Matching 50 Game of Thrones characters with 50 European countries

Vatican City: High Sparrow

This pick is pretty obvious, huh?

The Vatican City is technically an independent state located within Rome. An ecclesiastical state ruled by the pope, it’s the smallest country on our list. The pope is the head of the Catholic Church (duh), so Vatican City and Catholicism are inextricably linked.

It only made sense to pair Vatican City with a religious figure from Game of Thrones. While there are more than a few candidates to choose from — Melisandre, Stannis Baratheon or even Beric Dondarrion come to mind — one character fit better than all the rest: the High Sparrow.

As the High Septon of the Faith, the High Sparrow is basically the Westerosi equivalent of the pope, and there’s no place the pope would rather be than Vatican City. The High Sparrow is also a major power player. He knows how to get others to bend to his will, when can result in bloodshed when he sends the Faith Militant to do his dirty work.

While the pope is in no way the extremist the High Sparrow is, he is also a major player. When the pope speaks, the world listens. From his home base in Vatican City, the pope has a great deal of influence, just as the High Sparrow has some level of control over King’s Landing.