Blood And Wine: Entertaining The King
Several years ago, I was part of a book project called Game of Thrones and History. Sadly, the editor lost the publisher, and the project was in limbo ever since. After no correspondences were replied to since 2014, I am pretty confident this book will not see the light of day. So instead, I figured I would post the contribution that I would have made to the book, since I did put several months of work into it. Enjoy.
Blood
and Wine: Entertaining the King
When audiences first meet King
Robert Baratheon, he is visiting his old friend Ned Stark at his castle in
Winterfell. What follow are several days of feasts and hunting to entertain the
king of the Seven Kingdoms. After his departure, maester Lucian laments to
Catelyn Stark of the of the king’s visit.
It is not only a strain financially for the Starks, but also strains
their resources. When Ned is made Hand
of the King and arrives at King’s Landing he is informed of a tournament to be
held in his honor on the order of the king; Ned does not approve as the kingdom
is broke and cannot afford it. Robert’s will prevails, however and readers and
viewers of the HBO series are treated to examples of the feasting and war-play
that follows.
The festive atmosphere of Robert’s
court is not unlike medieval European courts. His love of wine, women, music,
and warfare are not unlike real kings such as England’s Henry VIII and France’s
Henry II. Knights strove to prove
themselves in the lists of the joust; sometimes battling opposite royalty. Large amounts of food and alcohol were
consumed at feasts for weddings and holidays while musicians and troubadours
plied their trade and hoped to seek the favor of a noble patron.
Feasts
were an important part of life in medieval Europe as it is in Westeros. Codes of hospitality were observed, and the
violation of such codes could have dire consequences for the violators. The
violators could find themselves ostracized by the society or instigate blood
feuds.
What follows is a comparison of the
courtly life in medieval England and France and that of the world of George
R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice & Fire
series. Comparisons of feasts,
tournaments, codes of conduct, and the role of bards and troubadours shall be
examined. Where appropriate, real life historical figures will be compared to
characters in the land of Westeros.
When King Robert visits Ned Stark in
the opening chapters of Games of Thrones audience
is treated to a scene of noble decorum during the welcoming feast of the royal
family. Lord and Lady Stark each escort
the queen and king respectively to their seats at the head of the high table.
They are followed by the Stark children who escort the princes and princess;
other nobles follow according to their rank and importance. As noted by Jon
Snow, though he often sits at the table with his family, on this night it is
considered bad manners for a bastard to sit at the high table; he therefore
contents himself eating and drinking with the household men. In the television
show he encounters Tyrion in the practice yard where the two have a bonding
moment.
Readers of The Game of Thrones are treated to vivid descriptions of the food
and the general jovial atmosphere of the scene. Martin describes the many
dishes and entertainments, as well as the table manners of the guests. In the
HBO series the scene is brought to life visually to allow the eyes to feast on
what it may have been like to dine with a king.
The
way the characters interact with each other is quite telling of what was
expected of people at a feast. Though there is obvious tension between Cersie
and her husband—not to mention with the Starks as well—the characters behave
with all the grace and charm that is expected of them. Cersie takes some jabs
and Sansa—such as asking if she had began menstruating—but does so in a way
that the Starks cannot truly take offense.
Proper
behavior at feasts was an important part of European court culture in the Middle
Ages as well. They were often carefully orchestrated affairs with certain
decorum that was expected to be followed. Feasts were a display of power and a way for a
lord to display his wealth to his vassals, and to honor his overlord. Such as in the above feast scene there was a
procession based on rank when one entered a feast. One knew their place in the hierarchy and
took their seat accordingly.
In the 13th and 14th
centuries, codes of courtesy and table manners were written down and attendees
were expected to behave accordingly.
Some of these codes of behavior still linger today such as keeping one’s
elbows off the table, not picking at the teeth or nose, avoiding
breaking wind or
belching, and avoiding over indulging in alcohol—which was often served in
abundance. It was also considered poor form to discuss politics at the table,
especially in times of unrest or war.[i]
The feasts were meant to be enjoyable occasions so great care was taken to
ensure that awkward situations were avoided.
