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| “ | Tywin Lannister: What do they say of Robb Stark in the North? Arya Stark: They call him "The Young Wolf." They say he rides into battle on the back of a giant direwolf. They say he can turn into a wolf himself when he wants. The say he can't be killed. Tywin Lannister: And do you believe them? Arya Stark: No, my lord. Anyone can be killed. |
„ |
| ~ Lord Tywin Lannister and Arya Stark discuss Robb. |
| “ | All men should keep their word, kings most of all. | „ |
| ~ Robb Stark in the TV series. |
King Robb Stark, also known as the Young Wolf and the King Who Lost the North, is one of the deuteragonists in the first part of A Song of Ice and Fire franchise and its television adaptations, Game of Thrones.
Despite his young age, Robb was proclaimed as "the King in the North" and led an army first in an attempt to get justice for the murder of his father Eddard Stark, then trying to make the North an independent kingdom, with also the Riverlands becoming part of this new kingdom. He was 14 at the beginning of the books and 16 in the television series.
He is the eldest son of Lord Eddard Stark and Lady Catelyn Tully, as well as being the heir to Winterfell. Robb is raised in Winterfell with his five siblings: two trueborn younger brothers Bran and Rickon, two younger sisters, Sansa and Arya and a younger half-brother, Jon Snow, whom he considers a true brother as well and shares a close relationship with. Also at Winterfell was the hostage/ward Theon Greyjoy, who was raised from the age of 10 onward alongside Robb and the other the Stark children. Robb was likewise close to Theon and considered him to be a best friend.
In the television series, he was declared King of the North after his father's execution, igniting the War of the Five Kings while in the novel, his father is still alive when the War of the Five Kings started. However, he was later slain alongside his mother at the Red Wedding Massacre. It is also revealed that Robb Stark is the cousin of Jon Snow which differs from the novels as he's considered to be the half-brother and bastard sibling to Robb Stark.
He was portrayed by Richard Madden, who also played Prince Kit Charming in Cinderella, Michael Mason in Bastille Day, Ikaris in Eternals, and voiced Alucard in the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow series.
Appearance
At the beginning of the novels, Robb is fourteen years old. Like most of his siblings, he takes after his mother Catelyn's Tully side of the family, having auburn hair, blue eyes and fair skin. He is noted as looking strong for his age and is physically stronger than his bastard brother Jon Snow. He typically wears white and grey, the colors of House Stark. After becoming King of the North and the Trident, he wears a crown designed after those worn by previous Stark kings, a bronze circlet with ancient First Men runes written upon it, with nine black iron sword-shaped spikes for points. He also grows a short beard afterword, making him look more mature.
In the television series, Robb is sixteen at the beginning and takes up after his father's side of the family with dark hair and fair skin. His hair is curly, and he maintains the blue eyes from the books. He wears mostly leather and fur cloaks, and he does not wear a crown. Like his book counterpart he grows a beard later in the series. According to Jon, Robb was very popular with girls because of his handsome looks.
Personality
| “ | No sword is strong until it's been tempered. The Stark boy is a child. No doubt he likes the sound of warhorns well enough, and the sight of his banners fluttering in the wind, but in the end it comes down to butcher's work. I doubt he has the stomach for it. | „ |
| ~ Tywin Lannister to Kevan Lannister |
In both incarnations, Robb has a keen sense of honor, duty, justice and loyalty as well as fairness and courtesy, like his father, Ned Stark, who is willing to do anything to keep his family safe. Like every Stark, he is close with siblings and family deeply, even Jon Snow, who he tends to love him like family and is angered how his mother mistreated him. He also regard his father's ward Theon Greyjoy, like a brother even developing a close friendship.
Compared to one of his bannermen, Roose Bolton, he sees torture, cruelty and executions as unecessary which he treated his prisoners of war fair and justly. While wanting to secede and reclaim their independence from the Iron Throne, he doesn't wish for violence and war, who did his best to limit casualties on both sides, whom he also give his sympathies to innocents who were victims of war. When his father was imprisoned, Robb called all of House Stark's bannermen and began to march on King's Landing and against the Lannisters. He was devastated when he heard of his father's execution, and was furious upon learning of Theon's betrayal.
