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{{Canonicity|Canon}}
{{Quote|The Seven Kingdoms are at war with one another... false kings destroying the country... the Usurper is dead. The Starks fight the Lannisters, the Baratheons fight each other.|[[Daenerys Targaryen]] to Ser [[Jorah Mormont]].|The Ghost of Harrenhal}}
 
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{{War
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| Title = {{PAGENAME}}
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| Type = Thrones
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| Part =
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| Image = Soldiers at the mud gate.jpg
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| Previous = [[Greyjoy Rebellion]]
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| Concurrent = [[Conflict beyond the Wall]]<br>[[Liberation of Slaver's Bay]]<br>[[Ironborn invasion of the North]]
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| Next = [[Last War]]<br>[[Great War]]
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| Beginning = [[298 AC]]{{Dateref|Game of Thrones: Season 1}}<br>[[Battle in the hills below the Golden Tooth]]
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| End = *[[300 AC]],{{Dateref|Game of Thrones: Season 3}} [[Red Wedding]] <small>(southern theater)</small>
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*[[303 AC]],{{Dateref|Game of Thrones: Season 6}} [[Battle of the Bastards]] <small>(northern theater)</small>
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*[[304 AC]],{{Dateref|Game of Thrones: Season 7}} [[trial of Petyr Baelish]] <small>(political theater)</small>
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| Place = [[Westeros]]
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| Outcome = <div align="left">
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'''Decisive [[Iron Throne]] victory <small>(Phase I)</small>'''
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*Houses [[House Stark|Stark]] and [[House Tully|Tully]] are stripped of titles and lands and exiled
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*Houses [[House Bolton|Bolton]] and [[House Frey|Frey]] are elevated as the [[Great House]] of the [[North]] and the [[Riverlands]], and named [[Lord Paramount|Lords Paramount]] of their respective regions.
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'''Pyrrhic [[House Lannister]] victory <small>(Phase II)</small>'''
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* Re-fragmentation upon [[Cersei Lannister]]'s seizure of the [[Iron Throne]]
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* Tensions from the conflict carry on in the [[Last War]]
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<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%;">
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''Details:''
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<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
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*Extinction of [[House Baratheon]]
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*Extinction of [[House Bolton]]
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*[[Kingdom of the North|Kingdom in the North]]<br>briefly revived by [[King in the North|King]] [[Robb Stark]], later [[Red Wedding|defeated]], and later re-revived
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*[[Kingdom of the Iron Islands]] revived by [[King of the Iron Islands|King]] [[Balon Greyjoy]], later [[Assassination of Balon Greyjoy|assassinated]]
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*[[Stannis Baratheon]] lays claim to the [[Iron Throne]], later defeated and [[Battle in the ice|executed]]
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*[[Renly Baratheon]] lays claim to the [[Iron Throne]], later<br>[[Assassination of Renly Baratheon|assassinated]]
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*[[Joffrey Baratheon]] poisoned at his [[Purple Wedding|own wedding]], succeeded by [[Tommen Baratheon]], shortly thereafter by [[Cersei Lannister]]
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*The decimation of the Great Houses [[House Stark|Stark]], [[House Tully|Tully]], and [[House Tyrell|Tyrell]] and later, [[House Frey]]
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*Subsequent beginning of many localized hostilities throughout several regions in [[Westeros]], including the [[North]], the [[Crownlands]], the [[Riverlands]], and [[Dorne]]
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*Devastation to large areas of Westeros
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</div></div></div>
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| Factions1 = '''Royalists'''<br>{{COA|House Baratheon of King's Landing|small}} [[House Baratheon of King's Landing]]<br>{{COA|House Lannister|small}} [[House Lannister]]<br>{{COA|House Tyrell|small}} [[House Tyrell]]<br><small>(originally rebel)</small>
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| Factions2 = '''Rebels'''<br>{{COA|House Stark|small}} '''[[Kingdom of the North]]'''/[[House Stark]]<br>{{COA|House Tully|small}} [[House Tully]]
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----
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{{COA|House Baratheon|small}} [[House Baratheon|House Baratheon of Storm's End]]<br>{{COA|House Tyrell|small}} [[House Tyrell]]
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----
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{{COA|House Baratheon of Dragonstone|small}} [[House Baratheon of Dragonstone]]
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----
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{{COA|House Greyjoy|small}} '''[[Kingdom of the Iron Islands]]'''/[[House Greyjoy]]
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----
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[[Brotherhood Without Banners]]
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| Factions3 =
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| Factions4 =
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| Factions5 =
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| Factions6 =
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| Leaders1 = {{COA|House Baratheon of King's Landing|inline}} King [[Joffrey Baratheon|Joffrey I Baratheon]]<br>{{COA|House Lannister|inline}} Lord [[Tywin Lannister]]<br>{{COA|Kingsguard|inline}} Ser [[Jaime Lannister]]<br>{{COA|House Lannister|inline}} [[Tyrion Lannister]]<br>{{COA|House Lannister|inline}} Ser [[Stafford Lannister]]<br>{{COA|House Lannister|inline}} Ser [[Kevan Lannister]]<br>{{COA|House Swyft|inline}} Ser [[Harys Swyft]]<br>{{COA|House Clegane|inline}} Ser [[Gregor Clegane]]<br>{{COA|House Marbrand|inline}} Ser [[Addam Marbrand]]<br>{{COA|House Lefford|inline}} Lord [[Leo Lefford]]<br>{{COA|House Lorch|inline}} Ser [[Amory Lorch]]<br>{{COA|House Tyrell|inline}} Lord [[Mace Tyrell]]<br><small>(originally rebel)</small><br>{{COA|House Bolton|inline}} Lord [[Roose Bolton]]<br><small>(originally rebel)</small><br>{{COA|House Frey|inline}} Lord [[Walder Frey]]<br><small>(originally rebel)<small>
   
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| Leaders2 = {{COA|House Stark|inline}} King [[Robb Stark]]<br>{{COA|Brynden Tully|inline}} Ser [[Brynden Tully]]<br>{{COA|House Umber|inline}} Lord [[Greatjon Umber|Jon Umber]]<br>{{COA|House Bolton|inline}} Lord [[Roose Bolton]]<br>{{COA|House Tully|inline}} Lord [[Edmure Tully]]<br>{{COA|House Karstark|inline}} Lord [[Rickard Karstark]]<br>{{COA|House Mormont|inline}} Lady [[Maege Mormont]]<br>{{COA|House Manderly|inline}} Ser [[Wendel Manderly]]<br>{{COA|House Mallister|inline}} Lord [[Jason Mallister]]<br>{{COA|House Frey|inline}} Ser [[Stevron Frey]]<br>{{COA|House Bracken|inline}} Lord [[Jonos Bracken]]<br>{{COA|House Glover|inline}} Lord [[Galbart Glover]]<br>{{COA|House Cassel|inline}} Ser [[Rodrik Cassel]]
The '''War of the Five Kings''' is a major military conflict that erupts in the wake of the death of King [[Robert Baratheon|Robert I]].   In essence, the war is a three-way battle for the [[Iron Throne]] along with two independence movements.  The five kings in question are Robert's heir [[Joffrey Baratheon]], Robert's two younger brothers [[Renly Baratheon]] and [[Stannis Baratheon]], [[Robb Stark]], and [[Balon Greyjoy]]. 
 
  +
----
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{{COA|Renly Baratheon|inline}} King [[Renly Baratheon]]<br>{{COA|House Tyrell|inline}} Lord [[Mace Tyrell]]<br>{{COA|House Tarly|inline}} Lord [[Randyll Tarly]]<br>{{COA|Kingsguard|inline}} Ser [[Loras Tyrell]]
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----
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{{COA|House Baratheon of Dragonstone|inline}} King [[Stannis Baratheon]]<br>{{COA|House Florent|inline}} Ser [[Imry Florent]]<br>{{COA|House Florent|inline}} Lord [[Axell Florent]]<br>{{COA|House Seaworth|inline}} Ser [[Davos Seaworth]]<br>[[Salladhor Saan]]
  +
----
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{{COA|House Greyjoy|inline}} King [[Balon Greyjoy]]<br>{{COA|House Greyjoy|inline}} Prince [[Theon Greyjoy]]<br>{{COA|House Greyjoy|inline}} Princess [[Yara Greyjoy]]<br>{{COA|House Kenning|inline}} Captain [[Ralf Kenning]]<br>Captain [[Dagmer]]
  +
----
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{{COA|House Dondarrion|inline}} Lord [[Beric Dondarrion]]<br>{{COA|Lord of Light|inline}} [[Thoros|Thoros of Myr]]
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| Leaders3 =
  +
| Leaders4 =
  +
| Leaders5 =
  +
| Leaders6 =
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| Events = [[Battle in the hills below the Golden Tooth|Golden Tooth]] {{*}} [[Siege of Riverrun|Riverrun (I)]] {{*}} [[Battle at the Mummer's Ford|Mummer's Ford]] {{*}} [[Battle on the Green Fork|Green Fork]] {{*}} [[Battle of Whispering Wood|Whispering Wood]] {{*}} [[Battle of the Camps|Riverrun (II)]] {{*}} [[Execution of Eddard Stark|Great Sept of Baelor (I)]] {{*}} [[Liberation of Raventree Hall|Raventree Hall]] {{*}} [[Liberation of Stone Hedge|Stone Hedge]] {{*}} [[Massacre in King's Landing|King's Landing (I)]] {{*}} [[Fight at the holdfast|Gods Eye]] {{*}} [[Battle of Oxcross|Oxcross]] {{*}} [[Taking of Ashemark|Ashemark]] {{*}} [[Assassination of Renly Baratheon|Storm's End]] {{*}} [[Fall of Moat Cailin|Moat Cailin (I)]] {{*}} [[Fight at Torrhen's Square|Torrhen's Square]] {{*}} [[Attack on Deepwood Motte|Deepwood Motte (I)]] {{*}} [[Capture of Winterfell|Winterfell (I)]] {{*}} [[Riots in King's Landing|King's Landing (II)]] {{*}} [[Battle at the Yellow Fork|Yellow Fork]] {{*}} [[Surrender of the Crag|Crag]] {{*}} [[Battle of the Fords|Stone Mill]] {{*}} [[Battle of the Blackwater|Blackwater]] {{*}} [[Sack of Winterfell|Winterfell (II)]] {{*}} [[Fall of Harrenhal|Harrenhal]] {{*}} [[Leech ritual|Dragonstone]] {{*}} [[Red Wedding|Twins (I)]] {{*}} [[Brawl in a tavern in the Riverlands|Tavern]] {{*}} [[Purple Wedding|King's Landing (III)]] {{*}} [[Assault on the Dreadfort|Dreadfort]] {{*}} [[Court trial of Tyrion Lannister|Red Keep (I)]] {{*}} [[Siege of Moat Cailin|Moat Cailin (II)]] {{*}} [[Second trial by combat of Tyrion Lannister|Red Keep (II)]] {{*}} [[Battle for the Wall|Wall]] {{*}} [[Assassinations in the Tower of the Hand|Tower of the Hand]] {{*}} [[Confrontation in the Water Gardens|Water Gardens (I)]] {{*}} [[Battle in the ice|Winterfell (III)]] {{*}} [[Assassination of Myrcella Baratheon|Summer Sea]] {{*}} [[Coup in Dorne|Water Gardens (II) / Blackwater Bay]] {{*}} [[Assassinations at Winterfell|Winterfell (IV)]] {{*}} [[Fight by Deepwood Motte|Deepwood Motte (II)]] {{*}} [[Assassination of Balon Greyjoy|Pyke]] {{*}} [[Kingsmoot on Old Wyk|Old Wyk]] {{*}} [[Taking of Riverrun|Riverrun (III)]] {{*}} [[Standoff at the Great Sept of Baelor|Great Sept of Baelor (II)]] {{*}} [[Second siege of Riverrun|Riverrun (IV)]] {{*}} [[Battle of the Bastards|Winterfell (V)]] {{*}} [[Destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor|Great Sept of Baelor (III)]] {{*}} [[Assassinations at the Twins|Twins (II)]] {{*}} [[Trial of Petyr Baelish|Winterfell (VI)]]
  +
}}
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{{Quote|The Seven Kingdoms are at war with one another... false kings destroying the country... the Usurper is dead. The Starks fight the Lannisters, the Baratheons fight each other.|Daenerys Targaryen to Ser Jorah Mormont|The Ghost of Harrenhal}}
  +
The '''War of the Five Kings''',{{Ref|GOT402}} or simply the '''War of Five Kings''',{{Ref|GOT207}} was a major multi-theater civil war in the [[Seven Kingdoms]] of [[Westeros]] that erupted in the wake of the death of [[King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men|King]] [[Robert Baratheon|Robert I]]. In essence, the war was a three-way battle for the [[Iron Throne]] fought alongside two independence movements. The five kings in question were Robert's heir apparent, [[Joffrey Baratheon]], Robert's younger brothers, [[Stannis Baratheon|Stannis]] and [[Renly Baratheon]], the "[[King in the North]]" [[Robb Stark]], and the "[[King of the Iron Islands]]" [[Balon Greyjoy]]. The conflict was orchestrated by [[Petyr Baelish]], the [[Master of Coin]], with the help of [[Lysa Arryn]], who poisoned her husband [[Jon Arryn]], [[Hand of the King]] to Robert Baratheon, and sent a letter to her sister [[Catelyn Stark]] claiming that it was the [[House Lannister|Lannisters]] who had poisoned her husband. Petyr, from the small [[House Baelish]], ignited the war in order to gain more power for himself.<ref name="E35">"[[First of His Name]]"</ref>
   
Upon Robert's death, his heir, [[Joffrey Baratheon|Joffrey]], takes the Iron Throne, but the revelation that he along with his [[Tommen Baratheon|brother]] and [[Myrcella Baratheon|sister]] are [[bastard]]s born of incest between Queen [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]] and her twin brother, Ser [[Jaime Lannister]], leads both of Robert's younger brothers: Stannis and Renly Baratheon, to claim the throne for themselves.  Stannis sees himself as the rightful heir by right of blood, being Robert's heir with the removal of Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen due to their being bastards.  Renly claims the throne on the basis that he would be a better king, despite being second to Stannis in a lawful line of succession.
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Upon Robert's death, his heir apparent Joffrey takes the Iron Throne. However, the revelation that he, along with his [[Tommen Baratheon|brother]] and [[Myrcella Baratheon|sister]], are [[Bastardy|bastards]] born of [[incest]] between Queen Consort [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]] and her twin brother [[Jaime Lannister|Jaime]], leads both Stannis and Renly to claim the throne for themselves. Stannis sees himself as the rightful heir by right of blood, being Robert's heir with the removal of Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen from the line of succession, due to them being bastards born of incest. Renly claims the throne on the basis that he would be a better king, despite being second to Stannis in the lawful line of succession.
   
Meanwhile, Robb Stark, Lord of [[Winterfell]] and [[Lord Paramount of the North]], is declared the [[King in the North]] by his lords bannermen in the wake of the execution of his father,  [[Eddard Stark]], under false charges of treason.  Robb had been in command of a host marching south to free his then-imprisoned father and to relieve a [[House Lannister|Lannister]] attack on the [[Riverlands]]. As the King in the North, Robb declares that [[the North]] and the [[Riverlands]] (which ruled by his [[Hoster Tully|maternal grandfather]]) are now a sovereign kingdom no longer subject to the rule of the [[Iron Throne]].<ref>[http://viewers-guide.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/season2/#!/map/special/areas-of-control/ HBO viewers guide, season 2 map, special features - Areas of Control]</ref>
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Meanwhile, Robb Stark, the [[Lord of Winterfell]], is declared the King in the North by his bannermen in the wake of the [[Execution of Eddard Stark|execution of his father]], on false charges of treason by Joffrey.<ref>"[[Fire and Blood]]"</ref> Robb had been in command of a host marching south to free his then-imprisoned father and to relieve a Lannister attack on the [[Riverlands]]. As the King in the North, Robb declares that the [[North]] and the Riverlands, ruled by his maternal grandfather [[Hoster Tully]], are a sovereign [[Kingdom of the North]] no longer subject to the rule of the Iron Throne.<ref>[http://viewers-guide.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/season2/#!/map/special/areas-of-control/ HBO viewers guide, season 2 map, special features - Areas of Control]</ref>
   
With the attention of the North and the Iron Throne diverted,[[Balon Greyjoy| Balon Greyjoy]], [[Lord Reaper of Pyke]] and ruler of the [[Iron Islands]], seizes the opportunity to declare the Iron Islands independent once more.  He then styles himself [[King of the Iron Islands]] and launches raids in the North while most of its defenders are south of [[the Neck]].
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With the attention of the North and the Iron Throne diverted, Balon Greyjoy, [[Lord Reaper of Pyke]] and ruler of the [[Iron Islands]], seizes the opportunity to declare the Iron Islands independent once more, restoring the [[Kingdom of the Iron Islands]]. He then styles himself King of the Iron Islands and [[Ironborn invasion of the North|launches raids in the North]], while most of the [[Northmen|Northern]] armies are distracted south of the [[Neck]] fighting the Lannisters in the Riverlands and the [[Westerlands]].
<small>
 
{{War
 
|previous= [[Greyjoy Rebellion]]
 
|conc= [[Conflict Beyond the Wall]]<br>[[Targaryen campaign in Slaver's Bay]]
 
|next=
 
|name=War of the Five Kings
 
|image=
 
|begin=298 AL
 
|end=Ongoing
 
|place=The [[Seven Kingdoms]]
 
|result=Current decisive [[House Baratheon of King's Landing]] victory
 
*Scattering and exile of [[House Stark]]
 
*Attaintment of [[House Tully]]
 
Assassination of King Joffrey on his wedding feast
 
*Elevation of Tommen Baratheon to the Iron Throne
 
|battles=*[[Battle of the Golden Tooth|Golden Tooth]]
 
*[[Siege of Riverrun|Riverrun]]
 
