The Inspiration Behind Daenerys Targaryen

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A song of ice and fire Author/Game Of Thrones Creator George R. R. Martin Interview

[@stevenL4U]

“Slaves don’t like being slaves.” Damn, that guy is so insightful. 😂

[@aliaali6421]

I’m Egyptian

[@mkultra2456]

@@aliaali6421 Yooo wuz a kaang and shieeet

[@Alex-mn1fb]

The entire Daenerys Arc and the continent of Essos gives me Classical history vibes. They nailed it with the Alexander and Cleopatra reference. Alexander, in a sense of her being this larger-than-life, inspiring conqueror with a vision of a great empire, and managing to have different groups with different backgrounds fight for her goals. And as for Cleopatra, the Targaryens have always struck me as being similar to the Ptolemies and the other Hellenistic dynasties, with them being foreigners ruling a land they conquered, having a semi-divine position among their subjects, and the whole incest-thing that often turns into sibling rivalry, ofc :D

[@arnoldrivas4590]

I did sense this as well. It’s a good comparison with its unique problems for Daenerys. That being, if to supplement real world history, having an admired ancient ruler/conqueror brought back to life. Either Rome, Carthage, Ancient Greece, Egypt, or even Babylon. Not even the most admired figure from ancient classical history would be accepted as ruler in our ‘modern’ age. Let alone the Medieval period. So that is the strength and weakness of Daenerys as a character.

[@Swiss_femboy]

@@arnoldrivas4590 are you kidding, medieval nobles would have run to a person like Alexander like sheep to their herdsman. he was like a battlefield Jesus with a great vision of a world spanning empire, and different from the Makedonian aristocracy and the Greeks medieval Europe (Especially the normans with england, great parts of France and their realms in Italy) were all up for glory. Just look at England with the Black Prince, nearly everyone loves great Warrior as strange as it is.

[@aliaali6421]

I’m Egyptian

[@mkultra2456]

@@Swiss_femboy You gotta lay off the anime.

[@TheBc99]

Can definitely see Cleopatra, especially with the indirect killing of her weak brother. A shame Cleopatra's end was a lot more satisfying. Thank god D&D didn't write ancient history.

[@carolinaleroy1105]

True! Also the fact that they were both the last of a great dynasty that had conquered so much.

[@SarastistheSerpent]

mxt mxt She committed suicide while essentially waiting for Octavians forces to slaughter her.

[@thatamericanbritishbloke5672]

Dany’s ending was definitely satisfying. Gtf outta here

[@Eabokor1]

@@SarastistheSerpent Her son was killed by Octavian aswell lol

[@Gemini053]

@@thatamericanbritishbloke5672 I was satisfying but it could have been a helluva lot better if it didn't seem so rushed together...Just like the majority of Season 7 and 8

[@Nicole-rq8ix]

4:39 “if you make a mistake, you die” George’s face lol

[@juve96]

I mean we knew that from the very start of the show that there were consequences for mistakes, Ned Robb, Theon, Red Viper etc are some examples. But then you look at the later season, oh boy! Zero consequences, characters just became invincible.

[@absarmstrong]

@@juve96 It has nothing to do with that, he was referring to the fighting pits specifically

[@juve96]

@@absarmstrong I was using that to make a reference to the show as a whole with the plot armour.

[@candelaruidiaz6967]

You see his eyes shinning

[@aliaali6421]

I’m Egyptian

[@Osjey]

I like how George has more information than any of the other guys in the video.

[@aliaali6421]

I’m Egyptian

[@snakepliskin1620]

No shit, he’s the one who wrote the books…Sherlock over here

[@lesleykippersluis5739]

Wooooosh

[@tatianaferreira5998]

I'm still horrified about what D&D did to Dany. What a couple of idiots.

[@Diamondsrfvr]

Tatiana Ferreira - Horrified is a good word.....I, and many others are devastated and traumatized, too.

[@Paulafan5]

The Mad queen went mad with power. I saw it coming.

[@crystalmonroy9111]

Paulafan5 she always had power though? it should have always been Cersei to be the Mad Queen

[@d.c.beckendorff1323]

Crystal Monroy She always had power, which she used to crucify slavers and forbid their families to bury them; burn people alive who stood up to her; allow a plague to spread in Meereen while on a crusade to purge dissenters; and invade Westeros as basically a power fantasy. She had a moral compass, but she was always a tyrant. No way would George RR Martin support a figure like that - the ending he has planned for her is almost certainly something close to what the show did. I didn’t like the show’s ending because development from power-crazed tyrant with a strong moral code to city-destroying mad queen was almost non-existent (at the very least, incredibly rushed) but it was the right ending for her.