Not
only was behavior at the feasts choreographed with expected behaviors, but the
feast itself also had several phases.
Much like the characters in Game
of Thrones diners ate their food from trenchers made of hallowed hard
bread. These were used as edible plates, which were
usually given to
the servants or the poor after the meal was done. Diners ate with spoons and knives; forks were
only used for cooking and serving food to diners and food was mostly eaten with
the hands. Food was brought out on
platters to be shared between two diners. Guests shared cups and
saltcellars.
Meals were brought out in several
courses. The first course was a stew of some sort with seasonal game. This was
followed by a course of meat, poultry, or fish. The Medieval Europeans also had
many religious rituals throughout the year that also affected their eating
habits. During the Advent season and
Lent, as well as Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays the predominantly Catholic
population avoided eating meat. Instead they only ate fish on these days.[ii]
Religious feasts were common at the time, and are an interesting omission from
Martin’s work. While the many characters are devout in their faith, there is no
mention of religious holidays or feasts.
In between the main courses were
several interlude courses. These included fruits and nuts, and were sometimes
meant only as visual pieces. The chefs of the castle took this opportunity to
show off their artistic talents with presentation pieces of fruits, nuts, and
desserts. It is from these moments in feasts that the famous nursery rhyme of
“four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie” originates. In Martin’s third book, A Storm of Swords, such presentation pieces are described during
Joffery’s wedding feast.
On the topic of the code of behavior
it is appropriate that codes of courtesy need to be discussed as well. During
the Middle Ages travel could be very dangerous. In the periods before the great
countries of Europe consolidated themselves into the kingdoms and states they
are today, the lands were often controlled by rival nobles that shared some
loyalty to the king.
Trouble arose
when one noble or a group of nobles becomes dissatisfied with the king or had some
offense done him by a fellow noble. This could cause outbreaks of violence
which often sweep others that were not involved.
Attempts were made to protect
travelers and codes of hospitality emerged.
These often fell on protecting guests from harm while under their roof
and doing them no harm. Once a visitor has dined at their table, they were
considered protected under these codes of courtesy. Violating these rules had
dire consequences and could make the violating lord into a social pariah.
When Robb Stark plans to meet with
Walder Frey in Games of Thrones his
mother urges him to make sure to eat at his table so that Frey would be
discouraged to betray him to the Lannisters.
When Catelyn Stark goes in his stead, the first thing she does when
interacting with Frey is to request food and drink, which is given her and
therefore allows her
some
protection. While this interaction was
pleasant on this point, Frey later shows himself without honor, and his
behavior has the expected stigma.
When discussing Robb Stark’s
proposed wedding and Walder Frey, it is pertinent to address the three wedding
scenes that are presented in A Storm of
Swords as well as the third and fourth seasons of Game of Thrones. All three
weddings do not go well for all the parties involved. During the nuptials of
Sansa and Tyrion, neither party is eager to be wed. Sansa is repulsed by
Tyrion’s appearance as well as the fact that he is a Lannister.[iii]
Tyrion is his turn does not enjoy being a puppet to his father’s ambitions and
proceeds to become excessively drunk .
Tyrion’s
dissatisfaction comes to a head when Joffery insists on the bedding ceremony. A
bedding was a common event in which the drunken wedding guests would grab the
bride and groom—the men the bride, the ladies the groom—and procession them to
the wedding chamber while stripping them of their clothes. Tyrion, sensing his
nephew’s lust at wanting to cruelly humiliate Sansa threatens the king if he
insists on the bedding. Luckily for Tyrion, Tywin insists that Joffery excuse
the threat as a drunken jest. To
Tyrion’s credit, he refuses to consummate the marriage with an unwilling Sansa.
