The Heir Across the Narrow Sea
It’s well known that George R.R. Martin based much of “A Song of Ice and Fire” on the War of the Roses, even admitting it himself during an interview in 2000. The three-decade struggle was fought between the houses of York and Lancaster from the mid-to-late-15th Century and arose from the mental infirmity of the monarch Henry VI (think Aerys Targaryen) two and feuding houses, each with claims to the throne.
The War of the Roses was a civil war, but as with all conflicts of this kind, civil is a staggering misnomer. Whether due to geographical proximity or diverging ideologies, civil wars are often the bloodiest and most devoid of mercy. The Battle of Towton in 1461, which saw the Yorkist Edward IV take the throne from the Lancastrian Henry VI, was perhaps the bloodiest in English history; a staggering 28,000 on both sides staining the snowstorm coated battlefield red with their blood.
The extent to which Martin borrowed from the War of the Roses means there’s something to say about almost every character. Ned Stark finds parallels with Richard of York; King Joffrey with Edward of Westminster. But because there isn’t enough space to write about each one (and besides, it’s been done already), I’m going to focus on one comparison: Daenerys Targaryen and Henry Tudor.
Both Daenerys and Henry were raised in exile because their claim to the throne, as direct descendants of the previous monarch, put their lives in danger. But their legitimacy was largely overlooked until the deaths of the heirs apparent—in Dany’s case Viserys; in Henry’s, Henry VI and his son Edward. Sensing his opportunity, Henry crossed the channel from France to Wales in 1485, not with a Dothraki horde but with an army of 2,000 French mercenaries.
From there he went on to defeat the Yorkists at the Battle of Bosworth Field, becoming the last English monarch to win the throne in battle. King Richard III was killed during the battle, his supposed last words “A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse!” immortalized by Shakespeare in his eponymous play. Lost for centuries, Richard’s corpse was recently discovered under a car park in Leicester, exhumed and then buried again at the slightly nobler site of Leicester Cathedral. We’re going to have to wait and see how much of Henry’s reigning years find echoes in Daenerys. But knowing Martin, one thing’s for sure: it’s unlikely to be plain sailing.