding episode of Game of Thrones, where many prominent characters were deceitfully massacred, was directly inspired by two bloody Scottish events, the Black Dinner of 1440 AD and the Glencoe Massacre of 1692. The Black Dinner refers to when the young 16-year-old Earl of the Douglas clan, William Douglas, along with his younger brother, were invited to dinner at Edinburgh Castle by three powerful political figures - including William Crichton, the Lord Chancellor of Scotland – who surrounded the young, 10-year-old King of Scotland at the time, James II. 

The story goes that during dinner, a black bulls head, which symbolized death, was placed before the young William Douglas and his party. Shortly after, Douglas and his brother were taken outside to Castle Hill, given a brief mock trial, and then beheaded. In response, the powerful Douglas clan laid siege to Edinburgh Castle. 

The Glencoe Massacre took place over 250 years later, in 1692, when members of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were brutally killed by the Scottish government. Around 35 members of the clan were killed, many of whom were asleep at the time, with the chief, two women and two children among the dead. They were apparently killed for not swearing allegiance to the royals of Scotland, England and Ireland, William III, also known as William of Orange, and Mary II, who had come to power in 1689 after the Glorious Revolution. The incident was apparently meant to send a message to other clans. 

Another Scottish inspiration for Game of Thrones was Hadrian’s Wall, which was built by the Romans thousands of years ago in northern England, close to the modern Scottish-England border. The wall helped to provide a barrier between Roman Britannia and the pre-Scottish peoples of the north, such as the Caledonians, and later, the Picts. 

In the world created by Martin, the giant wall of ice and magic separates the Seven Kingdoms from those north of the wall. The wall was guarded by the Night’s Watch, a brotherhood sworn to protect the Seven Kingdoms from the northern barbarians. The North of the Seven Kingdoms that is controlled for large periods by the House of Stark is also potentially inspired by Scotland. 

What other connections between history and Game of Thrones do you find interesting? Let me know in the comments below… 

 Sources:

World of A Song of Ice and Fire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire
 
George RR Martin on Historical Influences in Game of Thrones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkNZjRoI15s – Brown University Library. An Evening with George R. R. Martin and Publisher Tom Doherty at the Brown University Library https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB5AU_bCZJg&t=0s 

Massacre of Glencoe by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica https://www.britannica.com/event/Massacre-of-Glencoe 

Heritage Daily - The Black Dinner – An event that inspired the “Red Wedding” in Game of Thrones https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/06/the-black-dinner-an-event-that-inspired-the-red-wedding-in-game-of-thrones/139523 

Screenrant (GEORGE CHRYSOSTOMOU) House Of The Dragon: Everything We Know About The Game Of Thrones Prequel So Far https://screenrant.com/house-of-the-dragon-game-thrones-prequel-everything-known/ 

#ScottishHistory #GameofThrones #HouseoftheDragon