The second wedding scene is a much
more tragic affair. During the events of the second season of Game of Thrones and in A Storm of Swords Robb Stark breaks his
promise Walder Frey to marry one of his daughters by marrying another woman
(Jeyne Westerling in the books, Talisa Maegyr in the television show). In an attempt to make amends, his uncle
Edmure Tully agrees to marry one of Walder’s daughters. Though there is apparent tension at the
meeting of
Walder and Robb, by all appearances amends are made with the new arrangement.
That is until the wedding feast.
As the Freys take the drunken Edmure
and his wife to the bedding chamber, many of the other guests remain partying.
It is at this moment that the musicians play the “Rains of Castemere”—an
ominous song of betrayal. It is at this moment that the Freys and their
supporters attack Robb and his men. Many are slaughtered both in the castle and
outside on the grounds. To add insult,
Robb and his wolf Grey Wind’s heads are removed and sewn on each other’s
bodies. The event is thereafter called the Red Wedding.
The
Red Wedding was inspired by a real event in Scottish history. By 1440 the Clan
Douglas had risen to become a perceived threat to the crown of King James II.
William Douglas—the earl of Douglas—and his brother were invited to a dinner by
Sir William Crichton of Clan Crichton. Near the end of the dinner a single drum
began to play and Douglas was presented with a black bull’s head, a symbol of
death. The Douglas men were then dragged to the courtyard and executed. This
event led to further conflict between the Clan Douglas and the royal Stewarts.
To this day there is still animosity between the Crichtons and Douglases.
This Red Wedding shocks many
characters in the series. While Walder Frey does this to show his loyalty to
the crown and in revenge for a slight to his honor, he has violated one of the
most important social customs of the kingdom. He has slaughtered guests in his
home who were supposedly under his protection. Though his act is hailed by some
as helping to bring the war closer to an ending and quieting the rebellion in
the North, the Freys’ violation of social etiquette will have major
repercussions for both Walder and his relatives.
The
third wedding scene also has a tragic ending as well. Joffery and Margery
Tyrell’s wedding is a grand affair, as royal weddings tend to be[iv]
Joffery’s wedding is no different, including numerous musicians and a huge
feast. The meal and entertainment are the expected excess of not only a king,
including a huge pie with live birds that sprung forth when he cuts into it..
Joffery’s downfall comes when he
decides to once again mock his uncle Tyrion.
While mocking his uncle, the king drinks some wine as he eats a pie. It
is soon obvious that something
is wrong as he
begins choking and turning back. Unfortunately for the young tyrant, there is
nothing do be done, and he dies of poisoning from an unknown assailant.
Joffery’s death illustrates an
interesting difference between the monarchs of Westeros and those of medieval
Europe. Many European monarchs had to
fear the possibility of assassination. Not only bad rulers but the good as well
may find themselves brought low by ambitious enemies. In many situations where
one wanted to dispose of their enemies in a subtle way that would throw off
immediate suspicion, poisoning was the weapon of choice. The poisoning of the
rulers food was a simple way to kill an enemy without detection. One simply had
to find a willing accomplice to administer the poison, and allow nature to
takes its course.
With this real danger of poisoning,
many rulers employed tasters. The tasters sampled each dish and drink to ensure
that no poison was present. A hazardous position, the royal tasters were well
respected for their service. Several rulers such as Pope Alexander VI (1431-1503)
were saved by the royal tasters sampling the contaminated food and drink. Had
Joffery employed such a servant, he may have survived a bit longer.
When it came to the eating habits of
the aristocracy, they were not picky about what they ate. If it was available,
they would eat it. This has led to such instances as roast peacock as well as
other exotic foods. Reading some of the
feast scenes in Martin’s books also illustrate exotic dishes as well.
Diners
in Westeros are always described as consuming either wine or ale. Even the
children are allowed a small amount.
This habit is no different than that of Medieval Europeans,
who drank
alcohol more often than water. Before modern sanitation, it was safe to drink
ale or wine than drinking water. Cholera and dysentery were fervent killers due
to contaminated water. Unknown to the people at the time, boiling the water
during the brewing process killed the bacteria; the consumers simply thought it
made the drink taste better. Ale was also a great source of carbohydrates and
was an effective way to preserve excess grains.
