15. The story of Aegon the Conqueror borrows heavily from that of William the Conqueror, whilst the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros are England although they had already been unified by the time of the Norman invasion in 1066.
The founder of the Targaryen dynasty of Westeros, Aegon I Targaryen, also known as Aegon the Conqueror, was the first Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. Conquering six of the seven constituent parts of the island of Westeros over a period of two years, with Dorne eluding his domination, Aegon established his new capital at the site of his landing on the mainland and instituted a new kingdom under united governance. Long possessing designs for his conquest and retaining a prolonged belief in unifying the country, Aegon the Conqueror, suggested by his given moniker, holds evident parallels with the historical William the Conqueror.
The first Norman King of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087, William, Duke of Normandy, like his fictitious reproduction, led an invasion force of the island he sought to govern. Equally reproduced by Martin in his Westeros, the England desired by William had been historically divided among multiple competing kingdoms. First laying claim on the English crown during the 1050s, following the death of Edward the Confessor the Norman noble challenged Harold Godwinson for the title. Defeating his enemy at the Battle of Hastings, William would endure nine years of recurrent conflict before pacifying the Anglo-Saxon inhabitants of England and securing his position.