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Serfdom


sailor

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As I said, I imagine the situation in King's Landing to be similar to that of Paris in early to mid-18th century. We've had the bread riots already, how long before the hunger (an important factor in the French Revolution too!) drives the poor of King's Landing to outright revolt, possibly supported by a strong, proud merchant class resenting nobility their privileges?

I don't think Kings Landing is based on Paris. To me it seems as Constantinople. People living in Constantinople were free men ( traders, artists etc.) not serfs (so they couldn't be mobilized, as we see in KL). And it seems to me that city population in Westeros, at least in KL and Oldtown consists of purely free men, mostly poor, as in Constantinople after the sack in 1204. Population number in KL is almost the same as in Constantinople. City is a huge trading port, again like Constantinople. And also the Battle of Blackwater is based on one of the battles for Constantinople (can't remember which, sorry) with chains, Greek fire etc.

Also the title King of Seven Kingdoms seems to me more of an Emperor title (in strength) something similar like Byzantium Emperor but no exactly, clearly its unique. This comes from the fact that if any of the Great houses are also kings than they will rule the Crownlands (and all of Westeros trough other great houses being their vassals) and their own "kingdom" ( example Stormlands if Baratheons are Kings). To me that kinda resembles the mix between classical kingdom and Byzantine Empire. Martin created it unique, that's for sure, but it has a little bit of both. Westeros as whole clearly is based on England, but KL and somewhat title king has Eastern Roman Empire feel, even though Aegon the Conqueror is based on William the Bastard, Targeryan seems like a Roman emperors more than Kings.

Also Dorne to me is only kingdom that has some elements of nationalism, where culture is clearly different so I think they have the least serfs or not have them at all, maybe all of them are free folk.

North is much more tribalistic, even among northers houses, not just tribes. I'm not implying that North has tribal culture, but some elements of it, and that affects its serf system to an extent. Rest of the Westeros has some form of serf-hood, but its not clearly what exact rights serf have. Also note that in medieval Serbia, serf had the right to ask a ruler for help like we see in KL. Serbia even had a written law code that guarantied that Judges should pass just verdicts even if king/emperor is against it. That can't count for Weteros serfs cause the King is the Judge but it shows how in Europe there was no one single universal serf-hood system and that Westeros has a unique one too.

I think even GRRM Martin said that he makes unique world with motivation in real history, he doesn't copy real history. He said something like "if you want to wright about character that's exactly like Henry V than write about Henry V, otherwise create a character that has some inspiration in Henry V but its a unique character and its not Henry V".

Sorry for my horrible English.

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I don't think Kings Landing is based on Paris. To me it seems as Constantinople. People living in Constantinople were free men ( traders, artists etc.) not serfs (so they couldn't be mobilized, as we see in KL). And it seems to me that city population in Westeros, at least in KL and Oldtown consists of purely free men, mostly poor, as in Constantinople after the sack in 1204. Population number in KL is almost the same as in Constantinople. City is a huge trading port, again like Constantinople. And also the Battle of Blackwater is based on one of the battles for Constantinople (can't remember which, sorry) with chains, Greek fire etc.

Also the title King of Seven Kingdoms seems to me more of an Emperor title (in strength) something similar like Byzantium Emperor but no exactly, clearly its unique. This comes from the fact that if any of the Great houses are also kings than they will rule the Crownlands (and all of Westeros trough other great houses being their vassals) and their own "kingdom" ( example Stormlands if Baratheons are Kings). To me that kinda resembles the mix between classical kingdom and Byzantine Empire. Martin created it unique, that's for sure, but it has a little bit of both. Westeros as whole clearly is based on England, but KL and somewhat title king has Eastern Roman Empire feel, even though Aegon the Conqueror is based on William the Bastard, Targeryan seems like a Roman emperors more than Kings.

Also Dorne to me is only kingdom that has some elements of nationalism, where culture is clearly different so I think they have the least serfs or not have them at all, maybe all of them are free folk.

North is much more tribalistic, even among northers houses, not just tribes. I'm not implying that North has tribal culture, but some elements of it, and that affects its serf system to an extent. Rest of the Westeros has some form of serf-hood, but its not clearly what exact rights serf have. Also note that in medieval Serbia, serf had the right to ask a ruler for help like we see in KL. Serbia even had a written law code that guarantied that Judges should pass just verdicts even if king/emperor is against it. That can't count for Weteros serfs cause the King is the Judge but it shows how in Europe there was no one single universal serf-hood system and that Westeros has a unique one too.

I think even GRRM Martin said that he makes unique world with motivation in real history, he doesn't copy real history. He said something like "if you want to wright about character that's exactly like Henry V than write about Henry V, otherwise create a character that has some inspiration in Henry V but its a unique character and its not Henry V".

Sorry for my horrible English.

You know I always figured that Volantis was like Constantinople and the Dothraki were the Turks.

With places like Serbia being protected states up the Rhoyne (like Selhorys).

Bloody hate the Dothraki.

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You know I always figured that Volantis was like Constantinople and the Dothraki were the Turks.

With places like Serbia being protected states up the Rhoyne (like Selhorys).

Bloody hate the Dothraki.

Volantis has slave based society, so in that matter its not like Constantinople, and its triarch system has nothing to do with Constantinople also. But that story where Volantis after the doom of Valyria tried to restore the empire has similarities with Constantinople during the rein of Justinian where he tried to restore old Roman empire.

I think Dothraki are clearly based on Mongols. Horse archers and tribalistic, most deadly force in plains. And Jorahs observation when he said if Dothraki come to Westeros they will pillage the country and burn fields while the lords are in their castles hiding. Each lord who chooses to confront them in open field is a fool. That also is similar to mongol invasion of Europe where mongols burned everything except castles that they could not conquer. Their warfare did not included castle warfare.

Turks are way to civilized and organised to have anything in common with Dothraki I think.

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I think Dothraki are clearly based on Mongols. Horse archers and tribalistic, most deadly force in plains. And Jorahs observation when he said if Dothraki come to Westeros they will pillage the country and burn fields while the lords are in their castles hiding. Each lord who chooses to confront them in open field is a fool. That also is similar to mongol invasion of Europe where mongols burned everything except castles that they could not conquer. Their warfare did not included castle warfare.

The mongols were way more advanced than the dothraki; they adopted siege warfare from their first conquered subjects, and used it quite efficiently (they had catapults, trebuchets, battering rams, siege towers, gunpowder bombs. smoke bombs,...etc.). By the time they reached Europe, taking castles was a piece of cake for them.

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