"Game of thrones": these historical references that you may not have seen

# Fear of glaciation

What does the series say?

“Winter is coming”. To the north of a maous wall are frosty lands roamed by blue zombies. The whole series is crossed by the fear that this wall will fall, letting the living dead surge on human lands at the same time as a great thermal shiver.

What does history say?

Of course, "Winter is coming" echoes our own climate fears, collapse theories, great millennia (from the year 1000 to the bug of the year 2000), but the fear of ending up in ice cube refers to a very real concern that crossed men at the time of the "Little Ice Age". From the 14th century, and until the 19th century, Europe went through a general cooling due, according to historians, to a change in solar activity as well as to volcanic eruptions. According to Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, the temperature fell on average by 0.5 to 1 degree, with a marked drop between 1645 and 1715. The glaciers were in flood and, in the Chamonix valley, hamlets feared being swallowed up. Certain winters, like that of 1709, remain in the memories: the lagoon freezes in Venice, the wine solidifies in Versailles, the port of Marseilles is frozen in ice. The number of deaths in the Kingdom linked to this cold snap is estimated at 630,000.

# The “great sparrow”

What does the series say?

In Port Réal, a ragged cleric gathers a horde of zealous followers and succeeds in taking precedence over the city's political authorities.

What does history say?

The character of the Great Sparrow takes us to Florence at the very end of the 15th century, when a certain Jerome Savonarola (1452-1498) reigned there. In 1491, this austere Dominican, who had become the prior of a convent in the city, became known for his fiery sermons. He has the Medici in power in his sights, but also the Pope of Rome, Alexander VI, one of the famous Borgias. A geopolitical earthquake serves him. The troops of Charles VIII of France descended on the peninsula in 1494: the king had taken it into his head to conquer the kingdom of Naples in the name of a vague and distant heritage. This is Act 1 of what is known in history books as the “Italian Wars”. While Peter II de Medici flattens himself before the French and then flees, Savonarola hails their king as an "envoy from God", seizes power and turns the amiable city into a sinister and authentic theocracy. In some ways, it partially opened up Florence, which had once again become a republic, to the working classes. By others, he suffocates it. From now on, the laws prohibit everything that, directly or indirectly, can resemble pleasure: pretty toilets, gambling, drunkenness and of course, the whole range of sexual amusements. Sodomy, hitherto (very rarely) punished by a fine, is now punishable by death. On February 7, 1497, Shrove Tuesday, the monk's disciples organized the famous "pyre of vanities": everything that directly or indirectly recalls the weaknesses of this low world - mirrors, toiletries, jewelry, perfumes but also books by Petrarch or Boccaccio and, it is said, various masterpieces of Renaissance painting - are thrown into the flames. In May 1497, riots shake the power of Savonarola, soon excommunicated by the pope as a false prophet and heretic.

# Walk of Shame

What does the series say?

Hair cut, body naked, Cersei Lannister has to walk through the crowd of beggars throwing fecal matter at her.

What does history say?

The expiatory march is a practice that can be found many times in European history. The best-known case is of course that of Emperor Henry IV going to Canossa to beg the pope to lift his excommunication. History has recorded that the Emperor of the Holy Empire waited three days, from January 25 to 28, 1077, barefoot in the snow, before being received by the Sovereign Pontiff. But the example that most resonates with the series is that of one of the English King Edward IV's mistresses, Jane Shore. On the death of her protector in 1483, she was forced by Richard III to wander around London, looking low and holding a candle. According to the account of writer and minister Thomas More, she sported only a slight blush on her cheeks and held herself dignified during the punishment. Medieval justice readily plays on the humiliation and degradation of the fama, the reputation that is so important in a corporate society. Pillory consists of tying the condemned to a post or immobilizing them between two wooden planks. Exposed to ridicule, they sometimes wear an object that recalls their crime or their position in society (a grape thief will be wearing a rotting bunch of hair). Royal decrees authorize the throwing of rubbish, but prohibit the throwing of stones. The "race of adulterers" is also a listed practice, especially in the South: lovers are forced to run naked in the streets of the city. At the time, it was exceptionally progressive: the man, too, was punished.

