Advance ticket sales have ended but plenty of additional tickets remain available at the door.
Profs and Pints DC presents: “A Scholarly Tour of House of the Dragon,” an exploration of the historical influences on HBO’s hit series, with David Routt, adjunct professor of history at the University of Richmond and scholar of medieval Europe.
No, dragons don’t exist. But the hit HBO series House of the Dragon does indeed evoke real people and real events. It harkens back to a twelfth-century English king who, lacking a male heir, made the unprecedented move of putting forward his daughter as his successor. His daughter’s assertion of her claim to the throne plunged England into two decades of political and civil turmoil—a time known as “the Anarchy.”
Come learn about the history underlying House of the Dragon with Dr. David Routt, a medievalist whose teaching has earned him glowing reviews from students at the University of Richmond. He’ll explore parallels between the Anarchy and complex dynastic saga portrayed in House of the Dragon, pointing out where the television series departs from its medieval inspiration and assessing how well the imaginary kingdom of Westeros reflects the medieval culture and mindset.
In the process, he’ll broadly discuss issues raised by the historical accuracy of portrayals of the European Middle Ages in movies and television. He’ll talk about how the scholarly desire for realism is not necessarily well-served by the filmmaker’s need to turn a profit, and how some medieval-themed films—Braveheart comes to mind—amount to great entertainments but dubious history.
At the same time, writers of popular fantasy, unburdened by the historian’s imperative to be relentlessly factual, sometimes still manage to convey the values, culture, and mentality of the medieval world in creating the storylines and atmospherics of the worlds they have imagined.
The author George R. R. Martin has acknowledged his debt to England’s medieval era in writing the fantasy novels on which HBO’s Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are based. Does the historical accuracy of the books and series really matter? Even if they reflect fantasy more than reality, can we still learn from them? His talk will enhance your enjoyment of such works and offer guidance on how to learn historical truths from your favorite entertainment. (Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)
Image: From “Miracles de Nostre Dame.” (National Library of the Netherlands)