Game of Thrones has many shocking moments in the books and in the series. One of the most memorable is probably the Red Wedding
. But did you know that the events are based on true occurrences?
Warning Spoiler: The following article discusses the ending of the third season of Game of Thrones. Anyone who has not seen it yet and plans to should not continue reading.
What is the Red Wedding
? At the end of the third season, a wedding takes place at Walder Frey’s. One of his daughters is marrying Edmure Tully. Present at this wedding are Rob Stark, his pregnant wife, Catelyn Stark, and many important supporters and members of the North.
The seemingly normal wedding quickly turns upside down when suddenly present guests are killed one by one. Rob and Catelyn Stark also meet their end. Walder Frey has betrayed the North and allied with the Lannisters. The bloody event is called the Red Wedding
.
For many viewers and readers, it was a shock, as the deaths came so suddenly, especially for characters like Rob and Catelyn, who had been established as important figures throughout the season. George R.R. Martin also had his problems while writing.
However, he did not completely come up with the event himself. The Red Wedding is based on two historical events.
The Black Dinner
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly (via CNN), George R.R. Martin spoke about the Red Wedding and the two historical events that inspired him. He mentions The Black Dinner and the Massacre of Glencoe.
The Black Dinner was an event that took place in 1440 in Scotland. William Crichton, the Governor of Edinburgh Castle, had control over the too-young King James II and thus the governance of the land. The only opposition to his power was the Douglas family, which had significant influence in the country. In order to undermine that influence, the two heirs of the Douglas family were invited to a meal.
However, 16-year-old William Douglas and his younger brother were not presented with a normal meal, but a black bull’s head, which represented death. The two had an unfair trial and were executed. (via Heritage Daily)
The Massacre of Glencoe
The second inspiration, the Massacre of Glencoe, took place in 1692 in Scotland. Robert Campbell, a Scottish officer serving the English crown, sought out the MacDonald clan with his crew and requested their hospitality.
They offered Campbell and his crew shelter from the cold weather at the time. After 12 days, Campbell’s crew murdered their hosts and burned their homes. Women and children who could flee perished in the cold. The MacDonald clan was considered an enemy of the crown, which is why Campbell undertook this ruthless maneuver.
According to Martin, this was the greater source of inspiration for the Red Wedding. In both events, the law of hospitality
was broken.
In the interview with Entertainment Weekly, the author described the real events with the following words: No matter how much I make up, in history, there are things that are just as bad or even worse.
The Red Wedding was a memorable event for many fans of Game of Thrones. Memorable was also the ending of the series, but for rather negative reasons: “Had hoped it would be more evenly divided 50:50” – creators of Game of Thrones did not think that their ending would be received so poorly
