How Medieval History Could Lead Sansa and Tyrion to the Iron Throne on Game of Thrones

Helen Sloan, HBO
Helen Sloan, HBO

Based on the events of season 7, many Game of Thrones fans believe that Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow will end up either jointly or separately sitting on the Iron Throne come the series finale. But there is one theory that argues that Dany and Jon aren't the only couple who could end up ruling the Seven Kingdoms. If we look to real-life world history for guidance, perhaps we should be putting all of our faith in Sansa Stark and Tyrion Lannister taking the throne—together.

Digital Spy once posed the idea that the pair, who married in the season 3 episode "Second Sons," are perfect to sit on the throne. The proof is in real-life history books. Parts of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series—which inspired the HBO show—is famously based on the War of the Roses, a long-running feud between England's House of Lancaster and House of York, which resulted in the two families combining forces after decades of war.

Looking for historical equivalents between the Westerosi characters and the medieval Plantagenets, the line of succession seems to correlate to the 16th-century post-war years. Robert Baratheon would be the Thrones equivalent of King Henry VIII; Joffrey Baratheon would be Edward VI, the boy king who died at age 15 of a rumored poisoning; and Cersei Lannister embodies Bloody Mary, the queen who was known for her persecution of Protestants and tendency to burn heretics at the stake (Cersei did blow up the Sept of Baelor, after all).

The next Tudor ruler was Elizabeth I, and as Marie Claire points out, she was known to be "wise, fair, and just," while Digital Spy mentions that "she vowed to rule via wise counsel." Plus, she had red hair. This sounds a lot like Sansa Stark.

And though Elizabeth I famously refused to marry, Tyrion could come into play as he and Sansa are potentially still married (though, since she is now Ramsay Bolton's widow, her first marriage might be considered completely illegitimate, especially since Tyrion is always quick to point out that their marriage was never consummated—and it's unclear how Game of Thrones views this former union). Regardless, Tyrion certainly represents the idea of wise counsel, and if their bond is renewed, the warring houses of Stark and Lannister would be combined—the Thrones equivalent of when Henry VII of the House of Lancaster wed Elizabeth of York after a generation of war.

There's no mistaking the many similarities between the show and real history, but this is only a theory for now. If Sansa and Tyrion do end up on the Iron Throne it would be a great twist, and it would bring two cautious and thoughtful leaders together. But what fate would that mean awaits the Mother of Dragons and the King in the North? We'll have to see if there's any weight to this theory when the final season returns on April 14.

[h/t Glamour]


Five rooms of one's own.
Five rooms of one's own.





Sadly, the cool ceiling lamp is not included.Allwood/Amazon


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10 Facts About Steve Martin On His 75th Birthday

Kevin Winter, Getty Images
Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Is there anything Steve Martin can't do? In addition to being one of the world's most beloved comedians and actors, he's also a writer, a musician, a magician, and an art enthusiast. To celebrate his birthday (he turns 75 today), here are 10 things you might not have known about Steve Martin.

1. Steve Martin was a cheerleader.

As a yellleader (as he refers to it in a yearbook signature) at his high school in Garden Grove, California, Steve Martin tried to make up his own cheers, but “Die, you gravy-sucking pigs,” he later told Newsweek, did not go over so well.

2. Steve Martin's first job was at Disneyland.

Martin’s first-ever job was at Disneyland, which was located just 2 miles away from his home. He started out selling guidebooks, keeping $.02 for every book he sold. He graduated to the Magic Shop on Main Street, where he got his first taste of the gags that would later make his career. He also learned the rope tricks you see in ¡Three Amigos! from a rope wrangler over in Frontierland.

3. Steve Martin owes his writing job with the Smothers Brothers to an ex-girlfriend.

Thanks to a girlfriend who got a job dancing on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Martin landed a gig writing for the show. He had absolutely no experience as a writer at the time. He shared an office with late Bob Einstein—Albert Brooks's brother, who is better known to some as Super Dave Osborne or Curb Your Enthusiasm's Marty Funkhauser—and won an Emmy for writing in 1969.

4. Steve Martin was a contestant on The Dating Game.


5. Many people thought Steve Martin was a series regular on Saturday Night Live.

Martin hosted and did guest spots on Saturday Night Live so often in the 1970s and '80s that many people thought he was a series regular. He wasn't. Though at the moment, he holds the second highest record for number of guest hosting gigs on the show with 15. (Only Alec Baldwin has more, with 17.)

6. Steve Martin's father wrote a review of his son's first SNL appearance.

Steve Martin hosts a 1986 episode of Saturday Night Live.Yvonne Hemsey/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

After his first appearance on SNL, Martin’s father, the president of the Newport Beach Association of Realtors, wrote a review of his son’s performance in the company newsletter. “His performance did nothing to further his career,” the elder Martin wrote. Martin's dad also once told a newspaper, “I think Saturday Night Live is the most horrible thing on television.”

7. Steve Martin popularized the air quote.


8. Steve Martin quit stand-up comedy in the early 1980s.


9. Steve Martin is a major art collector.


10. Steve Martin is an accomplished bluegrass performer.


This story has been updated for 2020.