[@tatianaferreira5998]

@@d.c.beckendorff1323 I believe you are mistaken. Character analysis give us a different outcome. Not only she questions those decisions, but she also regrets them. No tyrant in the history of the world ever cared about the good of the people let alone putting their own desires on hold to set people free from slavery. No tyrant in the world ever had the same thoughts as her "a queen must sacrifice herself for her people", "a queen must give all of herself to the people". She put herself at risk in the middle of the sick people to help them, because she felt the responsibility of her actions. I see your point, she made decisions when she was emotional. But that doesn't make her mad or a psychopath, just human and naive perhaps. And now she's paying for it. And she accepts the responsibility. This is why she stayed in meereen even though she was advised not to. She's sacrificing herself. Tyrion will probably advise her to burn kingslanding, unlike the show, he's taking a dark turn in the books. And remember, in our own history, freedom was only achieved through war. If people hadn't had the guts to fight, slavery would still be a thing. Even GRRM as a pacifist, agrees that war is necessary sometimes. Besides, what's the point in having two mad queens?! 🙂

[@violetgreer2443]

Cleopatra was the(inbred) last monarch from a dynasty that was hundreds of years old, descended from a conqueror not native to the land he conquered (one of Alexander the great's generals) whose weak brother died because of her first love affair.

[@arawn1061]

I mean calling a 13 year old weak may be a bit harsh

[@theparadisesnare]

@@arawn1061 Technically true tho

[@strawbawrri249]

@@arawn1061 im sure they'll get over it

[@aliaali6421]

I’m Egyptian

[@Rayzsion]

yea realy on point reference. a nice addition is how cleopatra was the only greek monarch in egypt that bothered to learn the egyptian language. just like dany and unlike ptolemies/visyris(the brother). she sailed to greece/dragonstone to fight the western powers, and both lost significant navy encounters.

[@CoachellaAngel]

I still love this show even if season 8 is beyond trash

[@juve96]

1 to 4 were great, 5 and 6 OK with some good parts, 7 and 8 were trash. I would put seasons 1 to 4 up there against any show as one of the best, but at the same time as a book reader, it's really hard linking the whole series when you know it could have been a lot better than what we got from D&D.

[@dickgraysonsdick6011]

Oberyn Martell 6 was the best season tho

[@juve96]

@@dickgraysonsdick6011 Based on what?

[@ManoVeneza]

@@dickgraysonsdick6011 Yeah, no

[@loficat4993]

@@dickgraysonsdick6011 Battle of the Bastards is the best episode but 4 is the best season.

[@emilyyork9583]

The Dany we know and love :)

[@edienandy]

Emily York speak for yourself, I’ve always hated her.

[@dehumanizedtormentor6465]

@@edienandy same

[@juliaaajames1259]

@@edienandy they're speaking for me 🤷🏻‍♀️ and thousands other people I'm sure

[@edienandy]

A O nice projection.

[@pplr1]

@@juliaaajames1259 They may speak for you but not me and I pretty sure not thousands of other people who like Daenerys.

[@jeffwhite5007]

Good thing they brought in a "history expert" to tell me that slaves don't like being slaves.

[@AlbertAlbertB.]

That was in fact the only thing I questioned. Of course, people did like freedom more, but there are accounts of people, because they did not know any better, that were in peace with their predicament, and fought against their own liberation.

[@ChristianAuditore14]

They actually did

[@turtleanton6539]

@@ChristianAuditore14 some of EM at least

[@1grantharper]

Given the comments (and a general bent towards conservative historical revisionism) it seems it needed to be said.

[@karltanner3953]

Kanye would like a word...

[@live2rock13]

"The WHOOOOOOOORE, is, pregnant!"

[@yanaeiriksson749]

The dothraki WHOOOOORE in an open field, NED!

[@GabyBumb]

GODS I WAS STRONG BACK THAN

[@pixelhunter5709]

may i join conversation

[@phasmablaster1307]

Petyr Baelish no you may not.

[@pixelhunter5709]

@@phasmablaster1307 i wanted to discuss the future of house tyrell

[@DarthPlato]

The comparison of Dany to Alexander is plausible. Both royalty, traveled the length of the world almost, cavalry was a potent striking weapon of their armies. both tried to convince the conquered to accept or even love them and both showed a propensity for spite when failing, Dany had Drogon and Alexander had Bucephalus,, both had a history of being betrayed, and both died young. Though Dany's fate is uncertain in the books.

[@arnoldrivas4590]

I think her fate in the books would be akin to her more Classical counterparts. The allusions are there and I’m more convinced that she will conquer Westeros but will never sit on the throne. And this assumption is based on research into the lore from the books rather than just from the show.

[@jakeb3157]

Alexander came to power in an already powerful empire with a world class military with extensive combat experience. Dany is more akin to Ghengis Khan in some regards in that he began life with no army and no kingdom.

[@aliaali6421]

I’m Egyptian

[@allornothing432]

Henry VII was the main inspiration - the return of the rightful ruler and the end of war of roses between york(stark) and lancaster(lannister). Henry Tudor was also associated with the redemptive dragon mythology tied to the first king of briton(Aegon the conquerer). Henry Tudor flew the red dragon of Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon as his banner, overlaid on a green and white field representing the Tudor House, when he marched through Wales on his way to Bosworth Field. Where in victory he established his rule. I hope you see how richly old GRRM borrows from history.

[@Amphitera]

yes, and according to this, Dany should have become queen. Oh wait, that wasn't from GRRM, but what dumb and dumber came up with (who probably never read a history book anyway).

[@damonx6109]

The Spartans were not "slave soldiers." They had a society that relied on slaves, but the Spartans themselves were the opposite. Spartan male citizens were all soldiers. The slaves (helots) did all the mundane daily work.