Of course, over-consumption was still frowned upon; unless the guest
happened to be King Robert.
No feast was complete without some
form of entertainment. Jugglers and
fools were common entertainers between courses. Musicians often played
throughout the meals and performed popular songs. Many of these singers were troubadour poets,
who would sing French poetry about love, religion, and heroic deeds in warfare.
Troubadours tended to be members of the nobility and were artists and patrons
of the arts as well. The concept of
courtly love—which evolved correct behavior for knights and non-romantic
relationships with a female patron—was popular at the time and was a major
theme in troubadour poetry. The most famous of these is the Romance of the Rose.
Bards were also popular musicians at
the time. Bards made their living
travelling and singing songs and were commoners. They could often be found in
taverns, singing for their supper to the customers. Songs boasting the
achievements of a nobleman could gain them favor in court. The favor of a lord
or king could change a singer’s life for the better.
Several
bards in Westeros also scheme for patronage and money. The travelling bard Marillon, introduced in Game of Thrones at the inn in which Tryion
of captured by Catelyn
Stark, travels
with them to the Eryre wanting to write a song of the event. In the books he becomes favored by Lyssa
Arran and stays on in her service. During the wedding of King Joffery several
bards compete to for a prize from the king.
The bard’s trade could sometimes be
a dangerous one as well. Though bards were known for their bawdy and satirical
songs, the wrong words about the wrong person could land the bard in a dungeon
or worse. Several troubadour poets found themselves in trouble for suspicion of
treason. For instance, near the end of Game
of Thrones an unnamed bard is brought before Joffery. He is charged with
writing a song about the death of King Robert, impling that the queen had a
part in his death. Joffery gives the
bard the choice of losing his fingers or his tongue. In the first season in the
HBO series this bard is combined with the character Marillon, which calls into
question the character’s role in later events in the book series.
Another bard that runs afoul of a
powerful lord is a bard that learns of Tyrion’s mistress Shae. Tyrion had taken drastic measures to hide her
presence from his family, and this bard attempts to blackmail Tyrion by
threatening to play a song about the affair if he does not gain a place in the
competition at Joffery’s wedding.
Unfortunately, the bard underestimates Tyrion much to his own dismay.
Bronn implies that the bard is murdered and his body sold in a pot shop, the
meat used in a stew.
While
feasting was an important social event for people in the noble class, the
question arises on how the food was to be provided. Who would provide the food?
Where would it come
from? What
impact would it have on the local population? What was the financial burden of
entertaining the king?
These
burdens often fell onto the shoulder of the lord’s steward. The steward was the
most important member of the lord’s household. He served his lord by
maintaining the estate’s finances and logistical issues. He also ran the day to day business of the
manor or castle in the absence of the lord. Their meticulous bookkeeping has
left behind important records for researchers.
One
example of this recordkeeping was when Henry II of England (1133-1189) visited
Dover Castle over the Christmas holiday. He brought along a large retinue of
knights, cooks, doctors, the royal household, a priest, servants, and various
hangers-on. To provide food for this large
amount of people resources were brought from the county of Kent. Luckily this
time period was one of great prosperity of England at the time, so surplus food
was available.
Having
the king visit was an honor for any lord of the land, and they did their best
to accommodate their liege and entertain him. Still, it was a strain on the
lord’s resources and there were often hints in the accounts of the lords’
stewards that they anticipated when the king would move on to the next castle.
During
King Robert’s reign in Westeros, it is obvious that he enjoyed his feasting and
the company of his vassals. However as we learn from Littlefinger, he had
driven the kingdom into
huge amounts of
debt to entertain his appetites. In addition his love of feasting, Robert loved
war and combat. In their vein he was not afraid to spend extravagant amounts of
money in another social event; the joust.