As the firstborn son and heir to the legacy of the Starks, he takes his position very seriously and despite his young age, he had a keen mind for warfare and strategy, even Tywin is surprised how well Robb comprehends in arts of strategy and warfare which Tywin viewed him first as a stupid child. In addition, the Lannisters are more surprised that the Young King led an attack of surprise in the Battle of Whispering Woods, resulting half of Lannisters being crushed by their tactical ambush. He is also very determined even his battle tactics and prowess with bravery earned him the "Young Wolf" by Northerners as he fought alongside his soldiers on the battlefield with his direwolf, Grey Wind. However despite having the traits of his fathers strengths, he also have a similar weaknesses, such as lacking for political skills, putting honor before reason with the example of marrying somebody out of love which endangers the political alliance with the Freys. He never lost a single battle during the War of the Five Kings, even against the likes of Tywin Lannister, who himself was noted as a successful and brilliant commander. Known as the Young Wolf, he One of his flaws in the war was his lack of communication. During his Uncle Edmure's battle against Lord Tywin, Edmure followed Robb's plan too well and continued the fight, resulting in Tywin retreating and going to attack Stannis.
According to Bran there are two sides of Robb. When around his siblings, Robb was protective and responsible yet also kind and playful, as is typical of an older brother. In the first episode, he is seen laughing and having fun with Jon, Arya and Bran. When duty called, he became serious, stern and solemn, which Bran called "Robb the Lord." He continued this brave face when dealing with a rancorous Greatjon Umber, maintaining his cool even after he threatened to march home, successfully hiding the fact he was scared for his life. Because of his strong sense of honor and loyalty, he was widely loved by the other Northern lords.
In both the novels and the series, Robb breaks his oath of marriage with Walder Frey, but the circumstances are wildly different. In the television series, he marries Talisa Maegyr because he was in love with her, completely disregarding his vow. In the novel, Robb came to marry Jeyne Westerling. After Robb was wounded in battle, Jeyne treated his wounds. Robb became distraught after hearing of the murder of his brothers Bran and Rickon by his former friend Theon, and Jeyne comforted him with sex. After seeing how poorly bastards can be treated in Westeros, Robb didn't want to sire one and therefore married Jeyne because, while his honor was sullied, Jeyne's could still be saved. This shows that the book version of Robb is more honorable than the show version, and Catelyn notes that Robb truly is his father's son.
This breaking of the oath led to the death of him and most of his family, yet Robb's legacy is different in the television series and the novels. In the television series, Robb is seen rather negatively due to his reckless breaking of his oath with House Frey. In the novels, most Northern lord remember Robb fondly for his honor, sense of justice and duty, not unlike the legacy of his father, Eddard. In the television series, Robb is blamed by the North for the Red Wedding, while in the books the atrociousness of the Red Wedding far exceeded any dishonor Robb committed during his life.
Early life
Robb was born in Riverrun, to Catelyn Tully and Eddard "Ned" Stark, Warden of the North to Westeros. Because Robb was born after Ned left to fight in Robert's Rebellion alongside his best friend, Robert Baratheon, he did not see his father until he returned from the war.
Game of Thrones
Season 1
A Song of Ice and Fire (book series)
In the first book of A Song of Ice and Fire entitled A Game of Thrones, Robb appears at the execution of a Night's Watch deserter performed by his father Eddard Stark. Robb is accompanied by his younger brother Bran Stark, his half-brother Jon Snow, and his father's ward Theon Greyjoy. When returning back to his home Winterfell with his father and brothers, Robb has a riding race with Jon. During the race, they find a dead direwolf and her pups. Their father, Lord Eddard Stark, allows his children to adopt the six direwolf pups and Robb names his pup Grey Wind.
When the royal family visits Winterfell, Robb practices swordplay with Prince Joffrey Baratheon. Joffrey insults Robb and challenges him to fight with steel weapons instead of the training weapons they used before. However, Robb is not permitted to use steel weapons in the training yard and is mocked by Joffrey. When Eddard, Jon and his sisters leave Winterfell, Robb remains in the castle with his mother and younger brothers.
Robb is present when Catelyn decides to go to King's Landing and talk to Eddard.
When Tyrion Lannister visits Winterfell, Robb meets him with hostility and has his sword in his knee when greeting him. His attitude is friendlier however when Tyrion, at the request of Robb's brother Jon, figures out a way for Robb's brother Bran to ride a horse. Robb offers Tyrion to stay in the castle but Tyrion declines.
Robb, together with Theon Greyjoy, maester Luwin, the direwolves Grey Wind and Summer and a group of guards joins Bran for a horse ride in the woods. During the ride, Robb tells Bran that their father has been wounded and three of his guards have been killed. Robb also tells Bran that Theon advised Robb to call the banners.
Later during the ride, Robb and Bran ride ahead of the others and Bran is ambushed by thugs. Robb and the two direwolves attack them and kill all assailants except for two. One of the surviving assailants takes Bran hostage and tells Robb to kill the direwolves or he will kill Bran. The thug is shot in the back by Theon Greyjoy and Robb's guard catches the remaining thug, a woman named Osha.
When his father is taken captive and his uncle Edmure Tully fails to defeat the Lannisters, Robb assembles an army to fight the Lannisters, free both his father and help his uncle. He reunites with his mother, Catelyn Stark before heading into battle. To get to his uncle he has to cross a river through and also pass through two castles owned by Walder Frey. His mother negotiations an alliance for Robb with Walder Frey and Robb agrees to conditions that he marry one of Frey's daughters. When he learns that Ser Jaime Lannister has defeated Edmures soldiers and laid a siege to his castle, Robb manages to lure Jaime and a group of his men into a forest and defeat them in battle and capture ser Jaime. He then proceeds to launch an attack against the soldiers besieging Edmures castle, Riverrun and defeats them too and freeing the captured Edmure in the process.
When Robb's bannermen learn that Renly Baratheon has crowned himself king, they crown Robb as their own king and calls him the King in the North.
Robb Stark's personal guard
When Robb rides to war, he surrounds himself with a particular group of trained warriors. Unlike the Kingsguard, this is not an official order with any sworn vows, but an informal group of battle companions. Just as he rides with a different lord at the head of his army every day in order to know and honor his bannermen, Robb's choice of bodyguards serves to honor the houses from which they are picked. Even if there was no enemy behind them for hundreds of leagues, Robb would take no chances.
Most of these warriors are young men, although Dacey Mormont is female, and Wendel Manderly, Robin Flint, and Perwyn Frey are all mature men. At his side during the Battle of the Whispering Wood are thirty young sons of lords, three of whom are killed by Jaime Lannister. Robb's companions continue to fight bravely during his invasion of the Westerlands and to serve him in other critical capacities. When Robb is betrayed at the Red Wedding, his personal guard is killed along with him.
Known members among the 30 guards:
- Smalljon Umber: slain by Bolton men at the Red Wedding.
- Ser Wendel Manderly: slain by a crossbowman at the Red Wedding.
- Patrek Mallister: captured at the Red Wedding. Perhaps the sole non-Frey survivor of Robb's guard other than Theon Greyjoy.
- Robin Flint: slain by Freys at the Red Wedding.
- Dacey Mormont: the only woman of the group. Slain by Ser Ryman Frey at the Red Wedding.
- Owen Norrey: He is one of the Northern mountain clan members. Slain at the Red Wedding.
- Ser Raynald Westerling: Robb's banner-bearer. Joined Robb's cause when his sister Jeyne married him. Shot with Frey arrows at the Red Wedding after he released Grey Wind, presumed dead.
- Ser Perwyn Frey: Fought along Robb's side during the Battle of the Whispering Wood and the Battle of the Camps. Sent away from the Twins before the Red Wedding, being judged as too loyal to Robb's cause.
- Olyvar Frey: Robb's squire. Also sent away from the Twins before the Red Wedding, presumably for being judged as loyal to Robb's cause.