[@aliaali6421]

I’m Egyptian

[@Sarcasmses]

The majority of the Spartan army was made up of Helots. Slaves outnumbered their masters, both at home and in battle. Everyone knows about the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae. Not many know about the 3000 other Peloponnesian soldiers at that battle, most of which were Helots.

[@vendetta8022]

Spartans are actually slave owners, they don't own slaves personally but collectively, kinda like commies but with slavery. The reason why Spartan trained so hard is because their slaves seriously outnumbered so they have to be strong otherwise they can't keep so many slaves.

[@MCL003]

So she’s a mix of Henry the seventh, Alexander the Great and cleopatra

[@josephr1421]

That's quite the powerful combo

[@itrrii6582]

Replace Alexander with Joan of ark

[@kbg12ila]

@@itrrii6582 Agreed. Alexander the Great to me was moreso Aegon the Conqueror. However, in the story itself Daenerys is kind of the next coming of Aegon, so I do see some Alexander the Great in her too.

[@aliaali6421]

I’m Egyptian

[@jrrthompson1996]

I love that they mention the Dothraki being similar to the Native Americans! I addition to all the things they listed, I think Vaes Dothrak has some big similarities to the Cahokia settlement by St. Louis.

[@rikgales123]

O always looked at them as a mongel hoard

[@YourGraceMyLady]

Josh Thompson that’s kinda what I thought too when they were talking about their hair and cutting their hair only if you’re defeated in battle. Some tribes only cut their hair when a loved one dies

[@SneakyDolly]

Your Grace _ very true. For us Lakota, our hair is very central to who we are.

[@mijanhoque1740]

I always thought they were more in line with the Mongols

[@Hatypus]

They're closer to the various steppe peoples. Scythians, Huns, Mongols, but the Amerindians have some influence in them as well.

[@blogdeseries]

Except for George, all the interviewees said the most simplistic, obvious things whilst trying really hard to look and sound serious and knowledgeable.

[@jmace2424]

Oh yes, that famous event in the Wars of the Roses: when one of the kings gets killed by a shadow baby!

[@GarrisonHat]

Well, no, that didn't happen in the real Wars of the Roses, but Shakespeare depicted Richard III, then Duke of Gloucester, using black magic to turn Edward IV against their brother George with the help of a Melisandre-like soothsayer.

[@jmace2424]

A Professor of Ice and Fire didn’t happen that we know of, history being written by the victors and all...

[@ScubaSteve3560]

I'm Team Daenerys until the day I die. Dont care if the writers screwed up she was still one of the best characters of all time.

[@The_king567]

You shouldn’t George said she will die at the end for a reason

[@ScubaSteve3560]

@@The_king567 it ended the way it should have, it's just the show didn't do a good job closing it out because they crammed two much in the last season. It should have gone another year and built up the story a little more because Daenerys going corrupt with power is a good plot, It just didn't make sense in the show because they skipped over exactly how she got there. It's a very important lesson that is more relevant today than ever...sometimes the hero wins so much that the power turns them corrupt ... George RR Martin was reminding us of an important lesson in history.. We're experiencing this right now in the United States. The Democrats and Republicans have gone so extreme that they have swapped values and what they stand for

[@The_king567]

@@ScubaSteve3560 I agree they should have explored Danny going crazy more I didn’t have a issue the way they killed her off honestly

[@marcusfridh8489]

if deanerys is cleopatra then john snow has to be Marc antony

[@cinnow]

Antony doesn't murder Cleopatra. They both commit suicide after their defeat by Octavian Ceasar.

[@philstaples8122]

I'd say John Snow was the far more noble of the two even though it turned out he was a Targaryen too but mixed with Stark blood, maybe that mixture made him the far better, the grounding and empathy of the North mixed with a bit of the fire of the Targaryen's. Mark Antony as a historical character was a womaniser and very power hungry who's reputation outstripped his ability, of course some of that is irrelevant as we can't judge historical characters by our modern standards and sensibilities. Maybe John should be closer to Brutus in that he killed Deanerys in the end and for good reason too. I can't remember John ever killing innocent civilians in the TV show, there was no machiavellian tendency in John. He idolised Eddard Stark who he thought was his father but who turned out to be his uncle...

[@itrrii6582]

Jon snow’s death says that he is caesar💀

[@poketto7564]

I agree. Cleopatra and Marc Antony’s story is based on the idea of two extremely powerful and charismatic people coming together both romantically and politically, which is indeed seen in Jon and Dany. Obviously, Jon’s death was a homage fo Caesar but his character could easily both be a mix of the lives of Caesar AND Marc Antony. Not exactly of course, but definitely drawn from inspiration. I really wish Jon and Dany could’ve had a better ending. Such a shame to see good potential gone to total horseshit.

[@elibonsatvproduction3629]

Hell no

[@ShadowPa1adin]

From a fantasy-fiction perspective, I see a lot of Michael Moorcock's "Elric of Melnibone" in Danaerys Targaryen: Pale and beautiful with long, white hair. Exiled monarch. Descended from a great dynasty of Dragonriders. Characters of great internal conflict and tragedy. In one story he returns with an army to "liberate" the Melnibonean capital city of Imhyr from a tyrannical ursurper, but in a rage he ends up burning to the ground the very city he came to save.

