Are The Kingdoms In Game Of Thrones Based On Actual Countries?

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Yes, the Kingdoms Westeros along with the Free Cities and Essos are almost certainly based on real countries in Europe and Asia.  George R.R. Martin has done a fantastic job of borrowing from history in creating this medieval, patriarchal (for now), feudal society.   Looking at the map of Westeros, it's apparent to anyone that the continent strongly resembles the British Isles with England, Scotland, and Wales turned to face the opposite direction, and Ireland placed underneath it.  That theory has pretty much been argued ad nauseam, so I'm not going to address that any further.  Also, let me be clear, that not every single detail of every country is going to match up with the kingdom it most closely resembles.  There's clearly room for interpretation and debtate here, but that's what makes this theory interesting.  

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THE NORTH - SCOTLAND

This one is pretty hard not to see.  The North is cold and damp with exceptionally harsh winters.  Check.  It is surrounded on the east and west by the sea.  Check.  The Northerners are known as a hardy, tough breed, with clan like warrior instincts for those living in remote villages.  Check.  

                                                      Courtesy of gameofthrones.wikia.com

The Northerners also worship the Old Gods, those of rocks and trees, and spirits of the forest, which is very similar to the Celtic religious traditions of the first inhabitants of Scotland.  Catelyn Stark, formally a Tully from the Riverlands, tells Ned she still feels like an outsider when she comes to the godswood based on the religious beliefs she was raised with, the Faith of the Seven.  This scene in the first epsiode does an excellent job of illustrating the differences in the religion between the North and the rest of the 7 Kingdoms, and you can see how politically beneficial marriage alliances aren't exactly free from challenges and the assimilation even decades later isn't always a smooth one.

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The Wall separating The North from the Free Folk, is pretty obviously a reference to Hardrian's Wall.  Built by the Romans, the wall acted as the Northern edge of the Roman Empire, and was used to act as a border to stop invaders from areas they considered not worth conquering.  Sound familiar?  Now, Hadrian's Wall separates all of Scotland from all but the northernmost portion of England, so there are some differences, but it's still fairly easy to see the similarities. 

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Lastly, the North has tried to secede from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms twice since Season 2, during The War of the 5 Kings with Robb Stark, and now with Jon Snow who has just been proclaimed the new King in the North.  If you study Scottish history, you'll see that the Scots have repeatedly considered themselves independent from British rule, fighting for their freedom on numerous occasions, most notably during 1st and 2nd Scottish Wars for Independence under William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, & Thomas Randolph, and also the Jacobite Rising of 1745 led by Bonnie Prince Charlie.  

                                           Courtesy of awoiaf.westeros.org

THE IRON ISLANDS - NORWAY (SCANDINAVIA)

While, Norway is not largely a collection of islands, it does share a lot of the similar traits with the Ironborn in Game of Thrones.  The inhabitants of the Iron Islands are a seafaring people, with a knack for marauding and pillaging kingdoms with more prosperous food and wealth.  

                                                Courtesy of awoiaf.westeros.org

The Ironborn live on these craggy rocky formations, whereby they have built their castles connected by wooden bridges, and their homeland is devoid of valuable natural resources, so they are forced to use their maritime knowledge to sail to other lands and plunder those cities.  It's a pretty easy gap to bridge to say that Martin based the Iron Islands off of the Viking culture, with their extensive knowledge of the sea and we take what is our's mentality.  

                                                   Courtesy of aediculaantinoi.wordpress.com

The Iron Islanders worship the Drowned God, which is essentially a sea god who the Iron Islanders believe was a great sailor who sailed across the world terrorizing it with fire and steel.  Lastly, in keeping with Viking traditions, when an Ironborn drowns, it is believed that he will spend eternity feasting in the watery halls of the Drowned God and attended to by mermaids with drinks and other earthly desires, which is almost identical to the Viking belief that warriors who die in battle will enter Valhalla, a kingdom of heaven with maidens to attend their every need and unlimited food and drink.  

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THE WESTERLANDS - ENGLAND

The Westerlands might not have a ton of geography in common with England; it's similarities are more based on the inhabitants and the sigil of the ruling house.  Still, there are distinct characteristics physical of The Westerlands that do compare with England.  The Westerlands have hills and mountains that dot the landscape along with castles that guard their major cities.  The southern portion of the country contains flatter land that is more arable and better for farming.  All of these are characteristics are common to England.  

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Courtesy of wikipedia.com

The golden lion of House Lannister strongly resembles the 3 golden lions that sit on the royal crest of England.  The 3 lions on the English crest, were used to represent England, Normandy, and Acquitaine.  Though not present on their crest, it could be argued that the 3 golden lions in Game of Thrones represent the three Lannister children: Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion.  