*[[Battle at the Mummer's Ford|Mummer's Ford]]
 
*[[Battle of the Green Fork|The Green Fork]]
 
*[[Battle of the Whispering Wood|The Whispering Wood]]
 
*[[Battle of the Camps|The Camps]]
 
*[[Liberation of Raventree Hall|Raventree Hall]]
 
*[[Liberation of Stone Hedge|Stone Hedge]]
 
*[[Massacre in King's Landing|King's Landing (I)]]
 
*[[Raid by the Gods Eye|Gods Eye]]
 
*[[Battle of Oxcross|Oxcross]]
 
*[[Sack of Ashemark|Ashemark]]
 
*[[Assassination of Renly I|Storm's End]]
 
*[[Battle of Moat Cailin|Moat Cailin]]
 
*[[Raid of Torrhen's Square|Torrhen's Square]]
 
*[[Battle of Deepwood Motte|Deepwood Motte]]
 
*[[Fall of Winterfell|Winterfell (I)]]
 
*[[Riot of King's Landing|King's Landing (II)]]
 
*[[Battle of the Yellow Fork|Yellow Fork]]
 
*[[Surrender of the Crag|The Crag]]
 
*[[Battle of the Blackwater|The Blackwater]]
 
*[[Sack of Winterfell|Winterfell (II)]]
 
*[[Liberation of Harrenhal|Harrenhal]]
 
*[[Battle of Stone Mill|Stone Mill]]
 
*[[Red Wedding]]
 
*[[Purple Wedding]]
 
|BG2=
 
|side1=[[Robb Stark|The King in the North]]†
 
*[[House Stark]]
 
**Houses sworn to [[Winterfell]]
 
**[[House Bolton]]
 
**[[House Umber]]
 
**[[House Karstark]]
 
**[[House Glover]]
 
**[[House Mormont]]
 
**[[House Hornwood]]
 
**[[House Tallhart]]
 
**[[House Manderly]]
 
*[[House Tully]]
 
**Houses sworn to [[Riverrun]]
 
**[[House Bracken]]
 
**[[House Mallister]]
 
**[[House Blackwood]]
 
**[[House Frey]]
 
***Houses sworn to [[the Twins]]
 
|side2=[[Joffrey Baratheon|The King on the Iron Throne]]†
 
*[[House Baratheon of King's Landing]]
 
** Houses sworn to [[King's Landing]]
 
*[[House Lannister]]
 
**Houses sworn to [[Casterly Rock]]
 
**[[House Marbrand]]
 
**[[House Crakehall]]
 
**[[House Clegane]]
 
**[[House Lefford]]
 
**[[House Sarsfield]]
 
**[[House Swyft]]
 
*[[House Tyrell]] (after Renly's death)
 
**Houses sworn to [[Highgarden]]
 
*[[House Bolton]] (after the Red Wedding)
 
** Houses sworn to [[The Dreadfort]] and [[Winterfell]] (in theory)
 
*[[House Baelish]] (after the Red Wedding)
 
**Houses sworn to [[Harrenhal]] (in theory)
 
**[[House Frey]] (after the Red Wedding)
 
**Houses sworn to [[the Twins]]
 
|side3=[[Stannis Baratheon|The King in the Narrow Sea]]
 
*[[House Baratheon of Dragonstone]]
 
**Houses sworn to [[Dragonstone]]
 
***[[House Velaryon]]
 
**[[House Seaworth]]
 
**Houses sworn to [[Storm's End]] (after Renly's death)
 
***[[House Estermont]]
 
***[[House Tarth]]
 
***[[House Errol]]
 
***[[House Caron]]
 
***[[House Peasebury]]
 
***[[House Musgood]]
 
**[[House Florent]] (after Renly's death)
 
**[[House Fossoway]] (after Renly's death)
 
**[[House Haigh]]
 
|side4=[[Renly Baratheon|The King in Highgarden]]†
 
*[[House Baratheon]] of [[Storm's End]]
 
**Houses sworn to Storm's End
 
***[[House Estermont]]
 
***[[House Tarth]]
 
***[[House Errol]]
 
***[[House Caron]]
 
*[[House Tyrell]]
 
**Houses sworn to Highgarden
 
***[[House Tarly]]
 
***[[House Hightower]]
 
***[[House Florent]]
 
***[[House Fossoway]]
 
|side5=[[Balon Greyjoy|The King of the Iron Islands]]
 
*[[House Greyjoy]]
 
**Houses sworn to [[Pyke (castle)|Pyke]]
 
***[[House Harlaw]]
 
***[[House Goodbrother]]
 
***[[House Merlyn]]
 
***[[House Sparr]]
 
|commanders1=King [[Robb Stark]]†
 
*Lord [[Greatjon Umber]]
 
*Lord [[Roose Bolton]] (turncoat)
 
*Lord [[Galbart Glover]]
 
*Lord [[Rickard Karstark]]†
 
*Lady [[Maege Mormont]]
 
*Lord [[Hoster Tully]]†
 
*Lord [[Edmure Tully]]
 
*Ser [[Brynden Tully]]
 
*Lord [[Jonos Bracken]]
 
*Lord [[Walder Frey]] (turncoat)
 
|commanders2=King [[Joffrey Baratheon|Joffrey I]]†<br>
 
*Lord [[Tywin Lannister]], Hand of the King
 
*[[Tyrion Lannister]], Hand of the King
 
*Ser [[Kevan Lannister]]
 
*Ser [[Jaime Lannister]]
 
*Lord [[Mace Tyrell]]
 
*Ser [[Loras Tyrell]]
 
*Ser [[Gregor Clegane]]
 
*Lord [[Roose Bolton]]
 
*Lord [[Walder Frey]]
 
|commanders3=King [[Stannis Baratheon|Stannis I]]
 
*Ser [[Davos Seaworth]]
 
*Ser [[Axell Florent]]†
 
|commanders4=King [[Renly Baratheon|Renly I]]†
 
*Lord [[Mace Tyrell]], Hand of the King
 
*Lord [[Randyll Tarly]]
 
*Ser [[Loras Tyrell]]
 
|commanders5=King [[Balon Greyjoy]]
 
*Princess [[Yara Greyjoy]]
 
*Prince [[Theon Greyjoy]]}}
 
</small>
 
   
  +
By [[303 AC]], all of the original five kings were either assassinated or killed in battle, leading to the total and complete end of the War of the Five Kings. Ironically, many of the same events Littlefinger put in motion to increase his own power and influence were eventually discovered by the remaining members of [[House Stark]], which were ultimately used as evidence against him for [[Trial of Petyr Baelish|his execution]], marking the official end of the War of the Five Kings.
==Combatants==
 
The current factions involved in the War of the Five Kings:
 
   
  +
==History==
===[[Joffrey Baratheon|The King on the Iron Throne]]===
 
  +
===Opening moves===
[[File:Joffrey_throne_season_2.jpeg|right|thumb|Joffrey I Baratheon, the "King on the Iron Throne"]]
 
  +
====Tyrion Lannister's abduction====
King Joffrey Baratheon claims the Iron Throne by right of inheritance from his publicly-declared father, the late Robert Baratheon. He holds the capital city of [[King's Landing]] and his claim is supported militarily by the powerful and well-equipped armies of [[House Lannister]], as well as the lords of the [[Crownlands]]. As the king in control of the capital he is referred to 
 
  +
{{Quote|This man came into my house as a guest, and there conspired to murder my son, a boy of ten. In the name of King Robert and the good lords you serve, I call upon you to seize him and help me return him to Winterfell to await the king's justice.|Catelyn seizes Tyrion|Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things}}
as the King on the Iron Throne.<ref>[http://viewers-guide.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/season2/#!/map/special/areas-of-control/3/ HBO viewers guide, season 2 map, special features - Areas of Control, Joffrey Baratheon entry]</ref>
 
  +
[[File:Battle at the Mummer's Ford.png|thumb|198x198px|The royalist force, which would go on to become the Brotherhood Without Banners, attacks the Lannister army in the Riverlands.]]
  +
The stage for war was set when [[Catelyn Stark]] seized [[Tyrion Lannister]] and accused him of the attempted murder of her son [[Bran Stark|Bran]] based on false information given to her by [[Petyr Baelish]]. Bran had previously been crippled by [[Jaime Lannister]] in an attempted murder after he witnessed Jaime having sex with Queen [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]], though Bran retained no memory of this.<ref name="E4">"[[Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things]]"</ref> In response, [[House Lannister]], led by Lord [[Tywin Lannister]], summoned its armies and marched on the [[Riverlands]], ruled by [[House Tully]], Catelyn's [[Noble house|house]], with 60,000 [[Man-at-arms|men]]. Ser [[Gregor Clegane]] led an auxiliary force and began striking at the [[Noble house|vassals]] of Catelyn's father, Lord [[Hoster Tully]].<ref name="E7">"[[You Win or You Die]]"</ref>
   
  +
====The death of Robert Baratheon====
The Lannister armies became bogged down in fighting the Stark forces in the Riverlands, leaving the capital potentially vulnerable to assault by sea or from the south, but when Robb Stark led his troops west to attack the Lannister homelands, their armies were free to march to relieve King's Landing from [[Battle of the Blackwater|assault]] by Stannis' army. His supporters were also able to negotiate an alliance with [[House Tyrell]] after Renly Baratheon's death.
 
  +
Rather than use his authority to defuse the situation, King [[Robert Baratheon|Robert I Baratheon]] left [[King's Landing]] for his entertainments, and soon afterwards [[Assassination of Robert Baratheon|died]] in a hunting accident secretly arranged by Queen Cersei. Upon Robert's death, Lord [[Renly Baratheon]] tried to secure the support of his [[Hand of the King|Hand]], Lord [[Eddard Stark]], but when he refused, Renly fled the capital with Ser [[Loras Tyrell]], the heir to the [[Reach]], and rode for [[Highgarden]]. Prince [[Joffrey Baratheon]] immediately claimed the [[Iron Throne]] upon Robert's death with his mother's backing as [[Regent|Queen Regent]]. However, Eddard had learned from previous research conducted by his predecessor [[Jon Arryn]], who had been secretly [[Assassination of Jon Arryn|assassinated]] by his [[Lysa Arryn|wife]] and Baelish, of the true parentage of Joffrey and his siblings: that they were in fact [[Bastardy|bastards]] born of incest between Cersei and Jaime.<ref name="E35">"[[First of His Name]]"</ref> Eddard had a proclamation written by Robert which named him regent and [[Protector of the Realm]], but it was ignored by Cersei, whom Eddard had forewarned of his knowledge about her children in an attempt to allow them to flee.<ref name="E7" />
   
  +
When Eddard tried to take Joffrey into custody as an imposter, Joffrey, who had been forewarned by Baelish, instead had Eddard arrested. Baelish held Eddard with a dagger to his throat while [[Janos Slynt]] led the [[City Watch of King's Landing|City Watch]] [[Massacre in the Red Keep|in turning against Eddard's household guards]]. Joffrey and Cersei were unaware, however, that Eddard had already sent a letter to [[Stannis Baratheon]] informing him that Joffrey was not legitimate, and thus the crown rightfully belonged to him. They were further unaware that Renly knew of this as well, and was gathering his supporters in the [[Stormlands]] and the Reach.<ref name="E7" /> On [[Dragonstone (island)|Dragonstone]], Stannis also claimed the Iron Throne and began gathering his own supporters.<ref name="E10">"[[Fire and Blood]]"</ref>
During his [[Purple Wedding|wedding to Margaery Tyrell,&nbsp;]]Joffrey was poisoned by an unknown party and died. His uncle, former [[Hand of the King]] [[Tyrion Lannister]], was arrested for the murder. Joffrey's lawful successor is his younger brother, [[Tommen Baratheon]].
 
   
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====War in the Riverlands====
===[[Renly Baratheon|The King in Highgarden]]===
 
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{{Quote|Ser Gregor will head out with five hundred riders and set the riverlands on fire from Gods' Eye to the Red Fork.|Tywin Lannister|Fire and Blood}}
[[File:Renly_promo.jpg|right|thumb|King Renly I Baratheon, "the King in Highgarden"]]
 
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The Lannister army separated into two hosts of 30,000 men each.<ref name="E7" /> Jaime led one host with the aim of capturing [[Riverrun]], the principal stronghold of House Tully. Jaime smashed the riverlords at a [[battle in the hills below the Golden Tooth]], allowing him to move northwest through the Riverlands unimpeded, and followed through on his victory by [[Siege of Riverrun|laying siege to Riverrun]]. Tywin led the other host himself.<ref name="E8">"[[The Pointy End]]"</ref>
King Renly Baratheon, the youngest brother of King Robert, claimed the Iron Throne by right of strength and conquest. He is supported by his vassals, the Stormlords and the armies sworn to House Tyrell, who can field the largest armies in all of Westeros. He is known as "the King in Highgarden" because of the alliance.<ref>[http://viewers-guide.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/season2/#!/map/special/areas-of-control/2/ HBO viewers guide, season 2 map, special features - Areas of Control, Renly Baratheon entry]</ref>
 
   
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[[File:Green Fork.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Robb's strategic deceit of the Lannisters led to Jaime's capture.]]
The presence of Renly's large army in the south forced Tywin Lannister to leave the bulk of his forces at Harrenhal, mid-way between Robb in the north and Renly in the south, to react against whichever of them moved on King's Landing first. Renly was in no great hurry, content to let Robb Stark continue bleeding the Lannisters in the Riverlands and holding tourneys and feasts with his lords bannermen and sworn knights. Time was largely on Renly's side, and he could afford to wait longer to assemble as large an army as possible before ultimately marching on King's Landing.
 
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Upon receiving a [[raven]] of his father's arrest, [[Robb Stark]] summoned his father's vassals and mobilized the armies of the [[North]].<ref name="E8" /> He then marched them to the relief of the Riverlands and his mother's house. Tywin moved to the east bank of the [[Trident#The Green Fork|Green Fork]] of the [[Trident]] to intercept the [[House Stark|Stark]] force.<ref name="E8" /> Robb secured the support of Lord [[Walder Frey]], a Tully bannerman, through a marriage pact, giving him an advantage in transportation and local intelligence.<ref name="E9">"[[Baelor]]"</ref> Robb then sent a small force of 2,000 men to attack Tywin's army. As planned, this small force was destroyed at the [[battle on the Green Fork]], but it delayed the Lannisters long enough for Robb's main army to slip past them and into the [[Whispering Wood]] near Riverrun. Robb then inflicted [[Battle of Whispering Wood|a significant defeat upon the Lannisters]], destroying much of Jaime's host and capturing Jaime himself.<ref name="E9" /> After learning of Jaime's capture, Tywin retreated to [[Harrenhal]], intending to fortify it and use it as a base of operations to conduct raids in the Riverlands.<ref name="E10" />
   
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===​The rise of kings​===
However, Renly was killed by a [[shadow]] creature under the control of [[Melisandre]], a [[Red Priest|priestess]] in the employ of Stannis. [[The Stormlands]] lords, and a few Reach lords went over to Stannis, but the Tyrells<span style="background-color:rgb(71,70,70);"> refused to support him. They were eventually convinced to join </span>Joffrey's<span style="background-color:rgb(71,70,70);"> supporters through negotiations.</span>
 
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{{Quote|That bit of theater will haunt our family for a generation.|Tyrion to Cersei, on Eddard's execution|The North Remembers}}
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By this time, news of Renly and Stannis gathering armies had reached both the Stark and Lannister camps. Both men had claimed the Iron Throne: Stannis as the legitimate heir after his brother's death, and Renly on the claim that he could be a better king than his brother. Meanwhile, in King's Landing, Eddard falsely confessed to [[treason]] and recognized Joffrey as the king in an effort to protect his daughter [[Sansa Stark|Sansa]], who was being held as a [[hostage]] by the Lannisters. However, instead of [[Exile|exiling]] him to the [[Night's Watch]] as Cersei intended, the sadistic Joffrey instead ordered Eddard's [[Execution of Eddard Stark|execution]]. Eddard's death caused the vengeful [[Northmen]] to reject the authority of the Iron Throne. After considering joining forces with one of the Baratheon brothers, the Northmen and the riverlords instead chose the path of independence, declaring their own independent [[Kingdom of the North]] and swearing fealty to Robb as the [[King in the North]].<ref name="E10" />
   
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Robb followed up on his success at [[Whispering Wood]] with several minor skirmishes against Lannister forces. Barely days after Joffrey was declared king, the Lannisters in reality only held their own domain, the [[Westerlands]], and most of the [[Crownlands]], as well as a small conquered strip of the southern Riverlands. Meanwhile, the Starks controlled the North and most of the Riverlands. Renly commanded the full might of the Stormlands, as well as the Reach with the backing of [[House Tyrell]] and their vassals. Stannis, on the other hand, only had the backing of the outlying houses along the shores of the [[Narrow Sea]] sworn to Dragonstone. At this time, the other three kingdoms&mdash;the [[Vale of Arryn]], [[Dorne]] and the [[Iron Islands]]&mdash;had not yet declared their support for any side in the conflict.
===[[Stannis Baratheon|The King in the Narrow Sea]]===
 
[[File:StannisNorthRemember.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Stannis Baratheon, the "King in the Narrow Sea"]]
 
King Stannis Baratheon, the younger brother of King Robert and the elder brother of Renly, claims the Iron Throne by right of inheritance from his brother. Stannis power is centered on the island fortress of [[Dragonstone]] in the [[Narrow Sea]] and he is therefore referred to as the King in the Narrow Sea.<ref name="VG AoC Stannis">[http://viewers-guide.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/season2/#!/map/special/areas-of-control/1/ HBO viewers guide, season 2 map, special features - Areas of Control, Stannis Baratheon entry]</ref>
 
