History of Westeros (Game of Thrones)

A thousand years ago, Karlon Stark put down a rebel lord and was rewarded with lands and a castle he named Karhold. The Karhold Starks became House Karstark, greatly benefiting Winterfell and the reverse to the Dreadfort. Over the centuries, the Starks and Karstarks would intermarry several times, renewing their ancient ties through marriage alliance. But the events of ASOIAF have seen great change, as Rickard Karstark went from staunch ally of King Robb Stark to the execution block. There’s now a rush to claim Karhold - his daughter Alys married Sigorn, son of the man who led the attack on Castle Black and they’ve got 200 Thenns backing them, but the lawful heir Harrion Karstark is still alive in the south and Arnolf Karstark has conspired with the Boltons to betray Stannis to claim the castle for his son Cregan. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

Once the closest thing to a town in the lands beyond The Wall, something terrible and mysterious befell Hardhome about 600 years ago. It has since become an overgrown ruin, shunned and considered accursed… Yet despite that, it is suddenly important again - as hordes of refugees flee there, following the dreams of a woods witch. As reports reach Jon of wights in the woods and waters, dreams reach Melisandre of an impossibly cold mist turning the Free Folk into skulls. What the heck happened all those years ago? And what the heck is happening there now? Could this be how the Others get their army? Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

“How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” is a fun question that went viral in 2024, but in this episode we’re concerned more with how often GRRM thought about Rome (and not just the empire) when writing ASOIAF. We’ll also take a few minutes to talk about how HBO’s Rome was pivotal to the making of HBO’s GoT. Rize: https://rize.io/u/westeros and use promo code WESTEROS for a 25% discount off your first three months! Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

A look at the early life of the man who became the most devious in the Seven Kingdoms. We’ll delve into his days on the street, learning to steal and survive, to the mummer’s troupe and being sold for a ritual that maimed him. When left to die, he vowed to live, and what a life it was for the Spider… From near death to Prince of Thieves and a lifelong partnership with a certain bravo named Illyrio Mopatis. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

The second half of Aziz's discussion with Alt Shift X. This portion includes spoilers for all Dune books and includes discussions on themes and parallels... and some major differences as well.

He’s an undead ranger and skinchanger with an elk and ravens… and a mission. He saves Sam & Gilly and leads them to the Black Gate at the Nightfort so they can bring Bran and friends to him on the other side… because he cannot pass. He leads them far to the north and on the way he kills turncloak rangers, makes cannibals of them all, and calls himself “your monster, Brandon Stark”. He helps them fight off wights at the cave mouth where the Last Greenseer resides, but does not follow… because he cannot pass. He’s Coldhands - but who is Coldhands? We might not know his identity, but his very existence tells us a lot about the Old Gods, the Others and the Children. Go to https://magicmind.com/westeros and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with code WESTEROS20. Head to factormeals.com/westeros50 and use code westeros50 to get 50% off. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com www.historyofwesteros.com

DUNE is one of the most successful sci fi creations of all time, and GRRM is absolutely one of the many who was influenced by it. In this episode, Aziz and Alt Shift X discuss both authors, their styles and the many parallels to Dune found in ASOIAF. There are NO spoilers for Dune 2 the movie in this episode - but look out for part 2 of this episode, which WILL have spoilers. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Alt Shift X- www.patreon.com/AltShiftX Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com www.historyofwesteros.com

Aegon and Visenya faced no true threats to their reign from the outside, but the biggest problems can start from within, and even the first House of the Dragon was troubled by such. An abundance of Targaryen births late in the Conqueror’s reign set off issues of succession, marriage, dragon-bonding and other matters of power and status. Meanwhile King’s Landing was growing even faster just outside their front door… and even though more dragons were hatching as well, that front door started to look a bit flimsy. Go to https://magicmind.com/westeros and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with code WESTEROS20. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

The First Dornish War was Aegon the Conqueror’s last war. For the rest of his reign he was largely concerned with peace. However, enforcing peace in warlike Westeros is no easy thing. Did Aegon actually rule well, or was everyone just afraid of him? Did his policies lead to the many civil conflicts that came less than a generation after his death? Go to https://magicmind.com/westeros and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with code WESTEROS20. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com

The deaths of Queen Rhaenys and even moreso, Princess Meria, led to the end of the First Dornish War. But ultimately the final decision was made by Aegon upon receipt of the mysterious letter that he burned immediately afterwards. What was in the letter? That, and the legacies of Rhaenys and Meria are the focal points of this episode. Get up to 56% off at https://magicmind.com/westeros with our code WESTEROS20. Head to factormeals.com/westeros50 and use code westeros50 to get 50% off. Bonus Eps & More - www.patreon.com/historyofwesteros Shirts & Stickers - historyofwesteros.threadless.com Nina: goodqueenaly.tumblr.com Sean's YouTube: bit.ly/3818H9X www.historyofwesteros.com