5 Game of Thrones Characters Thought to be Inspired by Real Life Historical Figures 

I mean Stark/York, Lannister/Lancaster.... Martin has stated a few times that the series is based on the War of the Roses

Surely Renly and Loras's tragic love story is roughly based on Edward II and Piers Gaveston.

"the traitor Ned Stark" *the WRONGFULLY ACCUSED traitor Ned Stark The North remembers.

John Snow seemed to be assassinated the same way as Julius Caesar. Secret members of the council doubting his leadership, thinking he wanted to be a emperor (John Snows story - king of the wildlings, or at least friends will a long term enemy) led into a location to be stabbed multiple times my different members and the last person to stab him was a trusted young person Brutus who arguably Caesar treated as a son (in this case Ollie from Game of Thrones) but hey thats just my thinking havent looked into it too much, good place to look into Top 5's ;)

this guy has a golden voice for telling horror and mysterious stories. i love the comforting tone of his voice along with awesome material he produces! thanks top5s you are awesome!!

Even if you haven't watched GOT, just enjoy the history side of the this video :)

last time I was this early Ned still had his head

Great video as per. Though I feel you missed out one, Khal Drogo has a great deal in common with Genghis Khan. The dothraki live and fight with very similar style to the Mongols, that part is pretty obvious. But certain other parts are similar too; Genghis had a pot of molten silver poured over the govener Otrar as a way of execution, similarly to that of Visery's death. He was also reputed to have fallen from his horse before he died...or as he was dieing, again similarly to that of Khal Drogo. Genghis Khan was given a princess as a gift by the Xi Xia King; she did at first think the Mongols savages but ended up loving Genghis, again similar to Dany's story.

Even if you dont watch GOT you gotta appreciate the research and work gone into this video

A moment of silence for those who have not watch GOT, but still watch this video cause Top5s made it.

Edward of Lancaster was the son of Henry VI, not Henry IV (written correctly, but spoken incorrectly).

Lord Eddard WAS NOT A TRAITOR

George is a historian. He loves medieval history with a passion.

I have read all the books and watched the show. The books give you much more substance, but i must say GRRM is a genius. I have never been more addicted and enthusiastic about any other literary piece of work.

Ramsay Bolton does have some frightening similarities with Vlad Tepes ( The Impaler)

Oliver Cromwell didn’t come from nothing. His uncle thomas Cromwell did and he ended up getting executed. Thomas was the king’s secretary and seemily harmless, some say he plotted Anne bolyn’s Death but no one suspected him at the time. I always thought Petyr resembled Thomas Cromwell far more so.

Some say that Cersei Lannister parallels Maragaret of Anjou, but I always thought that instead Cersei was a darker twist on Elizabeth Woodville. Cersei has Elizabeth's golden-haired beauty and the Baratheon family she marries into fit the profile of the sons of York with Robert being the tall, herculean and handsome warrior Edward who overthrew the Lancastrians, avenged his fallen loved ones, ended the reign of their own mad king Henry VI and ascended the throne himself just as Robert did with the Targareyean family. The alliance and friendship between the Starks and the Baratheons could be the Nevilles and Platagenets, and it was the Neville family that supported Edward and helped make him king. Elizabeth performed her duties as queen with poise but was not well-liked, particuarly by the Nevilles. Becoming Edward's queen and wife was a source of contention for the king's lifeong friend Richard Neville the earl Warwick who opposed her family the Rivers and plotted to change the regime, but failed and died in battle. Elizabeth was a strong personality and her family had the king's ear and influence, and took government positions and made themselves even stronger not unlike the Lannisters. As king Edward becane restless and deteriorated to a shell of his forner self. He ate, drank, womanized and partied himself into an early grave. Does that sound familiar? Elizabeth tried to have her son Edward crowned as a child king after her husband's sudden death, but was blocked by Edward's younger brother Richard, who became Richard III. Richard was a humourless, ultra religious and battle-hardened general that called the legitimacy of Elizabeth's children into question and lays claim to the throne himself as Stannis Baratheon did. In Shakespeare's fictionalized account Richard conspires in the death of his brother George Duke of Clarence as Stannis does with his brother Rennley. I say that Rennley was George not Theon. After the mysterious disappearance/ death of Elizabeth's sons (the princes in the tower) Elizabeth is pushed out of power and eventually sent to a nunnery, not far from Cersei's devestation at the assination of her son Joffrey and eventual walk of atonement.

