From visual observations of the first few seasons of the Game of Thrones, what is an approximate Earth year depicted in the show in terms of its technological development? I am mostly interested in weapons, structures, clothes usage of land.
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It's hard to give you an exact year, but collectively, I'd say High Middle ages. Defensive technology, architecture, fashion, division between urban and rural population it all matches up nicely.– AegonCommented Dec 14, 2017 at 6:52
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Yeah, to the untrained but interested historian, it's all a bit Henry V, Agincourt ... definitely post William, yet pre-Henry VIII.– TetsujinCommented Dec 14, 2017 at 7:42
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2Another thing that should be noted is that gunpowder is not available, which places an upper bound on earth ages.– JADCommented Dec 19, 2017 at 9:51
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1 Answer
We might be able to judge by using the real world locations that were used as sets to give us an approximate time frame.
- King's Landing used Dubrovnik, Croatia which was founded in the 7th century.
- Winterfell used Doune Castle (c. 1400) and Castle Ward (c. 1590).
- Dorne used The Alcázar of Seville built sometime in the 14th century.
- Highgarden used Castillo de Almodóvar built in the 8th century.
- Casterly Rock used The Castle of Trujillo built between the 9th and 12th centuries.
This gives of approximate boundary of the 600s to 1500s, which coincides nicely with what we consider the Middle Ages (5th century to 15 century) in our own time line.
The only possible upper limit I could think of, since there is no gunpowder weapons in the series, would be 13th century when it first appeared in Europe.
This also lines up with George RR Martin's influences when writing the A Song of Ice and Fire novels.
George: Well, yes and no. I have drawn on a great many influences for these books. I do use incidents from history, yes, although I try not to do a straight one-for-one transposition of fact into fiction. I prefer to mix and match, and to add in some imaginative elements as well.
Most of my borrowings, however, come from English and French medieval history, simply because I am more familiar with those than with the heroes, legends, and traditions of other countries. The Wars of the Roses, the Crusades, and the Hundred Years War have been my biggest influences... oh, and some Scottish history as well, such as the infamous Black Dinner that inspired my own Red Wedding.
So really you can't pin it down a specific year, decade, or even century. Remember the history of Westeros spans thousands of years (which fits nicely into the Medieval Stasis trope).
answered Jan 19, 2018 at 19:05
