Since it first aired in 2011, Game of Thrones galloped up the ratings to become the most watched show in HBO s history. It is no secret that creator George R.R. Martin was inspired by late 15th century Europe when writing A Song of Ice and Fire, the sprawling saga on which the show is based. Since it first aired in 2011, Game of Thrones galloped up the ratings to become the most watched show in HBO s history. It is no secret that creator George R.R. Martin was inspired by late 15th century Europe when writing A Song of Ice and Fire, the sprawling saga on which the show is based. Notes on Contributors Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction: The Winter of our Discontent Brian A. Pavlac Part One: Kings, Queens, Knights and Strategy 1. High and Mighty Queens of Westeros Kavita Mudan Finn 2. A Machiavellian Discourse on Game of Thrones Jacopo della Quercia 3. Chivalry in Westeros Steven Muhlberger (CANADA) 4. Of Kings, their Battles, and Castles Brian A. Pavlac Part Two: Slaves, Barbarians, and Other Others 5. Barbarian Colonizers and Post-Colonialism in Westeros and in Britain Shiloh Carroll 6. The Eastern Question Mat Hardy 6. A Defense against the Other : Constructing Sites on the Edge of Civilization and Savagery Brian de Ruiter 8. Slaves with Swords: Slave Soldiers in Essos and the Islamic World Robert J. Haug Part Three: Women and Children 9. Rocking Cradles and Hatching Dragons: Parents in Game of Thrones Janice Liedl 10. Oh, my sweet summer child : Children and Childhood in Game of Thrones Helle Strandgaard Jensen and Magnus Qvistgaard  11. Writing the Rules of their Own Game: Medieval Female Agency and Game of Thrones Nicole M. Mares 12. The Strength of Sansa Stark: A Representation of Female Agency in Late Medieval England Danielle Alesi Part Four: Religion 13. Continuity and Transformation in the Religions of Westeros and Western Europe Don Riggs 14. Religious Violence in Game of Thrones: An Historical Background from Antiquity to the European Wars of Religion Maureen Attali 15. Co-existence and Conflict in the Faith Landscapes of Game of Thrones Daniel Clasby 16. I Shall Take No Wife : Celibate Societies in Westeros and Western Civilization Kris Swank Part Five: Background 17. By Whisper and Raven: Information and Communication in Game of Thrones Giacomo Giudici 18. What s in a Name? History and Fantasy in Game of Thrones Sara L. Uckelman, Sonia Murphy, & Joseph Percer 19. Setting up Westeros: the Medieval-esque World of Game of Thrones Gillian Polack Appendix: List of Books and Episodes Index