   
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====Robb Stark invades the Westerlands====
Based on intelligence received from [[Eddard Stark]] before his arrest and execution,<ref name="E7"/> Stannis claims that Joffrey and his younger siblings are not Robert's children at all, but instead the product of incest between Queen Cersei Lannister and her twin brother, Jaime.<ref name="E11">"[[The North Remembers]]"</ref> This makes Joffrey a usurper, pretender and bastard, and leaves Stannis as the rightful king. At the beginning of the war very few supported Stannis' claim to the throne even after sending a letter of Joffrey's true parentage to all the high lords of [[Westeros]].<ref name="VG AoC Stannis"/><ref name="E11"/> Stannis was also furious that most of the lords of the [[Stormlands]] had supported his younger brother [[Renly]]'s claim to the Iron Throne.<ref name="E11"/> A parley between Stannis and Renly failed, so Stannis authorised his priestess, Melisandre, to kill Renly through magic.<ref name="E14">"[[Garden of Bones]]"</ref> The storm lords went over to Stannis, but the Tyrells withdrew their armies.<ref name="E15">"[[The Ghost of Harrenhal]]"</ref> Stannis was s<span style="background-color:rgb(71,70,70);">till left with a large enough army and fleet to </span>[[Battle of the Blackwater|attack King's Landing]]. Despite initial successes, the tide turned against him when the Tyrells allied with the Lannisters and attacked him. Stannis was forced to flee with only a small number of survivors.<ref>"[[Blackwater]]"</ref>
 
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{{Quote|Stannis two days from the capital, and the wolf at my doorstep.|Tywin Lannister|The Prince of Winterfell}}
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[[File:Battle of Oxcross.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Robb led the Northern armies into the Lannisters' lands in the west.]]
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With Tywin encamped at Harrenhal, Robb launched a limited invasion of the Lannister homelands in the Westerlands, winning several more battles: the [[Battle of Oxcross]],<ref name="E14">"[[Garden of Bones (episode)|Garden of Bones]]"</ref> a [[battle at the Yellow Fork]],<ref name="E17">"[[A Man Without Honor]]"</ref> and the [[surrender of the Crag]].<ref name="E18">"[[The Prince of Winterfell]]"</ref> With the Lannister homelands under attack by the Northmen, and a Baratheon attack on the capital imminent, Tywin decided to quietly march the Lannister forces from Harrenhal to King's Landing to reinforce the capital.<ref name="E18" />
   
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All of the lands between Riverrun and Harrenhal became a warzone, facing constant raids and counter-raids by Stark-Tully and Lannister forces. As a result of [[Edmure Tully]]'s mistake at the [[Battle of the Fords]], Robb failed to lure the Lannisters into a trap; instead, the Lannister forces in the Riverlands regrouped and then rushed to the defense of King's Landing against Stannis.
===[[Robb Stark|The King in the North]]===
 
[[File:Robb 2x01.jpg|right|thumb|Robb Stark, the King in the North]]
 
King Robb Stark does not claim the Iron Throne at all. Instead, his initial goal is to secure the release of his father Ned Stark, who has been imprisoned on charges of treason against King Joffrey, as well as to rescue his sisters [[Arya Stark|Arya]] and [[Sansa Stark|Sansa]]. Besides commanding the forces of the North, Robb is joined by the forces of the Riverlands, ruled by Robb's maternal grandfather [[Hoster Tully]], although the [[Vale]] (currently ruled by Robb's aunt [[Lysa Arryn]]) remains neutral. Robb's goals further evolve when he is proclaimed the [[King in the North]] by his bannermen, his new aim being to secure the independence of the North and the Riverlands, as well as to possibly exact revenge following the execution of Ned Stark.
 
   
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====The death of Renly Baratheon====
Despite Robb's youth and inexperience, he proves to be an enthusiastic and canny battle commander, his ferocity in battle earning him the nickname "The Young Wolf" (a reference to the sigil of House Stark).<ref>[http://viewers-guide.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/season2/#!/map/special/areas-of-control/4/ HBO viewers guide, season 2 map, special features - Areas of Control, Robb Stark entry]</ref> In the first real test of his leadership, Robb uses disinformation against the Lannisters, not only making them believe his army is larger than it actually is but also tricks them into believing he is marching against [[Tywin Lannister]]'s forces. Instead, Robb sends only a small diversionary force to face Tywin at th<span style="background-color:rgb(71,70,70);">e </span>[[Battle of the Green Fork]]<span style="background-color:rgb(71,70,70);"> while sending the rest of his forces to face </span>[[Jaime Lannister|Jaime Lannister's]]<span style="background-color:rgb(71,70,70);"> army at the </span>[[Battle of the Whispering Wood]]. Robb scores a decisive victory, destroying Jaime's army and capturing Jaime himself. Robb goes onto to win every engagement he fights against the Lannisters, including the [[Battle of Oxcross]]<span style="background-color:rgb(71,70,70);">.</span>
 
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{{Quote|All my brother's bannermen have come to my side! Except for the Tyrells, who fled like cowards. They won't be able to resist us now. Soon I should be sitting on the Iron Throne.|Stannis, to Davos|The Ghost of Harrenhal}}
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[[File:Renly_Stannis_Parley.jpg|thumb|200px|The Baratheon brothers held a parley in the Stormlands, but both refused to stand down.]]
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The Baratheon brothers Stannis and Renly both claimed the Iron Throne. Stannis had a small army at Dragonstone, and was under the influence of [[Melisandre]], a [[red priest]]ess of the [[Lord of Light]] and a powerful [[Shadowbinder|sorceress]]. Renly, on the other hand, amassed the strength of his bannermen in the Stormlands. He had also secured the backing House Tyrell and their bannermen from the Reach by marrying [[Margaery Tyrell]], daughter of Lord [[Mace Tyrell]].<ref name="E13">"[[What Is Dead May Never Die]]"</ref>
   
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Renly commanded the most powerful army in Westeros by sheer numbers, having gathered all the bannermen of the Stormlands and the Reach, the two most populous kingdoms of Westeros. Looking for allies, Robb sent his mother Catelyn to the Stormlands to negotiate with the southern king, while [[Theon Greyjoy]] was sent to the Iron Islands. Renly was receptive to an alliance with the Starks on the condition that Robb recognized his sovereignty over the North. However, before negotiations could continue, Renly was [[Assassination of Renly Baratheon|murdered]] by a [[shadow]], bearing the face of Stannis, secretly born by Melisandre. The assassination was witnessed only by Catelyn and [[Brienne of Tarth]]; Brienne was accused of Renly's murder, and she and Catelyn subsequently fled his camp together.<ref name="E15">"[[The Ghost of Harrenhal]]"</ref>
Despite his success on the battlefield, Robb loses the momentum of the war. Robb reluctantly tries to seek an alliance with [[Balon Greyjoy]], hoping to use [[Ironborn|ironborn]] ships to launch an attack on [[King's Landing]] and sends [[Theon Greyjoy]] as an envoy. Instead, the ironborn launch raids in the North, and Theon betrays Robb and personally leads the attack on Robb's capital of [[Winterfell]]. Robb loses the support of [[House Frey]] when he marries [[Talisa Maegyr]], breaking his vow to marry one of [[Walder Frey|Walder Frey's]] daughters. He also loses the support of [[House Karstark]] when he executes Lord [[Rickard Karstark]] for treason. While Robb's forces dwindle and face more enemies, the opposite is true for his main enemies, the Lannisters. They gain a formidable ally in [[House Tyrell]] and their vassals following the alliance arranged by Littlefinger on behalf of the crown. Also, with Stannis' forces having been decimated at the [[Battle of Blackwater]], the Lannisters are able concentrate on the Stark army.
 
   
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Following Renly's death, the stormlords swore fealty to Stannis as the remaining legal head of [[House Baratheon]]. However, the Tyrells and their vassals did not join Stannis, and instead returned to the Reach. With the Baratheon army under his command, and the Dragonstone fleet augmented by pirates led by [[Salladhor Saan]], Stannis began preparations for an invasion of King's Landing.<ref name="E15" />
Determined to regain his momentum, Robb plans an attack on [[Casterly Rock]], capital of the Westerlands and one of the biggest sources of gold for House Lannister. To acquire the needed men, he attempts to repair his alliance with House Frey by marrying his uncle, [[Edmure Tully]]<span style="background-color:rgb(71,70,70);">, the new </span>[[Lord of Riverrun]]<span style="background-color:rgb(71,70,70);">, to </span>[[Roslin Frey]]. Walder Frey gives the appearance of accepting, and the two are married. However, unbeknownst to Robb, Walder Frey and Robb's bannerman Lord [[Roose Bolton]] have secretly joined with Tywin Lannister. At the [[Red Wedding|wedding]]<span style="background-color:rgb(71,70,70);">, Robb, his wife, his mother, and almost the entire Northern army are betrayed and massacred, putting an end to his rebellion and to the North's dream of independence.</span>
 
   
===[[Balon Greyjoy|The King of the Iron Islands]]===
+
====Riot in King's Landing====
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{{Quote|They're starving, you fool! All because of a war you started!|Tyrion, to Joffrey|The Old Gods and the New}}
King Balon Greyjoy, likewise, does not claim the Iron Throne, but has declared himself [[King of the Iron Islands|King of th]][[King of the Iron Islands|e Iro]][[King of the Iron Islands|n Islands]] again. He has rejected Robb Stark's proposal for an alliance against House Lannister, preferring to carve out a Kingdom of the Iron Islands alone. He's motivated by his hatred for the Starks for the death of his two [[Rodrik Greyjoy|older]]<span style="background-color:rgb(71,70,70);"> </span>[[Maron Greyjoy|sons]]<span style="background-color:rgb(71,70,70);"> during the </span>[[Greyjoy Rebellion]] and the ironborn tradition of 'paying the iron price' - which dictates that a man must take his riches by force, not negotiation or payment. To this end Balon has taken advantage of the North's under-defended state while most of its forces are fighting with Robb in the Riverlands: the ironborn raid the coasts, and capture the castle at [[Deepwood Motte]]<span style="background-color:rgb(71,70,70);">. Out of his own initiative, his son </span>[[Theon Greyjoy|Theon]] has also captured the main Stark stronghold at Winterfell, but has refused to relinquish it despite the difficulties in resupplying a location so far from the sea. The [[Ironborn|ironborn]] have now abandoned Winterfell, and Theon's location remains unknown, potentially causing problems for Balon.
 
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[[File:Gold cloaks.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Gold Cloaks hold back rioting smallfolk from King Joffrey and his entourage.]]
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During the course of the war, the streets of King's Landing began to overflow with starving refugees looking to escape the war. Joffrey and the royal court left the [[Red Keep]] and gathered in the city's docks to witness Princess [[Myrcella Baratheon|Myrcella]]'s leave to Dorne, as part of their hopes to secure an alliance with [[House Martell]]. On their way back, the [[smallfolk|commoners]] of King's Landing hurled insults at Joffrey. The situation escalated when one threw cow excrement into Joffrey's face, and when the culprit could not be found, the young king ordered his guards to have them all killed. [[Riots in King's Landing|Riots]] then erupted in the chaos; they were eventually put down, but many were killed, including the [[High Septon (Joffrey)|High Septon]].<ref name="E16" />
   
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====Rise of the kraken====
==Non-combatants==
 
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{{Quote|The North is ripe for the taking.|Balon Greyjoy|What Is Dead May Never Die}}
The following factions have either not declared an interest in the conflict, or have already declared their neutrality:
 
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As the Lannister and Stark forces fought in the west, Theon Greyjoy arrived at [[Pyke]] as Robb's envoy to forge an alliance with his family, [[House Greyjoy]]. Robb hoped to gain the strength of the [[Iron Fleet]] to use against the Lannisters. Lord [[Balon Greyjoy]], however, instead proclaimed himself [[King of the Iron Islands]] once more, and drew up plans to [[Ironborn invasion of the North|invade]] the defenseless North while Robb's armies were down south.<ref name="E12">"[[The Night Lands]]"</ref><ref name="E13">"[[What Is Dead May Never Die]]"</ref> The ironborn attacked the coasts of the North: [[Yara Greyjoy]] commanded a sizable fleet to [[Attack on Deepwood Motte|take Deepwood Motte]], while Theon was assigned to raid small fishing villages. Under his first mate [[Dagmer]]'s advice, however, Theon defied his father's orders to instead [[Capture of Winterfell|seize Winterfell]].<ref name="E16">"[[The Old Gods and the New]]"</ref>
   
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[[File:Winterfell_Burning.jpg|thumb|200px|Winterfell was sacked during the ironborn invasion of the North.]]
===[[House Arryn]]/[[The Vale of Arryn]]===
 
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Bran and [[Rickon Stark]] escaped Winterfell with two of their household servants, [[Hodor]] and [[Osha]], and their [[Direwolf|direwolves]]. Theon failed to find them, so to cover up his failure and assert his authority, he had [[Billy|two]] [[Jack|farmboys]] killed, their corpses charred beyond recognition, and hanged atop the walls of Winterfell, posing as the Stark boys.<ref name="E17" /> Yara later rode to Winterfell, where she reprimanded Theon, the self-declared [[Prince of Winterfell]], warning her brother that the entirety of the North wanted him dead for the alleged killing of the Stark boys. She then informed Theon that their father had summoned him to Pyke, and advised him that his position was too far from the sea to resupply or reinforce. In spite of this, Theon decided to hold Winterfell to preserve his victory.<ref name="E18" />
House Arryn and the knights of [[the Vale]] have declared themselves neutral in the conflict. Lady [[Lysa Arryn]], acting as regent for her young son, [[Robin Arryn]], has stated that the Vale will hold its strength and not take part in the war, despite entreaties from her sister, [[Catelyn Stark]], to join the Stark cause. Lysa is skeptical of Robb's ability to defeat the seasoned, more experienced [[Tywin Lannister]] in battle.
 
   
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Robb and [[Roose Bolton]] had a relief force of five hundred men, led by Roose's bastard [[Ramsay Bolton|Ramsay Snow]], assembled to take back Winterfell. Theon's men betrayed him and handed him over to Ramsay, who promised their return to the Iron Islands.<ref name="E20">"[[Valar Morghulis]]"</ref> Instead, Ramsay betrayed the ironborn and had them all killed. He then had Winterfell [[Sack of Winterfell|sacked]], putting the castle to the torch.<ref name="E30">"[[Mhysa]]"</ref> Nonetheless, Bran, Rickon, Osha, and Hodor were able to escape.<ref name="E20" />
In an attempt to bring the Vale back under the authority of the Iron Throne and House Arryn into the forces against Robb Stark, Tywin Lannister sends [[Petyr Baelish]], newly-made [[Lord of Harrenhal]] and de jure Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, to propose matrimony to Lady Lysa as Littlefinger's new titles make him a suitable match for the Lady Regent of the Vale.
 
   
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====The Battle of the Blackwater====
===[[House Martell]]===
 
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{{Dialogue a-b|Imry|The fire... their archers... hundreds will die.|Stannis|Thousands.|Imry Florent and Stannis Baratheon|Blackwater}}
House Martell of [[Dorne]] has pursued a course of isolationism since [[Robert's Rebellion]], and declares no interest or faction in the current conflict at its outset. [[Tyrion Lannister]] attempts to win the Martells' support by offering their [[Trystane Martell|youngest son]] the hand of Princess [[Myrcella Baratheon]] in marriage. They have accepted the offer, and Myrcella is sent to [[Sunspear]] as a ward of Prince [[Doran Martell]]. However, House Martell still has not taken an official side in the war. After the [[Purple Wedding]], with the threat of the ironborn and the Targaryen resurgence in the east, [[Hand of the King]] [[Tywin Lannister]] offers [[Prince]] [[Oberyn Martell]] a seat on the [[Small Council]], as he will need the support of the only House that has never been subjegated by anyone before, not even [[Aegon the Conqueror]] and his dragons.
 
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[[File:Wildfire explosion.jpg|thumb|200px|Wildfire destroyed a large portion of Stannis Baratheon's fleet at the Blackwater.]]
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Stannis's army and fleet launched an assault on King's Landing in what came to be known as the [[Battle of the Blackwater]]. The initial attack was blunted when Tyrion sprung a trap, destroying half of Stannis's ships and many of his men with [[wildfire]]. Stannis rallied the surviving troops and launched an assault on the city.<ref name="E19">"[[Blackwater]]"</ref>
   
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Just as the city seemed about to fall, a combined Lannister-Tyrell host charged and broke through Stannis's flank, sending his army into a panic and routing them. Stannis retreated to Dragonstone with only the tattered remnants of his army.<ref name="E19">"[[Blackwater]]"</ref>
===[[Night's Watch|The Night's Watch]]===
 
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An alliance between the Tyrells and the Lannisters had secretly been brokered by Baelish and Tywin Lannister following Renly's death. The Tyrells formally declared themselves for King Joffrey in return for a marriage pact between him and Margaery, giving Joffrey a massive numerical advantage over the houses in rebellion.<ref name="E20" />
The Night's Watch plays no role in the internal political affairs of the Seven Kingdoms, having been sworn to defend the realm as a whole, no matter who is on the Iron Throne or competing for it. As a result, they are neutral in the current conflict. Several individual members of the Night's Watch do have ties to some of the combatants. For example, [[Lord Commander]] [[Jeor Mormont]] was once the [[Lord of Bear Island]] and thus a former bannerman to House Stark before abdicating; his sister [[Maege Mormont]] fights for Robb Stark. [[Jon Snow]] is the bastard son of Eddard Stark and thus Robb Stark's brother. [[Samwell Tarly]] is the son of Lord [[Randyll Tarly]], who -- as a bannerman for House Tyrell -- fights for Renly Baratheon and later Joffrey Baratheon. All three choose to follow the Watch's policy of neutrality (though Jon Snow does heavily consider joining the fight before being persuaded not to).
 
