Two Bastard Kings

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Winter's

Historical Comparisons

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Context

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According to the Tv series, Jon Snow is not a bastard but to me that takes away from his character. His whole life was spent thinking of himself as a bastard and overcoming the stigma around being one. In the show he became King in the North. A bastard that everyone thought was never going to get far was elected by the Lords of the North as their King.

So knowing this, prepare yourself for another historical comparison, this time between the bastard of a portuguese King who became King himself, D. Joao I (Primeiro) and Jon Snow.

I know there are other bastards who became Kings but, since I'm portuguese, I know a lot more about D. Joao I than I know about the other bastard Kings.

I should also mention that this is an entry to the #DoVMultiChallenge.

#CharacterComparison

So without further ado, I present to you...

D. Joao I

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D.Joao I was the bastard son of D. Pedro I (The King who made a dead woman his Queen), either by a common girl from Lisbon or a woman of noble birth. We know though, that her name was Teresa Lourenço or a variant of that (Tareija).

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Not much is known about his early life. We know he was given the title of Grand Master of Avis (a religious military order) at around 7 years old but he only came into the scene when the succession crisis of 1383 - 1385 started.

This crisis happened because King Fernando I died without a male heir. His daugther Beatrice was his presumed heiress but she was married to the King of Castille. This would mean that, if she became Queen, Portugal would become part of Castille once she had a son to put on the throne after her death.

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Obviously the people didn't want to lose their independence.

The Queen Regent (Beatrice's mother) was in a romantic relationship with her Galician secretary, Joao Andeiro. The influence he had at court caused a lot of displeasure among the people and the bourgeoisie.

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Both of these factors combined lead to a desire for rebellion to brew among the Portuguese people. Nobody wanted to see their country lose it's independence.

So they turned to the bastard half brother of the late King Fernando, Joao.

A faction was created and the people fought to put the Master of Avis on the throne, since he was the preferred national candidate.

In 1383, the lover of the dowager queen, Conde Andeiro, was murdered by conspirators lead by Joao. After that he was acclaimed rector and defendor of the realm by the people of Lisbon.

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In 1384, after Portugal had won a battle against Castille, the Castillian army besieged the capital, leading to a famine and the death of many.

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The portuguese people didn't surrender though and in 1385, D. Joao was crowned king, after having weakened John I, of Castille's army to the point that he didn't attempt to invade again until years after.

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In 1387, D. Joao married Phillipa of Lencaster, daugther of John of Gaunt, who had sent troups to aid Portugal against Castille. This was the start of the Anglo-Portuguese, that lasts to the present day.

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He was the first portuguese King to have the title of Lord of Ceuta and his children went on to pursue his dream of acquiring territories in Africa and are known as "The Illustrious Generation". His only daugther, Isabel was married to Phillip the Good and was the mother of Charles the Bold.

Jon Snow

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Jon Snow was born in 283 AC, during Robert's Rebellion, supposedly being the bastard son of Eddard Stark with an unknown woman (Wylla, according to Ned Stark).

He went to the Wall at 14, to become a Black Brother. Initially he is seen as arrogant in the eyes of other men of the NW due to having been trained by Winterfell's master-at-arms. This leads them to tease them about being a bastard all the time.

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Jon lived all his life believing himself to be a bastard and putting himself down because of it. He was never welcomed at Winterfell, since Catelyn hated him and at the Wall he was continuously teased, being called Lord Snow by his Brothers.

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But, as we know, Jon rose above this status. He was a natural leader and mentor. This lead to him being elected Lord Commander of the NW.

After bringing the wildlings past the Wall as a way to save them from the Others, Jon Snow gets stabbed by mutineers, who saw him as a traitor.

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In the TV series, Jon Snow is brought back to life by Melisandre, being released from his vows due to his death. This leads him to ride South to fight against the Boltons, who occupied his family's castle and declared themselves the new wardens of the North.

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He wins the Battle of the Bastards with the help of the Knights of the Vale, summoned by his half sister Sansa.

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This victory earns him the respect of the Lords of the North, who name him King in the North.

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Comparison

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The most obvious similarity between these two Kings is that they were both bastards who rose above this status and gained respect among the people and nobles.

The North had lost its "independence" under the leadership of the Boltons, who were hated by the North's population.

Portugal was close to losing its independece as well, being ruled by hated figures such as the Queen Regent and her Galician lover.

Even though D.Joao was loved by the people of Portugal, the Castilians called him "The Bastard" and hated him, much like Jon Snow was mocked during his entire life for not being legitimate and gaining power nonetheless.

The most important similarity is that both of these figures were chosen by the people for "saving" them from tyranny. They both had natural leadership skills as well.

End

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So this concludes my comparison and my entry for the challenge. I hope everyone enjoyed reading this.

Winter here with,

#IceMPyre

#DoV

#DragonsOfValyria