                                            Courtesy of gameofthrones.wikia.com

The Westerlands are neither the largest nor the most populous part of the Seven Kingdoms, nor do they have the most fertile lands, but they are the wealthiest due to a number of reasons.  Firstly, they have great natural resources in gold and silver, and while England does not share those traits with The Westerlands, they do share this.  The occupants of The Westerlands have made their region wealthy and powerful due to their ability to raise a strong military force both through an army and navy as well as their ruling house's cunning ability to grasp and maintain power.

                                                 Courtesy of duke-nidhoggr.deviantart.com

The Lannisters have been experts at using politics and their military to their advantage, much in the way the British have for centuries.  England is clearly not the largest, most populous, or fertile land in the world, but they managed to build both a superior army and navy to most nations and used their political and military power to colonize most of the earth.  The sun never sets on the British Empire, and in looking at this map of areas they colonized, it's remarkable how an island nation with such a small population could control most of the known world.  

THE RIVERLANDS - BENELUX (BELGIUM, THE NETHERLANDS, LUXEMBOURG)

This theory is a little tougher to follow, but I think there's still ample evidence for The Riverlands being mostly a reference to the BENELUX countries.  The Riverlands are a very prosperous region with arable land for crops and a bustling economy.  There is a large amount of commerce in this region, and the fertile lands as well as the use of the rivers as highways by the merchants make this nation ideal for prosperity.  The BENELUX countries also have traditionally had bustling economies along with fertile lands based on much of the terrain being around sea level, especially in Holland.  If you look at modern day cities like Rotterdam, Holland which sits on a river and is considered the largest port in Europe, it could be argued that is an inspiration for Riverrun, while Loevestein Castle, which itself sits on a point where two rivers converge and was used to exact tolls on merchants was the inspiration for The Twins controlled by the Freys.  

                                                     Courtesy of wikipedia.com

Additionally, the BENELUX countries have had a history of feuding lords and countries as do The Riverlands, though usually the bigger issue is the invading forces outside The Riverlands or BENELUX.  If you look at the history of armed conflict in Game of Thrones, every time there is a major conflict, Robert's Rebellion, War of the 5 Kings, etc. The Riverlands just gets hammered by larger forces from other countries, as they're caught in the middle of warring factions.

                                                     Courtesy of gameofthrones.wikia.com

The same could also be said for BENELUX throughout the Middle Ages, as they were conquered by Germany, France, Austria-Hungary, Spain, and the Vikings.  Even looking forward to the First and Second World Wars, some of the bloodiest fighting occurred in the BENELUX countries in regions like the Ardennes Forest and Arnehm.  Overall, when you look at the topography, along with the political system, and economy, it's not a stretch to see why The Riverlands look a lot like Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg.  

                                              Courtesy of westeroscraft.wikia.com

THE VALE - SWITZERLAND

This reference is fairly simplistic, so I won't spend a ton of time on it.   The Vale's geography and topography are what largely make it comparable to Switzerland.  The Vale is largely independent in geography from the rest of Westeros due to it's nearly impassible mountains that protect its people from invasion.  If you watch the scene where Arya and The Hound attempt to enter the gates of The Eyrie with knights watching them on both sides, it's readily apparent why this region has withstood invasion for so long.  The passes and narrow roads make conquering the region, without air support, almost impossible. 

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Additionally, The Vale is known to have harsh winters which make many of it's roads unusable during the winter months, and there are numerous parts of Switzerland which remain impassible outside of the few months during the summer.   The Vale is also known to produce excellent crops of wheat, corn, and barley, despite it's harsh climate and terrain, and the same can be said for the Alpine region which despite it's difficult mountain passes and cold winters still produces crops at a sustainable level.  

                                                 Courtesy of newlyswissed.com

Politically speaking, The Vale's population are fiercely independent, with a strong reverence for honor and tradition, and until recently they remained largely neutral after the death of Robert Baratheon.  Switzerland is famous for it's neutrality in recent years, and based on their terrain and the fact the vast majority of the Swiss population has been trained militarily for combat, it's not wise to attack a country that could likely be defended by a handful of trained snipers.

                                                    Courtesy of gameofthrones.wikia.com

THE CROWNLANDS- ITALY

While not really a separate nation, it does hold the seat of the Seven Kingdoms, King's Landing, which rules over all the rest of Westeros.  King's Landing being the political and religious seat for most of the Seven Kingdoms would most closely resemble Rome, being that the political and religious power during the medieval period came from Rome and the Pope.  More than once you hear that "The Crown and the Faith are one," and this appears to be Martin's homage to the Holy Roman Empire and the Pope both ruling together.

                                                    Courtesy of gameofthrones.wikia.com

King's Landing is a diverse metropolis with artisans, laborers, politicians, and common folk from all across the known world converging throughout the city.  The Crownlands is seen as an amalgamation of almost every trade and profession from fishing and farming to skilled craftsman work.  It's fair to assess that these descriptions warrant a reference to the Renaissance era of Florence and Rome during the end of the Middle Ages. 

