Westeros=Medieval Europe

[Ser Triston Stark]

As a history lover, I can see clear similarities between Westeros and Medieval Europe. GRR Martin has said that he does not like one to one comparisons, but that he was influenced by real life countries and people. A lot of his influences are very clear, others are more up to debate.

The North = Russia and Slavic Eastern Europe

Reason: Vast with sparse population. Ports hold the most population and power (White Harbor = St. Petersburg). Long and hard winters. Impossible to invade (just ask Hitler and Napoleon). One of the last parts of continent to leave the Old Gods = pagan/polytheistic religions and convert to the New Gods = Christianity). Moscow = Winterfell because they are in the middle of a vast frozen land.

The Vale = Alps

Reason: Very mountainous with rich valleys for farming. With a coast (The Fingers) on the sea. Mostly stay out of the conflicts of the continent.

Riverlands = Low Countries and the Rhineland

Reason: Great farming and many rivers. Easily conquered by other countries. Rhine River (indicated on the map) =The Trident.

Iron Islands = Scandinavia

Reason: By far the easiest comparison because the Iron Born are the Vikings. The Vikings and Iron Born are raiders in long boats. The land is cold, poor farmland (“We do not sow”) and has terrible storms. The land also is known for its iron mines.

Westerlands = British Isles

Reason: Have rich mines (Westerlands have gold and Britain has iron, silver, and tin). Rich, hill-covered country with many good ports. Both have the lion as their symbol. Divided from the rest of the continent by hills or English Channel.

The Reach = France

Reason: Excellent farmland with romantic people that love wine and flowers. Very powerful country when mobilized. Paris = Highgarden because they are large flamboyant cities up river from the ocean.

Stormlands = Italy

Reason: Rely on the heavy trade of the Narrow Sea = Med. Sea. Mountainous peninsula that sticks out into the sea. Has constant storms. Rome = Storm’s End because they are ancient fortifications that are based on sea trade.

Dorne = Spain and Portugal

Reason: Very hot and dry land. Makes great wine. Stays out of the business of the rest of the countries for the most part. Peninsula separated from the rest of the continent by mountains (Pyrenees = Red Mountains). Was not conquered until later in history (Spain and Portugal during the Reconquista and Dorne joined the realm with a marriage contract two centuries after the original Targaryen conquest).

Crownlands = Germany

Reason: Rich, largely forested land that is always fought over and is in the middle of the continent.

Dragon Stone = Malta

Reason: Small island in the middle of the sea (Narrow Sea or Med Sea). Gets hit with many ship-breaking storms. Great place for a navy because of its strategic location.

Other peoples:

Dothraki = Mongols and Huns

Nomadic, horse raiders that eat horse and drink horse milk. Children were taught to ride at a very young age. Warriors were lightly armored because they preferred speed over defense. Did not use a navy.

Valyria = Ancient Greece

Ancient, knowledgeable people that colonized and influenced lots of Westeros/Europe but over time most of their knowledge was lost. Their language formed the base for the continent’s language(s). Reasons why Valyria is not Rome: 1. Valyria was in a faraway land and Rome is in the center of Europe. Greece is in Europe but is on the edge. 2. Ancient Greece was further back in history than Rome. The gap between Medieval Europe and Rome is just a few hundred years. Whereas the time between Ancient Greece and Medieval Europe is around 1,000 years like the 1,000 gap between modern Westeros and the Doom of Valyria.

Free Cities (Lys, Braavos, Pentos, Norvos, Myr, etc…) = The various cities of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (Constantinople, Tyre, Alexandria, Baghdad, etc… )

Constantly fighting, but are rich and knowledgeable. Wealth is based on trade. Slavery is outlawed. Built on coasts or rivers.

Slavers Bay = Slave Coast of Africa

Bay that has many large ports that trade mostly in slaves.

Ibben = Iceland

Island far to the north that is often frozen. People rely on whale and seal meat and skins.

[The hairy bear]

There have been some of these threads already:

• Which Country/Region does Each Kingdom Represent Geographically?
  