[@andresmcguire-buckley1659]

Interesting..........

[@HsienKoMeiLingFormerYANG]

Viserys is really supposed be Elric. Usurper Dany stolen that role.

[@Natalie-cv2nt]

Damn👀

[@Longshanks1690]

Well, the Great Fire Of London was surely an important starting point.

[@niknak68]

She was a descendent of a greek so she sure wasnt black either

[@fatcoconut]

only istead of Henry the VII winning the throne he destroys the capital and full of rage says he will destroy the rest and gets killed by his lover, and another even more exiled and less capable takes the throne.

[@erikr968]

That look in George's eyes when he says "you don't know who's gonna die"... :)

[@yiyi3926]

Every time GRRM said die he smiled

[@ashleyelisabeth4]

Sounding like a true author 😂😂

[@danielwilliamson6180]

I never thought of Daenerys Targaryen as Cleopatra.

[@tashaglam4824]

It's been what? 8 months since this show ended and I'm still horrifically disgusted by what D&D have done to Dany's arc and that of many others. They ruined her for Star Wars and now it's revealed that Dany was ruined for nothing. Such Bullshit.

[@CX0909]

One of the most important elements to the stories is that George was willing to kill characters we liked. It’s not like dull Hollywood movies where you know some ridiculous act of god will see the main characters through to the end. That David will always beat Goliath.

[@nitr0gen_shark]

R I P my queen 😩

[@theultumateprezes6379]

Henry Tudor is Aegon VI, who wasn't even included in the series.

[@j.1hazledine787]

Always feel like young griff from the books is more Henry Tudor

[@gfilmer7150]

I get it but I'd argue that he's more like Lambert Simnel.

[@musicalcolin]

I think that the roots of Dany becoming the mad queen are pretty clear even in season 1 even if the show didn’t stick the landing at all. Plus I love the idea of a bad guy who is so charismatic you don’t even believe she’s evil.

[@kimnavarro1995]

GRRM ALREADY said dany is not like her mad father. He actually loves dany ch5in his book but of course the series change that. Cercie supposed to be the madman not dany

[@thedumbdog1964]

“Slave soldiers -they go way back.” Idk why but that made me laugh

[@Ukitsu2]

For the Dothraki let's not forget the Indo-Europeans (because of how the language sounds). Especially the Scythians, it was the first ones I think of back in 2011.

[@aliaali6421]

I’m Egyptian

[@dshepherd107]

I thought the same thing re: the Scythians. Good call

[@freshurself8945]

the language was made for the tv show, so harshly

[@tqzama1421]

I think Slaver's Bay is more Mesopotamia than ancient Egypt.

[@geraldg350]

yes, but ancient Egypt had a lot of slaves too.

[@HamanKarn567]

Even to me those pyramids look more like the ziggurats of messopotamia.

[@tqzama1421]

@@HamanKarn567 yeah, in the books they're even referred to as "stepped pyramids" which implies that GRRM may have had ziggurats in mind. Also, I've always thought of Meereen, Astapor and Yunkai as analogues of Mesopotamian city states like Babylon and Assyria.

[@Bronn92]

It's a mix of things For example, it has things of Carthago and Phoenicia, with Valyria being Rome

[@Alex-mn1fb]

Absolutely, possibly a little bit of both, but Mesopotamia more so than Egypt :)

[@MarcusTullman]

just here to say the thumbnail is one heckin bad picture of Dany

[@hybridbutterfly3908]

I know! I was nervous to enter.

[@SleepyKitty8141]

Yeaa but shes always hot no matter what😂😩😍

[@Rayzsion]

Honestly if you want game of thrones in real life, look at the succession wars after Alexander the Greats death. Absolute intrigue to read, from Perdiccas taking regency, to legendary commanders like Craterus, Antigonus, Eumenus, and many many more battling. Warrior Princess Canna, the Macedonians trying to hold in the lamian war. the breakdown of allegiences from Ptolemy to Neoptalumus. There is a great book to read called the Perdiccas Years, from there there is a lot of cool stuff to branch out and deepen the intermingeling stories with these famed companions of alexander splititng up his empire and fighting for their own part of it.

[@svenvandenboom5093]

Where can I find the full episode of this?

[@yoelpetulla3533]

Same question!

[@freecanadianshadowbanned4954]

It's sad that now in the modern climate, inspiration, influence, and homage are now instantly relegated to the category of appropriation.

[@eBuddy89]

Aegon forgot to add audio to this bit.

[@stonemorris5356]

Most gladiator fights weren’t to the death. Lindybeige does a good video on it.

[@Blood0cean]

Where was this taken from?

[@Evilanious]

'They made love on horseback' Impressive.

[@paulwilliams1731]

The Dany to Cleopatra reference goes about as far as they both rule from pyramids. I can see Alexander the great, but I think Dany as a character, her inspiration lies in Henry Tudor. After that point she's an independent character influenced by these ancient cultures, as well as slavers bay as a whole mirroring ancient history. Dany herself has largely grown into something independent of these historical attachments. Joan of Arc, meh. You could say they both see visions, but Joan's story is heavily religious, and she deals a lot within the power of royalty, whereas dany works independently. Her actions and ideas are based entirely on her personal experience.

