Everyone knows or at least has heard of Game of Thrones by now. In the realm of real life history, many of the show’s unforgettable personalities have surprisingly close counterparts. We’ll walk you through ten fascinating figures who could have walked straight out of Westeros and into the annals of history.
Real Life Counterparts Unveiled
10 Perkeo And Tyrion Lannister
Tyrion Lannister is the beloved, quick‑witted dwarf who constantly reaches for a goblet of wine. His real‑life twin, Perkeo, was a court jester in Heidelberg who later became the master of the Tun, essentially the chief wine steward. Perkeo’s entire career revolved around wine—he allegedly drank nothing but it, meeting his end only after a single glass of water.
Beyond the anecdotes that feel like fan‑fiction, Perkeo also shares a geographic link with Tyrion: he hailed from South Tyrol, a region that mirrors Tyrion’s sharp, cultured background.
9 Queen Isabeau And Cersei Lannister
Both Queen Isabeau of France and Cersei Lannister rose to power as regents when their husbands could not rule, and both were deeply unpopular with their subjects. Their notoriety is amplified by their extramarital affairs—Cersei’s infamous liaison with her brother Jaime finds a historical echo in Isabeau’s rumored romances with her brother‑in‑law.
While Cersei’s affairs were kept secret until the series unfolded, Isabeau’s indiscretions were public knowledge, fueling scandal and weakening the French crown.
8 Louis d’Orleans And Jaime Lannister
Louis d’Orleans added a dramatic twist to French history by courting the queen and then having his hand cut off—a scandal that rivals Jaime Lannister’s own betrayals. Louis’s affair sparked rumors that Charles VII was his illegitimate son, challenging the rightful succession and creating a dynastic crisis.
7 Sigurd The Mighty And Khal Drogo
Khal Drogo is the iconic, fierce war‑lord with a mane that never loses a battle. While many might compare him to Genghis Khan, the most striking parallel is his untimely death. Drogo succumbs to a simple infection from a minor wound. In a bizarre historical echo, Sigurd the Mighty died after a similar infected injury: after beheading an enemy, he scraped his leg on the corpse’s tooth, and the resulting infection proved fatal.
6 Joan Of Arc And Brienne Of Tarth
Joan of Arc and Brienne of Tarth share more than a noble heart. Though Brienne towers over Joan, both favor masculine armor, keep short hair, and shun drunkenness, womanizing, and swearing. Their shared virginity earned them the moniker “The Maid.” While the High Sparrow’s storyline may have ended, Brienne’s fate remains far less tragic than Joan’s martyrdom.
5 Caligula And Aerys II Targaryen (‘The Mad King’)
Both Caligula and Aerys II Targaryen began their reigns with promise, only to spiral into madness. Caligula’s descent followed a high‑grade fever that left him erratic and cruel—ordering executions for sport, sleeping with other men’s wives, and flaunting incestuous behavior. Aerys mirrored this cruelty, earning the dreaded title “The Mad King.” Both met their ends at the hands of their own guards.
4 Roman Emperor Julian And The High Sparrow
The High Sparrow challenged the entrenched powers of Westeros, championing a grassroots faith in the Seven. Similarly, Emperor Julian, known as the “Apostate,” promoted religious tolerance and sought to revive the old Roman gods, positioning himself against the dominant Christian orthodoxy. Both leaders attempted to reshape the spiritual landscape to suit their political aims.
3 Wei Zhongxian And Varys The Eunuch
Varys, the master of whispers in Westeros, is defined by his eunuch status and extensive spy network. His real‑life analogue, Wei Zhongxian, rose from poverty, became a eunuch to settle debts, and then wielded unparalleled influence over the Ming court, heading a secret police force that eclipsed Varys’s reach. While Varys escaped after the king’s death, Wei’s power collapsed with the premature demise of his emperor, leading to his suicide.
2 The Janissaries And The Unsullied
The Unsullied are an elite, slave‑born army in Westeros, stripped of identity and trained to fight as one. Their historical counterpart, the Ottoman Janissaries, were also conscripted young boys taken from Christian families, converted to Islam, and indoctrinated to serve the sultan with unwavering loyalty. The Janissaries were among the first to employ firearms on a large scale, though the Unsullied’s dragon‑backed firepower would likely outshine muskets.
1 Vlad Dracula And Ramsay Bolton
Vlad the Impaler, famed for his gruesome methods, shares a chilling affinity with Ramsay Bolton. Both revel in terrorizing foes—Vlad through impalement, Ramsay through flaying. Their tactics also align: each launched night assaults on enemy camps, sowing confusion and cutting supply lines. Vlad’s raid on an Ottoman encampment caused soldiers to turn on each other, a chaotic echo of Ramsay’s sabotage of the Baratheon march.