- Torrhen Karstark: Slain by Ser Jaime Lannister at the Battle of the Whispering Wood.
- Eddard Karstark: Slain by Ser Jaime Lannister at the Battle of the Whispering Wood.
- Daryn Hornwood: Slain by Ser Jaime Lannister at the Battle of the Whispering Wood.
- Theon Greyjoy: He betrays Robb for his father and captures Winterfell when sent to form an alliance with his father.
Changes in the TV Series
In the television adaptation, some changes are made to Robb's storylines and motivations from A Song of Ice and Fire, which were received with criticism from some readers of the book series. In the books, the reason for Robb's campaign to invade the Westerlands (ruled by the Lannisters) was a bait set up by Robb to buy time for the Baratheons to take King's Landing. Making everyone believe he thinks House Lannister's powers lies in their gold mines, Robb captured mines and castles and made plans to attack Lannisport and Casterly Rock. Robb knew he had no strength to defeat such places and was trying to distract Tywin Lannister in order to help Stannis and Renly Baratheon's individual forces sack King's Landing, which is currently under Lannister power.
In the TV show, there is a scene during season 3, in which Robb and his uncle, Edmure Tully argue about Robb's failed plan to capture Ser Gregor Clegane due to the Battle of the Stone Mill caused by Edmure. To avoid destroying his uncle's reputation as a ruler, Robb publicly presented Edmure's strategical failure as a victory, instead making himself look like a strategical failure who hoped to defeat the Lannisters by simply taking over the Westerlands. In the show, Robb is angry with Edmure because he allowed Clegane (in service to the Lannisters) to escape. In the books the Stone Mill is just one of the many areas in which the Battle of the Fords ensues, with Gregor and his band fighting there, as other westermen forces fight in different other fords at the same time. The Battle of the Fords is a major and large battle between the host of the Riverlands (led by Edmure) and the host of the Westerlands (led by Tywin), in which Tywin was trying to return to the Westerlands to chase Robb. In the show, Robb is angered by Gregor's escape because he was planning to surround and kill Gregor by letting him chasing his army. In the books however, Robb is angry because Edmure prevented Tywin's main army from returning home, which forced the Lannister forces to fall back and allowed them to receive urgent news about Stannis Baratheon's host and fleet besieging King's Landing. Gregor himself has absolutely no political importance to the Seven Kingdoms and Robb was devastated because Stannis was the only person capable to end the Lannister power over the Iron Throne and Edmure had a hand in causing the Lannister-Tyrell alliance and Stannis's defeat when he chased Tywin away from the Trident, thus ending all hopes for Robb to try negotiating Sansa's freedom with Stannis. As a result of this change from the TV show, by making Edmure's failure more about Gregor and reducing the Battle of the Fords (which was Tywin and his army being chased away) to a smaller battle at a mill, both Robb and Edmure look less martially strategic with less foresight, as killing Gregor would achieve nothing in weakening the Lannisters' political power.
In Season 2, Robb's motivations in regard to pursuing the Westerlands are not yet revealed and in Season 3, Robb planned to invade Casterly Rock with only his own army and the Frey army. In the show, Casterly Rock seemed to hold less power with no Lannisport city to be found around. Still, if Robb had besieged Casterly Rock, it may have ended with Robb trapping himself and his army there to be surrounded and destroyed by the forces of the Westerlands, the Reach, Dorne, and the hosts of the Iron Throne, Tywin and Randyll Tarly. In the books, Robb knew it was impossible for him to fight the Lannister-Tyrell power without Stannis and had to give up hope for Sansa's freedom, while he had given Arya for dead. So Robb changed course to defend his kingdom (the North and the Riverlands) against the enemy invaders: fight against the Ironborn invasion in the North while the River lords would protect the Riverlands from the Iron Throne's invasion.
In the TV show, Robb's motives for breaking his promise to marry a Frey daughter appear more driven by personal desire. In the show, Robb marries a woman (Talisa) for love. In the books, Robb has intercourse with a woman (Jeyne Westerling) due to his grief over the news of Bran and Rickon's deaths when Winterfell is taken. Robb marries Jeyne to protect her honor and reputation because if he did not marry Jeyne, she would suffer from the social stigma of a highborn girl having extramarital sex, which would greatly diminish her marital prospects with suitors.