It
is well known the Medieval Europe was often a violent and dangerous place. It
was a given that at any point in the time period someone was at war with
someone else. Whether small scale disputes between two lords to large scale
conflicts between kings, warfare was a part of daily life for many. In fact, of
the three estates of feudal society—the nobility, the church, and the
commoners—the nobility were known as ‘those who fight’.[v]
Their main duty was to provide military support for their lords in return for
lands and titles.
In
the times of peace, the nobility still needed a way to train and keep their
skills honed. In this case, the tournament was developed as a way for knights
and lords to win glory in a relatively controlled environment. Contests of
archery and skill of arms—using blunted weapons—in single combat and in team
mêlées presented some opportunity for lower ranking soldiers to gain some
notoriety. The joust, however, was reserved only for the nobility.
The
joust developed from the nobility’s military role as heavy cavalry in combat.
They used a mass charge with lances to sweep into enemy ranks and cause havoc.
Until the development of the English longbow in the 13th century,
the mounted knights were practically unstoppable.
In
a tournament setting, this was adapted to be less deadly. Two competitors faced
each other with blunted lances and charged at each other with the goal of
breaking their lance on their opponent’s shield.[vi]
Later years saw the evolution of the ‘joust of war’ in which competitors
fought with
lances with pointed steel tips. This development was used between two countries
that may be hostile, but were not in open conflict with each other. Scotland and England—who
were constantly
in disputes with each other—used this method often as a way for their knights
to expel hostility while minimizing loss of life.
It
was a sad truth that even with the precautions that officiators took in safety,
accidents did happen. Lances could break and splinter, causing injury and
death. Injuries and deaths were most common during the melee part of the
tournament, in which teams of knights fought each other with blunted weapons.
France’s King Henry II (1519-1559) died when a splinter from a lance pierced
his eye, entering his brain. His death officially ended jousting in France. The
rest of Europe followed suit in the next several years.
The
untimely death of Hugh of the Vale at the Hand’s Tournament in Game of Thrones was very similar to the
death of Henry II. Gregor Clegane’s lance splintered and a piece caught the
young knight in just the right spot, piercing his neck. Of course, it is speculated by many of the
characters that his death was no accident, given his supposed knowledge of the
truth of Jon Arryn’s death coupled with Clegane’s sadistic nature.
The
death of Henry II also illustrates the love that some kings of Europe had of
competing in tournaments. Many members of the royal families competed often,
and some did not survive the contests.
Henry VIII of England was famous for competing
in his youth in tournaments and melees. While the popular image of Henry is the
overweight man of his later years, in his youth Henry was quite the athlete and
military man. However, much to his chagrin, on many occasions no one would
compete against him, out of fear of harming the king. Many tournament loving
royals found it difficult to find opponents due to similar fears. Besting the
king in a tournament
may gain some
respect and reputation for a knight, and may even garner a position with the
king himself. But if one were to harm him, or God forbid end the king’s life,
there was a true fear of meeting an executioner. For many the possible ends did not justify
the risk.
Henry
VIII found one way to get around the fear of injuring the king in his younger
years. He and his friend William Compton entered a tournament under false names
and competed quite well, until Compton was injured during a tilt. A spectator
who knew the ruse shouted, “God save the King!” Fearing that Henry was injured,
the king revealed his identity to calm the crowd. After this incident, the king became obsessed
with jousting and tilted against several of his fellow nobles. In one incident
in 1524 he came close to sharing a similar fate to France’s Henry II when he
left his visor open during a joust.
Robert
Baratheon has a similar problem when he wished to compete in the Hand’s
Tournament. Much like Henry VIII he was a robust warrior in his youth, but age
and excess had taken their toll. In a humorous scene, Eddard Stark comments
that he has become too fat for his armor, which makes Robert send his despised
squire—Lancel Lannister—to find a ‘breastplate stretcher’; which of course does
not exist. Lord Stark also must remind Robert that as king no one would dare
risk harming him in the tournament. It is a hard reality that the war-loving
king must accept. As king his is off limits in such civil combat.
