The black dinner

The Red Wedding, where the Freys and Boltons betrayed Robb Stark during the wedding of his uncle Edmure Tully to Rosin Tully, is one of the most infamous scenes from Game of Thrones. The result of the action was the demise of Robb, his wife, and his mother, the hostage-taking of Edmure, the appointment of the Boltons and the Freys as the respective Wardens of The North and The Riverlands, and the temporary cessation of the secession of these lands.

The Black Dinner in 1440 had an impact on The Red Wedding. James II, who was 10 when he became king of Scotland during this time, ruled during this period, and his court was rife with rival groups fighting for control. Clan Douglas was seen as a potential danger to the authority of Alexander Livingston, the Lord Chancellor, and Sir William Crichton. The 16-year-old William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas, and his younger brother were enticed to an Edinburgh Castle meal of reconciliation with the monarch. The Douglases were hauled out and put to death after being given a Black Bull's head, a death symbol.

Even though the Red Wedding is one of the most devastating scenes in all of the Game of Thrones, those who are familiar with Scottish mythology might have predicted Catelyn and Robb Stark's deaths. The Red Wedding was in fact directly influenced by two events in European history. The Glencoe Massacre and the Red Wedding have comparable levels of violence, while the Black Dinner in 1440 more closely resembles George R.R. Martin's literature in terms of finer details.