Cersei Lannister, the evil queen we love to hate
Elizabeth Woodville was a fascinating historical figure, not for nothing has so much been written about her.
In her turn, Cersei Lannister is a character that deserves more attention from us.
”You love your children. It’s your one redeeming quality; that and your cheekbones.”
Tyrion Lannister
Nevertheless, she would have needed not our hatred but our compassion because this character was unhappy. Her son, Geoffrey, whom she loves like the apples of her eyes, is a monster she can no longer contain in any way. Her father, the great strategist Tywin Lannister, has no problem marrying her to whomever he feels like to fulfill his power games. He did in the past when he married her to King Robert Baratheon. He wanted to do it a second time to Loras Tyrell but never got around to putting his plan into action. Plus, her relationship with Jaime Lannister isn’t going perfectly either. Even if Cersei doesn’t become more sympathetic to us for these reasons, we should still feel at least a touch of sympathy for her.
Cersei Lannister may be based on a historical figure mentioned in previous articles, Elizabeth Woodville (or Wydville). A beauty of her time, Elizabeth was the daughter of an English aristocracy family. The men in her family fought on the side of the Lancastrians against the Yorks (Edward IV, the man Elizabeth Woodville married, belonged to the Yorks).
Like Cersei, Elizabeth had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a stately appearance. Tywin Lannister tells Lady Olenna (House Tyrell) that Cersei is the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms. The same could be said of Elizabeth Woodville in her time. Legend has it that Elizabeth met Edward IV while he was at a hunting party. Elizabeth was a widow with two sons and tried to obtain the lands she had lost from King Edward after her husband’s death. (Incidentally, her husband, Sir John Grey. had fought on the side of the House of Lancaster, removed from power by the House of York, Edward thus becoming king).
According to the stories that have come down to us, Elizabeth waited for Edward under an oak tree, a symbol of the occult. Known to be a great lover of women, Edward is said to have been instantly smitten by the beautiful Elizabeth. He asked her to become his mistress, and when she refused, he even tried to rape her. Elizabeth escaped after threatening to kill herself with a dagger rather than sacrifice her honor. (For the full story, read Philippa Gregory’s The White Queen or watch The White Queen series).
But because he fell head over heels in love, Edward IV eventually agreed to marry Elizabeth Woodville, first in secret. Only Elizabeth’s mother knew, at least for a while. Like his future nephew, Henry VIII, Edward let his heart rather than reason guide him. King Edward IV’s marriage to the beautiful Elizabeth Woodville was to be as disastrous as Robb Stark’s in GoT. It led to the ruin of the House of York.
Before King Edward’s secret marriage, his right-hand man, the Earl of Warwick, the Kingmaker, went to France to arrange the marriage between the English king and a French princess. When Warwick returned with the news that the marriage could be arranged, Edward had no choice but to admit that he was already married. Warwick felt humiliated that he had to cancel the treaty with France and never forgave Edward for it. There were rumors that King Edward IV’s mother, the no less famous Cecily Neville, threatened to denounce her son as illegitimate, so much so that she hated his marriage to the beautiful Elizabeth.
In some ways, Edward IV’s England was similar to the kingdom of Westeros, which was torn apart by a hasty decision. However, Cersei’s story in GoT is different. While Cersei’s husband, Robert Baratheon, wasn’t very interested in her, Edward was crazy about Elizabeth, as evidenced by the marriage and what followed. Like Robert Baratheon, Edward frequently cheated on Elizabeth. However, no evidence exists that Elizabeth Woodville cheated on him, as Cersei did.
But even despite the differing narratives, the two women, Cersei Lannister and Elizabeth Woodville, have quite a lot in common. Both were known as people who put their own needs and those of their families before those of others.
“ Anyone who isn’t us is an enemy.”
Cersei Lannister
Both are strong women, but not much like medieval women. Recall Arya’s response to Tywin Lannister, who remarks that she reminds him of his daughter Cersei:
“Most girls are idiots.”
Cersei and Elizabeth suffered from gossip, even if the rumors weren’t always true. About Cersei, we know what they say, that she was having an affair with her twin brother. There is no such gossip about Elizabeth Woodville and her brothers. Still, the Woodwilles have had their share of other stories, no less troublesome.
During Elizabeth Woodville’s lifetime, there were rumors that her family had plotted the downfall of the former Mayor of London, Sir Thomas Cook, simply because they were so keen to get their hands on a tapestry in Cook’s house. After the mayor refused to sell the tapestry to the Queen’s mother, her family plotted his downfall, concocting a treason charge. While he was under arrest, Elizabeth’s brothers stormed the mayor’s house, destroyed all his possessions, stole the tapestry, and scattered his fortune.
Elizabeth also persuaded her husband, the King, to accuse his brother George, Duke of Clarence, of treason. She would have had reason to hold a grudge against George because he had allied himself with Warwick and had illegally captured and executed the queen’s brother and father. The Woodvilles had a lot of influence in the court when the King’s brother was on trial.
It is hard to say today whether Elizabeth was an evil woman. If the answer is yes, that is a good thing because, in those days, women did not enjoy much power.
Elizabeth Woodville is a controversial figure for historians. Suppose Elizabeth was indeed the inspiration for Cersei Lannister. In that case, when George R.R. Martin began writing the books, most historians considered Elizabeth Woodville a calculating, ambitious, ruthless, greedy, and arrogant woman.
Reading recommendations
- Medieval Queens: A “Beautiful Woman” and a “Reluctant Queen”, http://conorbyrnex.blogspot.com/2013/01/medieval-queens-beautiful-woman-and.html
- Arlene Okerlund, Elizabeth: England’s Slandered Queen
- David Baldwin, Elizabeth Woodville: Mother of the Princes in the Tower
- Alison Weir, Princes in the Tower
- Alison Weir, Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses
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