   
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The decisive Lannister-Tyrell victory also coincided with several political blunders made by Robb. Robb lost the support of [[House Frey]] when he broke his pact with them to instead marry [[Talisa Stark|Talisa Maegyr]].<ref name="E20" /> Not long after, his powerful vassal [[House Karstark]] deserted him after he executed Lord [[Rickard Karstark]] for the murder of Lannister prisoners. Having lost a large number of troops, and his enemies having more than doubled in numbers, Robb's army suddenly found itself in great danger.<ref name="E25">"[[Kissed by Fire]]"</ref>
===[[Brotherhood Without Banners|The Brotherhood Without Banners]]===
 
The outlaw group known as the Brotherhood Without Banners is active in the [[Riverlands]] and, so far, has acted against the [[House Lannister|Lannister]] occupation, though they haven't declared their loyalty to either [[House Stark]] or [[House Baratheon of Dragonstone|House Baratheon]]. The Lannister forces have responded to the Brotherhood's activities by further sacking villages and torturing and executing peasants with the hope of tracking down the Brotherhood's leaders and their collaborators among the [[smallfolk]].
 
   
===[[Daenerys Targaryen|The Queen Across the Sea]]===
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===The fall of kings===
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====​The Red Wedding====
Daenerys Targaryen is the last of [[House Targaryen]], the house that ruled the Seven Kingdoms prior to being overthrown during [[Robert's Rebellion]]. Daenerys has thus staked a claim for the Iron Throne for herself and has begun building an army in [[Essos]] for this goal, hoping the use the in-fighting within the Seven Kingdoms to her advantage. However, Daenerys and her forces still remain in exile in Essos and thus have not entered the war. She has also not yet received any open support from any of the power players within the Seven Kingdoms, though [[Varys]] does apparently support the [[Targaryen]]s privately.
 
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{{Quote|The Lannisters send their regards.|Roose Bolton, as he kills Robb|The Rains of Castamere (episode)}}
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Robb subsequently withdrew his forces back to the Riverlands. He [[Fall of Harrenhal|liberated Harrenhal]], but the Lannisters had simply withdrawn and given no battle.<ref>"[[Valar Dohaeris]]"</ref> Robb marched his army back to Riverrun, but faced a bleak situation.<ref name="E22">"[[Dark Wings, Dark Words]]"</ref> The Lannisters, meanwhile, focused on consolidating the south with their new Tyrell allies, content that time and resources were now on their side.<ref name="E23">"[[Walk of Punishment (episode)|Walk of Punishment]]"</ref>
   
  +
Robb's army was lured into a trap at the [[Twins]] during the wedding of his uncle [[Edmure Tully]] and [[Roslin Tully|Roslin Frey]], which he had arranged to make amends for violating his marriage pact with Walder Frey. That night, the Frey and Bolton forces turned against the drunken Stark and Tully forces and slaughtered them.<ref name="E29">"[[The Rains of Castamere (episode)|The Rains of Castamere]]"</ref>
==Turncoats and Oathbreakers==
 
Several houses and individuals change or abandon their allegiances during the course of the war, altering the course of events and the possibilities of victory for the different factions:
 
   
  +
[[File:Robb_and_Talisa_Red_Wedding.jpg|thumb|200px|Robb and his men were betrayed at the Red Wedding.]]
===[[Theon Greyjoy|The Prince of Winterfell]]===
 
  +
Robb, his wife, his mother, and most of his loyal bannermen were murdered in the massacre, which subsequently became known as the [[Red Wedding]].<ref name="E29" /> The few survivors were captured as political hostages, including Edmure, who was held captive by Walder at the Twins. Only a small number of Tully troops, led by Robb's great-uncle, Ser [[Brynden Tully]], managed to escape.<ref name="E30" />
Initially sent as an envoy to his father, Balon Greyjoy, Theon Greyjoy breaks the vow he made to Robb Stark during his proclamation as King in the North and sides with his father in his plans to conquer the North and restore the independence of the Iron Islands. Driven by his desire to gain the respect of his father and his people and resentful of his status as a glorified hostage of House Stark, Theon successfully seizes control of the Northern capital, Winterfell and installs himself as Prince of Winterfell. With this move, Theon seemingly gains the respect of his crew, but also deals, unwittingly, a major blow to the position of King Robb, as some of his vassals begin to doubt the Young Wolf's ability to lead the North to complete independence.
 
   
  +
====Aftermath of the Red Wedding====
However, Theon's hold over Winterfell proves to be quite weak. With only a small crew and without the support of either his father or [[Yara Greyjoy|sister]] to support the Northern retaliation, Theon is betrayed by his own men and delivered to [[House Bolton]], who make him a hostage for their own purposes.
 
  +
{{Quote|Roslin caught a fine fat trout. Her brothers gave her a pair of wolf pelts for her wedding.|Walder Frey's letter to King's Landing|Mhysa}}
  +
The destruction of Robb's army marked a major turning point in the war, with the allied Houses of Lannister and Tyrell achieving a major victory over their most significant enemy. Joffrey's faction now physically controlled nearly all of the Seven Kingdoms, the only exceptions being the Iron Islands, parts of the North controlled by the ironborn, and the strongholds of [[Storm's End]], Dragonstone, and Riverrun. The Vale and Dorne remained neutral in the conflict. As a reward for their betrayal of the Starks, [[Roose Bolton]] and Walder Frey were named [[Warden|Warden of the North]] and [[Lord Paramount of the Trident]], respectively.<ref name="E30" />
   
  +
Stannis remained free and determined to continue fighting, his army seriously decreased.<ref name="E36">"[[The Laws of Gods and Men]]"</ref> The Stormlords who had rallied to his side had either died at the Blackwater or were trying to curry favor with the Lannisters for a pardon.<ref>"[[The Stormlands]]"</ref> The ironborn, who had partially occupied the North, still commanded great sea power and Balon Greyjoy refused to bend the knee to the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, the outlaw band known as the [[Brotherhood Without Banners]] remained active in the Riverlands, as did the Blackfish and his rebel Tully bannermen at Riverrun. Added to this, the majority of the Houses in the North and the Riverlands held nothing but hatred for the Boltons and the Freys, due to their betrayal of their king and the deaths of many of their kinsman at the Red Wedding.
===[[The Stormlands|The Stormlords]]===
 
During the opening stages of the war, most, if not all, of the Stormlords declare for their liege lord, Renly Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End and Lord Paramount of the Stormlands. However, after Renly's mysterious assassination, noble houses such as the [[House Estermont|Estermonts]], [[House Tarth|Tarths]], [[House Errol|Errols]], [[House Swann|Swanns]], and [[House Caron|Caron]] go over to the remaining Baratheon and new Lord of Storm's End, Stannis, ignoring that he orchestrated the death of his brother. This course of events gives Stannis the much needed land forces he requires for his planned assault on the capital of the realm.
 
   
  +
At the same time, the Iron Throne emerged weakened from the conflict. Its debts to foreign lenders such as the [[Iron Bank of Braavos]] were still far from being repaid and, if the debts should default, the Bank would turn its support to others who could guarantee the repayment of the loans, such as Stannis.<ref name="E32">"[[The Lion and the Rose]]"</ref> The Iron Bank was later convinced to fund Stannis.<ref name="E36" />
However, after the Lannister victory in the Battle of the Blackwater, the Stormlords are divided between those who bend the knee to the Iron Throne and those who remain loyal to their liege lord.
 
   
  +
The Lannisters' position steadily decayed and became worse, as their hold as the 'strongest' House waned. Concerned over the growing power of [[Daenerys Targaryen]] in [[Essos]], Tywin sought to gain the support of the Martells, who hated House Lannister as a result of the death of [[Elia Martell]] and her children during the [[Sack of King's Landing]].<ref name="E35">"[[First of His Name]]"</ref>
===[[House Tyrell]]===
 
Following the death of Renly Baratheon, House Tyrell refuses to declare to Stannis, and instead turn its forces back to Highgarden to await the further development of war. Having learnt of [[Margaery Tyrell]]'s ambitions to become Queen, however, Petyr Baelish suggests Tywin Lannister to arrange a marriage between King Joffrey and Margaery. With the might of Highgarden - 12,000 infantry, 1,800 mounted lances, and 2,000 in support as well as half a million bushels each of wheat, oats, and rye, 20,000 heads of cattle and 50,000 sheep - House Lannister both repels Stannis' siege against the capital and solves the famine affecting its population, and becomes the most powerful player in the war.
 
   
===[[The Reach|The Lords of the Reach]]===
+
====The Purple Wedding====
  +
{{Quote|You don't think I'd let you marry that beast, do you?|Olenna reveals her involvement in Joffrey's death to Margaery|Oathkeeper}}
Like their liege lords of House Tyrell, the noble houses of the Reach such as [[House Tarly]], [[House Florent]], [[House Hightower]], and [[House Florent]], declare for Renly Baratheon at the opening of the war and join him in his slow march on [[King's Landing]]. After the death of Renly Baratheon, most of the Tyrell bannermen follow Margaery and [[Loras Tyrell]] back to Highgarden. However, a few of these noble houses, such as [[House Florent]] and [[House Fossoway]] defy their liege lords and go over to Stannis Baratheon.
 
  +
[[File:Purple_Wedding.png|thumb|200px|Joffrey is killed after being poisoned.|200x200px]]
  +
During his own wedding to Margaery, Joffrey [[Purple Wedding|was assassinated]] by poison.<ref name="E32" /> Cersei accused Tyrion, who was arrested and put on [[Court trial of Tyrion Lannister|trial]] for regicide. Sansa managed to flee King's Landing with help from Baelish,<ref name="E33">"[[Breaker of Chains]]"</ref> who had secretly devised the plot to kill Joffrey with [[Olenna Tyrell]].<ref name="E34">"[[Oathkeeper]]"</ref>
   
  +
Joffrey was succeede​d as king by his younger brother Prince [[Tommen Baratheon|Tommen]]. Joffrey's death ended up being beneficial for the Lannister-Tyrell alliance: he had been an unpredictable, incompetent and universally hated ruler whose impulsive, sadistic decisions had taken a devastating toll on his kingdom. Tommen, by contrast, was a shy, gentle-natured boy who could be counted on to delegate matters to wiser advisors, such as Tywin and Margaery. After his coronation, Tommen reappointed Tywin (his grandfather) as Hand of the King and also granted him the title of [[Protector of the Realm]], making Tywin the true ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, now in practice as well as name. Tommen was also betrothed to Margaery, in order to keep the loyalty of House Tyrell; his early friendship with Margaery, despite their age differences, helped ease some of the tension between the Lannisters and Tyrells.<ref name="E35" />
Following the Battle of the Blackwater, most of the Reach houses that went over to Stannis, save for the Florents, bend the knee to King Joffrey and are welcomed back into the King's peace.
 
   
===[[House Karstark]]===
+
===A tenuous rule​===
  +
====The trial of Tyrion Lannister​====
As bannermen to and distant relatives of the Starks, House Karstark forms a large part of Robb's army. Lord [[Rickard Karstark]]'s [[Harrion Karstark|two]] [[Torrhen Karstark|sons]] are killed, the first in battle and the second when Jaime Lannister attempts to escape. Enraged at the death of his sons, Lord Karstark demands Jaime's execution. Fearing that Jaime's murder would end any hope of ever getting her daughters [[Sansa Stark|Sansa]] and [[Arya Stark|Arya]] back from the Lannisters, Lady [[Catelyn Stark]] frees Jaime. Lord Rickard grows increasingly frustrated after the discovery that both Northmen and Rivermen imprisoned at Harrenhal have been put to the sword. He murders two young Lannister hostages imprisoned at Riverrun: [[Martyn Lannister|Martyn]] and [[Willem Lannister|Willem]] to exact revenge. As this action was against the express orders of Robb Stark, Robb declares Lord Karstark guilty of treason and personally executes him, according the ways of the [[First Men]]. Afterward, the Karstark forces withdraw their support, severely depleting Robb's forces and forcing him to seek a renewed alliance with House Frey.
 
  +
​During his trial, Tyrion was faced with many accounts of his confrontations with King Joffrey to prove his guilt. Tywin Lannister had brokered to give his son a way out if he would plead guilty and join the [[Night's Watch]] so that Jaime, would leave the [[Kingsguard]] and accept his title as Tywin's heir again. However, the perjury of [[Shae]] led Tyrion to refuse the deal and demand a [[trial by combat]].<ref name="E35" /> Cersei chose ​Ser Gregor "the Mountain" Clegane as her champion, while Tyrion was approached by Oberyn Martell to act as his. Oberyn's sought vengeance against Gregor for the rape and murder of his sister Elia during the Sack of King's Landing. Although Oberyn managed to severely wound and poison the Mountain during the duel, he was himself killed, sealing Tyrion's fate.<ref name="E38">"[[The Mountain and the Viper]]"</ref>
   
  +
====The death of Tywin Lannister====
===[[House Bolton]]===
 
  +
Before his execution could take place, Tyrion was freed from confinement by Jaime in conjunction with [[Varys]]. Before escaping the city, Tyrion strangled Shae, and [[Assassinations in the Tower of the Hand|assassinated]] his father, leaving the rule of King's Landing in an uncertain position.<ref name="E40">"[[The Children]]"</ref>
A number of events pave the way for Lord [[Roose Bolton]] to decide that King Robb's cause is doomed to fail and ultimately betray his king the [[Red Wedding]]:
 
* King Robb's refusal to engage in acts such as torture to gain information useful against Tywin Lannister.
 
* The ironborn invasion of the North in general and loss of Winterfell in particular, which puts Robb's ability to hold the new [[Kingdom of the North]] into question. It remains unknown if the [[Sack of Winterfell]] carried out by [[Ramsay Snow]] is done under Lord Bolton's orders or if the Bastard of the Dreadfort acts on his own. In any event the destruction of the castle is blamed on the ironborn, while Theon's status as a prisoner is kept secret.
 
*King Robb's marriage to [[Talisa Maegyr]], which the Northern lords recognize as a terrible political move.
 
*The Lannister victory at the Battle of the Blackwater and the Lannister-Tyrell alliance, which makes House Lannister the most powerful house in the realm.
 
*Lord Bolton being left holding Harrenhal, which places him in the ideal position to communicate freely with Lord Tywin. [[Locke]]'s capture of Jaime Lannister also gives him the chance to further cement his secret alliance with [[House Lannister]].
 
   
  +
In the wake of his brother's death, [[Kevan Lannister]] was appointed as the new leader of the Lannister armies. In addition to the nobles, Tywin's death brought new forces to King's Landing: the religious [[Sparrows]] entered the capital.<ref name="E41">"[[The Wars To Come]]"</ref>
As reward for his betrayal of King Robb, Roose Bolton is pardoned for taking arms against the Iron Throne and is made Warden of the North.
 
   
  +
Cersei seized control of the small council, appointing her ally [[Qyburn]] as the new Master of Whispers (as Varys is believed to have released Tyrion), and Lord Tyrell as the new [[Master of Coin]]. However, Kevan rebuffed Cersei's offer as the new [[Master of War]] on the basis that the Queen Mother holds no position of authority, and the small council had become nothing more than a chamber of sycophants. After storming off and leaving for Casterly Rock, Cersei's hold on power became all the more tenuous.<ref name="E42">"[[The House of Black and White]]"</ref> [[File:501_Tywin_funeral_Cersei_kiss.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Cersei kisses the corpse of her father Tywin.]]
===[[House Frey]]===
 
Lord [[Walder Frey]] plots with Roose Bolton and Tywin Lannister to betray [[Robb Stark]] and his liege lord, [[Edmure Tully]], as revenge for the slight on his family's honor caused by the breaking of Stark-Frey marriage pact as well as the resentment for the derision House Frey suffers from other noble houses.<ref>Several nobles look down on Lord Walder for the delay in the Battle of the Trident, showing up in the battlefield only when the battle was won by the rebels, as well as his custom to marry girls young enough to be his granddaughters.</ref>
 
   
  +
In order to cement their alliance with the Tyrells, the Lannisters rapidly married King Tommen to Margaery, to Cersei's dismay, who felt her power waning just as Margaery's influence over her son grew.<ref name="E43">"[[High Sparrow (episode)|High Sparrow]]"</ref> In addition, the Iron Bank called in ten percent of the debt owed by the Crown. Cersei sent Lord Tyrell to [[Braavos]] to negotiate directly with the bankers.<ref name="E42" />
For the "service" of slaughtering most of the Northern leadership as well as their forces, Lord Walder is awarded with [[Riverrun]], the ancestral seat of the now-attainted [[House Tully]].
 
   
==Course of the conflict==
+
====Stannis's campaign in the North====
  +
{{Dialogue a-b|Roose|Stannis Baratheon has an army at Castle Black, but he won't stay for long. He wants the Iron Throne, and the road to King's Landing comes right through Winterfell. He means to take the North. But the North is ours. It's yours and mine. Will you help me defeat him?|Ramsay|Yes.|Roose and Ramsay|Kill the Boy}}
===Opening moves===
 
  +
After the Red Wedding, Roose Bolton was appointed Warden of the North. Since the ironborn were in possession of [[Moat Cailin]], Roose instructed Ramsay to retake the fortress.<ref name="E32" /> [[File:Surrender_of_Moat_Cailin.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Moat Cailin is surrendered by the ironborn to House Bolton, allowing the Bolton armies to march back north.]]
{{Quote|That bit of theater will haunt our family for a generation.|[[Tyrion Lannister]] to [[Cersei Lannister]], speaking about the execution of [[Eddard Stark|Ned Stark]] by her son [[Joffrey Baratheon|Joffrey]].|The North Remembers}}
 
   
  +
After a [[Assault on the Dreadfort|failed attempt]] by Yara to rescue her brother from the Boltons,<ref name="E36" /> Ramsay [[Siege of Moat Cailin|retook Moat Cailin]]. Roose rewarded Ramsay's actions by [[Legitimization|legitimizing]] him as a Bolton. With the surrender of Moat Cailin, the Bolton army returned north and the ironborn began evacuating the North. Roose subsequently led his reassembled forces to reclaim the Stark ancestral seat of Winterfell.<ref name="E38" />
The stage was set for the war when Catelyn Stark seized [[Tyrion Lannister]] at the [[Crossroads Inn]] and accused him of the attempted murder of her son, [[Bran Stark|Bran]].<ref>"[[Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things]]"</ref> House Lannister summoned its armies and marched on the Riverlands with 60,000 men.<ref name="E7">"[[You Win or You Die]]"</ref> Ser [[Gregor Clegane]] led an auxiliary force and began striking at bannerhouses supporting Catelyn's father, Lord [[Hoster Tully]], in reprisal.<ref name="E7"/> King Robert attempted to defuse the situation, but failed, and soon after died.<ref name="E7"/> Immediately upon hearing of his brother's death and having failed to win the support of the [[King's Hand]], [[Eddard Stark]], Renly Baratheon fled the city with Ser [[Loras Tyrell]] and rode hard for [[Highgarden]].<ref name="E7"/> There, the Tyrell banners were called and began gathering, whilst Renly was crowned King of the Seven Kingdoms.
 