Robb's selfish actions in the television version are acknowledged by his former northern bannermen, mostly by Robett Glover in the sixth season, who mentions Robb putting his own interests before his duty and the safety of his kingdom (marrying for desire instead of self-obligation and wanting to march for an unlikely victory back to the Westerlands instead of liberating the North from the Ironborn), the opposites of what he does in the novels.
Battle of the Fords: Differences Between Novels and TV Series
- In the TV series, Ser Edmure Tully's victorious Battle of the Fords was portrayed differently and as less important than in its book counterpart, where it is a major and very important battle of the War of the Five Kings, being the indirect deciding factor of the following major engagement, the Battle of the Blackwater, the decisive battle of the first half of the war.
- In the Game of Thrones series, the Battle of the Fords is portrayed as something that occured at Stone Mill and its purpose entirely revolves around an army commanded by Gregor Clegane. In this version, the battle is somewhat smaller in scale, compared to its book counterpart, and focused specifically around Stone Mill, which is only where the main thrust of multiple battles occurred in the novels. There are also no real political stakes in the TV version of this specific conflict.
- In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the Battle of the Fords is fought over an extremely wide front, encompassing fords of the Red Fork of the Trident to the south and north of Riverrun, and involves the entire main army of the Westerlands. This entire campaign is led by Tywin Lannister in person, while Gregor commands the main thrust at Stone Mill.
- Tywin's army had left Harrenhal (Edmure commands Roose Bolton to capture it) to return to the Westerlands, because they were invaded by Robb's army. The battle takes place during a few days, in which Tywin's army makes multiple attempts to cross each ford to return to the west, but Edmure's forces, holding the high ground on all fords, are able to repel all of them each time. In the Riverlands army (11,000 men; 8,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry), Lord Jason Mallister commands the defense of four fords to the south of Riverrun, Lord Karyl Vance commands the defense of fords to the north, while Edmure himself commands the defense of the fords closest to Riverrun itself. The Westerlands army (20,000 or near 22,000 men) is commanded by Tywin (with Kevan Lannister by his side), Ser Flement Brax, Ser Gregor Clegane, Ser Addam Marbrand, Ser Lyle Crakehall, and Lord Leo Lefford (who dies by drowning in the battle). Throughout the battle, the Westermen end up suffering heavy casualties at the hands of the Rivermen.
- The fiercest assault in this battle happens at Stone Mill in the center, where the forces commanded by Ser Gregor himself manage to gain a foothold on the west bank of the river despite suffering terrible losses, but are then driven back when Edmure hits them with his reserves, killing so many of Gregor's forces that the river ends up being nearly dammed with corpses.
- In Game of Thrones, Robb planned to lure Gregor's forces further west into the Riverlands where they could be surrounded and destroyed, with Gregor being killed. The show had Robb chastisting Edmure for allowing Clegane and his army to escape back to Harrenhal, where they later put the castle to the sword and abandoned it entirely to join the rest of the Lannister forces in the Battle of the Blackwater against Stannis Baratheon's forces.
- This change left readers perplexed, some of them questioning the logic of Robb's angry reaction with Edmure, as Gregor Clegane was politically insignificant and does not determine the fate of the war in any way.
- In A Song of Ice and Fire, Robb's purpose has absolutely nothing to do with capturing and killing Gregor Clegane. Robb chastises Uncle Edmure for the Battle of the Fords for ruining a plan made by himself and the Brynden "Blackfish" Tully, mainly the latter:
- As their army was invading the Westerlands and occupying some castles and towns at the time, Robb and the Blackfish planned to lure Tywin back to the Westerlands, where he was going to try and liberate. In fact, the reason why Tywin had left Harrenhal was to return to the Westerlands, where he meant to finally face Robb in battle and finally end his threat, so he would be free to solely focus on Stannis Baratheon, whom his saw as the biggest threat.
