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a song of ice and fire - Is there a connection between Game of Thrones and The War of the Roses


I have heard that George RR Martin roughly used the events of the War of the Roses in at least the first book, A Game of Thrones. Is this true, and if so what events match up? Is it only the first book or do all the Westeros novels so far follow the historical events.


Please remember to use spoiler tags for facts about the books.



Answer



The author (George R. R. Martin) has stated on several occasions that the War of the Roses was indeed an inspiration. House York roughly corresponds to House Stark while House Lancaster roughly corresponds to House Lannister. But apart from the names and a few other similarities (depending on how you see things), the histories don't match up all that well.



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