# The Greek fire

What does the series say?

Several times naval battles are won by setting fire to the enemy fleet: this is the case, for example, during the Battle of Nera between Stannis and Joffrey Baratheon.

What does history say?

Naphtha mixed with resins, saltpetre, sulfur? We do not know anything. The "Greek fire" remains, to this day, one of the best kept secrets in the world history of armament. We just know that it was a highly flammable liquid, which was sprayed on the adversary using large pumps before setting it on fire, or that was thrown into his ranks in the form of grenades equipped with of wicks. It is also known that the liquid burned even on water, which explains its use in sea battles. Invented in the middle of the 8th century of our era by an architect living in Constantinople, the "Greek fire", became for two or three centuries, the fatal weapon of the Byzantines, who managed to jealously keep the monopoly of it (hence its name : grégeois means, in ancient Greek French, the name given to the Byzantines in the Middle Ages). It is very useful to them especially against Arab ships, during the attempts to conquer Constantinople at the end of the 7th and the beginning of the 8th century. We also find mention of it much later, in 941, as a major asset used to repel the naval assault of the "Kiev Rus" (from the name of the principality which is the embryo of the future Russia), which also set out to conquer the proud capital of the Eastern Empire. The "Greek fire" continues to fascinate during the Crusades, then its use is lost. From the fourteenth century, we see the appearance on the Western battlefields of a Chinese invention that is otherwise explosive and effective: gunpowder.

# Trial by Combat

What does the series say?

As you've just double-crossed him at the coffee machine, the 'Game of Thrones' fan chokes in fury and yells, 'Trial by fight!' ". He has in mind the duel between “La Montagne” and the winding Oberyn Martell. The fight must decide the fate of Tyrion Lannister, accused of having poisoned the king.

What does history say?

Yes, the legal duel did exist. This form of ordeal – literally the “judgment of God” – dates back to Carolingian times and perhaps even further. Its logic is contained in one sentence: “Since men are incapable of deciding, God will recognize his own. It is he who, in fact, grants victory to the innocent and defeats the guilty. The duel is not practiced only among knights but even in the countryside, between peasants armed with shields and sticks. Thus, for centuries, the judicial duel was a kind of call for the desperate, as recounted by the academic Eric Jager, in his book “The Last Duel” (Flammarion, 2010). The Church, then the kings, strive to limit it. Philippe IV tried to ban it, but had to reinstate it under pressure from the nobles. Gradually, these fights were replaced by duels of honor.

The example to use

The "last duel" of France took place on December 29, 1386. It was two Normans, clad in steel and scared, who faced off that day in front of the young King Charles VI. The wife of Jean de Carrouges, who became pregnant in the absence of her husband, accuses Jacques Le Gris of having raped her. Worried about the fact that the justice of men does not give him satisfaction, Jean de Carrouges appeals to the “judgment of God”. For his wife, the risk is enormous. If her husband dies, she will be burned alive for taking a false oath. Otherwise, his charges will be confirmed. After a fierce fight, Le Gris ends up on the ground, his glottis perforated. The legitimate couple is safe. God, in those days, was very old school.

# The End of the Gladiators

What does the series say?

A great soul, Daenerys Targaryen frees the captives of Meereen and bans gladiatorial combat. But the wet-eyed queen, unable to eradicate entrenched customs, ends up against her will by reopening the gladiatorial arenas.

What does history say?

In Rome, as in Meereen, the arena is the reflection of society, its catharsis, its beating heart. During the great hours of the Colosseum, the crowds are enthusiastic about the Thracian (the dagger and the square shield), the mirmillo (the sword and the mesh helmet) or the retiarius (the net and the trident). "It seems that our children are interested in gladiators when they are still in their mother's womb. The young people at home don't talk about anything else,” Tacitus tells us. Games have long been a product of "first necessity", essential to maintaining the social balance of the Empire. It is difficult to pinpoint what precisely caused the end of the gladiatorship. Honorius closes the arenas in 404 but it is not known if this edict was followed up before the capture of Rome by the Goths a few years later. Church condemnations do not appear to have been the determining factor. It is rather economic and social changes that have come into play.

