![]() ![]() The real history of Game of Thrones House of the Dragon is not the first time that George RR Martin has drawn inspiration from real history. Here is a point of divergence from real history: House of the Dragon promises to be anarchic indeed. Few wholly unsuccessful rulers lasted 19 years and died in their bed still wearing the crown.” Instead, he suggests, could the name be the result of Plantagenet spin? “Stephen’s reign was not glorious, but that does not make it anarchic. “If King Stephen would have recognised anarchy, it was only in the sense of so many diverse threats emerging at once: Empress Matilda in England, her husband Geoffrey conquering Normandy, King David in the north, and rebel barons,” he writes. It wasn’t called the Anarchy due to the ferocity of the conflict, but because of the supposed lack of control Stephen had over the country when he was king.īut was it really anarchic? Historian Matthew Lewis questions whether this badge of dishonour is deserved, or the product of revisionism. ![]() But Matilda had not renounced her claim to the throne – and so their civil war began. Twenty-two days after the king’s death, Stephen was in London wearing the crown. They looked to continental Europe for an alternative, and they found one in the form of Stephen of Blois, second son of Henry’s sister Adela. When Henry I died on 1 December 1135, some nobles declared that the king had released them from their oaths. ![]() Stephen and Matilda, rivals for the crown of England. In the case of the Anarchy, it was a cousin rather than a step-sibling who would prove to be the undoing of Henry’s best-laid plans. Though Henry rapidly remarried – to a woman 35 years his junior – he would have no other sons, and so he named his daughter Empress Matilda as his heir, and forced his begrudging court to swear their allegiance to her. It begins with King Henry I, whose succession is thrown into disarray with the White Ship disaster of 1120, which claimed the life of his sole legitimate son, William Adelin. House of the Dragon is loosely based on a real historical event – a bleak interlude in English history between 11 known as the Anarchy. When Viserys finally dies, his Small Council (akin to the real-life Privy Council of medieval England) no longer feels compelled to honour the dead king’s wishes for Rhaenyra to succeed him.Īfter all, there is male heir to consider – and so allegiances begin to shift as the Targaryens pick sides… The real historical event that inspired House of the Dragon Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen in House of the Dragon (Photo by Ollie Upton/HBO) ![]() His new bride bears him a son, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney). Simmering none-too-quietly in the background is the king’s brother Daemon (Matt Smith – reprising his persona of chafing royal after a turn as the young Prince Philip in The Crown), who believes himself to be de facto heir.īut Viserys lives for another 24 years. Read more | What are the origins of the caesarean section (c-section)?.So he settles the succession on his sole living child, his unflinchingly capable daughter Rhaenyra (played by both Emma D’Arcy and Milly Alcock), and calls a meeting of his nobles to swear loyalty to her, despite their open misgivings about the thought of placing a woman on the throne. When his queen dies during a difficult childbirth, Viserys is forced to confront the fact he has no surviving sons. House of the Dragon begins with Viserys Targaryen (played by Paddy Considine) on the Iron Throne, and he is plagued with questions about who will inherit his crown. House of the Dragon plot: what happens in the drama? ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |