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King in the north

The King in the North

King in the North (or King of the North[1]) and the more ancient King of Winter are ancient titles held for thousands of years by House Stark of Winterfell.[2][3][4] They were the last kingdom of the First Men and continued to rule the north after the Andals invaded and took over the southern kingdoms of Westeros. While the running direwolf is the sigil of House Stark, some Kings in the North had personal variants.[5]

Customs[]

The crown of the Kings of Winter was an open circlet of hammered bronze incised with runes of the First Men, surmounted by nine black iron spikes in the shape of longswords.[6]

The Kings in the North are buried in the crypt of Winterfell, with older kings buried in the deep and dark lower levels.[7] Each king's stone statue has an iron sword across its lap and is guarded by a stone wolf.[8] The servants of the kings are buried in a lichyard next to Winterfell's First Keep.[9]

History[]

House Stark traces their descent from the legendary Bran the Builder, who is said to have lived in the Age of Heroes[10] and built the Wall and Winterfell[11] in the aftermath of the Long Night. Ballads claim the ancient Kings of Winter, the Lords of Winterfell, drove giants from the north and slew the skinchangers led by Gaven Greywolf in the War of the Wolves.[12]

Over thousands of years, the Kings of Winter expanded from Winterfell, conquering and reducing to vassalage a number of rival kings, including the Barrow Kings in the Thousand Years War, the Red Kings of House Bolton, Flints, Slates, Umbers, Lockes, Glovers, Fishers, and Ryders. They defeated the Warg King and Marsh Kings, forced the Blackwoods to flee, and vanquished the Greenwoods, Towers, Ambers, and Frosts. Many of their defeated enemies were forced to yield their women as prizes or brides.[12]

The Stark kings often warred with the ironborn from the Iron Islands and wildlings from beyond the Wall. After the Rape of the Three Sisters, the Starks battled with the Arryn Kings of Mountain and Vale for a thousand years over the Bite in the War Across the Water.[13][14] The Starks also eventually conquered the troublesome island of Skagos.[15]

While "King of Winter" was used by ancient Stark monarchs, "King in the North" was used in more recent centuries.[12] The last King in the North was Torrhen Stark, who bent the knee to House Targaryen during Aegon's Conquest, thus making the north part of the Seven Kingdoms controlled by the Iron Throne. The crown of the Kings of Winter was surrendered to Aegon.[6] Since then Lord Stark has traditionally held the title Warden of the North for the Iron Throne.

The history of the Stark kings is described in Maester Childer's Winter's Kings, or the Legends and Lineages of the Starks of Winterfell.[16]

Recent History[]

A Game of Thrones[]

The title is revived during the War of the Five Kings after King Joffrey I Baratheon orders the execution of Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell. Rejecting House Baratheon of King's Landing and the Iron Throne, the northern and river lords assembled at Riverrun after the Battle of the Camps declare Eddard's eldest son, Robb, to be the King in the North.[3] Robb is also later hailed as the King of the Trident.[17][18]

A Clash of Kings[]

The smith of Riverrun makes a crown for Robb inspired by the old crown of the Kings of Winter.[6]

After Balon Greyjoy conquers several regions of the north, he styles himself "King of the Isles and the North" by right of conquest, disputing the Stark claim.[19]

A Storm of Swords[]

After the ironborn capture Moat Cailin, Deepwood Motte, Torrhen's Square, and Winterfell, Robb is called by some "the King Who Lost the North".[20][21]

Because he is childless and his younger brothers, Bran and Rickon, are believed dead, King Robb worries that Tyrion Lannister will claim Winterfell through his marriage to Sansa Stark. According to a semi-canon source,[22] Robb decides to legitimize his bastard half-brother, Jon Snow, and names him as heir in his will.[23] Before Jon can be informed of Robb's decision, however, the king is murdered at the Twins during the Red Wedding.[24] One of Robb's betrayers, Lord Roose Bolton, is named Warden of the North by the Iron Throne.[25]

A Feast for Crows[]

King Balon's brother and successor, Euron Crow's Eye, continues to style himself King of the Isles and the North,[26] although he redirects the ironborn offensives to the Reach.[27]

A Dance with Dragons[]

When Stannis Baratheon requests homage, Lyanna Mormont answers that the Mormonts are loyal to the King in the North, whose name is Stark.[28]

During the wedding feast for Ramsay Bolton and "Arya Stark" (Jeyne Poole), Lady Barbrey Dustin tells Theon Greyjoy that Ramsay's father, Lord Roose, may aspire to become "King of the North".[1]

Known Kings[]

The following is a possible chronology of known Kings in the North; no precise lineage is known and some published information may be contradictory.

