The real-life story that inspired House of the Dragon contained even more violence

House of the Dragon season two is due to air on Sky Atlantic and Now TV.

The real-life inspiration behind House of the Dragon is even more brutal and horrifying than the TV series it gave birth to.

Game of Thrones author George RR Martin shares this view, stating "no matter how much I make up, there's stuff in history that's just as bad, or worse." Viewers might find this hard to swallow, given that HBO's House of the Dragon showcases 500ft-long dragons spewing fire.

The second season's first episode alone portrays graphic scenes of an axe to the face, a crudely performed and fatal caesarean, and a plethora of bloodied, severed organs and limbs. However, Martin's universe of Lannisters and Starks is inspired by the War of the Roses, a 15th-century civil war revolving around a conflict between the House of York and the House of Lancaster, according to author Alice Loxton in the Telegraph.

Meanwhile, House of the Dragon draws its inspiration from the history of 12th-century England, where King Henry I faced a succession crisis, despite fathering an estimated 25 illegitimate children, historians suggest. Henry's reign was marred by tragedy in 1120 when his only legitimate son, William Adelin, perished along with England's aristocratic youth in what was known as the White Ship Disaster.

This left his daughter Matilda - a real-life counterpart to Rhaenyra Targaryen - as the heir to the throne. Despite being engaged to the Roman Emperor, the idea of a female monarch did not sit well with the public. The death of Henry in 1135, without a clear succession plan, led to a power vacuum where anyone - be it children, cousins, or advisors - could seize control. This sparked a Game of Thrones-style division.

Stephen of Blois, Matilda's cousin, claimed the crown and ruled from 1135 to 1154, but his grip on power was tenuous at best. He controlled the south-west, leaving the rest of the nation to unruly barons while his cousin maintained her own power.

A vile group of villains emerged during this time, including Robert FitzHubert, who reportedly "boasted gratuitously that he had been present when eighty monks were burnt together with their church". His sadistic pastimes allegedly included torturing prisoners by stripping them naked, smearing them with honey, and leaving them under the scorching sun to be attacked by flies and insects until they died of dehydration.

Meanwhile, the Scots are reported to have seized the opportunity to invade northern England. Henry Huntingdon claimed they committed horrific atrocities, such as "ripping open pregnant women" and "tossing children on the points of their spears, butchered priests at the altars".

The ensuing chaos across England saw clergy swapping cassocks for weapons and abandoning their congregations, leaving ordinary people to face desolation. Women and girls became targets for roaming savages who raped and pillaged, while men were drawn into conflicts they neither understood nor cared about.

People either fortified their homes around churches or fled overseas. Poor harvests led to famines, forcing people to resort to eating their own dogs or horses out of sheer desperation.

The turmoil continued for nearly two decades until Stephen named Matilda's son Henry as his successor in a peace agreement. However, The Telegraph suggests that tales of chaos and the collapse of civilisation might be overstated.

Historians of the era were either pro-Stephen or pro-Matilda. While there were violent barons, many were reportedly advocates of law and order.

Stephen's reign was plagued with issues - including threats from Matilda's husband Geoffrey in Normandy, King David of Scotland, and the barons. It is believed there were "as many kings, or rather tyrants, as there were lords of castles," according to chronicler William of Newburgh.

With tragic shipwrecks, divided nations and kingdoms, an absence of law and order, along with famine and tyranny, it's no wonder early-medieval England is said to inspire fantasy fiction writers like Martin.

It appears that the author is right, and while history has its fair share of Red Wedding-like moments, it lacked the fire-breathing mythical creatures we see in House of the Dragon.

HBO's House of the Dragon season two premieres on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV on Tuesday, June 18, with fans keen to witness the conflict that will engulf the Targaryen dynasty of dragon lords.

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