  +
[[File:Stannis attacks.png|thumb|201x201px|Stannis Baratheon's army attacks the wildling camp, aiding the Night's Watch in repulsing the wildling attack on the Wall.]]
  +
Facing invasion from a [[Free Folk|wildling]] army under the command of [[Mance Rayder]] and with rumours of an [[White Walkers|even greater threat]] coming from beyond the Wall, the Night's Watch sent word to all the high lords of Westeros to send aid.<ref name="E30" /> Only one answered: Stannis. He headed north to the Wall and [[Battle for the Wall|defeated]] the wildling army, taking their leader prisoner and saving the Night's Watch from destruction, and the North from invasion.<ref name="E40">"[[The Children]]"</ref> With this victory, Stannis planned to march south to liberate Winterfell and gain the support of the disgruntled Northern Houses against Lannister-backed Bolton rule.<ref name="E41">"[[The Wars To Come]]"</ref> However, he was rebuffed by most, such as [[House Mormont]].<ref name="E42" />
   
  +
As Roose Bolton set up his seat of power at Winterfell, he planned a marriage for Ramsay with Sansa, the heir to Winterfell who was hiding from the Lannisters in the Vale under the protection of Littlefinger. Littlefinger proposed an alliance between the North and the Vale, for protection against their enemies and to react against any Lannister retaliation once they learnt that Sansa has wed Ramsay.<ref name="E43" />
Prince Joffrey also immediately claimed the throne upon Robert's death.<ref name="E7"/> Lord Eddard had a proclamation written by King Robert which named him regent, but was ignored. When Eddard tried to take Joffrey into custody as an imposter, Joffrey, forewarned by Lord [[Petyr Baelish|Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish]], had Eddard arrested instead.<ref name="E7"/> Unfortunately for Joffrey, he was unaware that Eddard had already sent a letter to Robert's brother Stannis, telling him that Joffrey was not legitimate and the crown belonged to Stannis by right.<ref name="E7"/> On Dragonstone, Stannis likewise claimed the throne and began gathering his supporters.<ref name="E10">"[[Fire and Blood]]"</ref>
 
   
  +
Littlefinger returned to King's Landing, where he informed Cersei that the Boltons planned to marry Sansa to Ramsay. He requested permission to lead the Knights of the Vale to the North. Once Stannis and the Boltons had bled each other dry, he planned to destroy the remaining forces and take the North. Cersei approved his plans and promised to appoint him Warden of the North once the battle was won.<ref>"[[Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken]]"</ref>
===War in the Riverlands===
 
{{Quote|Ser Gregor will head out with five hundred riders and set the riverlands on fire from Gods' Eye to the Red Fork.|Tywin Lannister|Fire and Blood}}
 
   
  +
As Stannis marched on Winterfell, the the weather worsened, and men started to abandon Stannis. Melisanre, however, believed that it was still possible to move towards Winterfell, and suggested to sacrifice [[Shireen Baratheon|Shireen]]. Stannis initially refused.<ref>"[[The Gift]]"</ref>
The Lannister force separated into two armies of 30,000 men each.<ref name="E7"/> Ser [[Jaime Lannister]] led one force with the aim of capturing [[Riverrun]], the principal stronghold of House Tully. Jaime smashed the Riverlords at the [[Battle of the Golden Tooth]].<ref name="E8">"[[The Pointy End]]"</ref> Jaime followed his victory at Golden Tooth by laying siege to Riverrun.<ref name="E8"/> Lord [[Tywin Lannister]] led the other force himself. Jaime's victories allowed Tywin to move north west through the Riverlands unimpeded.<ref name="E8"/>
 
   
  +
Ramsay wreaked havoc on Stannis's camp; his few remaining supplies were destroyed, as well as the few hundred horses he had left. Additionally, all of the sellswords paid for by the Iron Bank deserted.<ref name="E48">"[[Hardhome (episode)|Hardhome]]"</ref> In his desparation, Stannis conceded to sacrificing Shireen so that his army could move once again. After it was done,<ref>"[[The Dance of Dragons (episode)|The Dance of Dragons]]"</ref> Stannis mobilized his few remaining troops towards Winterfell.<ref name="E50">"[[Mother's Mercy]]"</ref> [[File:Melisandre-sacrificing-shireen.png|thumb|201x201px|Melisandre sacrifices Shireen Baratheon to the Lord of Light, believing that such a sacrifice will clear the snows for Stannis to march onto Winterfell.]]
[[Image:Green Fork.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The aftermath of the [[Battle of the Green Fork]].]]
 
Receiving news of his father's arrest, Robb Stark mobilized the armies of the North and assembled a host of 20,000 men (due to the urgency of the situation and the vastness of the North, he could not wait for more).<ref name="E8"/> He marched to the relief of the Riverlands.<ref name="E8"/> Lord Tywin moved to the east bank of the [[Green Fork]] of [[the Trident]] to intercept the Stark force.<ref name="E8"/> Even winning the support of [[House Frey]] and its troops could not bring Robb's forces up to parity with the Lannisters.<ref name="E9">"[[Baelor]]"</ref> Robb sent 2,000 men to pretend to attack Tywin's army.<ref name="E9"/> As planned, this small force was defeated at the [[Battle of the Green Fork]], but it delayed the Lannisters long enough for Robb's main army to slip past them and into the Whispering Wood near Riverrun.<ref name="E9"/> There, Robb staged a feint to draw Jaime Lannister and a portion of his army into the woodlands. During the [[Battle of the Whispering Wood]], Robb inflicted a significant defeat upon the Lannisters, destroying Jaime's host and capturing the Kingslayer himself.<ref name="E9"/>
 
   
  +
Eventually, Stannis was defeated by the Boltons. After the bulk of his remaining army was slaughtered to a man, Stannis was tracked down and killed by [[Brienne of Tarth|Brienne]].<ref name="E50" /> [[File:Battle_of_Winterfell_6.png|thumb|201x201px|The Bolton forces attack the weakened Baratheon army.]]
Receiving word of Jaime's defeat, Tywin realized that the Starks and Tullys were now free to unify against him, potentially bringing much greater numbers to bear against his smaller force. He retreated to [[Harrenhal]], the formidable castle on the north banks of [[Gods Eye]], intending to fortify it and use it as a base of operations to conduct operations in the Riverlands. By this time news of Renly and Stannis gathering armies had reached both the Stark and Lannister camps. After considering joining forces with one of the brothers, the Northmen and Riverland lords chose the path of independence, rejecting the authority of the Iron Throne all together and swearing fealty to Robb Stark as the [[King in the North]].<ref name="E10"/>
 
   
  +
With Stannis's defeat, the Boltons claimed a great victory, discouraging further resistance against them. By this time, most of the Northmen had, if ever reluctantly, accepted their rule. Houses [[House Umber|Umber]] and [[House Karstark|Karstark]] declared their allegiance to Boltons, but [[House Manderly]] refused to bend the knee to the Boltons. Meanwhile, the last of the ironborn had been expelled from the North after [[House Glover]] successfully [[Fight by Deepwood Motte|reclaimed Deepwood Motte]]. House Bolton's rule over the North was now seemingly unopposed; Sansa's escape, however, has weakened their claim.<ref name="E51">"[[The Red Woman]]"</ref><ref name="E52">"[[Home]]"</ref>
King Robb Stark followed up on his success at Whispering Wood with several minor skirmishes against Lannister forces intending to drive them from away from the Red Fork of the Trident, to free the lands and holdfasts of the Riverlords who had recently sworn allegiance to him. He met little serious resistance, as the Lannisters were already in the process of withdrawing their forces to Harrenhal in the eastern Riverlands to regroup.<ref name="E11"/>
 
   
===Robb Stark invades the Westerlands===
+
====The death of Balon Greyjoy====
  +
{{Quote|I killed him. Threw him right over a rope bridge, and watched him fall. He was leading us nowhere, and we would still be heading there if it weren't for me. No one loved him, no one wanted to follow him. He led us into two wars we couldn't win. I apologize to you all for not killing him years ago!|Euron confesses to murdering his brother at the Kingsmoot|The Door}}
{{Quote|The Lannisters have been running from us since Oxcross.|Robb Stark|Valar Dohaeris}}
 
  +
[[File:Balon-Euron-Game-of-Thrones-Home.png|thumb|201x201px|Euron Greyjoy confronts his brother Balon on the bridges of Pyke, where he kills him.]]
[[Image:Battle of Oxcross.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The aftermath of the [[Battle of Oxcross]].]]
 
  +
Shortly after Yara informed Balon Greyjoy that they had no more holdings on the mainland, he was killed by his brother [[Euron Greyjoy]].<ref name="E52" />
With Tywin encamped at Harrenhal, which was too strong to attack directly, Robb instead launched an invasion of the [[Westerlands]], the Lannister homeland. He launched a surprise attack on the new Lannister army gathering at the village of [[Oxcross]], where new conscripts were being trained to replace the Lannister army group destroyed at Whispering Wood. Robb totally destroyed the green Lannister army group in the resulting [[Battle of Oxcross]], killing Ser [[Stafford Lannister]] in the process.<ref name="E14"/> The victory leaves the Westerlands lightly defended. Robb goes on to win a minor victory at the [[Battle of the Yellow Fork]]<ref>"[[A Man Without Honor]]"</ref> and force the [[surrender of the Crag]].<ref name="E18">"[[The Prince of Winterfell]]"</ref> With the Lannister homelands under attack, Tywin had a difficult choice to make: to ride out and meet Robb's forces in battle, abandoning their strong defensive position at Harrenhal, or to fall back on King's Landing and help defend the city from Stannis. Tywin eventually decided to ride west because of the threat Robb's forces posed to his own castle at [[Casterly Rock]].<ref name="E18"/> Tywin had already authorised secret negotiations with House Tyrell to begin following Renly's death, in the hope of winning an alliance with them and their powerful army.<ref>"[[The Old Gods and the New]]"</ref>
 
   
  +
With the passing of Balon, the ironborn held a [[kingsmoot on Old Wyk]] to elect a new King of the Iron Islands.<ref name="E55">"[[The Door]]"</ref> Euron was ultimately elected as the king over Yara. Yara and Theon subsequently fled the Iron islands with much of the [[Iron Fleet]] and their supporters.<ref name="E55">"[[The Door]]"</ref>
===Baratheon conflict===
 
[[Stannis Baratheon]] and his younger brother, [[Renly Baratheon]], both claimed the Iron Throne of Westeros. Stannis had a small army at Dragonstone and was influenced by the red priestess [[Melisandre|Melissandre]], while Renly amassed the strength of his bannermen, the Stormlords, and that of the Reach by marrying [[Margaery Tyrell]], daughter of [[Mace Tyrell]].
 
   
  +
In order to take back the Iron Islands, Yara and Theon decided to beat their uncle to [[Daenerys Targaryen]] and sail for [[Meereen]].<ref name="E57">"[[The Broken Man]]"</ref> Once they arrived in Meereen, they formed an alliance with Daenerys.<ref name="E59">"[[Battle of the Bastards (episode)|Battle of the Bastards]]"</ref>
After a failed meeting, Stannis gives an ultimatum to Renly to pledge his loyalty before he attacks, but Renly ignores him. Melissandre gives birth to a [[shadow]] which later on enters Renly's tent and kills him. While the Tyrell army leaves for [[Highgarden]], the Stormlords swear fealty to Stannis as the remaining head of [[House Baratheon]], with his brother's armies at his command Stannis prepares his invasion to [[King's Landing]].
 
   
===Riot in King's Landing===
+
====Conflict in the Riverlands====
{{Quote|They're starving, you fool! All because of a war you started!|[[Tyrion Lannister]] to King [[Joffrey Baratheon]]|The Old Gods and the New}}
+
{{Quote|As long as I'm standing, the war is not over!|Brynden Tully to Jaime Lannister|The Broken Man}}
  +
[[File:Riverrun.WALLS.png|thumb|200px|Riverrun falls under siege of Houses Frey and Lannister after the Blackfish leads the Tully army into recapturing their ancestral home.]]
During the course of the war the streets of the capital city began to overflow with many starving refugees escaping the war. Both [[Tyrion Lannister]] and [[Janos Slynt]] warned Queen [[Cersei]] that if something was not done with the starving refugees there would be a mounting discontent with her son's rule however the Queen ignored their warnings. The King and the Royal Court had gathered in the docks to see [[Myrcella Baratheon]] being shipped to Dorne. On their way back to the Red Keep, the refugees and commoners of King's Landing hurled insults at King [[Joffrey]], and ultimately, hurl cow excrement into Joffrey's face. Despite being accompanied by only a few dozen guards facing hundreds of peasants, Joffrey impetuously shouts orders for his soldiers to kill them all. A general riot then breaks out and spreads throughout the city, with the royal party barely making it back to the castle in one piece. With most of the regular Lannister army in the Riverlands fighting in the war under Lord [[Tywin Lannister]], the scant two thousand City Watch guards had a difficult time containing the riot, and the chaos that reigned throughout the city. In the end the riot was put down but many peasants and City Watch guards were killed during the riot along with the High Septon who was torn limb by limb by an angry mob.
 
  +
After the Red Wedding, Brynden Tully managed to gather a small Tully army and [[Taking of Riverrun|retake Riverrun]] from the Freys. Tommen sent Jaime at the head of a Lannister detachment to force Riverrun's surrender. Jaime tried to negotiate with Brynden to peacefully surrender, but the Blackfish refused to yield.<ref name="E57" /> Jaime is able to coerce Edmure into yielding Riverrun, however, by threatening his [[Edmure Tully's son|son]]'s life. After the [[Second siege of Riverrun|fall of Riverrun]], Jaime is informed of Brynden's death by Lannister soldiers.<ref name="E58">"[[No One]]"</ref>
   
  +
After a celebration at the Twins, [[Arya Stark]] [[Assassinations at the Twins|murdered]] Walder Frey.<ref name="E60">"[[The Winds of Winter]]"</ref> While posing as Walder, Arya then had the rest of the Frey men poisoned in revenge for the Red Wedding. In response, Lannister soldiers are sent to the Riverlands to keep the peace.<ref name="E61">"[[Dragonstone (episode)|Dragonstone]]"</ref> However, the army is later recalled to fight in the [[Last War]].<ref name="E68">"[[Winterfell (Game of Thrones)|Winterfell]]"</ref>
===Rise of the Kraken===
 
{{Quote|The North is ripe for the taking.|Balon Greyjoy|What is Dead May Never Die}}
 
While the Lannister and Stark forces were fighting in the Riverlands, [[Theon Greyjoy]] traveled to [[Pyke]], the Iron Islands capital, and his family castle, to negotiate with his father, [[Balon Greyjoy]], under Robb Stark´s orders. At Pyke, Balon Greyjoy told Theon that he would proclaim himself King on the Iron Islands once more, and attack the North. He then asks his son on which side he was: his or the Starks. After much soul-searching, Theon Greyjoy chose to declare loyalty to his father. Balon Greyjoy would attack the coasts of the North, with his navy. [[Asha Greyjoy]] would lead most of the fleet, while Theon was given only one ship, the ''[[Sea Bitch]]'', and was supposed to attack small fishing villages. Theon Greyjoy then changed his plan and sieged Torrhen´s Square, and then attacked Winterfell. [[Bran Stark]] yielded before him, and Theon proclaimed himself [[Prince of Winterfell]].
 
   
  +
==Aftermath==
However, Bran and his younger brother, Rickon, soon escaped with two of their household servants and their [[Direwolf|direwolves]], and were unable to be found by Theon. They managed to sneak back into the crypts of Winterfell, though Theon has convinced most of his men they are dead by hanging two children's burnt corpses atop the walls of Winterfell.
 
  +
The War of the Five Kings officially concluded in a hollow victory for the forces of the Iron Throne, controlled by [[House Baratheon of King's Landing]], a puppet of House Lannister. All five kings died, including Joffrey, who was succeeded by Tommen. Despite the War of the Five Kings ending, the Lannisters' victory ended almost as soon as it began and the tide began to turn in favor of their surviving enemies. Localized hostilities and conflicts continued throughout [[Westeros]] as tensions only heightened throughout the Seven Kingdoms; some of these hostilities ultimately undid the Iron Throne's. These smaller "aftermath conflicts" that grew from the War of the Five Kings and continued to destabilize Westeros are detailed below:
   
  +
===The Sparrows===
A relief force of five hundred men, led by [[Ramsay Snow]] of [[House Bolton]] and sent under the orders of [[Robb Stark|King Robb Stark]], laid siege to the castle for at least one night. Theon Greyjoy attempted to rally his men to defend the stronghold and die fighting with an inspiring speech; his First Mate, [[Dagmer Cleftjaw]] betrayed him, and Theon's small force presumably handed him over to Ramsay, who had been sent with an offer of mercy to the ironborn if they handed over Winterfell and Theon. Dagmer mortally wounded the castle's Maester, [[Luwin]], as he had Theon dragged away from the courtyard.
 
