Game of Thrones begins....

[grumbler]

OK, besides St Louis.

Reg: But apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh-water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?

[Siege]

According to this map, Westeros is way bigger than England and France together.
It goes all the way from Spain to Scandinavia!

[Razgovory]

I always thought the scale was off.

[Razgovory]

In the end, can anybody name a historical person that was as suppossedly righteous as Ned Stark in medieval times?

Louis IX was the model for the pious, chivalrous leader who made bad decisions (both crusades).

King Steve of England was noted for being a chivalrous leader (though not a good King).  King Jean II was captured by the English, released in exchange for his son and when his son ran off he voluntarily returned to captivity.  His son was much smarter and didn't do things like that and is remembered as one of the great kings of France (not the same son that ran off though).   Godfrey of Bouillon was often depicted as the model of a Christian Knight.  I don't know if he actually lived up to that, but he was considered one of the nine worthies.

[jimmy olsen]

I always thought the scale was off.

That's the fanmade small option. GRRM says it's as big as South America.

[Eddie Teach]

Still looks like an inverted outline of Britain regardless of actual size.

[Razgovory]

I always thought the scale was off.

That's the fanmade small option. GRRM says it's as big as South America.

Yeah, I thought that was kind of weird.  Also the times seem odd.  The histories go on for thousands of years, often with one ruling family at the helm.  However, real medieval families tended to go extinct fairly often and were often replaced.  In the novels House Stark is replaced by House Bolton with out much regard to tradition (these guys had been rulers of the North for millennia).  The longest ruling House in real life that I can think of Is the Japanese Imperial Family and they are youthful compared to the Starks and Lannisters.

[Valmy]

Yeah, I thought that was kind of weird.  Also the times seem odd.  The histories go on for thousands of years, often with one ruling family at the helm.  However, real medieval families tended to go extinct fairly often and were often replaced.  In the novels House Stark is replaced by House Bolton with out much regard to tradition (these guys had been rulers of the North for millennia).  The longest ruling House in real life that I can think of Is the Japanese Imperial Family and they are youthful compared to the Starks and Lannisters.

Especially with the Starks constantly giving their sons to the Night's Watch.

But this is a fantasy story.

[Valmy]

I always thought the scale was off.

That's the fanmade small option. GRRM says it's as big as South America.

I do have a hard time imagining the Vale of Arryn being as big as Poland.

[Sophie Scholl]

Yeah, I thought that was kind of weird.  Also the times seem odd.  The histories go on for thousands of years, often with one ruling family at the helm.  However, real medieval families tended to go extinct fairly often and were often replaced.  In the novels House Stark is replaced by House Bolton with out much regard to tradition (these guys had been rulers of the North for millennia).  The longest ruling House in real life that I can think of Is the Japanese Imperial Family and they are youthful compared to the Starks and Lannisters.

House Bolton was at odds with House Stark for a long time over control of the North, so they do have some claim to once being near the top/top dog.  It isn't as crazy as say... House Mormont taking charge.

[Martinus]

Yeah, I always thought it rather funny that in fantasy worlds, history seem to be taking comparable real world events and multiply their duration by ten.

So a dynasty rules not for 300, but 3000 years, a plague lasts not 5 but 50 years, and so on.

That being said, Westeros is not that bad. Aegon's conquest only happened less than 300 years ago, so the timeline here is not so insane. I think only Starks (and possibly Greyjoys) have such long claims to power.

[Martinus]

Also, you have to remember that the way Houses work in Westeros, it appears that they, at least to a degree, allow for inheritance through female lines while maintaining the identity of the House.

For example, Queen Elizabeth is a direct descendant of William the Conqueror, so in Westeros terms she would be technically of the same House as he.

[Sophie Scholl]

Truth.  The one Brandon Stark in the distant past had only a daughter and her sons maintained the line and family name.

[Martinus]

To summarize, the great Houses ruling their respective areas:

The North - Starks - over 7,000 years (sic!)
Dorne - Martells - 700 years
Dragonstone/King's Landing - Targaeryns - since Aegon's Conquest
Storm's End - Baratheons - since Aegon's Conquest
The Reach - Tyrells - since Aegon's Conquest
Riverlands - Tullys - 1000 years (but only less than 300 years as lords paramount)
The Pyke - Greyjoys - since Aegon's Conquest
The Aerie - Arryns - since Andal Invastion, 6000 years ago
The Westerlands - Lannisters - since Andal Invasion, 6000 years ago

[jimmy olsen]

Yeah, I always thought it rather funny that in fantasy worlds, history seem to be taking comparable real world events and multiply their duration by ten.

So a dynasty rules not for 300, but 3000 years, a plague lasts not 5 but 50 years, and so on.

That being said, Westeros is not that bad. Aegon's conquest only happened less than 300 years ago, so the timeline here is not so insane. I think only Starks (and possibly Greyjoys) have such long claims to power.

How much documentation do they have for those dates? It probably didn't happen has far back as that.