In “The wars that inspired Game of Thrones,” a TED-Ed lesson animated by Brett Underhill, narrator Alex Gendler explains the history of the Wars of the Roses, the infamously willful and drawn-out series of battles between the Houses of Lancaster and York for the British crown, and how it relates to the popular television series Game of Thrones.

Beginning around 1377, medieval England was shaken by a power struggle between two noble families, which spanned generations and involved a massive cast of characters, complex motives and shifting loyalties. Sound familiar? Alex Gendler illustrates how the historical conflict known as the Wars of the Roses served as the basis for much of the drama in Game of Thrones.