The example to use

Daenerys Targaryen's revulsion in the face of slave fighting is reminiscent of Spartacus, the gladiator who, in 73-71 BC, raised slaves against their masters. Problem: Spartacus' image has been distorted by peplums and Marxist enthusiasm. “We wanted to make him a rebel, a revolutionary. […] In reality, he has nothing against gladiatorship since he makes Romans fight as gladiators. He has nothing against slavery, since he captures Romans and enslaves them,” says historian Eric Teyssier. After the revolt, the fighting evolves. The Romans no longer want to force thousands of slaves to gut each other. Volunteers appear in the arenas. Gladiatorship becomes less sacrificial.

# The Wedding Night Rape

What does the series say?

Sir Ramsay Bolton rapes Sansa Stark, a rather sympathetic Nordic, after their marriage.

What does history say?

Given the importance of lovebirds, royal matings are well documented. Some stand out in the comical or the tragic. Let us cite the "disbanding" of Philippe Auguste, the ardor of Henri IV, the impediments of Louis XVI (perhaps due to phimosis) or even the "red gland" of Louis XIII, forced to coitate with Anne of Austria, under the gaze of two nurses, when he was barely 14 years old. But the female point of view has not left much of an impression... We can therefore only imagine the state of mind of young queens, who, having barely met their husband, find themselves forced into almost public defloration. The royal family, courtiers, surround the couple. Spouses – who sometimes do not speak the same language – must quickly get to know each other. The act finished, it is still necessary to support the public declarations. Thus, the marriage of Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany was the subject of a "press release" from the bourgeois of Rennes: "Là lessa la royne son maiden".

The example to use

Reigning at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, Philippe Auguste is known for having extended the Kingdom of France. His loves were less conquering. Philippe thus seems to have convinced himself that the beautiful Ingeburga of Denmark had bewitched his virility by "tying the aiguillette" to him. He will try several times to consummate the marriage, without success it seems. The Dane will be kept for years in the Kingdom, tossed about from castle to convent.

The chronicle also feels sorry for Marie de Médicis, who had to endure the attacks of her gallant green husband Henri IV, the man who would have declared one day "until I was 40, I thought it was a bone. A contemporary asserts that "when the queen saw the resolution of the king, she was seized with such fear that she became cold as ice". In the city, the Béarnais has a good reputation. Didn't he ease religious tensions? In private, he is best known for his love for garlic. So much so that, "terribly perfumed by the smell of her husband's fob pocket", the young sovereign, according to the gazetteer Tallemant des Réaux, almost fainted.

# The Bloody Banquet

What does the series say?

Robb Stark is slaughtered at a banquet. His crime? To have preferred a marriage of love (with the nurse Talisa) to a marriage of convenience (with the daughter of the butcher).

What does history say?

Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin was inspired by two events in Scottish history. The Glencoe massacre in 1692 – 38 members of Clan McDonald are killed by their hosts, from an enemy clan – and the “Black Dinner” in 1440 – guests are murdered at a banquet. The presence on the menu of a black bull's head, a harbinger of death, should have alerted them.

The example to use

In the 11th century, unhappy to see his brother, Harold, in favor with the king, Count Tostig Godwinson goes to a royal estate where Harold has had a banquet prepared, kills his servants, dismembers them and mugs them. in beer and mead vessels. Then he sends this note: "If you go to your domain, you will find a good supply of salted meat there".

Different terrain, same horror. Around 740, in the Arab-controlled Middle East, an army gathers under the black flag of an old family who claim to be descended from Abbas, an uncle of Muhammad. She ended up, ten years later, defeating the Umayyad Caliphate of Damascus. History, perhaps guided by a very 18th century orientalism, has it that the Abbasids then gathered eighty of the Umayyads to knock them out. Afterwards they covered their bodies with carpets and had the officers of the army given a banquet. “How strong this rejoicing swelled in the middle of the last fanglots of these miferables who were still respiring,” says a dictionary from 1782.

#The Daughter's Sacrifice

What does the series say?