• What the Seven Kingdoms are based on
  
• If Europe was the world of ASoIaF (Fantasy map)
  
• Has anyone seen this map?
  

The problem with those kind of relationships is that usually they are in the eye of the beholder, and also that a fictional place is rarely formed by a single influence but rahter multiple ones.

For instance, you say the North is alike Russia and Slavic Eastern Europe. Other people see the parallels with the Scandinavian countries. Others with Scotland, or Canada. So basically, the North is like... the North. Or wherever it's cold and isolated.

Another example: Italy does not have "constant stroms" at all, and there are many montainous peninsulas "that stick out into the sea" with lots of sea trade (Balkan, Iberian, India, Korea,...).

[Ser Triston Stark]

I would like to make note that this is not my original idea, I've copy and pasted this from a post but I liked it and thought I would share it with the forums.

[John Suburbs]

The similarity between the map and modern Europe is too strong to ignore, IMHO. I think we are looking at Europe of the future, with a larger Mediterranean and North Seas and a land bridge connecting UK/Western Europe to the Arctic.

And dragons, children, giants, others etc., are the product of chem/bio research of our own long-deal military/industrial complex.

[Ramsay's Penguins]

Psst. Stormlands is way more like Germany then the Crownlands.

Crownlands seem more Italy to me then Germany.

I'd personally swap the two, although European history is not my forte.

[Alester Florent]

Westeros very strongly resembles an upside-down Ireland, just for the record.

If we're really running with this comparison then I'd have thought the Reach corresponded to France and Italy. It's the home of chivalry and pageantry and the biggest and most populous of the Seven Kingdoms, like France, but it's also the oldest and the home of the continent's religion, with Oldtown corresponding roughly to Rome.

But I tend to agree with those who say direct comparisons are never going to work out. There's almost certainly some inspiration from some of these places, but they're not the same.

[Ser Triston Stark]

We're not talking about physical comparisons but cultural))

[Annara Snow]

As a history lover, I can see clear similarities between Westeros and Medieval Europe. GRR Martin has said that he does not like one to one comparisons, but that he was influenced by real life countries and people. A lot of his influences are very clear, others are more up to debate.

The North = Russia and Slavic Eastern Europe

Reason: Vast with sparse population. Ports hold the most population and power (White Harbor = St. Petersburg). Long and hard winters. Impossible to invade (just ask Hitler and Napoleon). One of the last parts of continent to leave the Old Gods = pagan/polytheistic religions and convert to the New Gods = Christianity). Moscow = Winterfell because they are in the middle of a vast frozen land.

What is your definition of "Slavic Eastern Europe"? Your description seems to basically just be about... medieval Russia. The Slavic Balkan countries don't have "long and hard winters", nor are they "impossible to invade" (on the contrary!), nor do they have many ports (apart from the Mediterranean coast), nor are the ports the ones with most population or power, nor are they vast, nor do most of them have particularly sparse population (why would they?). I don't think Slavic Central Europe fits any of that description, either. I take it that you're using the "Eastern Europe" term in a very narrow meaning?

[Nihlus]

According to GRRM, Westeros is basically a giant Britain. Though, I can definitely see the Reach being France, and Dorne being Moorish Spain/Moorish Africa.

Iron Islands = Kingdom of the Isles (Norwegian/Viking; tiny rocks ruled by "Vikings" that hang off the coast of the greater kingdoms)

North = Scotland (most of it, anyway; big, sparsely populated, unique culture, independence movement, Tywin's based on Longshanks)

Vale = Wales (isolated, mountainous, just kinda juts out)

I'm not quite sure about the rest.

[VVSINGOFTHECROSS]

According to GRRM, Westeros is basically a giant Britain. Though, I can definitely see the Reach being France, and Dorne being Moorish Spain/Moorish Africa.

