The wars that inspired Game of Thrones - Alex Gendler

翻译人员: Moire Yim 校对人员: Jenny Yang

As far as we know,

就我们所知，

Medieval England was never invaded by ice zombies,

中世纪的英国不是被冰僵尸入侵，

or terrorized by dragons,

也不是受到恶龙的威胁，

but it was shaken by a power struggle between two noble families

而是被两个贵族家庭之间的权力斗阵而动摇。

spanning generations

这场斗争持续了世世代代，

and involving a massive cast of characters

牵连众多人物，

with complex motives and shifting loyalties.

有的动机复杂、有的见风使舵

If that sounds familiar,

——如果那些听着耳熟的话，

it's because the historical conflicts known as the Wars of the Roses

那是因为电视剧《权力的游戏》大部分的背景

served as the basis for much of the drama in Game of Thrones.

都是取材于刚才提及的历史斗争："玫瑰战争"。

The real-life seeds of war were sewn by the death of King Edward III in 1377.

战争的起因是从1377年，爱德华三世逝世开始。

Edward's oldest son had died before his father,

爱德华的长子死在他之前，

but his ten-year-old son, Richard II,

但他十岁的儿子，理查二世，

succeeded to the throne ahead of Edward's three surviving sons.

越过顺位继承人－爱德华的其他三个儿子， 继承了王位。

This skipping of an entire generation

由于略过了一代人的关系，

left lingering claims to the throne among their various offspring,

导致这三位儿子的后代一直缠绕着王位继承的问题。

particularly the Lancasters, descended from Edward's third son,

尤以三儿子的后代兰卡斯特一族

and the Yorks, descended from his fourth son.

和四儿子的后代约克一族争论最激烈。

The name of the ensuing wars

玫瑰战争的名字，

comes from the symbols associated with the two families,

和两个家族的家徽有关。

the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster.

白玫瑰代表约克一族；红玫瑰则是兰开斯特一族。

The Lancasters first gained the throne

1399年，亨利四世罢免理查二世。

when Richard II was deposed by his cousin Henry IV in 1399.

兰卡斯特一族首先夺得王位。

Despite sporadic unrest,

尽管社会偶尔有骚动，

their reign remained secure until 1422,

兰卡斯特一族的统治亦一直持续到1422年。

when Henry V's death in a military campaign

然而，当亨利五世于军营病逝，

left an infant Henry VI as king.

留下了幼小的亨利六世继承王位。

Weak-willed and dominated by advisors,

意志软弱，同时受到臣子们的蠱惑，

Henry was eventually convinced to marry Margaret of Anjou to gain French support.

亨利六世最终被说服迎娶安茹的玛格丽特， 换取法国的支持。

Margaret was beautiful, ambitious,

玛格丽特既美丽，亦有野心、

and ruthless in persecuting any threat to her power,

她冷酷地对待任何威胁到她的权力的人，

and she distrusted Richard of York, most of all.

其中她特别不信任约克一族的理查。

York had been the King's close advisor and loyal General,

约克一族世世代代也是国王的近臣和忠诚的将军，

but was increasingly sidelined by the Queen,

但皇后渐渐提拔她的支持者，

who promoted her favorite supporters, like the Earls of Suffolk and Somerset.

如萨福克伯爵和森密实伯爵， 架空了约克一族。

York's criticism of their inept handling of the war against France

约克一族对于他们在法国战役中的无能作出批评，

led to his exclusion from court and transfer to Ireland.

导致在议会中被驱逐，和流放爱尔兰。

Meanwhile, mounting military failures,

同时，战场上接二连三的失败，

and corrupt rule by Margaret and her allies

和玛格丽特与她的同党们迂腐的管治下，

caused widespread discontent,

引起了社会广泛的不不满。

and in the midst of this chaos,

在这一片混乱之中，

Richard of York returned with an army to arrest Somerset and reform the court.

理查·约克带领军队回归， 捉拿森密实伯爵和重组议会。

Initially unsuccessful, he soon got his chance

尽管一开始并不成功， 理查很快便发现他的机会，

when he was appointed Protector of the Realm

在亨利六世的一次精神崩溃的时候，

after Henry suffered a mental breakdown.

他被任命为护国将军。

However, less than a year later,

然而，一年之内，

Henry suddendly recovered

亨利六世突然康复，

and the Queen convinced him to reverse York's reforms.

同时玛格丽特劝喻他推翻理查·约克的改革。

York fled and raised an army once more.