King Stannis Baratheon, on the strange advice of a priestess, sacrifices his daughter Shireen before a battle.

What does history say?

You have in mind the image of the Carthaginians burning the children of noble families by placing them on a large bronze statue which hurls them towards the brazier. In your memory, the episode takes place during the siege of Carthage by rebellious mercenaries, in 264-241 BC. You even remember that archaeologists found a large number of children's tombs at the tophet (sort of sanctuary) of Salammbô. Alas, here too historical accuracy may have yielded to poetic license. This painting by Moloch is taken from a novel by Flaubert, who jokingly speaks of “grilled mustards”. For some historians, the descriptions of child sacrifices by Carthage would be nothing but ugly slander peddled by the Romans and the Greeks, determined to sully the reputation of their old rivals.

The example to use

Mythology is fond of immolated children. After Helen is kidnapped by Paris, the Greek king Agamemnon leads a retaliatory fleet to head for Troy. But the boats are held back by the winds and Agamemnon decides to sacrifice his own daughter Iphigenia to calm Artemis who is thought to be angry. Who gives him this funny idea? The soothsayer Calchas. The story, told by Aeschylus, is eye-catching: "The father ordered the priests, after the invocation, to lay the young girl on the altar, like a goat, wrapped in her clothes and with her head hanging down , and to compress his beautiful mouth, in order to stifle his disastrous imprecations against his family”.

The Old Testament records the case of Jephthah, judge of Israel, who made a vow, if he prevailed against the Ammonites, to sacrifice “whoever comes out of the gates of my house”. No luck: on his return, it was his daughter who came out "in front of him with tambourines and dances". After two months of reprieve, he "fulfilled the vow he had made on her".

# The handsome kids of the night

What does the series say?

The Night's Watch watches over the Wall which, to the north, defends the kingdom against barbarians.

What does history say?

It was during the Crusades that military orders were invented. These are made up of real monks, that is to say people who, like the brothers in Game of Thrones, take all the necessary vows (poverty, chastity, obedience) who are granted a a small favor quite rare in the abbeys: the right, and even the duty, to liquidate with iron the infidels against whom one wars. Around the 12th and 13th centuries, we therefore find these military orders wherever the Christian West waged one of these wars ordered by the Pope, later called crusades. The most famous take place in the Holy Land. This is where the best known of these warrior fraternities were founded, the Templars, the Hospitallers who, from the magnificent fortresses built in Palestine, defend the small Latin kingdoms against the Saracens.

The example to use

As we have just said, the Crusades do not take place only in the East. In Europe, there are also unbelievers who must be fought. Thus, still around the 12th and 13th centuries, the pope called for help to the petty Christian kings of northern Spain, who were trying to drive the Moors out of the peninsula. He also urged fighting in the name of Christ in the Baltic countries, where the last European people still live to worship the old gods. There, too, we find military orders. The most famous was founded in Jerusalem by nobles from the Germanic world and is called the Order of Teutonic Knights. He reigned for centuries, from his imposing fortresses, over all of East Prussia. Yes, for centuries knights in armor, without wives and probably without running water, lived in fortresses in Prussia. It must have been something, but we don't have the details.

# Incest between twins

What does the series say?

Jaime and Cersei Lannister are twins. The first becomes a knight, the second queen. This does not prevent them from secretly being a sexually fulfilled couple.

What does history say?

Incest between brother and sister, in history, we find it. But not so much. There is of course the model laid down by ancient Egypt: among the pharaohs, we married willingly among siblings, because we thought that this would prevent the royal blood from being stained. Cleopatra, before specializing in the Roman general (Marc Antoine then Julius César) married not one, but two of her brothers.

Then there is the famous Lucrezia Borgia (Italy, 15th-16th century) who is said to have relations with her brother and also her father, but this is probably more a romantic writer's fantasy (Victor Hugo and consort) than reality. Frankly, nothing happens at the aforementioned scene. It must also be said – incest between twins, followed by a rape next to the corpse of the child – the bar had been set very high.

"Game of Thrones", eighth and final season broadcast on OCS from April 15.