Also, Littlefinger reminds me more of Thomas Cromwell than Oliver. I see a lot of Francis Walsingham (hope I spelled it right) in Varys. Both Varys and Francis were extraordinary spymasters, Varys for Dany and Francis for Elizabeth, with the good of the realm paramount to them. Yes, I rewatched this, it's great for thinking up new comparisons. Great job!

I've never watched Game of Thrones religiously like I've only seen like 2 episodes but I still watched this video because tbh your voice is very calming and I actually found some of this interesting. Thanks for this video you worked really hard on it ❤️

Game of thrones and Top5s...what more can you ask for???

Regarding the dire wolves: there is a breed of dog called a Tamaskan (aka Inuit Dog) which is not an "experimental" breed. They are fantastic dogs and have no wolf content in them. They look the part though. Enough so that they were used as the dire wolves in the show (with the except of Ghost because they don't come in pure white). They are also half the price you quoted. Just wanted to share because they really are an awesome breed!

I always thought Joffrey was based on Emperor Caligula

I never clicked so fast in my life. HYPED FOR SEASON 7!!

I have never seen a single scene of GoT. But I still really enjoyed this video; another high quality upload 👍

I think you have an amazing voice and I love how you go so in depth with everything. Thank you for your hard work and dedication

I honestly fail to see how this video's quality is lower than his usual ones. It contains loads of historical facts and I can feel that he put lots of efforts into it. Wh.. what is the basis of so many people's complaints?

Tbh, #3 is my favorite topic in this video since it educates myself in how marriage of state forge long-lasting alliances/dynasties much like when Henry the Seventh married Elizabeth of York as promised after the Battle of Bosworth in a successful attempt to unite the Lancaster and York factions together and formed the Tudor Dynasty.

Though it very well could be true that GRRM based or took influence from the historic events that surrounded Henry Tudor to lay the foundations for Daenerys' character but i've always thought that perhaps Daenerys as well as the Targaryen Dynasty as a whole was heavily based on the rise and fall of Romanov Dynasty which ruled Russia for 300 years (the same length of time that the Targaryen's ruled over Westeros). With Daenerys specifically i've always thought her story bore similarity to that of the myth and supposed survival of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II who was thought to have survived her families brutal execution at the hands of the Bolsheviks in 1917. If we compare Daenerys' beginnings to that of Anastasia's supposed survival the similarities are clear to see. Both Daenerys and Anastasia were the youngest daughter's of the deposed monarch and both were whisked away for their own protection once their city was sacked and their father's had either been killed/abdicated. Both of their (innocent) immediate family members were barbarically and brutally murdered by rebel forces. With Daenerys' family once Tywin Lannister's men had taken control of Kings Landing, Tywin sent his knights Ser Gregor Clegane and Ser Armory Lorch to scale Maegor’s Holdfast and deal with the rest of the royal family, securing the throne for Robert and proving that House Lannister had forsaken the Targaryen's forever. Gregor killed the infant crown prince, Aegon Targaryen, (Daenerys' nephew) while his mother Princess Elia Martell watched, and proceeded to rape and murder her. Lorch dragged Princess Rhaenys (Daenery's niece) from under her father Rhaegar’s bed and stabbed her half a hundred times. Aerys’ pregnant wife, Queen Rhaella, and their son Viserys, were long gone out of King’s Landing and were presiding over the last Targaryen stronghold Dragonstone where Daenerys was later born. Many of Anastasia's immediate family also suffered the same fate as Daenerys' (some in the same manner). Anastasia lost her uncle Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich who was shot by the Bolsheviks and that of her aunt Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna who along with Anastasia's cousins, Princes John, Igor and Constantine Romanov were thrown into a disused mine shaft and were left to die in it followed with the tossing of grenades to help finish them off. With Anastasia on the night of July 17th 1918, her and her family were awoken in the middle of the night and were told that there was trouble in Yekaterenburg (the city that they were residing in for their own "protection"). They were told that they would be safer in the basement of the house they were staying in. The whole family, Anastasia's father Nicholas, mother Alexandra, sisters Olga, Tatiana, Maria and the youngest child, her brother Alexei, as well as the family doctor and three attendees went down into the basement. A group of twelve Red Army soldiers appeared in the basement door and shot them there. Although it is now known that Anastasia as well as her three elder sisters survived the initial valley of gunfire as they had sewn jewels in their blouses which had deflected the bullets and had acted like a bullet proof vest but the result of this was a vicious one. As once the smoke had cleared the Grand Duchesses were injured but still very much alive soaked in their parents and attendees blood, they all were finished off by beatings and by the stabbing of bayonets. It was one of history's most barbaric and gruesome killings of the innocence. And this is where Daenerys' and Anastasia's stories and legends merge into one. Their's is the classic tale of innocence surviving an open and bloody rebellion against their families reign. And being the last surviving member of their own respected dynasty. And to their own supporters their story of survival gives them hope for a better future. The White Russian population held onto the belief that a surviving child of the Tsar survived the Bolsheviks (this was further intensified with the whole Anna Anderson ordeal). Thus, fuelling their hope that the monarchy could one day return to rule Russia and Communism would lose its influence if a Romanov child survived the revolution although this will never be the case as all of the Romanov children were in fact murdered in that basement in 1918. But that didn't/doesn't stop the continued myth of Anastasia's survival. With regards to Daenerys, Robert Baratheon knew he didn't have the complete trust and loyalty of his own people and Westeros as a whole. As he said to Ned Stark "There are still those in the Seven Kingdoms who call me Usurper!" implying that the Targaryen's still have their own respected supporters throughout the realm and will likely come to Daenerys' aid once she sets foot back on Westeros soil as to them she is the rightful ruler. A worth mentioning observation is the history behind Anastasia's name. In honour of her birth in 1901 her father forgave the students who had been put in prison for joining in riots in St.Petersburg and Moscow. Because of this Anastasia's name means "the breaker of chains" which we all know is literally one of Daenerys' key titles. Her name can also be translated into "resurrection" which is what happened to Daenerys when she stepped out of the fire with her newly hatched dragons. Unhurt and reborn. Same with the myth of Anastasia's supposed survival, she escaped and survived the firing squad and her and her story had been reborn. Again, its just my own perspective on how I see the similarities of Daenerys to another person of history. A tale of two princesses if you like whose stories almost mirror each other in some ways. Thanks for the GOT vid Top5 .

