The Black Dinner of 1440 was the inspiration for the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones. The teenage Earl of Douglas and his younger brother were invited to Edinburgh Castle for dinner with the young King James II. Chancellor Crichton, determined to destroy Douglas power, had them arrested at table. A black bull's head — symbol of death — was placed on the table. Despite the king's pleading, the Douglas boys were summarily tried and beheaded in the courtyard. The event traumatised the young king and shaped his later obsession with destroying the Douglases.
Sixth Earl of Douglas and his brother executed
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