Prompt Cast
The Relevance of Game of Thrones to Late Medieval Politics
TLDR Game of Thrones explores themes of legitimacy and authority, focusing on blood lineage, family ties, pragmatism, and experience. It draws inspiration from the Wars of the Roses, a complex conflict involving multiple players, and highlights the importance of earning power and leadership through lineage.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The podcast discusses the relevance of Game of Thrones to late medieval politics and how the author drew inspiration from the Wars of the Roses.
04:48
The central concerns of Game of Thrones are legitimacy and authority, exploring what gives someone the right to rule and how they exercise power, with a focus on blood lineage and family ties but also acknowledging other factors such as pragmatism and experience.
09:14
The central theme of Game of Thrones is the idea that in order to rule, one must have a combination of a great name and proven merit, as demonstrated by the characters in the show, and it would be interesting to see someone rise to power based solely on merit rather than bloodline or family ties.
13:46
The late Middle Ages and the Wars of the Roses, which Game of Thrones is based on, saw a high turnover of the high nobility, with 60 to 70% of them dying, resulting in a character like Henry Tudor, who had little English royal blood, ultimately claiming the throne.
18:22
Late medieval politics was fundamentally about claims to rights, and the lowest levels of the peasantry were not political actors, so their suffering and lack of food did not directly impact the king's rule.
23:08
The narrative of Game of Thrones emphasizes the importance of earning power and leadership through lineage, but in reality, heirs were often the center of resistance to the king and their households were either acting in concert with them or were a center of resistance.
27:57
The Wars of the Roses was not a simple conflict between the Yorkists and Lancastrians, but rather a complex and multipolar conflict involving multiple players, including foreign kings, and Game of Thrones accurately captures the convoluted nature of this civil war with its war of the five kings.
32:22
Edward IV of England's reign, characterized by his obesity and indulgent lifestyle, is mirrored in the character of Robert Baratheon in Game of Thrones, and the prevalence of illegitimate children among nobility during this time period is highlighted by the character of Jon Snow.
37:10
The podcast discusses the delicate balance of managing the number of characters in a story, the power of institutions and the belief in them, and the lack of effective leadership during the War of the Roses.
41:48
Late medieval politics required an active adult or queen to wield power, as seen in Game of Thrones, where the realm goes to pot without Robert Baratheon making decisions, and the people who make decisions are inevitably making decisions for themselves.
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