Warfare is a defining aspect of the medieval period. The reigns of kings are created and destroyed through battle. The end of the middle ages can be defined with the Battle of Bosworth Field though there are many other potential end dates. All these aspects are represented through the work of G.R.R Martin in “A Song of Ice and Fire.” The series focuses on the War of the Five Kings and its resulting aftermath. All the history leading up to these events and the action itself is loosely based on historic events.
Throughout the Battle of the Five Kings, there are various perspectives that the readers and viewers are given. One of them is Robb Stark who is considered the King in the North. Many of the battles he is involved in are field battles between two armies. They make use of infantry, cavalry and archers. Medieval battles like this number in the hundreds and there are no direct comparisons. There are some famous examples of this type of battle like the Battle of Agincourt, between the French and English during the Hundred Years’ War in 1415 and the Battle of Towton in 1461, which is part of the War of the Roses in England. Each of these battles and many more affected politics on a larger scale such as determining who was king and the areas they controlled.
One of the largest and most critical battles in the War of the Five Armies, was the Battle of Blackwater Bay. Martin draws from many sources and events from across history to create it, which causes a collapsing of temporalities. The main historical influences are the Siege of Paris and the Persian wars against Constantinople and the use of Greek fire. Martin draws on various aspects of each of these battles.
The Siege of Paris happens in starts in 885 AD and is concluded the following year. At the time, France was in turmoil which allowed the Danes to invade. They advanced on Paris wanting to pass and take the city, but they were stopped by a series of bridges and the people of Paris. A siege broke out and Paris needed help. The count of Paris rode out and returned with the King, lifting the siege. Similar instances like this happened with another army from outside the city arrives to help and ultimately win the battle. In “ A Clash of Kings” this happens when the Tyrell army arrives at King’s Landing for the end of the Battle of Blackwater.
From Constantinople, Martin uses the geography and technology of the Byzantine Empire. The city is situated on a major water route linking Asia, the Mediterranean Sea and Europe. It was the capital of the Byzantine Empire and one of the most prosperous cities in the 12th Century. It had a large port and a chain protecting it much like King’s Landing in Westeros. Many battles took place in the water surrounding the city, but it was never taken by sea.
One of the most and best protected secrets in the Byzantine Empire was Greek Fire. It was a substance that could burn everything it touched. It could be compressed and shot out of a nozzle on to ships and people. There were also grenades that could be thrown with the same devastating effect. Even with modern technology, we do not know the exact recipe. There have been attempts, as seen below, in which we can only further imagine the destruction. In Martins world, Greek fire is wildfire.
Using this information, in class we did an active learning tutorial that focused on battles, specifically the Battle of Blackwater. The readings for that week focused on the chapters discussing the battle from the perspectives of Sansa, Tyrion and Davos. The historical based ones were on Greek Fire and the Siege of Paris. After reading them and discussing how they all linked together, we got the students to divide into two groups and plan their own defense or attack of King’s Landing. They used their knowledge from the readings, historical and fictional, in their planning. The use of wildfire was heavy on the defenders’ side as it provided them with superior technology. The attackers used their sheer numbers and alliance with the Tyrells and Starks to overtake King’s Landing. This was something we accounted for during planning and the IAs functioned as a third party talking to each side as the Tyrells to see who would make a better ally in the long run. They learned a lot about the planning process and battlefield tactics and being able to think quickly on their feet.
Inspiration for the warfare of Game of Thrones can be seen throughout medieval history. Many of the battles portrayed and technology used have direct parallels in history. Martin likes to borrow various aspects of medieval culture and mix them all together to create his version of events in A Song of Ice and Fire.
Finding source can be an interesting hunt. There are many sources in print and online about medieval warfare. On the scholarly side of writing there are numerous books that can be of help. Some are : Medieval Warfare : A History, edited by Maurice Keen ( 1999), and A Brief History of Medieval Warfare by Peter Reid ( 2008). Specific time periods can be looked at like the War of the Roses through books like The War of the Roses by Micheal Hicks ( 2010).
There is a series of books published by Osprey. They provide an overview of many battles and time periods in over one hundred different books. Some of them touch on specific battles; who was involved in the battle, how it was fought and the impacts the end results had. There are others discussing different groups and major time periods. They are a great gateway into the studies of medieval warfare.
Though Wikipedia is not a reliable source as many people can edit the information there, it can provide a valuable spring board. The warfare page has lots of links to other topics. Many of the internet sources dealing with medieval warfare like Medievalwarfare.info provide information on a wide variety of topics, but can be problematic when dealing with the medieval period (Medievalwarfare.info calls it the Dark Ages and many biases may crop up.) There are other useful sources such as The Military Revolutions of the Hundred Years’ War which is published in the Journal of Military History and has their articles posted online.
For further reading into warfare within Game of Thrones, there is an article titled “Medieval Warfare in Game of Thrones” on the Tower of the Hawk site here on WordPress. The site is part of a project put together by students in a class on Game of Thrones in early 2015.
The Digital Citadel 