  +
Although the Lannister-Tyrell alliance formed at the Battle of the Blackwater had allowed the Iron Throne to emerge victorious in the war, the destructive conflict had served to fracture the already fragile coexistence between the nobility and the commoners. Abused and overtaxed by their rulers, the smallfolk began to turn to new masters and new justices. Religious fervor, unseen in Westeros since the [[Faith Militant uprising]], swept over the people as they either clung to their known Gods in hopes of salvation, or turned to other deities new to Westeros.
   
  +
In this context, a new sect emerged among the followers of the [[Faith of the Seven]]: the Sparrows. They included dispossessed commoners and disillusioned nobles, such as [[Lancel Lannister]]. Following the flood of refugees caused by the war, the Sparrows eventually moved into King's Landing after the death of Tywin.
[[Sack of Winterfell|Winterfell was sacked and put to the torch]] shortly afterwards, while the dying Luwin moved to the Godswood. The majority of the castle and outlying town still stands. It is unknown who is responsible for the sack of Winterfell. [[Bran Stark|Bran]] and [[Rickon Stark|Rickon]] [[House Stark|Stark]] managed to escape the castle, along with [[Osha|two]] [[Hodor|servants]] and their [[Summer|two]] [[Shaggydog|direwolves]].
 
   
  +
Cersei saw opportunity in the newly-formed sect to move against her rivals in House Tyrell, and formed an alliance with the [[High Sparrow]], leader of the sect. Cersei engineered his election as the new High Septon and authorized the Faith Militant, the enforcement branch of the Faith charged with defending the faithful, to rearm for the first time since the [[Faith Militant uprising|wars]] of [[Maegor Targaryen|Maegor the Cruel]] two and a half centuries earlier.
===The Battle of the Blackwater===
 
Stannis's army and fleet launched an assault on King's Landing. The initial attack was blunted when Tyrion Lannister sprung a trap, detonating a boat filled with [[wildfire]] in the midst of Stannis's fleet, destroying a significant part of it. The surviving ships were able to put ashore thousands of troops, led in person by Stannis. [[Sandor Clegane]] and Tyrion Lannister himself led several sorties that destroyed the Baratheon siege equipment, but were almost overwhelmed by superior enemy numbers. However, the armies of House Lannister (under Tywin, in contrast to his stated intention to attack the Starks) and House Tyrell (under Ser Loras) arrived and defeated Stannis's forces, sending them fleeing from the field. House Tyrell have now formally declared themselves for the King on the Iron Throne in return for a marriage pact, giving King Joffrey Baratheon a large numerical advantage over King Robb Stark.
 
   
  +
Putting this new power to use, the High Sparrow sent his armed followers to destroy what he perceived as the vices of King's Landing. This led to the arrest of Loras. This flagrant move against one of the Great Houses was the first sign of a reaction against the abuses committed by the nobility against the common folk.
===The Red Wedding===
 
   
  +
Though the High Sparrow arrested Loras on charges of homosexuality and Margaery, on charges of lying to the Faith on oath, he also had Cersei imprisoned on the charges of incest and murdering King Robert, crimes which are confessed by Lancel, who joined the Sparrows and conspired with Cersei in these crimes.
Robb Stark subsequently withdraws his forces back to the Riverlands. He liberated Harrenhal, but the Lannisters had simply withdrawn and gave no battle. After the death of his maternal grandfather Robb marched his army back to [[Riverrun]], but faced a bleak situation. The Lannisters meanwhile focused on consolidating the south with their new Tyrell allies, content that time and resources were now on their side.
 
   
  +
The High Sparrow had dug his claws deep into King Tommen, and influenced him into forming a new "holy alliance" between the Crown and the Faith. In response to the [[standoff at the Great Sept of Baelor]], Tommen dismissed Jaime from the Kingsguard and sent him off to the Riverlands to assist House Frey in taking back Riverrun. For her role in the forgery of this alliance, Margaery was forgiven for her crimes, though Loras and Cersei still had to stand trial.
Robb Stark's army was ultimately lured into a trap at [[the Twins]] where he was betrayed by [[House Frey]] and [[House Bolton]], who switched sides to the Lannisters. The Freys and Boltons not only betrayed their liege-lords, but the Freys broke the solemn [[Guest right]] by attacking the Starks after formally accepting them into their castle as guests, and on top of that, during a wedding. Robb Stark and his mother Catelyn were killed in the massacre, which subsequently became known as the [[Red Wedding]]. The entire Northern army led to southern Westeros by Robb Stark to fight in the war was annihilated, with the few survivors captured as political hostages.
 
   
  +
[[File:610 Sept of Baelor Destruction Promo.png|thumb|The Great Sept of Baelor explodes from wildfire, killing all those inside and around it.]]
===Aftermath of the Red Wedding===
 
  +
At said trial, Cersei did not attend, and instead [[Destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor|destroyed the Great Sept of Baelor]] with [[Aerys II Targaryen|Aerys Targaryen]]'s wildfire, killing most of her enemies in a single stroke. After being informed of Margaery's death, Tommen committed suicide. Cersei then ascended the Iron Throne, proclaimed as the [[King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men|Queen of the Andals and the First Men]] and [[Protector of the Seven Kingdoms]].
The destruction of the Northern army and the death of Robb Stark at the Red Wedding marked a major turning point in the war, with the allied houses of Lannister and Tyrell achieving a major victory over their largest and most numerically significant enemy.
 
   
  +
===Battle of the Bastards===
However, the victory doesn't mark the end of the war, as Stannis Baratheon and Balon Greyjoy continue to claim their respective crowns in opposition to King Joffrey. While most of Stannis' forces were destroyed at the Blackwater, he himself remains at liberty with some loyal bannermen and adamant to fight till the bitter end. The ironborn, who have partially occupied the North, command great sea power and have refused to bend the knee to the Iron Throne. And some members of the northern leadership, such as [[Greatjon Umber]], who were not present at the Red Wedding, remain as holdouts against Lannister rule.
 
  +
Despite their role in [[Battle in the ice|defeating Stannis]] and the [[Red Wedding]], House Bolton betrays the Iron Throne when Roose weds Sansa to Ramsay. This alliance is forged by Roose and Littlefinger.
   
  +
Sansa escapes from Winterfell arrives at Castle Black, where Jon had recently been resurrected by the will of Davos and Melisandre, after facing a [[Mutiny at Castle Black|mutiny]]. Sansa and Jon plot to retake Winterfell from the Boltons, and gather troops of Northmen and wildlings.
At the same time, the Iron Throne has emerged from the conflict weakened. Its debts to foreign banks such as the [[Iron Bank of Braavos]] are still far from being repaid and, if the debts should default, the Bank would turn its support to other people who could guarantee the repayement of the loans, such as rebellious claimants like Stannis Baratheon. Also, tensions continue to exist in the alliance between the Lannisters and the Tyrells, a relationship which is beneficial to the latter but necessary for the former. The Tyrells' popularity has also been rising in parts of the Kingdoms such as [[King's Landing]], where they have been guaranteeing the food supply.
 
   
  +
Meanwhile, at Winterfell, Ramsay seizes power when he [[Assassinations at Winterfell|murders]] his father Roose, his stepmother [[Walda Bolton|Walda]], and his [[Roose Bolton's son|newborn half-brother]]. Ramsay has the backing of House Karstark through [[Harald Karstark]], as well as House Umber through [[Smalljon Umber]], who hands over Rickon to Ramsay.
===​Reconquering the North===
 
After the Red Wedding, [[Roose Bolton]] was appointed [[Warden of the North]] until such time a son was born to [[Tyrion Lannister]] and [[Sansa Stark]], the rightful heir of [[Winterfell]]. However, the Ironborn held the majority of the once Stark-held lands and it was up to Lord Bolton to reconquer them. Despite the fact that he was officially supported by the Iron Throne, Bolton knew that [[Tywin Lannister]] would not do anything to help him against the Greyjoys. With the Ironborn in possession of the fortress of [[Moat Cailin]], his army remain trapped south of the [[Neck|Neck.&nbsp;]]Knowing that his bastard son [[Ramsay]] had captured [[Theon Greyjoy]], he planned to use him as ransom and exchange him for Moat Cailin. First however, he needed to return North.
 
   
  +
After an uneventful parley, the Stark-wildling and Bolton armies clash just outside of Winterfell at the Battle of the Bastards. Though the Stark and Free Folk forces are on the verge of complete annihilation, they are relieved by a cavalry force of the Vale. The Bolton is defeated. At a meeting between the lords of the North and the Vale, Jon is proclaimed the King in the North, thus reviving the Kingdom of the North.
Bolton and a small company of his men, including [[Locke]] and his new wife [[Walda Bolton]], smuggled themselves into the North and made for the Bolton seat at the [[Dreadfort]]. There, Bolton discovered that his bastard had badly mutilated and broken Theon Greyjoy, using him as a plaything more than a hostage. Angered, he was neverthless interested to hear that Bran and Rickon Stark were still alive. Realizing that the continued existence of the Stark boys would harm his hold over the North, Bolton sent Locke to hunt them down and kill them. He also instructed Ramsay to head south and reclaim Moat Cailin.
 
   
==In the books==
+
===Coup in Dorne===
  +
Angered by the deaths of Elia and Oberyn Martell at the hands of House Lannister, [[Ellaria Sand]] demanded justice. She gathered the support of three of the [[Sand Snakes]], Oberyn's bastard daughters: [[Obara Sand|Obara]], [[Tyene Sand|Tyene]], and [[Nymeria Sand|Nymeria]]. They plotted to assassinate Myrcella in retaliation for Elia and Oberyn's deaths. After receiving a threatening message, Cersei sent Jaime and Bronn to rescue Myrcella.
   
  +
Jaime and Bronn infiltrated the [[Water Gardens]], where they duel against the sand Snakes. However, they were stopped and imprisoned by [[Areo Hotah]], the [[captain of the guard]] for Prince Doran. Jaime was eventually brought before Prince Doran. Knowing that King Tommen insists on Myrcella's return to King's Landing, Doran agreed as long as Trystane could sit at the small council.
  +
  +
Myrcella was [[Assassination of Myrcella Baratheon|poisoned]] by Ellaria. Soon afterwards, Ellaria and the Sand Snakes staged their [[Coup in Dorne|''coup d'etat'']], killing Doran, Areo Hotah, and Trystane. Thus, House Martell went extinct as Ellaria and the Sand Snakes seized power over Dorne.
  +
  +
===Fall of the mockingbird===
  +
Following the Battle of the Bastards, House Stark retook Winterfell and restored its power in the North. Sansa became the [[Lord of Winterfell|Lady of Winterfell]], while Jon was declared the King in the North by the lords of the North and the Vale.<ref name="E59" /><ref name="E60" />
  +
  +
While Jon was negotiating with Daenerys on Dragonstone, Bran and Arya returned to Winterfell. Gradually losing his influential hold over Sansa, Baelish plotted to turn the Stark sisters against each other. However, his plot was foiled, and Baelish was [[Trial of Petyr Baelish|tried]] and found guilty of conspiring against House Stark. He was then executed by Arya, marking the extinction of [[House Baelish]] and the complete end of the War of the Five Kings.<ref name="E67">"[[The Dragon and the Wolf]]"</ref>
  +
  +
==Legacy==
  +
[[File:Houndaryarideaway.png|thumb|The Riverlands are among the regions that are left devastated from the War of the Five Kings.]]
  +
The War of the Five Kings severely weakened the Iron Throne; specifically, the [[House Baratheon of King's Landing|Baratheon dynasty]], which had, after Robert's death, essentially become a Lannister puppet. It was the largest civil war since the [[Dance of the Dragons]], resembling the endless internal conflicts that the Seven Kingdoms used to face before [[Aegon's Conquest]] unified the Seven Kingdoms into one realm under the rule of the [[House Targaryen|Targaryen dynasty]], which had been overthrown less than two decades before the War of the Five Kings in Robert's Rebellion.
  +
  +
The war devastated the countryside of Westeros, leaving villages and towns burnt to the ground. Tens of thousands of smallfolk were killed in the conflict, and the bloody acts of war created great rift between the nobility and the commoners.
  +
  +
Furthermore, for the first time since the Targaryen conquest of Westeros, the lineup of the Great Houses was dramatically shaken and altered. Tensions continued to remain between the great and noble families even after the war came to a formal close.
  +
  +
Ultimately, these continued tensions would go on to impact the Last War, which commenced only a couple years after the War of the Five Kings ended, as well as the [[Great War]] between the living and the [[Wight|army of the dead]], controlled by the [[White Walkers]], an ancient and long forgotten enemy to all that lives in [[Known world|the world]].
  +
  +
== Combatants ==
  +
=== [[Joffrey Baratheon|The King on the Iron Throne]] ===
  +
[[File:Joffrey 2x10.jpeg|thumb|181x181px|Joffrey I "Baratheon", the King on the Iron Throne]] <!-- 181x181px; Joff.jpg -->
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Joffrey Baratheon is said to be the eldest son of King Robert. After Robert's death, Joffrey was crowned as the new King, and his mother was named Queen Regent in defiance of Robert's will. As Joffrey actually sat on the Iron Throne, however, he was referred to as "the King on the Iron Throne." Joffrey was primarily backed by House Lannister, the lords of the Westerlands and the ''de facto'' controllers of the Iron Throne. After the Battle of the Blackwater, he was also supported by House Tyrell. He was later assassinated during the Purple Wedding in 301 AC, becoming the third of the five kings to die in the war.
  +
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=== [[Stannis Baratheon|The King in the Narrow Sea]] ===
  +
[[File:Stannis-3x01.jpg|thumb|180px|Stannis I Baratheon, the "King in the Narrow Sea"]] <!-- 180px; StannisNorthRemember.jpg -->
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Stannis claimed the Iron Throne on the basis that he was the rightful heir to his late brother Robert, since Robert's three "children" were in fact fathered by Jaime. Though technically the rightful heir, Stannis found himself with little support due to his blunt nature and lack of charm and charisma. He did, however, have the support of Melisandre, who believed Stannis to be the [[Prince That Was Promised]], as well as his vassals sworn directly to Dragonstone. He was killed in the [[battle in the ice]] in 302 AC, becoming the fourth of the five kings to die in the war.
  +
  +
=== [[Renly Baratheon|The King in Highgarden]] ===
  +
[[File:Renly-baratheon-gethin-anthony-helen-sloan.jpeg|thumb|Renly I Baratheon, "the King in Highgarden"]] <!-- Renly_promo.jpg -->
  +
Renly laid claim to the Iron Throne just as his elder brother Stannis did, as well as his alleged nephew Joffrey. Although the youngest Baratheon brother, Renly believed that he would be a better king than Stannis, noting how the line of succession did not matter when Robert usurped the Iron Throne from [[Aerys II Targaryen]] during Robert's Rebellion. Renly also had the backing of the vassals of the Stormlands, plus the wealthy House Tyrell and its vassals in the Reach. Assassinated on the orders of Stannis in 299 AC, he was the first of the five kings to die in the war.
  +
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=== [[Robb Stark|The King in the North]] ===
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[[File:Robb Stark after the battle.jpg|thumb|Robb Stark, the King in the North]] <!-- Robb 2x01.jpg -->
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Robb did not lay claim to the Iron Throne; instead, following his father's execution, he was declared the King in the North by his bannermen, and proclaimed independence for the North and the Riverlands, constituting a revived Kingdom of the North. He was later betrayed and killed in the [[Red Wedding]] in 300 AC, becoming the second of the five kings to die in the war.
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=== [[Balon Greyjoy|The King of the Iron Islands]] ===
  +
[[File:Balon.png|thumb|181x181px|Balon Greyjoy, the King of the Iron Islands]]
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Balon Greyjoy did not lay claim to the Iron Throne, but instead re-declared independence for the Iron Islands and proclaimed himself the King of the Iron Islands. The islands' leaders came together to form the resurgent [[Kingdom of the Iron Islands]]. As the War of the Five Kings unfolded, Balon launched [[Ironborn invasion of the North|an invasion of the North]], while the majority of its bannermen were in the Riverlands fighting the Lannisters. He was assassinated by his brother [[Euron Greyjoy|Euron]] in 303 AC, becoming the fifth and last of the five kings to die in the war.
  +
  +
==In the books==
 
In the ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' novels, the War of the Five Kings is one of the major storylines which the narrative revolves around.
 
In the ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' novels, the War of the Five Kings is one of the major storylines which the narrative revolves around.
   
  +
The name is first mentioned in the third novel: shortly before Joffrey's wedding, Tyrion muses that the struggle that the maesters are calling the War of the Five Kings - is all but at an end.
While it is popularly known as the War of the "Five" Kings, in a later book a character points out that this is somewhat inaccurate, as [[Balon Greyjoy]] openly declared himself King of the Iron Islands only slightly after Renly died, so there were never five kings actively fighting each other at one time. Nonetheless the name has stuck, and it does still refer to the fact that five kings were involved. For the TV series, however, it might be somewhat accurate, depending on when Balon Greyjoy's secession of the Iron Islands "officially" began. Renly was killed at the beginning of the [[The Ghost of Harrenhal|fifth episode]] of Season 2. Balon explains to Theon that he intends to make himself a king by force in the [[The Night Lands|second episode]] of Season 2, but this isn't followed by a polite declaration: the ironborn make a surprise attack against the North at the beginning of the [[The Old Gods and the New|sixth episode]] of Season 2, taking [[Torrhen's Square]] and Winterfell. Thus Balon briefly claimed the title of King while Renly was still alive, but the first the other factions knew about this was when [[Iron Fleet|ironborn raiders]] were at their doorsteps, after Renly died.
 
