If GOT Is The War of The Roses

Published May 12, 2019 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hi guys,

I thought I would expand on my Queen Sansa (Elizabeth 1st) theory ahead of episode five while enjoying a sunny spring day in central England.

Given George RR Martin comments about being inspired by medieval Europe and the War of the Roses then I tend to think of the Starks/North as Welsh and the Wildings as Scottish. Although these nations don’t share a border, they do share a heritage as being Celts pushed to the margins by the invading Normans (Brits as First Men as they were).

In particular, the Welsh had a pagan religion based on groves of trees that have parallels with weirwood trees. Not that it did them much as the Welsh druids got thumped regularly from the Romans through to Edward Longshanks.

Being occupied, the Welsh had dreams of being independent once more and there was a Welsh ‘prince that was promised’ prophesy.

Scotland was a nation of clans who regularly fought each other. Kings were rare and mainly came about due to external threats. Mance Rayder fits that profile.

The Starks however also reminds me of the Tudors in particular.

Part of this has to do with George RR Martin writings and how I believe that this story has to end with some kind of progression for Westeros. This is a stuck society which won’t improve simply because of who’s backside sits on the Iron Throne.

It was the Norman conquest that lay the foundations for the War of the Roses. The ‘wheel’ as Daenerys puts it. The families that made up the ruling classes had disputes before the actual war and afterward. Part of this instability was affected by the Black Death which ended serfdom by dramatically reducing the population (I wonder whether the Others in GRRM story represents this as much as climate change?).

So when Henry Tudor (Henry VII) defeats Richard III and finally ends the legacy of the War of the Roses, it marks a change in statecraft as the English Crown develops the proto-modern state.

Here I think are parallels where the Starks represent themes of the Tudor period.

Henry Tudor claim to the throne was tenuous with a secret wedding of his grandparents giving him legitimacy (sound familiar?).

Henry Tudor and Richard III are the last British monarchs to meet on the battlefield at Bosworth Field. Henry was also an earnest chap. Sort of illegitimate, led armies into the field and earnest? Kind of reminds me of Jon.

Yet I can’t see Jon on the throne given his journey in the TV series or the books. Instead, the obvious Stark to sit the throne would be Sansa.

We haven’t had the Grand Northern Conspiracy in the TV show which is about regaining the independence of the North. We have had declarations of independence which again parallels Welsh independence movements which were defeated (Rob Stark parallel?) and we know that Henry Tudor used those Welsh traditions to build his army.

If the showrunners are plotting from GRRM notes, there might have to be a payoff for the GNC in the show with the surviving characters. So my thoughts here are about a movement to regain control of the North finding itself in control of the entire kingdom.

This is where I think the positioning of Sansa as a competent ruler of Winterfell and the smartest person in the room looks suspicious if it only ends up with her running Winterfell.

Sansa wants the North. She kind of made that clear in her chat with Daenerys. And who else of the Starks wants the job? Jon? He doesn’t want to rule. Bran? He is too spaced out. Arya? That’s not her.

As we all know, revolutions have a life of their own. Why shouldn’t ambitions for the North become wider? As Littlefinger said, chaos is a ladder and Dave & Dan are calling Sansa the new Littlefinger.

So if Daenerys does perform the Mad Targaryen act that was heavily foreshadowed (cue eerie music and Varys staring intently) then how can the great houses of Westeros support more Targaryens on the throne?

Cue Sansa riding down with the Knights of the Riverlands thanks to Uncle Edmure. The Vale forces also switch to supporting her. As the adult in the room, she takes control of the Seven Kingdoms through being sensible rather than through bloodshed.

That could be a bittersweet ending. That neither of the prophecy characters, Jon and Daenerys, ascend the throne but instead a monarch more appropriate to reforming Westeros does. That would also allow a role for Tyrion as a Thomas Cromwell fixer to help build that statecraft.

Oh, and Cersei being put on trial by Sansa with Brianne swinging the sword would be more satisfying than having Arya kill Cersei in revenge. Arya needs to move beyond revenge if she is to have a decent arc.

This is probably all horribly wrong but I am trying to make sense of how such an epic story ends.

Best wishes to you all
John Lish

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