{"id":1852,"date":"2019-07-10T11:34:41","date_gmt":"2019-07-10T15:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/?p=1852"},"modified":"2019-07-22T09:47:24","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T13:47:24","slug":"obsessed-with-game-of-thrones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/issues\/summer-2019\/obsessed-with-game-of-thrones\/","title":{"rendered":"Obsessed with Game of Thrones?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It might be making you smarter. One äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ professor capitalizes on the show’s popularity to help her students understand Europe in the Middle Ages.<\/p>\n

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EXPERIENCING GOT<\/em> WITHDRAWAL?<\/h3>\n

Now that the series has ended, you could binge watch all eight seasons…again. But why not try branching out? Visit the medieval collection at your local art museum, or grab a book about the Middle Ages. One of Professor Rollo-Koster’s favorites is Terry Jones’ Medieval Lives<\/em>. Best known as part of the Monty Python comedy group, Jones also has a Ph.D. in medieval history from Oxford.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

\u201cDragons do not do well in captivity,\u201d says Game of Thrones scene-stealer Tyrion Lannister, known for being witty, wise\u2014and often drunk. When asked how he knows this, his reply\u2014made with wine in hand\u2014is: \u201cThat\u2019s what I do. I drink and I know things.\u201d<\/p>\n

But making medieval history as vivid and memorable as the popular HBO series requires a little more than that. Professor Jo\u00eblle Rollo-Koster reasons that if her HIS 304 students can follow the shifting alliances in GOT<\/em>, they can understand the dynastic intricacies of the Middle Ages. \u201cWho\u2019s married to whom, why alliances are created, who\u2019s allied with whom against whom,\u201d she says, \u201cThis is the juice of history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on George R.R. Martin\u2019s books, GOT<\/em> is credited with energizing the field of medieval studies. But the show is \u201cthe work of fantasy writers,\u201d Rollo-Koster says. To separate fact from fiction, we asked her to rule on GOT<\/em>\u2019s historical fidelity. Here are her yeas and nays.<\/p>\n

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YEAS<\/h2>\n

Kings have power<\/strong>. Chief among the show\u2019s successes\u2014social interaction is based on conflict and linked to power. Medieval kings and their lords held the power to make laws, levy taxes, enlist armies. GOT<\/em> depicts this accurately. You see \u201cindependent states still owing their allegiance to the king of the Iron Throne.\u201d<\/p>\n

Widows are important<\/strong>. In the 14th century, Isabella of France, aka the She-Wolf of France, ruled after overthrowing her husband, Edward II (who was eventually murdered). \u201cShe would be a good Cersei Lannister. Widowhood was when women had the most freedom in medieval times.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Jon Snow can get ahead<\/strong>. Primogeniture\u2014inheritance by the oldest son\u2014protected family land and power in the Middle Ages. But illegitimate children could rise up. William the Conqueror, aka William the Bastard, who conquered England in 1066, was the Jon Snow of his day. \u201cIf the oldest son died, the bastard could do very well for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Honor matters<\/strong>. GOT<\/em> depicts a violent world of loyalty to oath and homage to a king, who can confiscate the land of nobles who defy him\u2014all very medieval.<\/div>\n

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NAYS<\/h2>\n

Clergy aren\u2019t prominent<\/strong>. GOT<\/em> includes religious leaders\u2014the septons\u2014but they don\u2019t play a large role. In the Middle Ages, every ruler had a council of clergymen. Clergy were everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tears are in short supply<\/strong>. \u201cIn the Middle Ages, everyone was crying. A good sermon brought tears. I think what GOT<\/em> does is take a modern view. Modern people don\u2019t want to know that knights were always crying.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are castles without moats<\/strong>. \u201cAs a true medievalist, I get upset when I see castle walls but no moats.\u201d<\/p>\n

The world is static<\/strong>. No technological or social advances, little political change\u2014the Starks have ruled the North for thousands of years. \u201cIt is interesting that in the fantasy genre there is a kind of idolization for an unchanging world. We are a society that runs fast, but here we are admiring a fictional world stuck in immobility.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u2014Tony LaRoche \u201995<\/p>\n

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HIS 304 \u2022 WESTERN EUROPE IN THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES<\/h3>\n

PROFESSOR JO\u00cbLLE ROLLO-KOSTER<\/strong><\/p>\n

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This hands-on course delves into the social, economic, political, cultural, and religious history of Europe from the 11th to the 14th century. <\/p>\n

Students learn to ask historical questions rather than simply memorize history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Students are encouraged to visit the medieval collections at local museums, including:
\n\u2022 Worcester Art Museum
\n\u2022 Boston Museum of Fine Arts
\n\u2022 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston)
\n\u2022 RISD Museum (Providence)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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