When House of the Dragon is inspired by British History

In the 12th century, the daughter of a king, who became queen, saw her throne stolen by a member of her family…

Dance of Dragons began on Max with the launch of Season 2 of House of the Dragon. After the death of Lucerys, one of Rhaenyra’s sons, it is time for contemplation and appeasement. The embers catch, and to avoid any fire starting, we talk. But revenge and the war for the throne continue, and clashes are inevitable. The irreparable has already been done and it is in the dark corners of the Red Keep that vengeance is being prepared and the threat is swarming like vermin…

House of the Dragon: a slow season 2 (review)

Who will take the Iron Throne, Aegon II or Rhaenyra? Sometimes the answer is found in history books.

Like many works of heroic fantasy, House of the Dragon and her big sister, Game Of Thrones, both taken from a romantic saga written by GRR Martin, owe a lot to History – that with a capital H. The author has never denied being inspired by historical events. Fans already know: the main plot of Game Of Thrones borrows heavily from the War of the Roses. In the 15th century, two families fought for the throne of England: on one side the Yorks, whose emblem was a white flower, and on the other the Lancasters, whose emblem was a red flower. The echoes are there: the color of the emblem and the names respectively evoke Houses Stark and Lannister – the main protagonists of the novels.

When Game of Thrones is inspired by our History

Other secondary inspirations, the Wall separating the South and the North of Westeros, one of the continents on which the plot takes place, comes to us from Hadrian’s Wall separating current England and Scotland. The region of Dorne, in the South East of Westeros, is largely inspired by Andalusia and its Moorish architecture. But what about House of the Dragon?

As revealed by George RR Martin during the panel dedicated to the series at Comic Con 2022 in San Diego, the plot of the novel Fire and Blood of which House of the Dragon is drawn largely from a little-known period of British History: the English Anarchy. Terrifying, isn’t it?

A civil war… but without a dragon!

Between 1138 and 1153, England went through a troubled period, a series of wars of succession and popular uprisings following which the kingdom found itself without a leader. It was Anarchy. Although in truth, it was no more chaos than any other conflict. In the 12th century, King Henry I of England was without a male heir. Only his daughter, Mathilde, remained, known as “The Emperor” because she was the widow of the German Emperor Henry V. Dying, King Henry named his daughter queen of the kingdom and made the nobles swear recognition of this status. Mathilde became Queen of England. And as is often the case, when a woman is in power, there are detractors who question her skills.

Return to Westeros and the Targaryen dynasty. In House of the Dragon, a dying king, Viserys I, names his daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen, heir to the Iron Throne. An ascension which displeases the nobles while his father, having remarried in the meantime, (finally) had descendants, a little boy named Aegon, pretender to the crown. Little brother of Rhaenyra, his masculine attributes make him a better heir. When the king dies, Aegon sits on the throne rightfully claimed by his sister. The kingdom is divided, camps are taking shape: team black VS team green. The battle begins.

For Mathilde, it was not to a half-brother that she lost her throne, but to her cousin, Stephen of Blois. When the king breathed his last, Stephen of Blois, who was at that time in Normandy, crossed the Channel and took his place on the throne in place of Mathilde, who was residing with her new husband, Geoffrey V of Anjou, in Anjou. The barons, who had sworn allegiance to the Emperor, changed sides. The new king made his cousin understand that his situation was better this way and that on his deathbed, his father would have changed his mind.

Mathilde and her husband refuse the situation and war breaks out between Etienne’s supporters and those of Mathilde. After the Battle of Lincoln, the king was taken prisoner and Mathilde became Lady of the English and the Normans. But his reign was short-lived. When she arrived, the kingdom’s coffers were empty and to remedy this, she raised taxes. A double-edged solution which brings disorder and which we find in volume 2 of Fire and Blood.

Spoiler alert, don’t read the end of the article if you haven’t read the novels!

Following the siege of King’s Landing, Rhaenyra manages to regain the throne. Once queen, she raises taxes and the people, who once loved her, end up abandoning her:

“The young woman who had once been applauded and called the Joy of the Kingdom had grown up into a greedy and vindictive woman.”

And if you want a third echo to confirm this historical inspiration, know that the Anarchy ends just like the Dance of Dragons: with the coronation of a son.

But before you can witness this event, which will probably take place in season 3, you will have to go through the war that rages in the second season of House of the Dragon available on Max.

House of the Dragon: the guide to what to expect in season 2