Game of Thrones is a series of fantasy books by acclaimed author George R.R. Martin and a highly popular television show on HBO. It is a world unto its own, but like other popular fantasy series, such as Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, it also has a fictional history that stretches back in time. From its beginnings to the most current episode, the storyline, characters and places share key similarities with real events and locations that have occurred in our world history.
The World of Game of Thrones and the Medieval World
The world of Game of Thrones is made up of three separate continents: namely Sothoryos, Essos and Westeros. While the lands represented in the show differ from the real world, the basic idea is clear; these places are based on the old maps of the medieval world. The world of Sothoryos is the continent of Africa, Essos is Asia, and Westeros is Britain (and to a lesser extent Europe.) For example, The “Narrow Sea”, which separates the continents of Westeros and Essos, is very reminiscent of the English channel. The division of the seven kingdoms, with a lord in each of these realms, is much like the 7 kingdoms of England - between 500 to 850 AD, England had seven self-governing kingdoms: Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Kent, Essex, Sussex, and Wessex.
Map of Continents - Game of Thrones (Alan Parkinson/Flickr)