Friday, March 29

Tales of the Throne: How the thorny history of Wars of the Roses likely inspired War of the Five Kings


(Ashley Ko/Daily Bruin staff)


This post was updated May 7 at 8:54 p.m.

From the captivating political intrigue to the unforeseeable twists, “A Song of Ice and Fire” has cemented itself as one of the most memorable works of fantasy literature. However, the real-life history it’s based on is equally, if not more, fascinating. In “Tales of the Throne,” columnist Sanjana Chadive time travels to the medieval world to explore the events and personalities that inspired George R.R. Martin’s magnum opus.

(Nathan Koketsu/Daily Bruin)
(Nathan Koketsu/Daily Bruin)

Before the Starks and the Lannisters, there were the Yorks and the Lancasters.

Occurring from 1455 to 1485, the Wars of the Roses encompassed a series of English civil wars primarily fought between the royal families of York and Lancaster. Although these two groups were the key players, Derek Birks, host of “A Slice of Medieval,” said other notable individuals were swept up in the conflict as well. There are several parallels between the people involved in the Wars of the Roses and the characters of “A Song of Ice and Fire,” he said.

“It’s (Wars of the Roses) got everything that you would want in an exciting story or an interesting story,” Birks said. “It’s not just about the battles. It’s about the characters involved. You couldn’t dream up all these people. They just sort of present themselves, and they’re quite amazing.”

Robert Rouse, an associate professor of English language and literature at the University of British Columbia, said he believes Martin loosely based House Stark and House Lannister on the Yorks and Lancasters, respectively. For example, he said the Starks and the Yorks lived in the North and the Lannisters and Lancasters inhabited the western regions of their lands.

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Birks said a distinct comparison between the Wars of the Roses and “A Song of Ice and Fire” is that two familial generations were heavily involved. In both cases, he said, the younger family members were unexpectedly thrust into the conflict because of their parents’ actions and fates. Such an example is the fictional Robb Stark and his widely accepted historical counterpart Edward IV. Birks said these two young men found themselves on the battlefield after their fathers, Eddard Stark and Richard of York, were killed.

The connections between Robb Stark and Edward extend beyond logistical similarities. Rouse said they both also lost potentially powerful alliances because of their marriages. Initially betrothed to one of Lord Walder Frey’s daughters, Robb Stark ends up taking Jeyne Westerling, the daughter of a minor lord, as his wife. He was later murdered for this decision.

During the Wars of the Roses, Edward married Elizabeth Woodville, a widow not of royal birth, instead of the daughter of Richard, Earl of Warwick – who is better known in history books as “The Kingmaker,” Rouse said. However, unlike Robb Stark, Edward was not slain because of his choice and lived a fairly long life, Birks said.

“Alliances are made, as they were in the Middle Ages, by marrying your son to a rich heiress or someone who brings with them a lot of lands, influence and resources,” Birks said. “That happens a lot in ‘A Song of Ice and Fire,’ of course, but that’s something that also happened a lot in the Wars of the Roses.”

Parallels to the Wars of the Roses are also apparent in a prominent conflict in “A Song of Ice and Fire” – the War of Five Kings. This fictional civil war erupted in the wake of King Robert Baratheon’s death and was essentially a three-way battle for the Iron Throne between Joffrey Baratheon, Stannis Baratheon and Renly Baratheon. Simultaneously, two separate independence movements led by Robb Stark and Balon Greyjoy also ensued.

An important and interesting fact about the Wars of the Roses is that the Yorks and Lancasters were cousins, said Elizabeth Upton, an associate professor of humanities and musicology. Therefore, Rouse said family members were willing to even kill one another for a taste of power – a trend also evident in “A Song of Ice and Fire.” For instance, he said a pivotal moment in the War of the Five Kings happens when Renly Baratheon is assassinated by a shadow demon conceived by his older brother, Stannis.

“I think it’s the bloodiness, the way in which we do see the War of the Five Kings descending into not just competition on the battlefield but into the killings that follow and the removal of heirs and the sort of strategic deaths involved and the stomping out of various families,” Rouse said.

After almost three decades of bloody and tumultuous chaos in England, the Wars of the Roses finally concluded in 1485 when Henry Tudor defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth and became King Henry VII. The “A Song of Ice and Fire” character he is most similar to is Daenerys Targaryen, Rouse said. Birks said both individuals are the last living descendants of the kings at the beginning of each dynastic dispute – Aerys II Targaryen and Henry VI.

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Daenerys Targaryen and Henry VII were also raised across the sea, away from the heart of each conflict, he said. Moreover, Birks said they both found unlikely allies. Daenerys Targaryen gains valuable counsel from Ser Barristan Selmy, the former lord commander of the Kingsguard, and men previously sworn to Richard III fought alongside Henry VII when he took the English throne. Nevertheless, the Wars of the Roses is over, and “A Song of Ice and Fire” book series is not, so whether Daenerys Targaryen becomes queen of Westeros is still up for question.

Ultimately, Upton said the Wars of the Roses and “A Song of Ice and Fire” are so compelling because the large casts of characters allow people to relate to at least one person. She also said that beneath the elaborate courtroom politics and large-scale battles is a story of family dynamics ever present in the modern world.

“These kinds of family stories are really gripping because we all have a family,” Upton said. “So you can imagine how you would fit into that family.”

Lifestyle editor

Chadive is the 2023-2024 lifestyle editor. She was previously an Arts staff writer from 2022-2023. She is a third-year comparative literature student from Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania.


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