George R R Martin, the mind behind the story, has said the series is based on the Wars of the Roses – a series of civil wars fought between the houses of York and Lancaster in the 1400s. But Cersei, who had a lifelong incestuous relationship with her brother Jaime, might have been based on a queen from the 1500s rumoured to have had an affair with her brother. Some believe Cersei is based on Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII.
There has been much speculation about the fate of the much-hated Cercei after the last Game of Thrones episode, but she is unlikely to meet exactly the same unfortunate fate as her real-life equivalent.
Anne had a daughter who would go on to become Elizabeth I, but failed to produce a male heir.
After her relationship with Henry soured beyond repair, she was accused of witchcraft and having an incestuous relationship with her brother George.
While these rumours are unlikely, she was still beheaded by her husband, who then went on to marry four more women.
Cersei Lannister & Anne Boleyn (Image: HBO & GETTY)
George was also executed for the alleged affair, charged with treason and incest.
The Lannisters have avoided facing such charges in Martin's fictional world, despite it seeming to be King’s Landing's worst kept