[@thegreekdeal4747]

Alexander lead himself the battles , was much smarter he didnt radically change political systems that have been in place for centuries. The only similarities between alexander and dany is that they both were seen as liberators and they both fulfilled prophesies.

[@frakkintoasterluvva7920]

Daenerys is nothing like Henry Tudor. She had an actual strong claim to the throne, he did not. She had no help and accomplished so much on her own, he did nothing in exile, while he had his mother and Lancastrians like John Morton working for him in England. She is a revolutionary and idealist adored by thousands of people, he was an accountant king with no charisma who wasn't liked by anyone. If Henry is like anyone, it's fAegon. They even are both probably descendants of a side branch of legitimized bastards with a questionable claim to the throne (Beauforts - Blackfyres). FAegon is kind of a mix of Henry, his rival "Perkin Warbeck"/"Richard of York", and maybe a bit of Edward of Lancaster (Henry VI's son).

[@0mega7000]

You guys are both not entirely correct. @Paul Dany does not work independently based on her own experiences, she is ultimately working towards regaining her family's historical territories, and while her exploits around Slaver's Bay are an important part of her character development, they are ultimately just side quests in her greater goal. @FrakkinToaster She definitely had help, she was initially protected/backed/financed by Illyrio and Varys, received the dragon eggs from them and got introduced and betrothed to Khal Drogo through them. Then after Drogo dies she still gets by using the servants and warriors that were given to her by her late husband, meaning she was never truely alone.

[@frakkintoasterluvva7920]

@@0mega7000 She was given the dragon eggs, but no one thought she could hatch dragons, or that anyone could. She did that one her own, risking her life. Ilyrio did not finance her - he instead arranged for Viserys to sell her. She was the currency, or the gift. Her husband did not "give" her servants and followers. They were his, not hers. She only made them hers when she hatched the dragons. Varys never helped Dany in the books, he just sent assassins after her, and he and Illyrio were trying to use her to get Aegon on the throne. She was in a hard situation and accomplished almost everything through her own courage and resourcefulness. Aegon/Young Griff, on the other hand, had Jon Connington and a bunch of other people taking care of him, educating him, securing the Golden Company to fight for him, while Varys and Illyrio were working on their plan to get him on the throne. That is a lot more similar to Henry Tudor, who was in exile with his uncle Jasper and had Lancastrians and the French king helping him and giving him forces to fight when he comes to England, while in England, his mother and others like John Morton were scheming to help him win the throne. He wasn't known for any accomplishments until he invaded England, just like Aegon.

[@paulwilliams1731]

@@frakkintoasterluvva7920 @all replies, my original comment acknowledged Dany's origins in these historical figures, but I never come to a direct comparison. When I said she was independent I meant it in that as a character she has inspirations, but arrived to a place solely within George's universe. I really do like the idea that Faegon is more Henry Tudor, it does fit him well. Both him and Dany are similar in their most basic premise, which comes from tudors role in the wars of the roses.

[@inferno0020]

In the book, i wish Martin to give a more satisfying challenge for both ending the slaver rebels and competing for the throne. Ideally i wish to see how much damage the book Golden Companies and book Euron can purge the Westeros

[@heatherwheeler8330]

I love how the historians would be like, oh they ,the Dothraki,seem largely base on the Huns, and then Geroge is like , yea they are based on the Huns and many other nomad horse people.

[@godKiller.369]

K-k-k-k-k-raaaaaazzy Dany (edit) did not think of it before but just realized Dany "beaking the wheel" must be parallel to Alexander cutting the knot.

[@marcostargaryen4181]

So Henry tudor won and become king ?

[@ismihana5241]

Yes

[@joyantoghosh2983]

youtube:" you make a mistake you die" also youtube: 6:22 "not today"

[@Paulafan5]

I wonder if Taarna from the Heavy Metal movie was an inspiration for the look and motifs. I mean, white hair woman, riding a flying lizard... It's like Taarna at 13 was Daenerys. Or Dany would grow up to be Taarna.

[@archangecamilien1879]

3:52 why does he sound like Tyrion?...Haha...

[@johnjim6793]

Those who keep complaining about what happened to Daeny haven't been paying attention. It was always in the books. Daenerys has always been a charismatic revolutionary, but an abysmal ruler. Her turning mad is the main story arch of the entire series and the quintessential message that George Martin wants to tell us. Pure genius. The most inspired idea I've ever seen in a TV series in my entire life. Still funny how so many fans still think that George Martin intended Daenerys to marry Jon Snow, have his one hundred babies and rule happily ever after. He has told many, many times that this is not how life works.

[@roko123gold]

I didn’t know that the lead singer of The Killers is also a British historian... how fun

[@jacobdarling1524]

Dany isn’t nearly clever enough to be comparable with Cleopatra. The last pharaoh of Egypt was a political master player. Dany is the exact opposite of that. I buy the Alexander comparison though because she is a conqueror.

[@zer0phasez]

Read the books.

[@Magnus689]

Most of Mamluks were from Circassia and Georgia, Caucasia, many Georgian Mamluks turned into rulers, ruled Egypt for a long time

[@FunnyDude119]

I will never understand why Cleopatra is so romanticized when she sold her people out to the Romans with no hesitation but I guess we respect people who’d rather give up then fight for their people.