- As part of their plan to lure Tywin, Robb and the Blackfish also meant to remove the main invading force of Westermen from the Riverlands, where they were stealing crops and cattle and living off Tully land. Luring Tywin's main army back to the Westerlands would've changed the main warzone to that region, where Robb's army was living off Lannister land. But Robb and Blackfish's real plan and endgoal revolved around the fact that the Northmen and Freys invading the Westerlands had identified a valley in the western mountains, and there Robb and Brynden planned to lure Tywin's main army into a trap and destroy them in battle, all while keeping them as far away as possible from Stannis Baratheon.
- Tywin was still unaware that Stannis was marching to King's Landing, as he thought he was still besieging Storm's End. Robb wanted to be a distraction for Tywin, preventing him and his main army from aiding King's Landing's defense and thus allowing Stannis to conquer the capital, take the Iron Throne, and remove Joffrey Baratheon and Cersei Lannister from the picture. After personally dealing with Tywin's army in the west, Robb planned to try and negotiate a peace with Stannis. By preventing Tywin from crossing the Red Fork, however, Edmure won a strategically meaningless short-term victory at the cost of a possible long-term victory for the entire rebel campaign.
- Because of Edmure stopping them, Tywin's army remained struggling at the fords of the Red Fork for a few days, and this gave enough time for House Tyrell's messengers to reach Tywin: while the war was ongoing in the Riverlands, and Stannis was still at Storm's End, an Iron Throne embassy led by Petyr Baelish had successfully negotiated a peace and alliance at Highgarden, thereby adding the Tyrells and the majority of the Reach to Joffrey and the Lannister side of the conflict.
- While Edmure was keeping Tywin's forces busy in the days-long Battle of the Fords, Mace Tyrell's messengers managed to bring urgent news to Tywin and his lords and generals, telling them that Stannis was about to attack King's Landing with his army and fleet. This caused Tywin to immediately withdraw from the engagement, changing his target from Robb to Stannis, turn his army south and march to the Crownlands at once. Whilst Edmure and the Riverlords went back to Riverrun to celebrate their victory, Tywin's army was marching to the headwaters of the Blackwater Rush, and once arrived they built barges and skiffs to rapidly head downriver and join House Tyrell's army of the Reach, thus forming a combined greater army that attacked Stannis's flank at the Battle of the Blackwater, defeating him. Had Edmure's army not halted Tywin's march back home, the messengers would've been unable to tell him, and the army of the Reach would've faced Stannis without the additional army of the Westerlands.
- In the novels, after learning about Robb and the Blackfish's true plan, a shocked and ashamed Edmure angrily points out that this blunder was due to Robb not trusting him, the heir to Riverrun and acting ruler of the Riverlands, with his plans. Although he was commanded to hold Riverrun, Edmure felt that as a feudal overlord, it was his duty to defend his lands and people against invaders who were burning and sacking, and stealing their crops and cattle. Furthermore, Edmure, being unaware of Robb and Brynden's strategy and Tywin's real purpose, thought the enemies were marching to lay another siege to Riverrun, or that Robb's army in the Westerlands might have been under threat, the second option being the real one, as Tywin was actually marching back to his own lands, and meant to face Robb's army in battle and end their rebellion there.
- However, another additional and personal reason was also Edmure's desire for glory, as he didn't wish to leave it entirely to his nephew Robb, who was winning every battle, whilst Edmure was made to stay inactive in his castle, after having previously achieved only a defeat in the Battle Under the Walls of Riverrun, the opening engagement of the castle's first siege earlier in the war, where Edmure was defeated and captured by Jaime Lannister. Edmure's victory against Tywin himself was also meant to correct that shame.