理查逃亡，再次组织一支军队。

Though he was unable to directly seize the throne,

虽然他没办法直接地夺取王位，

he managed to be reinstated as Protector

但他成功地再次成为护国将军，

and have himself and his heirs designated to succeed Henry.

自己和后代亦成为亨利六世的继承者。

But instead of a crown,

可惜的是，

York's head acquired a pike

理查·约克没能成功戴上王冠，

after he was killed in battle with the Queen's loyalists.

而是在与皇后的支持者对战时被一枝矛刺中而亡。

His young son took up the claim and was crowned Edward IV.

他年幼的儿子继承了他，成为了爱德华四世。

Edward enjoyed great military success against the Lancasters.

后来，爱德华四世沉醉于战胜兰卡丝一族的喜悦。

Henry was captured,

亨利六世被俘获，

while Margaret fled into exile

玛格丽特则带着他们残暴为名的儿子

with their reportedly cruel son, Edward of Westminster.

威敏斯特的爱德华被迫流亡

But the newly crowned King made a tragic political mistake

可是，新国王犯了一个可悲的政治错误。

by backing out of his arranged marriage with a French Princess

他没有信守承诺，迎娶法国公主，

to secretly marry the widow of a minor Noble.

而是私底下和一个低级贵族的寡妇结婚。

This alienated his most powerful ally, the Earl of Warwick.

这使他失去了最有力的支持——华威伯爵。

Warwick allied with the Lancasters,

华威伯爵于是与兰卡斯特一族练手，

turned Edward's jealous younger brother, George, against him,

连同爱德华四世爱妒的弟弟，乔治， 一起对付他。

and even briefly managed to restore Henry as King,

他们甚至成功地重新拥立亨利六世为国王。

but it didn't last.

可惜，这并没有持续太久。

Edward recaptured the throne,

爱德华重新夺回王位，

the Lancaster Prince was killed in battle,

兰卡斯特一族的王子则战死于战役中。

and Henry himself died in captivity not long after.

亨利六世亦在俘获后不久逝世。

The rest of Edward IV's reign was peaceful,

爱德华四世的统治一直安然无事，

but upon his death in 1483, the bloodshed resumed.

直至1483年，他的逝世使到腥风血雨再次刮起。

Though his twelve-year-old son was due to succeed him,

虽然，他12岁的儿子继承了他的王位，

Edward's younger brother Richard III declared his nephews illegitimate

但是他的弟弟，爱德华三世声称侄子并没有继承权，

due to their father's secret marriage.

只因为他是父亲的秘密婚姻下的结果。

He assumed the regency himself and threw the boys in prison.

他成了摄政王，然后囚禁侄子们。

Though no one knows what ultimately became of them,

尽管没人清楚他们的结果，

after a while, the Princes disappeared

但在王子们消失以后，

and Richard's power seemed secure.

理查德王位看上去再没有任何威胁。

But his downfall would come only two years later

可惜，两年之后，

from across the narrow sea of the English Channel.

他在英伦海峡迎来了他的没落。

Henry Tudor was a direct descendant of the first Duke of Lancaster,

亨利·都铎是兰卡斯特公爵的直系子孙，

raised in exile after his father's death in a previous rebellion.

在他父亲死于叛乱之后， 一直在流放之地长大。

With Richard III's power grab causing a split in the York faction,

理查三世夺取权力的关系， 导致约克一族开始分裂。

Henry won support for his royal claim.

亨利亦赢得别人的支持，拥护他为王。

Raising an army in France, he crossed the Channel in 1485

在法国筹备一支军队以后， 1485年亨利横渡英伦海峡，

and quickly defeated Richard's forces.

并且迅速地击退了理查三世的军队。

And by marrying Elizabeth of York, elder sister of the disappeared Princes,

他后来迎娶了消失的王子们的姐姐—— 约克的伊丽莎白。

the newly crowned Henry VII joined the two roses,

新上任的亨利七世联合两个家族，

finally ending nearly a century of war.

结束了持续接近了一个世纪的战争。

We often think of historical wars as decisive conflicts

我们经常认为，历史上的战争都是黑白分明，

with clearly defined winners and losers.

有着绝对的胜者和败者。

But the Wars of the Roses, like the fiction they inspired,

但在“玫瑰战争”中， 正如那本被他们启发的小说一样，

show us that victories can be uncertain,

告诉了我们，胜利不一定是肯定的，

alliances unstable,

联盟不一定是稳固的，

and even the power of Kings as fleeting as the seasons.

甚至是国王的权力也可以像是四季更迭般一样飘忽。

-完-