Warning: major spoilers ahead!

 

In an intertwined fantasy drama like Game of Thrones, it’s almost impossible to foresee how it will all end. Will Daenerys take the Iron Throne? Will the White Walkers surpass the wall and wreak havoc on the inhabitants of Westeros? Or could a piece of history reveal the true ending of Game of Thrones?

Here’s a fun quiz for you; which historical chapter does GOT seem most reminiscent of? If you said the War of the Roses, then you deserve some kind of superfan medallion. The War of the Roses was a battle waged between two sides for the throne of England: the House of Lancaster and the House of York. Do those names seem similar to the names of two houses in Game of Thrones? That’s right: Lannister vs the Starks.

If you made a side by side chart of the events in the War of the Roses vs what happens in George R. R. Martins master piece, you can see clear similarities. Especially among the characters. We have Richard of York (Ned Stark) who was a great friend of the king and a protector. And we have the conniving king’s wife, Margret of Anjou (Cersei Lannister) - who was ruthless and calculating. Long story short, the king’s wife convinced the king to send Richard into exile, filling the now vacant spots with her own supporters.

This compelled Richard to wage war on the Queen. He brought back his own army but despite a spirited battle, he was eventually defeated, having his head put on a spike to warn others - which mirrors what happened to Ned Stark in the Game of Thrones novels and show. With Richard gone, his own son Edward the 4th (Robb Stark) rose up and battled against the Lancasters. Snubbing a political marriage, this turned one of his strongest supporters against him - the Earl of Warwick (Walder Frey).

While the similarities between the events is absolutely fascinating - the ending of the War of the Roses may foretell what will happen in the ending of Game of Thrones. The war came to an end when Henry Tudor (Daenerys), who was a member of the Lancaster house, sailed from France to England to claim the throne. After a bloody battler, he was accepted by the people and eventually adored by all. Henry finally took the throne and married the Eldest daughter of the York house (Jon Snow), combining the two houses and finally putting an end to the war.

So if we are to go by the events of the War of the Roses and apply them to GOT - Daenerys will sail to Westeros and claim the Iron Throne for herself. She will then marry the eldest of the Stark Family - which we know is Jon thanks to that season 7 revelation, bringing peace to the kingdom. Granted, this doesn’t mention anywhere about lunatic ice zombies - but George R. R. Martin had to spice it up somehow.

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