[@Kvh47]

I thought people just liked her because she was pretty

[@ashleyelisabeth4]

I think it has to do with the achievements she's accomplished at such a young age. Cleopatra spoke over 15 languages and was well versed in science and math. She became Queen at 18 years old and quickly reconquered lands previous Pharaohs have lost to the Romans, thanks to her being a persuasive speaker. The reason she lost Egypt to Rome is that the Senate feared her abilities to manipulate great leaders like Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius. If she was capable of that, then there was no way to stop her from overthrowing Rome and its democracy. So when Augustus took over Rome, he eventually claimed Egypt and made an agreement with Cleopatra that her children with Antonius would be spared if she gave him Egypt and was paraded through the streets of Rome to show the people Augustus won. As a result, she agreed, then planned and later succeeded in killing herself with her handmaidens shortly thereafter. It's a little long, but Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra movie does an excellent job with her story imo. It goes from the beginning of her reign all the way to her death, demonstrating why & how she became a great leader while also showing her flaws.

[@GozerTheGozerian]

She secured her power by marrying the most powerful man in the world, which was probably the best she could do. Egypt was incredibly weak and was already a vassal state to Rome at the time. Cleopatra didn't even have the throne when Caesar entered the picture.

[@dshepherd107]

I actually see some Ghengis Khan in Daenerys

[@claspe1049]

Personally i don't see the point in training a spearman for all his life. Professional warriors are expensive, train the guy to become a horse archer and do some real damage.

[@Tetricus57]

Bahram VII and his son of the pre-Islamic Persian/Iranian Empire's Sassanid dynasty fled to China, and came back to Iran to try and restore the Sassanian Empire. The Sassanids also supported brother-sister marriage during their reign. Martin doesn't mention it here, but I think the Sassanids were one of his major inspirations for the Targaryens.

[@marsultor6131]

abhishek ganguly ptolemy VI and VIII were brothers, they both married their sister (Arsinoe i think?) and Ptolemy VIII even married the daughter of his sister and his brother. Thats digusting.

[@BaremetalBaron]

"Henry VII was hiding a broad" ...where was he hiding her? In the cupboard under the stairs?

[@williamapple7705]

I think the books give her a more Cleopatra-esque identity IMO. It is kind of lost in the show, even early on. But even in the books she doesn't really win anyone over with her intelligence or diplomatic skill. She's handed a lot of her success due to outside factors after Drogo dies, which I think clearly sets her up as someone who will ultimately die in the end, and in a much less satisfying way than her real-life counterpart. Dany struggles with her own agency throughout the series, and every attempt she makes to claim it ends in a slaughter of people (right or wrong) and/or diplomatic disaster.

[@zer0phasez]

You did not read her chapter💀

[@tesseractentertainment2275]

she lived in a fairytail where she always wanted everyone to praise her

[@HamanKarn567]

Kelly Devries I've seen him in a lot of documentaries.

[@rushnafwadud]

Pretty sure I’m late here, but aren’t the Ghiscari cities of the Slaver’s Bay based more on Sumerian-Assyrian-Babylonian culture than broad strokes Egyptian because “oh look it’s pyramids”?

[@holygrailed]

wow who is the first guy talking, he's beautiful

[@tancreddehauteville9983]

That’s Historian Dan Jones, just goes to show that you can be a nerd and be hot at the same time.

[@holygrailed]

@@tancreddehauteville9983 thank you!! i'm a fan now lol

[@Cattiva]

@@holygrailed he has a podcast 😍

[@ww3news324]

Hope that thoses peoples in the war of the Rose's got a better ending that we got with Dump and Dummer.

[@TheFunFactoryChannel]

This video should be named prove me to you're not smart by pretending to be smart

[@mackmaster100]

There is also a lot of Paul Atreides from Dune which is inspired by the prophet Muhammed from Islam

[@Msbleachprincess]

What is the original documentary this is from?

[@Leopolis_P]

I’d always assumed queen bodicea would have been an inspiration for Dany, but obvs not

[@yusufisa7135]

3:32 Wow that’s pretty based

[@michaelglover6934]

George R. R. Martin is a hip-hop author, to take history and remix it, just like the founding hip-hoppers did is amazing

[@Obi-ThreeKenobi]

Spartan warriors were well above slaves. Slaves weren't allowed to serve in the Spartan military because they weren't worthy of the training.

[@herbthompson8937]

Dont see the Cleopatra similarity whatsoever.

[@amenamen1929]

In the books I think Aegon would be a better comparison for Henry VII

[@thomaswillingham4084]

Dany did the right thing with Kings Landing....some towns should burn with their people, we have quite a few

[@nellazeusgaming9720]

so you greenlight genocide like it's nothing but when put in the position to actually do it would you? Danny had to die cuz the guilt of killing all those people would've driven her mad, it already took a profound toll on her just after doing it. there's no way she could've continued living with that guilt, no matter how compelling, genocide is never the answer.

