Game of Thrones remains the most popular TV Series ever made. The Fantasy series owes a lot of its success to the real life analogies present in the fictional universe its events occur in. While some were confirmed by the writer George R.R Martin himself, lots of analogies with real (or mythical) life events and characters are present in the series, as showcased by these 11 entries:

The Nights Watch/Wildling Conflict <-> The Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

– In conflict for as long as the land they fight on.

– Mutual hatred on both sides for the opposite one.

– A large Wall separates the two (The Wall/The Gaza Strip).

– An Outside force needs to intervene in order to temporarily cease the bloodshed (Stannis Baratheon/The USA)

– Whenever a leader from one side tries to compromise, that leader gets assassinated by his very own people that view him as a traitor (Jon Snow/Yitzhak Rabin).

– One way this conflict could end is a common threat forcing both sides to overlook their differences and unite to fight it. (White Walkers beyond the Wall/Shia Extremist Groups in the Levant)

The Faith Militant <-> ISIS/The Taliban

– Fanatics that take their Faith to Extreme Beliefs (Islamism/Faith of the Seven)

– Absent and kept in place when mad tyrants held the land in power (Joffrey Baratheon in Westeros/Saddam Hussein in Iraq)

– Rose from the Ashes once said tyrants were taken down.

– Their rise to power was backed by powerful entities (Cersei Lannister/CIA & Mossad)

– Eventually turned against the very same entity that initially backed them (Cersei’s capture/Anti US/Zionist Jihad)

The Kingsmoot <-> US Presidential Elections

– New Leader is Elected by the people of the Land.

– One candidate could be the First Female to rule the Land (Yara Greyjoy (Asha in the Books)/Hillary Clinton)

– Another candidate is an outcast that lost his mind and is thirsty for power (Euron Greyjoy/Donald Trump)

– A third candidate inspires the people, but is unlikely to win due to his utopic almost unrealistic vision (Gylbert Farwynd/Bernie Sanders)

Lyanna’s Stark’s “Abduction” & Robert’s Rebellion <-> Helen Of Troy’s Abduction & The Iliad

– Beautiful woman of the realm, betrothed/married to another (Lyanna Stark betrothed to Robert Baratheon a fierce warrior from the Stormlands/Helen Of Troy, married to King Menelaus, a fierce warrior from Mycenaean Sparta)

– Gets “Kidnapped”/”Runs away” with another prince, depending on the perspective (Rhaegar Targaryen son of King Aerys Targaryen/Paris, son of King Priam of Troy).

– A War to get her back begins (Robert’s Rebellion/The Battle of Troy)

– A one on one battle changes the tide of the war (Achilles vs. Hector/Robert Baratheon vs. Rhaegar Targaryen)

– A ruse lures one side to enter the city of its enemy and sack it down (Tywin Lannister and the Sack of Kings Landing/The Trojan Horse)

– Sean Bean’s fights in both wars and (surprisingly) doesn’t die… (Ned Stark/Odysseus)

The War Of Five Kings <-> The Wars Of The Roses

– War begins after a King dies (Robert Baratheon/King Edward III)

– A child with no real claim to the throne takes it over his uncles, bothers of the late king (Joffrey Baratheon/King Richard II)

– Similar symbols at war (Yellow Stag (Renly Baratheon) vs. Burned Stag (Stannis Baratheon) vs. Stag Lion Hybrid (Joffrey Baratheon)/ White Rose (House of York) vs. Red Rose (House of Lancaster)

– The King eventually gets replaced by an even younger one (Tommen Baratheon/King Henry VI)

– The new Boy King gets advised to marry a young beautiful Queen from another kingdom in order to unite them (Maergery Tyrell and the Reach/Margerite d’Anjou and France)

– The Queen is manipulative, ruthless and cunning (Cersei Lannister/Margerite d’Anjou)

– Presence of a significant Turncloak (Theon Greyjoy betrayed Robb Stark and went back to the Iron Born/George Plantagenet started the conflict with House of York, then switched to House of Lancaster)

Note: George R.R Martin has said it himself that his main inspiration was “The War Of The Roses”. This short video by TED-Ed explains it all in full details, and is worth the watch:

The Red Wedding <-> The Black Dinner of 1440

– Betrayal of trust from having invited guests over a Wedding/Feast (Guest Rights)

– Ended a Rebellion for Independence from an Army that was gaining too much power (The Starks in the North/The Douglases of Scotland)

– A Symbol of Death was presented before the slaughter (“The Rains of Castamere” starts playing /A Bull’s Head presented at the table)

The Wall <-> Hadrian’s Wall

– Wall built by an invading army to keep the local “barbaric” population at bay (The First Men from the White Walkers/The Roman Empire from the Scots)

– Built over a long stretch of land

– Separated a civilized empire from a chaotic wasteland

– Soldiers guarding the walls are forbidden to marry (Nights Watch/Roman Legion)

The Battle Of Blackwater Bay <-> The Second Arab Siege Of Constantinople

– Invading army arrives  by ships in the capital of an Empire (Stannis in Kings Landing/The Arabs in Greek Constantinople)

– A Giant chain slows down the invading fleet (The chain in Blackwater Bay is in the books and was omitted from the show)

– Giant Fire destroys most of the fleet (Wildfire in Game of Thrones/Greeks burned the Arab Fleet)

– The invading army eventually retreats in defeat

Khal Drogo & The Dothrakis <-> Genghis Khan & The Mongols

– Nomadic cultures that both rape and pillage everything in their path

– Spread their seed throughout their conquests (0.5% of the world’s population descends from Genghis Khan)

– Skilled Horse riders

– Long haired, long bearded

– Led by a Khal/Khan with an Invading mindset

Jon Snow <-> Julius Caesar

– Betrayed by one he loved more than others (Olly/Brutus)

– Showed mercy when a rival King surrendered (Mance Rayder, the King Beyond the Wall/Vercingetorix, King of the Gauls)

– Fell in love with a woman from another land and culture (Ygritte/Cleopatra)

– Stabbed by a counsel of men he led and trusted (The Nights Watch/The Roman Senate)

– Both are central characters in phenomenal HBO Shows (Game of Thrones /Rome)

DO NOT GO TO THE NEXT (AND LAST) ENTRY IF YOU ARE NOT UP TO DATE WITH SEASON 6 OF GAME OF THRONES – SPOILERS AWAY!!

Jon Snow <-> Jesus Of Nazareth

– Betrayed by one he loved more than others (Olly/Judas)

– Returned from the Dead to save the ones he loved (Home/Easter)

– Resurrected in a time when a savior was promised (Azor Ahai/The Messiah from the Torah)

Jesus Snow Saves…