This infamous Game of Thrones scene where Joffrey forces dwarfs to reenact the War of the Five Kings? Turns out, that cruelty wasn’t just fantasy. In 1710, Tsar Peter the Great staged a real ‘mock wedding’ with his prized court dwarf, Iakim Volkov. He ordered every dwarf in Moscow to be rounded up, dressed them in fancy clothes, and paraded them through the court. The royal family laughed as they were forced to drink, dance, and fight for entertainment. Both Joffrey and Peter show how rulers use