Over the course of eight seasons, six direwolves, two dragons, and a body count that will make Genghis Khan weep with envy, Game of Thrones has had its fair share of powerful gut-wrenching moments.
But the one moment that will forever remain as the show’s most shocking is undoubtedly the Red Wedding. Much has happened since that event but the trauma of hearing the “Rains of Castamere” being played followed by the massacre of Robb Stark, Catelyn Stark, Talisa (and her unborn baby) and all the Stark forces will forever be burned into our heads.
You and millions of others probably had some strong things to say about George R.R. Martin and how he could possibly come up with something so horrific in his head. Well, he did come up with the Red Wedding but it wasn’t without precedent as it was actually based on a couple of horrific real-life events that unfolded very similarly.
Oh no…
When asked about his inspiration for the Red Wedding, Martin revealed that he had conceived it during the very early stages of the planning of A Song Of Ice And Fire and was inspired by two events that occurred in Scottish history back in the 15th and 17th centuries.
The first was an event ominously called the “Black Dinner”, which took place in 1440 and involved the then-almighty Douglas famly. At the time the Douglases wielded considerable power and influence, so much so that they were seen as a threat to the stability of the nation.
To “fix” this, it is said that the 16-year-old William Douglas, 6th Earl of his clan, and his younger brother were invited to dine with the 10-year-old King James II of Scotland. While the “Rains of Castamere” wasn’t played during the dinner, a black bull’s head, which symbolised death, was brought in and put before William as a single drum was beating in the background. The two Douglas brothers were then taken out and beheaded, presumably after dessert.
Not exactly the most honourable way to treat your guests.
That’s just rude.
The second event that inspired the Red Wedding was called the “Massacre of Glencoe,” which took place in 1692.
Similar to the Black Dinner, this event involved some Scottish clans who were getting a bit too powerful for the nation’s liking and could rebel against the newly installed King William III of England (and II of Scotland) at any time.
In response to this perceived threat, Williams supporter Captain Robert Campbell took 120 soldiers and went to Glencoe to seek hospitality from the MacDonald clan, who were seen as the biggest threats. After 12 days of getting spoiled by their hosts, Campbell and his men attacked the MacDonalds and basically massacred everyone. Those who escaped didn’t survive much longer as they succumbed to exposure from the cold Winter.
Good lord, this whole plan sounds like something Joffrey would do if he was, you know, smart and calculating as well as cruel rather than just idiotic and cruel.
I just wanted an excuse to use this gif again.
There are obvious differences between the Red Wedding, the Black Dinner, and the Massacre at Glencoe but all three events carry the same gist. All involved betraying the sacred rules of hospitality, much food and drink was consumed, and there was so much killing that the Grim Reaper had to put in overtime.
Even without magic, the White Walkers, direwolves, and dragons, it turns out that life is still stranger than fiction, especially back in the Medieval days.
So before anyone gets too judgy about how messed up Game of Thrones can be, just know that real life history is somehow even more twisted than anything George R.R. Martin could ever come up with in his head.