Black Dinners and Red Weddings
**Game of Thrones spoilers ahead**
Remember Game of Thrones? What a show that was, wasn’t it? The twists and the turns, the sex and violence, the amazing set pieces. Dragons! Zombies! Magic! Some of the most amazing TV of all time, spread over 7 seasons (season 8 doesn’t exist and if you disagree with me then I will fight you).
For this little tidbit we’re going to be looking at one of the most infamous moments in Game of Thrones and the two bloody events in Scottish history that served to inspire it.
The first story takes us back to 15th century Scotland and a notorious dinner, to which the 16-year-old William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas and his younger brother were invited, seemingly by the 10-year-old King James II of Scotland. However the occasion was actually planned by Sir William Crichton, Chancellor of Scotland. You see, the Douglas clan were powerful at this time, so much so that they were considered a threat to the stability of the nation. And Crichton thought something needed to be done about that.
At some point during the dinner a black bull’s head was brought in to the room and placed before them. This was considered a symbol of death to the Black Douglas – as the Clan Douglas were called.
Immediately afterwards the two young brothers were dragged away to be given a mock trial and were then beheaded under charge of high treason. The event would later be called the Black Dinner.
Our second story finds us in the 17th century in Glen Coe, the home of the MacDonald Clan.
At this time there was a call for all Clans to swear allegiance to King William of Orange. The MacDonald Clan agreed to make this oath. However - unbeknownst to the MacDonald clan - due to a combination of unfortunate timing, unfortunate circumstances and unfortunate people, this oath was rejected. A devious plan was then put in place by rivals of the MacDonald Clan, a plan designed to "cut off root and branch" of the MacDonald Clan.
Captain Robert Campbell and 120 men under his command arrived at Glen Coe, under the guise of requesting shelter from the MacDonald Clan. They were granted the hospitality of the Clan and stayed with them for roughly two weeks, after which they received the order to “put all to the sword under seventy."
What followed was widely regarded as one of the most callous events in Scottish history. After taking advantage of the MacDonald Clan hospitality, the soldiers killed over 30 men as they slept in their beds. Women and children fled the massacre and their burning homes, running into the blizzard outside. Around 40 died from exposure.
Due to the heavy involvement of Clan Campbell in the massacre, their reputation in the Highlands was irreparably tarnished, so much so that there is still a sign on the door of the Clachaig Inn at Glen Coe which states, 'No Campbells'.
You may have noticed the parallels in these stories with an episode from season 3 of Game of Thrones - The Rains of Castamere. That is because the climax of this episode – the Red Wedding – was directly inspired by the Black Dinner and the Massacre of Glen Coe.
Unfortunately it doesn’t appear that any interesting historical events were used for inspiration when writing season 8 (which doesn’t exist, as we agreed earlier). But it is good to know that these often overlooked parts of history can be so entertaining that they can captivate audiences hundreds of years later.
The author of the Game of Thrones series, George RR Martin is quoted as saying “No matter how much I make up, there's stuff in history that's just as bad, or worse”. Looking at just these two examples, I am inclined to agree with him. History is metal.
About the Creator
Shaun O'Neill
Formerly motivated writer taking baby steps back into the game after a big old hiatus.
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