[@thomaswillingham4084]

@@nellazeusgaming9720 I disagree

[@thomaswillingham4084]

@@nellazeusgaming9720 she had no choice, every so often the people get fat and spoiled and entitled and needs a cleansing. She did what needed to be done. Don't get me wrong that last GOT season was trash but for other reasons. You've been conditioned into thinking human life above everything blah.blah blah. Reality, u want this country to come together? Shit, let 50- 100 million people die and it'll happen. People will come together lol. War is Inc btw

[@Jyjtjjtn_33df]

Have a bad day or something

[@Jyjtjjtn_33df]

Also the common people of kings landing didn’t really profit from the war they kind of were just trying to make a living

[@thescrewsareneatlyfastened]

What about the inspiration behind Reek??

[@Kriegerdammerung]

6:28 a xerox of reality: a photocopy, xerox means that ;)

[@johnelmartagbago3764]

*You compared Dany to Cleo for wrong reasons.* Just saying.

[@niknak68]

What is the name of the show this clip is taken from?

[@ashleyelisabeth4]

It was probably in the DVD sets of GOT because they usually have bonus footage like this

[@calborne1525]

I think William the Conqueror was very similar to her

[@oliverstone9577]

Cleopatra is waaaaayyyy more similar to Cersie than Daenerys. I think Dany's more similar to Queen Elizabeth.

[@crystalmonroy9111]

i remember an old interview(circa 2014?) where GRRM mentioned Queen Elizabeth as one of Danys inspirations!

[@hybridbutterfly3908]

You just majorly insulted Cleopatra.

[@oliverstone9577]

@@hybridbutterfly3908 Lol Don't get me wrong. Cleopatra was 1000% smarter and more competent as a ruler than Cersei. But seduction as their main tools of securing power, murdering political rivals, and incest were some things they had in common.

[@lady_wasser]

Than u !

[@blacktar467899]

Her story almost exactly matches the life of Temujin/ Genghis Khan.

[@Smallpotato1965]

The Spartans were not slaves, nor did they have slave armies. They had slaves, yes, but those were forbidden, on punishment of gruesome death, to ever touch a weapon. This is because the Spartans were smart enough to know that if you train slaves to be better warriors than you, they will one day slit your throat. The Islamic empires were the only ones that I know of that did have slave guards/soldiers. African ones, whom they castrated, like the Unsullied. The castration process was extremely painful and dangerous and only a small percentage boys survived it, but those who did and who ended up in the military could, if they rose through the ranks, obtain their freedom (just not the freedom to have children).

[@elibonsatvproduction3629]

Tyrion is mark antony

[@Martin-jk2ng]

Robert Baratheon was right all along.

[@BarberShave19]

Every keep saying "D&D ruined Season 8!" What does Dungeons & Dragons have to do with Game of Thrones?!

[@zyper4]

What is this clip from?

[@casualcraftman1599]

Was Robespierre an inspiration for Daenerys Tergaryen character?

[@ateto218]

Did he say the Turkish empire????

[@vivarino1521]

What most of the western powers at the time called the Ottoman Empire

[@frakkintoasterluvva7920]

Daenerys is nothing like Henry Tudor. She had an actual strong claim to the throne, he did not. She had no help and accomplished so much on her own, he did nothing in exile, while he had his mother and Lancastrians like John Morton working for him in England. She is a revolutionary and idealist adored by thousands of people, he was an accountant king with no charisma who wasn't liked by anyone. If Henry is like anyone, it's fAegon. They even are both probably descendants of a side branch of legitimized bastards with a questionable claim to the throne (Beauforts - Blackfyres). FAegon is kind of a mix of Henry, his rival "Perkin Warbeck"/"Richard of York", and maybe a bit of Edward of Lancaster (Henry VI's son).

[@takuveli]

FrakkinToaster Luvva she achieved so much on her own?? How much of that would she have achieved without her dragons or the fear of them?? How much of that would she have achieved without armies and followers obtained through her dragons and her ability to withstand the burning of fire. What of her advisors who often pleaded with her against following her worst and very often first impulses to execute, attack or burn people even throughout the entire series.

[@takuveli]

FrakkinToaster Luvva Dany achieved a LOT! just not “on her own” . I’d go as far as to say I think that Sansa achieved much more on her own especially by learning how the Game is played establishing genuine relationships even with those who had done wrong to her and her family ( Theon)

[@frakkintoasterluvva7920]

@@takuveli Did you miss the fact that she HATCHED the dragons, figuring out how and risking her life to do that? She's called the Mother of Dragons, for fuck's sake. Her advisors "against following her worst instincts"?! When?? Let me guess - you've never read the books? Jorah, who used to be a slaver, always advised her the most cynical and selfish course of action: he told her to ignore and accept the gang rape that the Dothraki were committing against the Lhazareen and not try to save the victims, he told her it was the cost of war. He also wanted to advise Drogo to sell the children into sex slavery because it pays well! In Astapor, he advised her to buy the slave soldiers, the Unsullied, to fight for her. The nice Barristan, on the other hand, advised her to... walk away from it. If it was up to them, she never would have fought against slavery. In Meereen, Shavepate was always urging her to be ruthless, while Green Grace made her make compromises with the slavers, and Hizdahr insisted she reopened the fighting pits. Daario meanwhile told her she should invite all of the Meerenese slaving nobility to a feast and kill them. She's had terrible advice most of the time, and the best decisions she made were always things she came up with herself. Some of her biggest mistakes were when she gave in to some of the bad advice (letting Shavepate torture the wineseller's daughters, agreeing to marry Hizdahr and to reopen the pits). And what the heck does Sansa have to do with it?! Why are you comparing them and pitting them against each other?! We were comparing Dany to Henry Tudor and their respective accomplishments in exile. (And I was also comparing her to fAegon.) I bet you're one of the shownlies with their ridiculous shipper war.