- There is also another change made by the TV series, which is not in the novels, concerning Kevan Lannister's twin sons, Willem and Martyn Lannister: in the show, both of them are taken captive by the Tullys in the Battle of the Fords. However, in the novels neither of them was taken captive at the aforementioned battle, and not by the Tullys. Willem Lannister and his cousin Tion Frey were captured by the Starks at the Battle in the Whispering Wood, the second engagement of the first siege of Riverrun, where Jaime was also captured, all while Ned Stark was still alive. Martyn Lannister was captured later, at the Battle of Oxcross, when King Robb's forces invaded the Westerlands. After Willem and Tion are murdered by Rickard Karstark, a guilt-ridden Robb successfully negotiates for Martyn's release with the Lannisters in exchange of the captive Robett Glover, who is subsequently released and shipped to White Harbor in the North, after Martyn is delivered to Westermen at the pass beneath the Golden Tooth.
- In the novels, two known major casualties from Tywin's army in the Battle of the Fords are Lord Leo Lefford and Ser Robert Brax, who both died. The only known major captive from this engagement is Ser Lyle Crakehall, who was later taken to Pinkmaiden Castle, the seat of House Piper, to spend his captivity there. At some point after the Red Wedding, Lyle was released, as he attends King Tommen's wedding to Margaery Tyrell in King's Landing, and later also joins Jaime Lannister's army back to the Riverlands, where he took part in sorting Harrenhal out and the second siege of Riverrun.
Aftermath
- Edmure's victory in the Battle of the Fords, which was supposed to be his great moment of glory and to make his dying father proud, was the last moment where Robb Stark's campaign of independence had positive and hopeful vibes for his side. This battle was the very last major Stark-Tully victory in the war.
- As Edmure and the Riverlords, returning to Riverrun, and all the people of the Riverlands celebrated, with everyone being euphoric and hopeful, Edmure's sister, Catelyn, instead became suddenly filled with unexplained fear, seemingly irrational. However, her gut feeling was soon proven correct: although, ever since Robb's army came to the Riverlands, the Starks and Tullys had won so far every major battle, from that point onward things began to go downhill for them, initiating the chain of events that would lead to the Red Wedding. The day Edmure and his vassals and people are back at Riverrun and still celebrating and feasting, a raven from Wyman Manderly at White Harbor arrives at the castle to inform the Tullys that the Greyjoys are at war against the Starks, the North is falling to the Ironborn, Winterfell has been captured by the traitor Theon Greyjoy, and Bran and Rickon Stark are allegedly killed. This results in Catelyn getting too drunk with Jaime Lannister, and the two making a drunken agreement of non-aggression, with Catelyn releasing Jaime from captivity.
- Things for the Starks and Tullys only get worse afterwards: Stannis Baratheon is defeated, the Tyrells formed an alliance with the Lannisters, the whole south of the realm unites back under the Iron Throne, Robb breaks his oath with the Freys, Winterfell is sacked and burned, Roose Bolton switches sides and deliberately causes heavy casualties to the Northern foot armies at Duskendale and the ruby ford of the Trident, the North is left in chaos and overran with Ironborn armies who do as they please, and Robb loses the Karstarks.
- Furthermore, Balon Greyjoy's campaign is what leads to Robb ending up sleeping with his own captive from the enemy side, Jeyne Westerling, as he sought comfort out of grief after learning about the fall of Winterfell and the fates of "Bran and Rickon".
- Roose Bolton credits the fall of House Stark to House Greyjoy, specifically to Theon Greyjoy himself: he believes the Starks were done for the moment Theon conquered their seat Winterfell. Balon Greyjoy's sudden entrance in the war and his invasion of the North are known to have derailed the Starks and caused the begin of their downfall and Robb's own demise. The Lannisters also expressed their gratitude toward the Greyjoys for choosing to fight the Starks.
- Things for the Starks and Tullys only get worse afterwards: Stannis Baratheon is defeated, the Tyrells formed an alliance with the Lannisters, the whole south of the realm unites back under the Iron Throne, Robb breaks his oath with the Freys, Winterfell is sacked and burned, Roose Bolton switches sides and deliberately causes heavy casualties to the Northern foot armies at Duskendale and the ruby ford of the Trident, the North is left in chaos and overran with Ironborn armies who do as they please, and Robb loses the Karstarks.
