The Decision to Accept Dinner Invites in Historic Scotland Was Often Costly
Scottish politics throughout history has been a tumultuous blend of ever-shifting alliances among the country’s elites, characterized by rebellions, murders, assassinations, and a complex web of betrayals. This historical chaos, likened to a real-life Game of Thrones minus the magic and dragons, served as inspiration for George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. Notably, the infamous Red Wedding in Martin’s narrative, where the Starks are treacherously slaughtered at a feast, draws inspiration from two dark events in Scottish history: the Glencoe Massacre of 1692 and the Black Dinner of 1440. Both instances involved guests falling victim to their hosts’ betrayal, mirroring the brutal and dramatic elements of Martin’s fictional narrative.
The Black Dinner of 1440, a particularly notorious betrayal in Scottish history, unfolded as a sinister plot against the powerful Earls of Douglas. Three noblemen—William Crichton, Sir Alexander Livingston, and James Douglas—conspired against the Douglas family, inviting the late earl’s sons to dine with the young King James I at Edinburgh Castle. In a grievous miscalculation, the Douglas brothers accepted the invitation, only to be confronted with a black bull’s head, symbolizing death, mid-dinner. Violating the rules of hospitality, the brothers were seized, accused of treason, subjected to a mock trial, and ultimately beheaded. As Martin reflected on the historical inspirations behind the Red Wedding, he emphasized that reality often surpassed fiction in its portrayal of ruthless betrayal and violence.