For everyone saying this is shit... Its not. Top5s obviously enjoys the show and since the new season is coming out on Monday, he's getting hyped. What's wrong with doing what he wants once in a while? Also this is way more detailed than watchmojo bollocks. Keep up the good work Top5s :)

The character of Catelyn Stark reminded me of Queen Jadwiga of Poland. (B. 1373, D. 1399) Queen Jadwiga of Poland was considered an extremely skilled negotiator who rode at the head of her husband's army, although a good part of her time was spent keeping the peace between her husband's relatives (like King Sigismund of Hungary).

Ididn't know Charlize Theron was Rhaella Targaryen

Would love to see more stuff involving prehistory. The Direwolf bit was refreshing, even if I knew most of it.

Episode 805 & 806 of GOT prove the character is based on Joseph Stalin.

That re-enactment was pure gold! They put no effort in whatsoever hahaha!

This was really interesting 😊

I want a puppy dire wolf 😩

everything in this channel is perfect. the content, narration, your voice, the length of the videos. its my favorite 'Top' channel in all of RU-vid. Keep up the good work, you're the best :)

God damn I can't wait for George R.R. Martin to finish the last 2 books already, it's been way too fucking long and I'm tired of waiting to find out a lot of things. While the first season of the show is almost a perfect adaptation of the first book, the show is almost a completely different story than the books after the first book. The show was loosely following the books for awhile, but now it's almost like they are completely different stories all together. It is so god damn frustrating waiting for this next book because a dance with dragons ended with a bunch of fucking cliff hangers and waiting years to find out what happens with so many characters is fucking hard, lol. Not only did a dance with dragons end on cliffhangers, but so did a feast for crows. A feast for crows and a dance with dragons aren't split up by timeline like the others, they are split up by characters/geography. At the very beginning of "Dance" there is a page titled "A cavil on chronology", where George R.R. Martin writes that a feast for crows (book 4) and a dance with dragons (book 5) are a tandem instead of a traditional sequel. Both books take place immediately after a storm of swords (book 3), with "feast" focuses on the events taking place in and around Kings Landing, the Iron Islands, and Dorne, where "dance" follows what s going on at castle black and North of the wall, as well as in Essos with Tyrion and Dany. So technically people have been waiting to see what happens after the last 2 books. It's just frustrating because "Dance" released in 2011 and the new book "The winds of Winter" was supposed to come out back in 2015, and here we are in 2018 and Mr. Martin doesn't even know if it will be out in 2019. The worst part is that there are still 2 books to be released and George is getting old. So the show has one season left, and there is already a spin off prequel series HBO is working on for when the show ends, plus George R.R. Martin is working on a new TV series and is set to release 2 other books called fire and blood, but we still are waiting for these damn books. Finding out he's working on another TV show and writing other books is irritating imo. Fucking finish the story that you've been working on for over 20 years before you start working on new series'damnit, lol. I sure hope he doesn't fucking die before we get "The winds of Winter" and " A dream for Spring" because it would suck so bad if the world never gets the ending of one of the greatest stories ever, lol. At this point he should just release the last 2 books together because if Winds releases and then we have to wait for Dream for years it is going to suck so bad, lol. Hopefully he has some family member or assistant or someone who knows the story that can finish the books of he dies before they release, lol. Hopefully we will be able to read the entire series, all 7 books, sometime in the next year or 10, lol.