Iron Islands = Kingdom of the Isles (Norwegian/Viking; tiny rocks ruled by "Vikings" that hang off the coast of the greater kingdoms)

North = Scotland (most of it, anyway; big, sparsely populated, unique culture, independence movement, Tywin's based on Longshanks)

Vale = Wales (isolated, mountainous, just kinda juts out)

I'm not quite sure about the rest.

So they shag sheep in the Vale? Fairs

[joluoto2]

Many regions are a mix of many things. There's some Russia, some Scotland and some Scandinavia in the North. Dorne has elements of both Al- Andalus and Christian Iberia as well as some Wales. Braavos is a mix of some Venice, some Rhodes, some Elisabethan London and some just general Rennaissance Culture.

The Crownlands are a little like both Northern Italy, the Netherlands and northern Germany, in that they seem much more urban with many towns close to each other at the coast, and much dependency on trade.

[Olligarchy]

Seeing as this has already been done I figured I'd just copy+paste my old thoughts.

Here's my opinion and the reasoning behind it.

The North/Beyond the Wall: Scotland/Nordic Fennoscandinavia
The North has a lot of influences from the "Brave Northerner" a stereotype that is most often present in the Scottish/English relationship. The same relationship can however be said to occur between the rest of Europe and the Nordic Area (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland) and hence I will place that up here. The Wall probably symbolises the division between what we consider "Western" and "Eastern" culture; hence the whole thing between the barbaric Wildlings (more than likely stand ins for the Sami, Karelians and some Russian tribes) and the more advanced Northerners. Of special note I think the Neck has a lot in common with Denmark, not because of it's similar land, but the similar obstacle one has to go through to get into "North proper." Also "Danemark" or the "March of the Danes" can be read as a Marsh. :)
The Iron Islands: Viking Age Scandinavia
By far the easiest one. The Iron Islands are the Norse Vikings (they in lore even have the same bloodline as the First Men; they just came up with their own ways) and that's that. They've some other inspirations and the isles are closer to Faroes and Iceland than Scandinavia proper, but those are miniscule.
The Riverlands: The Rhineland
Rich and prosperous... but also the stomping ground for every major conflict that takes place.
Westerlands: Culturally England, geographically a combination of Wales and Austria.
On map the Westerlands look a lot like Wales; but that's where the similarities end. The banner and much of how we see them act relates to England and hence that is their inspiration. The land also has lots of commonalities with Austria with having one rich city, large gold reserves. The Lannisters themselves are heavily inspired by the Habsburgs with Lann the Clever having tricked the Casterlys of Casterly Rock and the Habsburgs having inherited Austria under... questionable circumstances.
Stormlands: No idea
This one is the tough one for me... in some ways I'd like to say it's Germany, but it also has a lot in common with Ireland. Hence... no idea.
Crownlands: None specifically.
The Crownlands are a stand in for pretty much every major city and its surrounding environs. These include Paris and London.
Vale: The Swiss
Relatively rich, respected and secure in their mountain strongholds.
The Reach: France
Rich, large and powerful. Clearly France.
Dorne: Spain
Moorish Spain in particular. The Yronwoods are a stand in for the Kingdom of Asturias where as the Salt Dornish are clearly the Moors.

[Ser Joe the Unknighted]

I always view Westeros as mainly Western Europe. The culture of Knights and chivalry is a part of Latin Europe. Western Essos is much more similar to central, southern, and eastern Europe and Anatolia.

Beyond The Wall = Scary Scotland/pre-Roman Britain

George has specifically stated the the Wall is inspired by Hadrian's Wall. That would make the Wildlings the bronze age Scots. Celtic Tribes and native Britains. The first men in general are similar the the native Celtic and Gallic peoples of Gaul and Britannia and the Conquest of the Andals and later the Valyrian Targaryens compares to the conquests of Britain by Romans, Anglo-Saxons, and Normans.