Antiquity
Wolf's Den
  • Jon Stark, who built the Wolf's Den after driving sea raiders—possibly Ibbenese, Valyrians, or early Andals[12]—away from the White Knife.[7][33]
    • Rickard Stark, also known as the Laughing Wolf, son of Jon, who defeated the Marsh King and extended the Stark kingdom to include the Neck.[7][34]
  • Theon Stark, also known as the Hungry Wolf, who defeated the greatest Andal invader, Argos Sevenstar, conquered the Three Sisters, and attacked the Fingers,[12] possibly beginning the War Across the Water.
  • Edrick Stark, also known as Edrick Snowbeard, who ruled for near a century but lost the Wolf's Den to slavers from the Stepstones.[33]
    • Brandon Stark, also known as Ice Eyes, Edrick's great-grandson, who recovered the Wolf's Den from slavers.[33]
Recent kings
Uncertain era
  • Brandon Stark, also known as Brandon the Shipwright, who loved to sail and built up a mighty northern fleet[7] thousands of years before Aegon's Conquest.[36]
    • Brandon Stark, also known as Brandon the Burner, who burned the northern shipyards[36] after the disappearance of his father, Brandon the Shipwright, on the Sunset Sea.[7] The north has since had no strength at sea for centuries.[37]
  • Dorren Stark, who reigned when Redwyn fought giants and traded with children of the forest.[38]
  • Brandon IX Stark, who destroyed the ships of the Skagosi.[15]
  • Rodrik Stark, who won Bear Island from the ironborn in a wrestling match and awarded it to House Mormont.[7] This occurred after the death of the Old Kraken, Loron Greyjoy,[12] a High King of the Iron Islands chosen in a kingsmoot.[39] Rodrik's sons and grandsons battled the ironborn over Cape Kraken.[12]
  • Harlon Stark, who centuries ago starved out the Dreadfort in a siege lasting two years.[40]
  • Benjen Stark, also known as Benjen the Bitter[41]
  • Benjen Stark, also known as Benjen the Sweet[41]
  • Eyron Stark[41]
  • Edderion Stark, also known as Edderion the Bridegroom[41]
  • Walton Stark, also known as Walton the Moon King[41]
  • Brandon Stark, also known as Brandon the Bad[41]
  • Jorah Stark[41]
  • Jonos Stark[41]
  • Edwyn Stark, also known as Edwyn the Spring King[41]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 A Dance with Dragons, The Prince of Winterfell.
  2. 2.0 2.1 A Game of Thrones, Catelyn I.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 A Game of Thrones, Catelyn XI.
  4. A Clash of Kings, Bran VII.
  5. So Spake Martin: Heraldry in Westeros, April 13, 1999
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 A Clash of Kings, Catelyn I.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 A Game of Thrones, Bran VII.
  8. A Game of Thrones, Arya IV.
  9. A Game of Thrones, Bran VI.
  10. A Clash of Kings, Jon VI.
  11. The World of Ice and Fire, The North: Winterfell.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 The World of Ice and Fire, The North: The Kings of Winter.
  13. A Dance with Dragons, Tyrion III.
  14. The World of Ice and Fire, The Vale.
  15. 15.0 15.1 The World of Ice and Fire, The North: The Stoneborn of Skagos.
  16. The World of Ice and Fire, Ancient History: The Dawn Age.
  17. A Clash of Kings, Bran VI.
  18. 18.0 18.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 14, Catelyn II.
  19. A Clash of Kings, Tyrion XI.
  20. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 20, Catelyn III.
  21. 21.0 21.1 A Storm of Swords, Jaime V.
  22. George R. R. Martin's A World of Ice and Fire, Robb Stark.
  23. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 45, Catelyn V.
  24. 24.0 24.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 51, Catelyn VII.
  25. A Storm of Swords, Jaime IX.
  26. A Dance with Dragons, Appendix.
  27. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 29, The Reaver.
  28. A Dance with Dragons, Jon I.
  29. A Clash of Kings, Catelyn III.
  30. The World of Ice and Fire, The Reach: Oldtown.
  31. A Game of Thrones, Bran IV.
  32. The World of Ice and Fire, The Wall and Beyond: The Night's Watch.
  33. 33.0 33.1 33.2 A Dance with Dragons, Davos IV.
  34. The World of Ice and Fire, The North: The Crannogmen of the Neck.
  35. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 35, Catelyn IV.
  36. 36.0 36.1 Fire & Blood, Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Their Triumphs and Tragedies.
  37. A Clash of Kings, Bran II.
  38. A Clash of Kings, Jon I.
  39. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 1, The Prophet.
  40. A Dance with Dragons, Jon IV.
  41. 41.0 41.1 41.2 41.3 41.4 41.5 41.6 41.7 41.8 A Clash of Kings, Theon VI.
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