Yo Top 5's, please take no notice of the people who haven't watched this show before and hence therefore are giving you abuse for not finding it entertaining. I loved this video keep it up man 👏🏼

Whether you watch GoT or not, the show is the most watched T.V. series right now for a reason. If you don't watch it then you're apart of the minority, so don't expect anyone to pander to your negativity when more people support it. Top5s can do what he desires with his channel.

The UK wasn't a thing during Edward of Westminster's time. Scotland was independent and Northern Ireland didn't exist

I don't watch GoT, but if you're going to leave mean comments on Top5s channel, you might as well unsubscribe because you aren't a TRUE subscriber. A lot of you are being real jerks to him when he has consistently gave us quality videos weekly. Not everyone is interested in the same things, grow up! Just because I don't watch/like GoT doesn't mean I'm going to bash the video or him! I will still watch the video and give it a thumbs up! Thank you Top5s for continuously being amazing !! xx

Littlefinger is not anything like Oliver Cromwell--Cromwell dominated everything after winning his revolution while Littlefinger was a behind-the-scenes guy who was eventually executed.

Awesome video! As always of course ^^

My favorite television show, I love Game of Thrones, I've never missed any episodes :)

Just came here to leave a like and come by after work and watch it. 😊

There is lot of similarity with Jeoffrey and Louis X called the quarrelsome. First of 3 he herit the thrones and was thirsty (but incompetent in war) He also died poisoned.

great video/content as always!! 👌👍

I always thought Joffrey was like Richard the 2nd

Oh my god, Top5s AND Game of Thrones! Dream come true

Emperor Valerian of Rome is said to have been killed by being forced to swallow molten gold, much like Dany's brother had gold poured over his head. Valyria is also where Dany's family comes from originally. And maybe it's only somewhat related, but Richard III's symbol was a boar. He was the last of the York kings. Robert, the first and only Baratheon king, was killed by a boar.

Love this video!!! so hype for tomorrow!!!

Dire wolves were roughly twice the size of a modern wolf, or like the very largest grey wolves that have ever been found (90 kg). They may have looked nothing like a wolf, if they originated in South America, or just like a large grey wolf, like how coyotes look like small grey wolves, only with minor differences in proportion and color. The American Alsatian project could be good for giving you a large, fluffy companion dog with prick ears, but they look nothing like wolves, and we have no clue what dire wolves really looked like. The most likely way to get something like a dire wolf back, would be to breed real wild grey wolves for size and big bones.

Honestly, you can make a video about anything & I will always watch it! I love the detail, dedication and explanation you have for everything! Plus I love your voice❤️

I also think Daenerys was in part inspired by Elizabeth I - sacrificing love to make herself available for a dynastic marriage, and using popular appeal to govern.

great posting, enjoyed it

Joffrey and Ramsey are like Caligula.

Game of Thrones Season 7 is in 2more days people! Winter is here! #housestark #housetargaryen #houselannister #housegreyjoy #housemartell #housetyrell

I think there's also an influence drawn from the young English king Richard II for Geoffrey too, as he was known by his contemporaries, and has gone down in history, as an exceptional tyrant.

glad to know top 5s is a fan of GOT

what a perfectly researched compilation! well done my friend!!

I would have equated Littlefinger more with Thomas Cromwell that Oliver... Thomas was not above murder, espionage, theft or lies to achieve his goals... and he, even more than Oliver came from nowhere... His comeuppance came as a result of miscalculating his king's taste in women... but even in this his failure was as spectacular as his rise to power was unpredictable.