                                          Courtesy of elegantwaster.deviantart.com

The geographical make up of The Crownlands with it's peninsula and surrounding waters clearly resemble that of the Italian peninsula, along with the Island of Dragonstone being an island with a volcano just off the coast, similar to Mount Etna, being further evidence of their Italian connection.  The King's Road leads to King's Landing and travels throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and the Romans were well known for their ability to build roads and encourage travel throughout their borders.

                                                      Courtesy of gameofthrones.wikia.com

THE STORMLANDS - GERMANY  

The Stormlands share a long border with The Reach, which we'll get to in a minute, but based on that border, you'll see why the two countries are often characterized the way they are.  On the coast of The Stormlands are some of the worst storms on the continent, and the German coast is known to experience harsh storms from the North Sea.  To the south, the Red Mountains of Dorne close off the southern edge of The Stormlands similar in the way The Alps close off Germany's southern border.  

                                            Courtesy of world-placez.blogspot.com

The Stormlands are known for their extensive forests, similar to Germany's Black Forest region, and are excellent grounds for hunting, but it is not the most fertile region.  Additionally, the Stormlands have been in conflict with The Riverlands and The Reach on multiple occasions, which is consistent with Germany's history and conflict with it's neighboring countries.

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Lastly, the conflict between the two Baratheon brothers, Stannis and Renly could be an analogy for the conflict amongst German rival states during medieval times.  Germany didn't officially become a unified country until the 1800s, so during the Middle Ages it was still a myriad of city states and rival kingdoms, each with it's own ruler and claimant.  This prevented Germany from becoming a major political powerhouse on par with England and France until it was unified.  

                                                Courtesy of ironthronerp.wikia.com

THE REACH - FRANCE

Again, it's pretty hard to dispute the argument that The Reach is France.  It's know for it's wonderful climate, ideal for growing a number of crops, which has made it the breadbasket of Westeros, and it is the region most known for feeding the citizens throughout the other kingdoms.  It's also well known for having the best wine in Westeros and fields of flowers growing throughout it's landscape.  The fitting symbol of the ruling house, House Tyrell, is a rose, while France is often associated with it's own flower, the fleur de lis.  

                                                     Courtesy of wikipedia.org

The symbol above was the coat of Arms for the Kingdom of France during the Middle Ages, but even after English King Henry IV took holdings in significant portions of France, he adopted the fleur de lis into his own crests along with the English golden lions.  

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France was often seen as the most chivalrous and romantic of the regions during the Middle Ages and this is evidenced by the description of Ser Loras Tyrell, The Knight of Flowers, who is seen as one of the best knights in the Seven Kingdoms.  

                                                   Courtesy of gameofthrones.wikia.com

Geographically, The Reach shares a border with the Westerlands (England), a long undecided border with The Stormlands (Germany), The Crownlands (Italy), the Riverlands (BENELUX) and Dorne, which we'll get to next.  France maintains all of those borders today, though the border with England is a maritime border.  Based on these borders, the Tyrells and The Reach have often conflicted with their neighbors.  

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Finally, Oldtown is located in The Reach.  It is the oldest city in Westeros, and essentially is the center of knowledge to the known world.  It's not difficult to compare Oldtown to Paris, as Paris is a very old city with a wealth of culture, history, and knowledge, and is often viewed, like Oldtown, as the epicenter of art and learning.  

 Courtesy of powderoom.kinja.com

DORNE - SPAIN

Our last country, again is not difficult to distinguish, as Dorne is clearly Spain.  Dorne, like Spain, is probably the one region in Westeroes more ethnically, geographically, and culturally different from the rest of the continent, so let's examine each of these.

                                                       Courtesy of sea.ign.com

Ethnically, the people of Dorne are made up of Rhoyne refugees from a region similar to the Nile Delta in Egypt, who then intermarried with the local population of Andals and First Men.  Due to their unique heritage they remained fiercely independent from Westeros for some time, even after the other Seven Kingdoms were unified.  Based on these origins, the people of Dorne have more of a cultural relationship to Essos, similar to how Spain has more of a cultural and ethnic tie to North Africa based on the Moorish influence during the Middle Ages.

                                          Courtesy of watchersonthewall.com

As for the geography, Dorne has an arid climate, and the only desert on the continent.   It is also known for it's spices, citrus fruits, and wine.  Spain is a very unique country, because you can be in a lush mountainous region and an hour later be in an arid flat plain that resembles North Africa.   The region around Zaragoza, Spain looks more like Morocco than Europe and you can clearly see the Moorish influences based not just on the religion, but the architecture and food throughout the country.   

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Alright, so that brings us to a close on the Busch Gardens tour of Westeros.  I may do some more historical comparisons in the future of different characters and scenes throughout the show, as Martin and the producers of the show have done a wonderful job of using historical events as the basis for political drama.  Season 7 can't get here fast enough.  Cheers!