[@crystalmonroy9111]

Taku Music Sansa really did nothing tbh. All good things that came to her really came from Petyr Baelish

[@takuveli]

FrakkinToaster Luvva thats proving my point ..she would NOT have achieved as much as she did without her dragons and the fear of them regardless of hatching them. This was also a big point of the narrative that people no matter how good they intend to be while in pursuit of absolute power especially being the only one with weapons of mass destruction will ultimately become corrupted. “Absolute power corrupts Absolutely” For the purposes of this clip and the show I’m referring to show version of Dany and yes there are plenty of times on the show throughout the seasons when her advisors had to plead with her from her worst and first impulses to burn , crucify or execute people who she deemed would oppose her regardless of their true innocence or guilt P. S we can compare Dany with Henry Tudor and whoever else we deem necessary to compare her with- (especially characters within the same story) There is no rule against it lol And On the show- She also was not the only one with a strong claim and she absolutely did not do everything on her own- barely anyone in the show did

[@countravid3768]

Ugh, these comparisons don't match up at all, Alexander the great was suspected of murdering his father fought a war of succession where he burnt Thebes to the ground and put the population of the city to the sword and threw the rest in chains to become slaves. He was told by his mother that he was the son of Appolo and had this divine right and was even named the son of the Sun-god of Egypt when he "Liberated it" from the Persians. After his first battle with the Persians, he had minimal funds and supplies but won, he noticed the routed forces had Greek elements to it, and it turned out they were mercenaries hired by the Persians serving as a reserve for the Persian army who saw no conflict in the battle. They were chased down and put to the sword, He was a strange character some days if you spoke against him he would have your tongue removed,. Other days he would praise you for your bravery and give you gold after mocking him, near the end of the war he got into a drunken fight with one of his friends/ general and killed him, then killed the rest of his family who lived across the Empire he forged only at that point he stopped but after the war was over and he reached the border of India his men wanted to return home, he navigated them through some of the most inhospitable terrain back home because they refused to conquer India. From what I've read in the books and seen in the show, Danny shows almost none of these qualities or even historical events.

[@AroundElvesWatchUrselves96]

Son of Zeus*

[@countravid3768]

@@AroundElvesWatchUrselves96 Sorry got mixed up there. Alexander himself was the model for the image of Apollo on Macedonian coins. but was the son of Amun to the Egyptians and the son of Zeus to the Greeks.

[@ninamimi6622]

Lots of Royals had to go in excel overseas. It’s not unique to Henry vii.

[@SolDeSaBelle]

0:17 (about Danaerys and her resemblance to Joan of Ark) If Joan of Ark *had* stepped off the funeral pyre unscathed, with dragons - or, let's be honest, even without any magical beasts -, I'm fairly sure that all Abrahamic religions, all of Western culture would have been drastically changed, and I'd argue that it'd be much for the better. - The Jews would have found their Messiah, and it's a *girl* ! - The Muslims... well, I'm not quite sure, but you can be fairly sure that the Islamic Reformation would have already happened, and quite some time ago. - Christianity would be annihilated, or Christ would have been said to have come back, as promised, in the human guise of _La Pucelle d'Orléans_ , making it maybe less sinful to be a woman, but more so to *not* be a virgin, because along with Saint Mary, that would be two religiously iconic chicks who didn't get laid (allegedly)… Then, we might have ended up with something like the society depicted in that flying city in Bioshock Infinite... Or, maybe, on the opposite end of the societal scales, a utopia worthy of what Danaerys had in mind before... well, before Season 8... An idea fit for some theoretical exploration, for Alternate History channels like @AlternateHistoryHub (for instance)? No? Okay then, maybe it's just me...

[@manuelalejandro2817]

How dare you to compare the great Alexander

[@guthax30]

Man...for fans of a fantasy book you commenters sure are petty and cynical. These history nerds are just enjoying their history-channel style gushing ceremony for their little pop-history thingy...just shut up 😂✌️ who cares? why'd you click? So absurd. At least George gets a moment to speak up in these.

[@itntamir]

I'm not as much of a season 8 hater as everyone else. The question I think about is why we hate what Daenerys, when most historians rank Harry Truman to be among the great American presidents when they more or less did exactly the same thing. When you think about it, Truman was worse than Dany. There was no reason to bomb Nagasaki after Hiroshima. Japan was on the verge of surrendering, they just wanted to find a way to save face. Dani makes her point with half a city destroyed. Truman also gave a speech similar to Dany's (as did Winston Churchill with his Iron Curtain speech) that became the basis for the Cold War as well as conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. One wonders if Truman would have survived in the GoT world.

[@MarkMcAllister-ni9sf]

Cleopatra had red-hair