Matching 50 Game of Thrones characters with 50 European countries

Switzerland: Littlefinger

If there’s any character who really knew how to really play the game of thrones, it was Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish. Baelish started from practically nothing, born to a nobody but given a chance at a better life when Hoster Tully agreed to foster him at Riverrun. It was there that he first got a taste of the good life and began to scrap his way to the top. Through a series of politically astute moves and canny investment in the right businesses (ahem, brothels), Littlefinger eventually became the Master of Coin.

Oftentimes, Baelish would get ahead by feigning neutrality. He would choose a side in secret and not let his real intentions be known until one party was too late to save. For instance, he betrayed Ned Stark after gaining his trust. Later, he married Lysa Arryn just to take control of her home. His eventual undoing was when he tried to play Sansa and Arya Stark against one another, not realizing they would outsmart him.

Switzerland has exactly the image Littlefinger wants to give off. The country is famous for its neutrality, which dictates that the region must abstain from other country’s armed conflicts. Switzerland maintained this neutrality even throughout the bloody second World War. Littlefinger would probably love to be viewed as a purely neutral party, yet one with the ears of many important players.