The
Hand’s Tournament also illustrates the financial strain that such a tournament
can have on a kingdom. The Seven Kingdoms, already broke, could not afford such
an event. The feasting the Robert orders also forces the crown to look to Tywin
Lannister and the Iron Bank of Bravoos to keep the gold flowing. The influx of
knights and common people to the city, the City Watch is strained to maintain
order. Much like real world cities, while the event was a festive atmosphere,
crime rates rose as well. But the prospect of money and morale for the people
made the event a necessary evil.
During
Joffery’s nameday he has a tournament held in his. It is at this event that the
audience in introduced to Ser Dontos, a drunken knight that disgraces himself
by showing up half-naked. While Joffery wants him executed, Sansa begs for his
life and he pledges his loyalty to her. While there is no evidence of the risk
of death for knights behaving in such manner in real life being put to death,
the shame would ruin their reputation.
Another
tournament scene is briefly presented at the camp of Renly Borthean in the A Clash of Kings as well as the second
season of Game of Thrones. Catelyn
Stark travels to Renly’s camp in an effort to get Renly to join her son’s in
his rebellion against Joffery. When she arrives she is treated to the final
battle of a tournament being held among Renly’s men. The final two combatants
battle in hand to hand combat, with the favored Loras Tyrell being bested by
the female warrior Briene of Tarth. Briene
is awarded the honor of taking a place in Renly’s Kingsgaurd, which is a bit
shocking to the crowd. It was a very rare thing for women to take an active
role in combat, much like in the medieval Europe.
Catelyn
also makes poignant remark to Renly when negotiating an alliance with her son.
Robb’s men have already seen combat with the Lannisters and many of his
commanders are hardened veterans. Renly’s army on the other hand are green and
inexperienced, though they have a fierce loyalty to their king. Catelyn makes the comment that these men are
“the knights
of summer” and
have never known combat. While her son’s men fight battles, Renly’s men have
their mock war in the tournament.
Indeed, the atmosphere of his camp is that of a tournament at peacetime,
not one on the midst of a war. One must wonder how they would have fared
against Stannis had Renly not been killed before the battle.
Much
like in medieval Europe winners of the tournaments were showered with gifts and
favors for their deeds. Cash prizes were awarded, and some valiant knight may
be taken into service by a great lord that enjoyed their show of skill. Indeed,
being a tournament champion could change one’s life as much as on the battle
field.
Keeping
a king entertained—whether in Westeros or medieval Europe—was not a simple
task. The cost to feed, house, and
supply royal visitors often strained the local economy. Codes of hospitality
ensured that such needs were provided for and the safety of visitors
ensured. Though a lord’s food lauder may
be less when the king left, the prestige of hosting the king made up in some
ways for the strain; though one can assume that they were in no hurry to host
their lord again anytime soon.
Along
with feasting, the tournaments allowed for many aspiring warriors to prove
their skills in combat. They could not only obtain fame, glory, and favor but
also something much more important. They gained experience in using the weapons
and tactics that would prove useful in times of war. While the lords honored
their king with wine, food, and song in the feast hall the knights honored the
king with their blood upon the field of honor.
[i]
Paul B. Newman’s Daily Life in the Middle
Ages goes into great detail on social behaviors during meals as well as the
typical diet for those living in the Middle Ages.
[ii]
The Protestant Reformation would not take place until the late 1500s, and
Western Europe was almost universally Catholic.
[iii]
Unhappy arranged marriages were not uncommon in medieval society. Many a
beautiful girl was married off to men that were old enough to be their fathers,
deformed, cruel, or mentally disabled.
[iv]
The recent marriage of Prince Edward of England and Kate Middleton shows how
the real world tradition of royal wedding celebrations continue to be elaborate
events.
[v]
The three estates were better known as those who fight (the nobility), those
who pray (the clergy), and those who work (the peasantry). This divide allowed
for some degree of social order for the turbulent times.
[vi]
Contrary to popular belief, unhorsing the opponent was not a direct goal;
though it was still considered a victory.
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