As usual, enjoyed the video very much. Thanks.

I havent watched GOT, looks good.

Damn does he always post videos this early?

Great video, so psyched for season 7!

Really enjoyed this video!

Henry Tudor, King of England, Breaker of chains and farther of dragons?

I knew I was awake this late for a reason!

Thanks for having a nice recap of some of the stuff that I missed in the series, as it was a little confusing for me at first. Great video as always, Top5. I recently became a fan with HBO Go and I cannot wait for season 7 tomorrow night.

great show great video top 5s always has me hooked

maybe top5 is hyped for the new season? maybe he wanted to show us his passion and love for game of thrones? or maybe he simply just felt like making a game of thrones video. Who knows, and by what I can tell. lots of people enjoyed it in the comments as did I gj :)

Yeah, Little Finger was nothing like Cromwell.

thanks top5s i found that fascinating!

5 animals who turned serial killers might be a fun new topic to cover

Wow! You guys are so cool! "I don't watch the series and never will"😒. Then they turn around and insult the show and it's fans with comments like "your like school girls", "and people only watch it because their sheep". WAKE UP! The Series (books and show) are great, of course based on personal preference, but generally great to all. You all sound like your that loser at school who wants to be acknowledged so tries to be cool by pretending he doesn't care😎. If yah really didn't you wouldn't have left a comment. So mature. 👐👏👐👏

Alliance base on gold and weed is always a good thing lol

Amazing video!! I watch GOT and also love your channel. I've done extensive research in British history and your comparisons are dead on. I never thought of Little finger as a shade of Cromwell, but as soon as I saw the 2 names in your video, I couldn't believe I missed such a great comparison. Fantastic and thank you for all your hard work!

Awesome video ^^ Ty

Just when I thought when I will be getting to see a new Top 5 video I get a notification. Co incidence maybe?

this dude voice make his video extra amazing❤..comment if you think so too👇

Joffrey is more based off of Richard II Of England in my opinion. Joffrey's end was inspired by that of Eustace who was the heir to Stephen.

Nothing better than watching a new top5s video before work :)

Once again great video, I've watched a few seasons of GOT so this was really informative. Quick question are there any stories unexplained events or characters about Africa and African Americans? I was just wondering because my MA is in Pan-African studies so I was curious

- little finger Never let your enemies know what you plan to do next Angry fans complaining about no ghost vids - more ghost vids or I'll unsub and dislike Top 5s: I'll find another (Only GOTs fans will understand)

hats off to ur dedication...I love this 😍😍😍😍

great video, i love how thoroughly you do your research!

Never seen Game of thrones but it has been recommended to me many times. Glad I watched this video before I got into GoT. I can gladly say I was subscribed to Top 5s since very early on. Keep it up bro

Brace youself. The HYPE is coming.

I was really hoping Robb Stark or Eddard Stark or even Jon Snow would be on here

This was so amazing!

So you hate GOT huh? Then why do you have to click the video and comment something negative?

Damn, this is the first video of yours I have clicked off in ages, only because I don't watch game of thrones... that doesn't mean I won't give it an instant like and keep on loving your other videos!!!! :D

this is an amazing video!

I waited for you to make this for so long!Thank you so much amazing as always

I could have sworn that was Charlize Theron as Rhaella Targaryen lol

Daenerys Targaryen is bae ❤️

Thanks for your GOT video! Makes me even more excited for the new season. Keep up the good work :)

Hey there Top5s! You guys have been a HUGE inspiration for me in uploading videos on RU-vid! Now I began to upload video on RU-vid in the genre as you guys! Thank you so much for being a HUGE inspiration for me! Keep pumping them videos and hopefully I will be somewhere as huge as you one day! NERD OUT!

Don't care for George R. R. Martin's writing, so have never watched the show, but I'm not going to castigate anyone else for their preferences. This video went into some serious historical depth, and for that alone I would have liked the video. The proposed similarities between characters in the show and history has me considering giving the show a chance. The only thing I disliked about the video is the continued unsupported slanderous remarks against Richard III. Edward IV's son, Edward (V), was considered illegitimate, as per Titulus Regius. As stated in the video, George Duke of Clarence was a convicted traitor, so his heirs were barred from claim to the throne. Therefore the legal heir to Edward IV was his brother Richard.