- As Edmure and the Riverlords, returning to Riverrun, and all the people of the Riverlands celebrated, with everyone being euphoric and hopeful, Edmure's sister, Catelyn, instead became suddenly filled with unexplained fear, seemingly irrational. However, her gut feeling was soon proven correct: although, ever since Robb's army came to the Riverlands, the Starks and Tullys had won so far every major battle, from that point onward things began to go downhill for them, initiating the chain of events that would lead to the Red Wedding. The day Edmure and his vassals and people are back at Riverrun and still celebrating and feasting, a raven from Wyman Manderly at White Harbor arrives at the castle to inform the Tullys that the Greyjoys are at war against the Starks, the North is falling to the Ironborn, Winterfell has been captured by the traitor Theon Greyjoy, and Bran and Rickon Stark are allegedly killed. This results in Catelyn getting too drunk with Jaime Lannister, and the two making a drunken agreement of non-aggression, with Catelyn releasing Jaime from captivity.
Quotes
Novels
A Game of Thrones
A Clash of Kings
A Storm of Swords
TV Series
Trivia
- In the novels, after Stannis Baratheon's defeat and the Ironborn's conquest of the North, Robb had to switch his focus and main enemies from House Lannister to House Greyjoy (whose prominence and presence was far reduced in the TV show, whilst in the books they're among the protagonists and part of the story's main villains). The Stark-Greyjoy conflict became Robb's main focus in the third book, while having to stay at Riverrun to arrange the defenses of the Riverlands and the North's borders against the Iron Throne. The conflict was made more personal by the fact that his old close friend Theon Greyjoy, who, as far as Robb and the world knew, "killed" Bran and Rickon Stark, although Robb didn't know that this wasn't ordered by Balon Greyjoy, the ruler of the Ironborn. Dealing with Theon and the Ironborn was also a priority because at that point Robb was officially a king without a seat (Winterfell), and Rickard Karstark even nicknamed him "the King Who Lost the North".
- About the rebellion against the Iron Throne, Robb and the Tullys knew the Riverlands would not be able to defend themselves against the united might of the south, under the Lannister-Tyrell alliance, which included Dorne as well, meaning the Riverlords' castles and towns were going to fall under sieges again. As Stannis was his hope to get rid of the Lannister threat, all Robb could do at that point was just have his vassal Riverlords continue their defiance against the Crown the best they could, while he would fight the Greyjoy forces in the North.
- After he left Riverrun (where he left his wife and great-uncle Blackfish in the books), Robb wasn't just marching to the Twins for his uncle Edmure's wedding and to make amends with Lord Walder Frey, but also to continue his way with his army to the causeway leading to the northern border of the Riverlands, and then to the Neck, one of the southernmost regions of the North. An army of the Riverlands including Edmure himself and the Freys was also meant to continue the march with Robb's northern army shortly after the wedding at the Twins, where Edmure's impregnated wife, Roslin Frey, was supposed to stay and wait for her husband's return south. Robb was preparing for a great battle against Victarion Greyjoy's garrison at Moat Cailin, as his first part of reclaiming the North from the Greyjoys, while planning to reclaim Winterfell as well.
- When Balon Greyjoy unexpectedly died while Robb's army was marching to the Twins, Robb hoped for the Greyjoys' succession crisis and Euron Greyjoy's sudden return to put the Iron Islands in chaos and civil war, which would've kept the majority of their armies at home. The Red Wedding put an end to the whole campaign, whilst Balon's death compromised the Ironborn's conquest, as his successor Euron had no interest in continuing it.
- However, the TV series changed this to focus only to the Stark-Lannister conflict (which is nearly the sole part of the war that the show focuses on), having Robb attempting a plan to besiege Casterly Rock, which never happens in the novels. It is not said whether Edmure was going to participate in this campaign. The logic of Robb's plan is also questioned by readers, as Robb wanted to besiege a mountain-castle, while also having to deal with the entire garrison of the major city of Lannisport beneath the castle. Taking the castle by storm is physically impossible, which means Robb's forces would've had to do a prolonged siege, all while the assembled Iron Throne forces of the south would've marched there and wiped out Robb's army there.
External Links
- Robb Stark on the Game of Thrones Wiki
- Robb Stark on the Heroic Benchmark Wiki
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