   
  +
In the TV series, it is first named in dialogue in Season 2's episode "[[A Man Without Honor]]", when Tywin Lannister says that people are calling it the "War of Five Kings". Apparently he was just speaking loosely, and the formal name is still the same in the TV continuity, because Joffrey later prominently refers to it as the "War of ''the'' Five Kings" during his wedding in Season 4 episode "[[The Lion and the Rose]]".
It is generally a four-sided war, between the Lannisters, Starks, Baratheons, and Greyjoys. Renly's brief time as a claimant, controlling most of the armies of the Stormlands and the Reach, did affect the strategic position of the Lannisters, but he didn't set out to engage them on the battlefield. Instead the Tyrells had cut of the Roseroad, effectively blockading resources and foodstuff from reaching the capital, and Renly was content to sit back and let the Lannisters exhaust themselves against the Starks while he built up his own strength to overwhelming levels, at which point he intended to march directly on King's Landing. Also while there are four "sides", this does not include political machinations and large territories changing sides, i.e. [[the Vale of Arryn]] or [[Dorne]], and particularly House Tyrell of the Reach, which considerably tipped the balance of the war when they switched their allegiance to the Lannisters. Due to simple geography, of course, any one faction isn't actively fighting three others all the time. Simply due to the fact that they are located on opposite coasts of the continent the Greyjoys (off the west coast) and [[Stannis Baratheon]] (off the east coast) aren't actively fighting each other while he's on Dragonstone. Stannis does nominally consider the North to be in rebellion against him, but in practice, doesn't actively fight the North, because he's more concerned with retaking the capital city from the Lannisters. As seen in the TV series, the Starks do send peace overtures to the Baratheons, but Stannis refuses to allow the North to secede and take away vast territories which he feels are rightfully his. While the Greyjoys aren't actively fighting Stannis, they are not on the side of the Starks or the Lannisters, and are truly looking out only for their own interests.
 
   
  +
While it is popularly known as the War of the "Five" Kings, in the fourth novel an archmaester named Benedict points out that this is somewhat inaccurate, as Balon openly declared himself King of the Iron Islands only slightly after Renly died, so there were never five kings actively fighting each other at one time. Nonetheless the name has stuck, and it does still refer to the fact that five kings were involved. For the TV series, however, it might be somewhat accurate, depending on when Balon Greyjoy's secession of the Iron Islands "officially" began. Renly was killed at the beginning of the [[The Ghost of Harrenhal|fifth episode]] of Season 2. Balon explains to Theon that he intends to make himself a king by force in the [[The Night Lands|second episode]] of Season 2, but this isn't followed by a polite declaration: the ironborn make a surprise attack against the North at the beginning of the [[The Old Gods and the New|sixth episode]] of Season 2, taking [[Torrhen's Square]] and Winterfell. Thus Balon briefly claimed the title of King while Renly was still alive, but the first the other factions knew about this was when [[Iron Fleet|ironborn raiders]] were at their doorsteps, after Renly died.
==See also==
 
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* {{AWOIAF}} (MAJOR spoilers from the book)
 
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It is generally a four-sided war, between the Lannisters, Starks, Baratheons, and Greyjoys. Renly's brief time as a claimant, controlling most of the armies of the Stormlands and the Reach, did affect the strategic position of the Lannisters, but he didn't set out to engage them on the battlefield. Instead the Tyrells had cut off the Roseroad, effectively blockading resources and foodstuffs from reaching the capital, and Renly was content to sit back and let the Lannisters exhaust themselves against the Starks while he built up his own strength to overwhelming levels, at which point he intended to march directly on King's Landing. Also while there are four "sides", this does not include political machinations and large territories changing sides, i.e. the Vale of Arryn or Dorne, and particularly House Tyrell, which considerably tipped the balance of the war when they switched their allegiance to the Lannisters. Due to simple geography, of course, any one faction isn't actively fighting three others all the time. Simply due to the fact that they are located on opposite coasts of the continent the Greyjoys (off the west coast) and Stannis (off the east coast) aren't actively fighting each other while he's on Dragonstone. Stannis does nominally consider the North to be in rebellion against him, but in practice doesn't actively fight the North, because he's more concerned with retaking the capital city from the Lannisters. As seen in the TV series, the Starks do send peace overtures to the Baratheons, but Stannis refuses to allow the North to secede and take away vast territories which he feels are rightfully his. While the Greyjoys aren't actively fighting Stannis, they are not on the side of the Starks or the Lannisters, and are truly looking out only for their own interests.
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By the point the novels reached, only one of the five titular leaders in the War of the Five Kings is still alive - Stannis.
   
 
==References==
 
==References==
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===Notes===
[[Category:History]]
 
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[[Category:Wars|Five Kings, War of the]]
 
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[[Category:Featured Articles]]
 
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==External links==
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*{{AWOIAF}}
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Latest revision as of 03:30, 9 March 2024

"The Seven Kingdoms are at war with one another... false kings destroying the country... the Usurper is dead. The Starks fight the Lannisters, the Baratheons fight each other."
―Daenerys Targaryen to Ser Jorah Mormont[src]

The War of the Five Kings,[1] or simply the War of Five Kings,[2] was a major multi-theater civil war in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros that erupted in the wake of the death of King Robert I. In essence, the war was a three-way battle for the Iron Throne fought alongside two independence movements. The five kings in question were Robert's heir apparent, Joffrey Baratheon, Robert's younger brothers, Stannis and Renly Baratheon, the "King in the North" Robb Stark, and the "King of the Iron Islands" Balon Greyjoy. The conflict was orchestrated by Petyr Baelish, the Master of Coin, with the help of Lysa Arryn, who poisoned her husband Jon Arryn, Hand of the King to Robert Baratheon, and sent a letter to her sister Catelyn Stark claiming that it was the Lannisters who had poisoned her husband. Petyr, from the small House Baelish, ignited the war in order to gain more power for himself.[3]

Upon Robert's death, his heir apparent Joffrey takes the Iron Throne. However, the revelation that he, along with his brother and sister, are bastards born of incest between Queen Consort Cersei and her twin brother Jaime, leads both Stannis and Renly to claim the throne for themselves. Stannis sees himself as the rightful heir by right of blood, being Robert's heir with the removal of Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen from the line of succession, due to them being bastards born of incest. Renly claims the throne on the basis that he would be a better king, despite being second to Stannis in the lawful line of succession.

Meanwhile, Robb Stark, the Lord of Winterfell, is declared the King in the North by his bannermen in the wake of the execution of his father, on false charges of treason by Joffrey.[4] Robb had been in command of a host marching south to free his then-imprisoned father and to relieve a Lannister attack on the Riverlands. As the King in the North, Robb declares that the North and the Riverlands, ruled by his maternal grandfather Hoster Tully, are a sovereign Kingdom of the North no longer subject to the rule of the Iron Throne.[5]

With the attention of the North and the Iron Throne diverted, Balon Greyjoy, Lord Reaper of Pyke and ruler of the Iron Islands, seizes the opportunity to declare the Iron Islands independent once more, restoring the Kingdom of the Iron Islands. He then styles himself King of the Iron Islands and launches raids in the North, while most of the Northern armies are distracted south of the Neck fighting the Lannisters in the Riverlands and the Westerlands.

By 303 AC, all of the original five kings were either assassinated or killed in battle, leading to the total and complete end of the War of the Five Kings. Ironically, many of the same events Littlefinger put in motion to increase his own power and influence were eventually discovered by the remaining members of House Stark, which were ultimately used as evidence against him for his execution, marking the official end of the War of the Five Kings.

History

Opening moves

Tyrion Lannister's abduction

"This man came into my house as a guest, and there conspired to murder my son, a boy of ten. In the name of King Robert and the good lords you serve, I call upon you to seize him and help me return him to Winterfell to await the king's justice."
―Catelyn seizes Tyrion[src]
Battle at the Mummer's Ford

The royalist force, which would go on to become the Brotherhood Without Banners, attacks the Lannister army in the Riverlands.

The stage for war was set when Catelyn Stark seized Tyrion Lannister and accused him of the attempted murder of her son Bran based on false information given to her by Petyr Baelish. Bran had previously been crippled by Jaime Lannister in an attempted murder after he witnessed Jaime having sex with Queen Cersei, though Bran retained no memory of this.[6] In response, House Lannister, led by Lord Tywin Lannister, summoned its armies and marched on the Riverlands, ruled by House Tully, Catelyn's house, with 60,000 men. Ser Gregor Clegane led an auxiliary force and began striking at the vassals of Catelyn's father, Lord Hoster Tully.[7]

The death of Robert Baratheon

Rather than use his authority to defuse the situation, King Robert I Baratheon left King's Landing for his entertainments, and soon afterwards died in a hunting accident secretly arranged by Queen Cersei. Upon Robert's death, Lord Renly Baratheon tried to secure the support of his Hand, Lord Eddard Stark, but when he refused, Renly fled the capital with Ser Loras Tyrell, the heir to the Reach, and rode for Highgarden. Prince Joffrey Baratheon immediately claimed the Iron Throne upon Robert's death with his mother's backing as Queen Regent. However, Eddard had learned from previous research conducted by his predecessor Jon Arryn, who had been secretly assassinated by his wife and Baelish, of the true parentage of Joffrey and his siblings: that they were in fact bastards born of incest between Cersei and Jaime.[3] Eddard had a proclamation written by Robert which named him regent and Protector of the Realm, but it was ignored by Cersei, whom Eddard had forewarned of his knowledge about her children in an attempt to allow them to flee.[7]

When Eddard tried to take Joffrey into custody as an imposter, Joffrey, who had been forewarned by Baelish, instead had Eddard arrested. Baelish held Eddard with a dagger to his throat while Janos Slynt led the City Watch in turning against Eddard's household guards. Joffrey and Cersei were unaware, however, that Eddard had already sent a letter to Stannis Baratheon informing him that Joffrey was not legitimate, and thus the crown rightfully belonged to him. They were further unaware that Renly knew of this as well, and was gathering his supporters in the Stormlands and the Reach.[7] On Dragonstone, Stannis also claimed the Iron Throne and began gathering his own supporters.[8]

War in the Riverlands

"Ser Gregor will head out with five hundred riders and set the riverlands on fire from Gods' Eye to the Red Fork."
―Tywin Lannister[src]

The Lannister army separated into two hosts of 30,000 men each.[7] Jaime led one host with the aim of capturing Riverrun, the principal stronghold of House Tully. Jaime smashed the riverlords at a battle in the hills below the Golden Tooth, allowing him to move northwest through the Riverlands unimpeded, and followed through on his victory by laying siege to Riverrun. Tywin led the other host himself.[9]

Green Fork

Robb's strategic deceit of the Lannisters led to Jaime's capture.

Upon receiving a raven of his father's arrest, Robb Stark summoned his father's vassals and mobilized the armies of the North.[9] He then marched them to the relief of the Riverlands and his mother's house. Tywin moved to the east bank of the Green Fork of the Trident to intercept the Stark force.[9] Robb secured the support of Lord Walder Frey, a Tully bannerman, through a marriage pact, giving him an advantage in transportation and local intelligence.[10] Robb then sent a small force of 2,000 men to attack Tywin's army. As planned, this small force was destroyed at the battle on the Green Fork, but it delayed the Lannisters long enough for Robb's main army to slip past them and into the Whispering Wood near Riverrun. Robb then inflicted a significant defeat upon the Lannisters, destroying much of Jaime's host and capturing Jaime himself.[10] After learning of Jaime's capture, Tywin retreated to Harrenhal, intending to fortify it and use it as a base of operations to conduct raids in the Riverlands.[8]

​The rise of kings​

"That bit of theater will haunt our family for a generation."
―Tyrion to Cersei, on Eddard's execution[src]

By this time, news of Renly and Stannis gathering armies had reached both the Stark and Lannister camps. Both men had claimed the Iron Throne: Stannis as the legitimate heir after his brother's death, and Renly on the claim that he could be a better king than his brother. Meanwhile, in King's Landing, Eddard falsely confessed to treason and recognized Joffrey as the king in an effort to protect his daughter Sansa, who was being held as a hostage by the Lannisters. However, instead of exiling him to the Night's Watch as Cersei intended, the sadistic Joffrey instead ordered Eddard's execution. Eddard's death caused the vengeful Northmen to reject the authority of the Iron Throne. After considering joining forces with one of the Baratheon brothers, the Northmen and the riverlords instead chose the path of independence, declaring their own independent Kingdom of the North and swearing fealty to Robb as the King in the North.[8]

Robb followed up on his success at Whispering Wood with several minor skirmishes against Lannister forces. Barely days after Joffrey was declared king, the Lannisters in reality only held their own domain, the Westerlands, and most of the Crownlands, as well as a small conquered strip of the southern Riverlands. Meanwhile, the Starks controlled the North and most of the Riverlands. Renly commanded the full might of the Stormlands, as well as the Reach with the backing of House Tyrell and their vassals. Stannis, on the other hand, only had the backing of the outlying houses along the shores of the Narrow Sea sworn to Dragonstone. At this time, the other three kingdoms—the Vale of Arryn, Dorne and the Iron Islands—had not yet declared their support for any side in the conflict.

Robb Stark invades the Westerlands

"Stannis two days from the capital, and the wolf at my doorstep."
―Tywin Lannister[src]
Battle of Oxcross

Robb led the Northern armies into the Lannisters' lands in the west.

With Tywin encamped at Harrenhal, Robb launched a limited invasion of the Lannister homelands in the Westerlands, winning several more battles: the Battle of Oxcross,[11] a battle at the Yellow Fork,[12] and the surrender of the Crag.[13] With the Lannister homelands under attack by the Northmen, and a Baratheon attack on the capital imminent, Tywin decided to quietly march the Lannister forces from Harrenhal to King's Landing to reinforce the capital.[13]

All of the lands between Riverrun and Harrenhal became a warzone, facing constant raids and counter-raids by Stark-Tully and Lannister forces. As a result of Edmure Tully's mistake at the Battle of the Fords, Robb failed to lure the Lannisters into a trap; instead, the Lannister forces in the Riverlands regrouped and then rushed to the defense of King's Landing against Stannis.

The death of Renly Baratheon

"All my brother's bannermen have come to my side! Except for the Tyrells, who fled like cowards. They won't be able to resist us now. Soon I should be sitting on the Iron Throne."
―Stannis, to Davos[src]
Renly Stannis Parley

The Baratheon brothers held a parley in the Stormlands, but both refused to stand down.

The Baratheon brothers Stannis and Renly both claimed the Iron Throne. Stannis had a small army at Dragonstone, and was under the influence of Melisandre, a red priestess of the Lord of Light and a powerful sorceress. Renly, on the other hand, amassed the strength of his bannermen in the Stormlands. He had also secured the backing House Tyrell and their bannermen from the Reach by marrying Margaery Tyrell, daughter of Lord Mace Tyrell.[14]

Renly commanded the most powerful army in Westeros by sheer numbers, having gathered all the bannermen of the Stormlands and the Reach, the two most populous kingdoms of Westeros. Looking for allies, Robb sent his mother Catelyn to the Stormlands to negotiate with the southern king, while Theon Greyjoy was sent to the Iron Islands. Renly was receptive to an alliance with the Starks on the condition that Robb recognized his sovereignty over the North. However, before negotiations could continue, Renly was murdered by a shadow, bearing the face of Stannis, secretly born by Melisandre. The assassination was witnessed only by Catelyn and Brienne of Tarth; Brienne was accused of Renly's murder, and she and Catelyn subsequently fled his camp together.[15]

Following Renly's death, the stormlords swore fealty to Stannis as the remaining legal head of House Baratheon. However, the Tyrells and their vassals did not join Stannis, and instead returned to the Reach. With the Baratheon army under his command, and the Dragonstone fleet augmented by pirates led by Salladhor Saan, Stannis began preparations for an invasion of King's Landing.[15]

Riot in King's Landing

"They're starving, you fool! All because of a war you started!"
―Tyrion, to Joffrey[src]
Gold cloaks

Gold Cloaks hold back rioting smallfolk from King Joffrey and his entourage.

During the course of the war, the streets of King's Landing began to overflow with starving refugees looking to escape the war. Joffrey and the royal court left the Red Keep and gathered in the city's docks to witness Princess Myrcella's leave to Dorne, as part of their hopes to secure an alliance with House Martell. On their way back, the commoners of King's Landing hurled insults at Joffrey. The situation escalated when one threw cow excrement into Joffrey's face, and when the culprit could not be found, the young king ordered his guards to have them all killed. Riots then erupted in the chaos; they were eventually put down, but many were killed, including the High Septon.[16]

Rise of the kraken

"The North is ripe for the taking."
―Balon Greyjoy[src]

As the Lannister and Stark forces fought in the west, Theon Greyjoy arrived at Pyke as Robb's envoy to forge an alliance with his family, House Greyjoy. Robb hoped to gain the strength of the Iron Fleet to use against the Lannisters. Lord Balon Greyjoy, however, instead proclaimed himself King of the Iron Islands once more, and drew up plans to invade the defenseless North while Robb's armies were down south.[17][14] The ironborn attacked the coasts of the North: Yara Greyjoy commanded a sizable fleet to take Deepwood Motte, while Theon was assigned to raid small fishing villages. Under his first mate Dagmer's advice, however, Theon defied his father's orders to instead seize Winterfell.[16]

Winterfell Burning

Winterfell was sacked during the ironborn invasion of the North.

Bran and Rickon Stark escaped Winterfell with two of their household servants, Hodor and Osha, and their direwolves. Theon failed to find them, so to cover up his failure and assert his authority, he had two farmboys killed, their corpses charred beyond recognition, and hanged atop the walls of Winterfell, posing as the Stark boys.[12] Yara later rode to Winterfell, where she reprimanded Theon, the self-declared Prince of Winterfell, warning her brother that the entirety of the North wanted him dead for the alleged killing of the Stark boys. She then informed Theon that their father had summoned him to Pyke, and advised him that his position was too far from the sea to resupply or reinforce. In spite of this, Theon decided to hold Winterfell to preserve his victory.[13]

Robb and Roose Bolton had a relief force of five hundred men, led by Roose's bastard Ramsay Snow, assembled to take back Winterfell. Theon's men betrayed him and handed him over to Ramsay, who promised their return to the Iron Islands.[18] Instead, Ramsay betrayed the ironborn and had them all killed. He then had Winterfell sacked, putting the castle to the torch.[19] Nonetheless, Bran, Rickon, Osha, and Hodor were able to escape.[18]

The Battle of the Blackwater

Imry: "The fire... their archers... hundreds will die."
Stannis: "Thousands."
— Imry Florent and Stannis Baratheon[src]
Wildfire explosion

Wildfire destroyed a large portion of Stannis Baratheon's fleet at the Blackwater.