The North = Civilized Scotland/northern England

The North compares very well with Medieval Scotland. Are more uncivilized part of Britain or Westeros that hasn't fully embraced the culture of the rest of Western Europe/Westeros. They have the the mountain tribes who compare to the highlanders. The Skagosi who compare to the Shetland Islands or maybe the isle of Sky and such. White Harbor is similar to the more Anglicized cities like Aberdeen. They joined the realm

The Iron Islands = Scandinavian Britain and Ireland/Norway/Iceland, maybe the Isle of Man, the Welch

These island people raid the more prosperous lands in their Long Ships and their religion actually encourages raiding and pillaging. A people that have developed unique traditions and a distinct culture in their isolation. Like Ireland the Iron Islands are fiercely independent. The way to pacify the Iron Island once and for all would be to stamp out the faith of the Drowned God and the way to stop Viking raids was to convert the Norse to Christianity.

The Vale = Wales/German and French Alps

The Vale is hard to place. It doesn't really fit well anywhere.

The Riverlands = Northern England

Pastoral and old. An area that has a history of war and conflict. The last holdouts of the old ways in the south. Conquered by raiders from across the sea at various points in history.

The Crownlands = Southern England, London Kings Landing = London

King's Landing is so comparable to London. The dirtier, smellier cousin to the older city it has supplanted. The new seat of power. Sitting on the mouth of the river and a major port.

The West = England

The Golden Lion on a red field. The Pride. The wealth. The West really make me think of England as a whole.

The Stormlands = Western France

No great analog. Just more of France and England. They are powerful like the Angevins of France, but they don't really have a city.

The Reach = France

The heart of Chivalry. The largest most populous kingdom that may have lords too powerful for their rulers to control. The old royal house was extinguished long ago and their stewards took power. Should be extremely powerful but is surrounded on all sides by enemies. An old rivalry with their neighbors over a mountain range to the south. Former protectors of the faith. The west's largest, wealthiest city (at least until Aegon's Landing) All things that the Reach and France share. The flower of Highgarden and the flower of France, the Flue de Lis seals it.

Dorne = Moorish Spain

Interestingly Dornish history actually bears resemblance to Scotland. The failed conquests of Dorne by Aegon and the successful conquest of Dorne by Daeron I are similar the the conquest of Scotland by Edward I (the hammer of the Scots) only to be lost after his death in a peasant revolt that was taken up by the nobles. They were finally brought into the realm through marriage and Dornish blood now flows throught the veins of all legitimate kings of Westeros. The conquest of Wales is similar as the Tudors were a Welch house, but the Welch were conquered and then became kings.

Culturally however the Dornish are very similar to Moorish Spain. The confluence of two cultures and the way they fight and dress. The Spanish were known for their spears and javelins and Iberian horses (a mixture of native old Iberian horses with the Moor's Arab horses) are as legendary as Sand Steeds. The mixture of cultures didn't go perfectly in the real world

The Step Stones = Greek Isles, Dalmatian Coast.

Pirates.

Braavos = Venice North

This is the best match of any city or region. Venice was founded in a lagoon by escaped Roman slaves and Pirates to protect and hide it from the Romans and after the fall of Rome it rose to prominence as a multicultural trading center that was the go-between of east and west. Like Braavos, Venice was built with Canals and was ruled over by a Doge (like the Sea Lord) who was elected by the powerful families of Venice (like the Key-holders). Venice was protected by it's mighty fleet but more so by it's wealth and importance to regional trade. Like Braavos has it's rivalry with Volantis, Venice was constantly at odds with Constantinople. They are culturally and geographically similar. Just as Braavos has a lot of interaction with Westeros, Venice had was heavily involved with any dealings of Britain or France with the East.

Lorath = Novgorod

A Northern trade city that in the east that is removed from the rest of the world but important in it's area. We don't know much about Lorath but I think this is it's best comparison.

Pentos = Genoa

The local rival of Braavos compares to Genoa. They are the two trading powers on the narrow sea and they have rival trade empires in the east. A lot like the rivalry between Genoa and Venice.

The Three Sisters, Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh = Italian City States, Pisa, Genoa, Naples, Florence

Southern sea based trade cities that hire mercenary companies to fight their battles that are constantly at war with each other either in trade or arms. They are all descended from the same culture (Roman/Valyrian) but divided against each other.

Norvos and Qohor = Moscow, Krakow, Vilnius, Minsk

These Northeastern cities in the forest remind me of the cities of north eastern Europe. Russia, Polish, and Lithuania. The resistance of Norvos and Qohor against the Dothraki reminds me of the Russians and Polish stopping the advance of the Mongols.

Volantis = Constantinople

The Second most obvious. The heir to Valyria is equivalent to the heir to Rome. While Constantinople tried and failed to reconquer the whole Roman empire while keeping it alive as a shadow of it's former self, the Volanteens tried and failed to conquer their sister cities but now only control a small portion of the former Valyrian Empire. They are a huge walled city in the center of the world that connects the East to the West. Where old traditions still hold sway and the people cling to their former glory. The largest most populous city in the known world. Sits on two sides of a major waterway where important trade flows.

Valyria = The Roman Empire or Ancient Greece Greco-Roman

The masters of the old world who were quickly diminished. Their descendants for centuries after have tried to reclaim their former glory.

Slavers Bay = Syria/Babylonia/Mesopotamia/Egypt/Muslim world

An old culture that was formerly part of the Greco-Roman World compares well to the Ghiscari who were formerly Valyrian but reclaiming their Babylonian/Persian or Ghiscari culture. Like in Valyria and Rome, Ghiscar and the medieval Persia were a heavily slave based society that traded slaves with the Mongols and Turks in our world and the Dothraki in George's. The Pyramids, the Mediterranean climate, the oldness of the cities. Persia was great before Rome like Ghis was great before Valyria.

Qaarth = Arabia/Oman/Muscat

A trade city surrounded by desert that is culturally different that is between the Europe, Middle East/Western Essos, Westeros and Asia/Eastern Essos. On the coast near a major sea trade route (Jade gates/Persian and Arabian Gulf) Camels.

Eastern Essos = The far East

Mysterious lands, unreliable sources, we need a Westerosi Marco Polo (maybe Lomas Longstrider, or the Sea Snake)

Dothraki Sea = Eurasian Steppe

Dothraki = Mongols/Huns/Turks

The Dothraki are clones of the Eurasian Steppe peoples that reshaped Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Anatolia. They fight the same and have similar cultures. They are similar to the pre-Islam Turkic Steppe peoples.

Sotheros

George has stated that he was trying to recreate the mystery and legends that surrounded the medieval knowledge of Sub-Saharan Africa.

All of these are approximations, none of them match up perfectly, but some match up better than others.

[Lordi Nietos]

Westeros very strongly resembles an upside-down Ireland, just for the record.

I can't see it. Looks more like a mirror image of Britain to me.

[Alester Florent]

I can't see it. Looks more like a mirror image of Britain to me.

For some reason this image is upside-down, but worth a look side-by-side: http://i.imgur.com/sUPOnmP.jpg

Lose Dorne and below the Neck it's a dead ringer, imo.

[Addam Velaryon]

People are always comparing Westeros to Europe of the middle ages, but to me it seems to have more in common with Europe of the 2nd or 3rd century.

[Warpath]

North = Scotland

Iron Islands = Scandinavia

Westerlands = England

Reach = France

Dorne = According to GRRM, a combination of Wales and Spain

Stormlands = ??? Ireland or Germany?

The Vale = ??? Germany or Switzerland?

 

Braavos = Italy

[Annara Snow]

North = Scotland
Iron Islands = Scandinavia
Westerlands = England
Reach = France
Dorne = According to GRRM, a combination of Wales and Spain
Stormlands = ??? Ireland or Germany?
The Vale = ??? Germany or Switzerland?
 
Braavos = Italy

You mean, Braavos = Venice and Free Cities = Italy?

[SuperPxz]

You mean, Braavos = Venice and Free Cities = Italy?

[SuperPxz]

How would Ireland be anything like the stormlands if anything they are the north and the scots beyond the wall or the other way around