Stannis's army and fleet launched an assault on King's Landing in what came to be known as the Battle of the Blackwater. The initial attack was blunted when Tyrion sprung a trap, destroying half of Stannis's ships and many of his men with wildfire. Stannis rallied the surviving troops and launched an assault on the city.[20]

Just as the city seemed about to fall, a combined Lannister-Tyrell host charged and broke through Stannis's flank, sending his army into a panic and routing them. Stannis retreated to Dragonstone with only the tattered remnants of his army.[20] An alliance between the Tyrells and the Lannisters had secretly been brokered by Baelish and Tywin Lannister following Renly's death. The Tyrells formally declared themselves for King Joffrey in return for a marriage pact between him and Margaery, giving Joffrey a massive numerical advantage over the houses in rebellion.[18]

The decisive Lannister-Tyrell victory also coincided with several political blunders made by Robb. Robb lost the support of House Frey when he broke his pact with them to instead marry Talisa Maegyr.[18] Not long after, his powerful vassal House Karstark deserted him after he executed Lord Rickard Karstark for the murder of Lannister prisoners. Having lost a large number of troops, and his enemies having more than doubled in numbers, Robb's army suddenly found itself in great danger.[21]

The fall of kings

​The Red Wedding

"The Lannisters send their regards."
―Roose Bolton, as he kills Robb[src]

Robb subsequently withdrew his forces back to the Riverlands. He liberated Harrenhal, but the Lannisters had simply withdrawn and given no battle.[22] Robb marched his army back to Riverrun, but faced a bleak situation.[23] The Lannisters, meanwhile, focused on consolidating the south with their new Tyrell allies, content that time and resources were now on their side.[24]

Robb's army was lured into a trap at the Twins during the wedding of his uncle Edmure Tully and Roslin Frey, which he had arranged to make amends for violating his marriage pact with Walder Frey. That night, the Frey and Bolton forces turned against the drunken Stark and Tully forces and slaughtered them.[25]

Robb and Talisa Red Wedding

Robb and his men were betrayed at the Red Wedding.

Robb, his wife, his mother, and most of his loyal bannermen were murdered in the massacre, which subsequently became known as the Red Wedding.[25] The few survivors were captured as political hostages, including Edmure, who was held captive by Walder at the Twins. Only a small number of Tully troops, led by Robb's great-uncle, Ser Brynden Tully, managed to escape.[19]

Aftermath of the Red Wedding

"Roslin caught a fine fat trout. Her brothers gave her a pair of wolf pelts for her wedding."
―Walder Frey's letter to King's Landing[src]

The destruction of Robb's army marked a major turning point in the war, with the allied Houses of Lannister and Tyrell achieving a major victory over their most significant enemy. Joffrey's faction now physically controlled nearly all of the Seven Kingdoms, the only exceptions being the Iron Islands, parts of the North controlled by the ironborn, and the strongholds of Storm's End, Dragonstone, and Riverrun. The Vale and Dorne remained neutral in the conflict. As a reward for their betrayal of the Starks, Roose Bolton and Walder Frey were named Warden of the North and Lord Paramount of the Trident, respectively.[19]

Stannis remained free and determined to continue fighting, his army seriously decreased.[26] The Stormlords who had rallied to his side had either died at the Blackwater or were trying to curry favor with the Lannisters for a pardon.[27] The ironborn, who had partially occupied the North, still commanded great sea power and Balon Greyjoy refused to bend the knee to the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, the outlaw band known as the Brotherhood Without Banners remained active in the Riverlands, as did the Blackfish and his rebel Tully bannermen at Riverrun. Added to this, the majority of the Houses in the North and the Riverlands held nothing but hatred for the Boltons and the Freys, due to their betrayal of their king and the deaths of many of their kinsman at the Red Wedding.

At the same time, the Iron Throne emerged weakened from the conflict. Its debts to foreign lenders such as the Iron Bank of Braavos were still far from being repaid and, if the debts should default, the Bank would turn its support to others who could guarantee the repayment of the loans, such as Stannis.[28] The Iron Bank was later convinced to fund Stannis.[26]

The Lannisters' position steadily decayed and became worse, as their hold as the 'strongest' House waned. Concerned over the growing power of Daenerys Targaryen in Essos, Tywin sought to gain the support of the Martells, who hated House Lannister as a result of the death of Elia Martell and her children during the Sack of King's Landing.[3]

The Purple Wedding

"You don't think I'd let you marry that beast, do you?"
―Olenna reveals her involvement in Joffrey's death to Margaery[src]
Purple Wedding

Joffrey is killed after being poisoned.

During his own wedding to Margaery, Joffrey was assassinated by poison.[28] Cersei accused Tyrion, who was arrested and put on trial for regicide. Sansa managed to flee King's Landing with help from Baelish,[29] who had secretly devised the plot to kill Joffrey with Olenna Tyrell.[30]

Joffrey was succeede​d as king by his younger brother Prince Tommen. Joffrey's death ended up being beneficial for the Lannister-Tyrell alliance: he had been an unpredictable, incompetent and universally hated ruler whose impulsive, sadistic decisions had taken a devastating toll on his kingdom. Tommen, by contrast, was a shy, gentle-natured boy who could be counted on to delegate matters to wiser advisors, such as Tywin and Margaery. After his coronation, Tommen reappointed Tywin (his grandfather) as Hand of the King and also granted him the title of Protector of the Realm, making Tywin the true ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, now in practice as well as name. Tommen was also betrothed to Margaery, in order to keep the loyalty of House Tyrell; his early friendship with Margaery, despite their age differences, helped ease some of the tension between the Lannisters and Tyrells.[3]

A tenuous rule​

The trial of Tyrion Lannister​

​During his trial, Tyrion was faced with many accounts of his confrontations with King Joffrey to prove his guilt. Tywin Lannister had brokered to give his son a way out if he would plead guilty and join the Night's Watch so that Jaime, would leave the Kingsguard and accept his title as Tywin's heir again. However, the perjury of Shae led Tyrion to refuse the deal and demand a trial by combat.[3] Cersei chose ​Ser Gregor "the Mountain" Clegane as her champion, while Tyrion was approached by Oberyn Martell to act as his. Oberyn's sought vengeance against Gregor for the rape and murder of his sister Elia during the Sack of King's Landing. Although Oberyn managed to severely wound and poison the Mountain during the duel, he was himself killed, sealing Tyrion's fate.[31]

The death of Tywin Lannister

Before his execution could take place, Tyrion was freed from confinement by Jaime in conjunction with Varys. Before escaping the city, Tyrion strangled Shae, and assassinated his father, leaving the rule of King's Landing in an uncertain position.[32]

In the wake of his brother's death, Kevan Lannister was appointed as the new leader of the Lannister armies. In addition to the nobles, Tywin's death brought new forces to King's Landing: the religious Sparrows entered the capital.[33]

Cersei seized control of the small council, appointing her ally Qyburn as the new Master of Whispers (as Varys is believed to have released Tyrion), and Lord Tyrell as the new Master of Coin. However, Kevan rebuffed Cersei's offer as the new Master of War on the basis that the Queen Mother holds no position of authority, and the small council had become nothing more than a chamber of sycophants. After storming off and leaving for Casterly Rock, Cersei's hold on power became all the more tenuous.[34]

501 Tywin funeral Cersei kiss

Cersei kisses the corpse of her father Tywin.

In order to cement their alliance with the Tyrells, the Lannisters rapidly married King Tommen to Margaery, to Cersei's dismay, who felt her power waning just as Margaery's influence over her son grew.[35] In addition, the Iron Bank called in ten percent of the debt owed by the Crown. Cersei sent Lord Tyrell to Braavos to negotiate directly with the bankers.[34]

Stannis's campaign in the North

Roose: "Stannis Baratheon has an army at Castle Black, but he won't stay for long. He wants the Iron Throne, and the road to King's Landing comes right through Winterfell. He means to take the North. But the North is ours. It's yours and mine. Will you help me defeat him?"
Ramsay: "Yes."
— Roose and Ramsay[src]

After the Red Wedding, Roose Bolton was appointed Warden of the North. Since the ironborn were in possession of Moat Cailin, Roose instructed Ramsay to retake the fortress.[28]

Surrender of Moat Cailin

Moat Cailin is surrendered by the ironborn to House Bolton, allowing the Bolton armies to march back north.

After a failed attempt by Yara to rescue her brother from the Boltons,[26] Ramsay retook Moat Cailin. Roose rewarded Ramsay's actions by legitimizing him as a Bolton. With the surrender of Moat Cailin, the Bolton army returned north and the ironborn began evacuating the North. Roose subsequently led his reassembled forces to reclaim the Stark ancestral seat of Winterfell.[31]

Stannis attacks

Stannis Baratheon's army attacks the wildling camp, aiding the Night's Watch in repulsing the wildling attack on the Wall.

Facing invasion from a wildling army under the command of Mance Rayder and with rumours of an even greater threat coming from beyond the Wall, the Night's Watch sent word to all the high lords of Westeros to send aid.[19] Only one answered: Stannis. He headed north to the Wall and defeated the wildling army, taking their leader prisoner and saving the Night's Watch from destruction, and the North from invasion.[32] With this victory, Stannis planned to march south to liberate Winterfell and gain the support of the disgruntled Northern Houses against Lannister-backed Bolton rule.[33] However, he was rebuffed by most, such as House Mormont.[34]

As Roose Bolton set up his seat of power at Winterfell, he planned a marriage for Ramsay with Sansa, the heir to Winterfell who was hiding from the Lannisters in the Vale under the protection of Littlefinger. Littlefinger proposed an alliance between the North and the Vale, for protection against their enemies and to react against any Lannister retaliation once they learnt that Sansa has wed Ramsay.[35]

Littlefinger returned to King's Landing, where he informed Cersei that the Boltons planned to marry Sansa to Ramsay. He requested permission to lead the Knights of the Vale to the North. Once Stannis and the Boltons had bled each other dry, he planned to destroy the remaining forces and take the North. Cersei approved his plans and promised to appoint him Warden of the North once the battle was won.[36]

As Stannis marched on Winterfell, the the weather worsened, and men started to abandon Stannis. Melisanre, however, believed that it was still possible to move towards Winterfell, and suggested to sacrifice Shireen. Stannis initially refused.[37]

Ramsay wreaked havoc on Stannis's camp; his few remaining supplies were destroyed, as well as the few hundred horses he had left. Additionally, all of the sellswords paid for by the Iron Bank deserted.[38] In his desparation, Stannis conceded to sacrificing Shireen so that his army could move once again. After it was done,[39] Stannis mobilized his few remaining troops towards Winterfell.[40]

Melisandre-sacrificing-shireen

Melisandre sacrifices Shireen Baratheon to the Lord of Light, believing that such a sacrifice will clear the snows for Stannis to march onto Winterfell.

Eventually, Stannis was defeated by the Boltons. After the bulk of his remaining army was slaughtered to a man, Stannis was tracked down and killed by Brienne.[40]

Battle of Winterfell 6

The Bolton forces attack the weakened Baratheon army.

With Stannis's defeat, the Boltons claimed a great victory, discouraging further resistance against them. By this time, most of the Northmen had, if ever reluctantly, accepted their rule. Houses Umber and Karstark declared their allegiance to Boltons, but House Manderly refused to bend the knee to the Boltons. Meanwhile, the last of the ironborn had been expelled from the North after House Glover successfully reclaimed Deepwood Motte. House Bolton's rule over the North was now seemingly unopposed; Sansa's escape, however, has weakened their claim.[41][42]

The death of Balon Greyjoy

"I killed him. Threw him right over a rope bridge, and watched him fall. He was leading us nowhere, and we would still be heading there if it weren't for me. No one loved him, no one wanted to follow him. He led us into two wars we couldn't win. I apologize to you all for not killing him years ago!"
―Euron confesses to murdering his brother at the Kingsmoot[src]
Balon-Euron-Game-of-Thrones-Home

Euron Greyjoy confronts his brother Balon on the bridges of Pyke, where he kills him.

Shortly after Yara informed Balon Greyjoy that they had no more holdings on the mainland, he was killed by his brother Euron Greyjoy.[42]

With the passing of Balon, the ironborn held a kingsmoot on Old Wyk to elect a new King of the Iron Islands.[43] Euron was ultimately elected as the king over Yara. Yara and Theon subsequently fled the Iron islands with much of the Iron Fleet and their supporters.[43]

In order to take back the Iron Islands, Yara and Theon decided to beat their uncle to Daenerys Targaryen and sail for Meereen.[44] Once they arrived in Meereen, they formed an alliance with Daenerys.[45]

Conflict in the Riverlands

"As long as I'm standing, the war is not over!"
―Brynden Tully to Jaime Lannister[src]
Riverrun

Riverrun falls under siege of Houses Frey and Lannister after the Blackfish leads the Tully army into recapturing their ancestral home.

After the Red Wedding, Brynden Tully managed to gather a small Tully army and retake Riverrun from the Freys. Tommen sent Jaime at the head of a Lannister detachment to force Riverrun's surrender. Jaime tried to negotiate with Brynden to peacefully surrender, but the Blackfish refused to yield.[44] Jaime is able to coerce Edmure into yielding Riverrun, however, by threatening his son's life. After the fall of Riverrun, Jaime is informed of Brynden's death by Lannister soldiers.[46]

After a celebration at the Twins, Arya Stark murdered Walder Frey.[47] While posing as Walder, Arya then had the rest of the Frey men poisoned in revenge for the Red Wedding. In response, Lannister soldiers are sent to the Riverlands to keep the peace.[48] However, the army is later recalled to fight in the Last War.[49]

Aftermath

The War of the Five Kings officially concluded in a hollow victory for the forces of the Iron Throne, controlled by House Baratheon of King's Landing, a puppet of House Lannister. All five kings died, including Joffrey, who was succeeded by Tommen. Despite the War of the Five Kings ending, the Lannisters' victory ended almost as soon as it began and the tide began to turn in favor of their surviving enemies. Localized hostilities and conflicts continued throughout Westeros as tensions only heightened throughout the Seven Kingdoms; some of these hostilities ultimately undid the Iron Throne's. These smaller "aftermath conflicts" that grew from the War of the Five Kings and continued to destabilize Westeros are detailed below:

The Sparrows

Although the Lannister-Tyrell alliance formed at the Battle of the Blackwater had allowed the Iron Throne to emerge victorious in the war, the destructive conflict had served to fracture the already fragile coexistence between the nobility and the commoners. Abused and overtaxed by their rulers, the smallfolk began to turn to new masters and new justices. Religious fervor, unseen in Westeros since the Faith Militant uprising, swept over the people as they either clung to their known Gods in hopes of salvation, or turned to other deities new to Westeros.

In this context, a new sect emerged among the followers of the Faith of the Seven: the Sparrows. They included dispossessed commoners and disillusioned nobles, such as Lancel Lannister. Following the flood of refugees caused by the war, the Sparrows eventually moved into King's Landing after the death of Tywin.

Cersei saw opportunity in the newly-formed sect to move against her rivals in House Tyrell, and formed an alliance with the High Sparrow, leader of the sect. Cersei engineered his election as the new High Septon and authorized the Faith Militant, the enforcement branch of the Faith charged with defending the faithful, to rearm for the first time since the wars of Maegor the Cruel two and a half centuries earlier.

Putting this new power to use, the High Sparrow sent his armed followers to destroy what he perceived as the vices of King's Landing. This led to the arrest of Loras. This flagrant move against one of the Great Houses was the first sign of a reaction against the abuses committed by the nobility against the common folk.

Though the High Sparrow arrested Loras on charges of homosexuality and Margaery, on charges of lying to the Faith on oath, he also had Cersei imprisoned on the charges of incest and murdering King Robert, crimes which are confessed by Lancel, who joined the Sparrows and conspired with Cersei in these crimes.

The High Sparrow had dug his claws deep into King Tommen, and influenced him into forming a new "holy alliance" between the Crown and the Faith. In response to the standoff at the Great Sept of Baelor, Tommen dismissed Jaime from the Kingsguard and sent him off to the Riverlands to assist House Frey in taking back Riverrun. For her role in the forgery of this alliance, Margaery was forgiven for her crimes, though Loras and Cersei still had to stand trial.

610 Sept of Baelor Destruction Promo

The Great Sept of Baelor explodes from wildfire, killing all those inside and around it.

At said trial, Cersei did not attend, and instead destroyed the Great Sept of Baelor with Aerys Targaryen's wildfire, killing most of her enemies in a single stroke. After being informed of Margaery's death, Tommen committed suicide. Cersei then ascended the Iron Throne, proclaimed as the Queen of the Andals and the First Men and Protector of the Seven Kingdoms.

Battle of the Bastards

Despite their role in defeating Stannis and the Red Wedding, House Bolton betrays the Iron Throne when Roose weds Sansa to Ramsay. This alliance is forged by Roose and Littlefinger.

Sansa escapes from Winterfell arrives at Castle Black, where Jon had recently been resurrected by the will of Davos and Melisandre, after facing a mutiny. Sansa and Jon plot to retake Winterfell from the Boltons, and gather troops of Northmen and wildlings.

Meanwhile, at Winterfell, Ramsay seizes power when he murders his father Roose, his stepmother Walda, and his newborn half-brother. Ramsay has the backing of House Karstark through Harald Karstark, as well as House Umber through Smalljon Umber, who hands over Rickon to Ramsay.

After an uneventful parley, the Stark-wildling and Bolton armies clash just outside of Winterfell at the Battle of the Bastards. Though the Stark and Free Folk forces are on the verge of complete annihilation, they are relieved by a cavalry force of the Vale. The Bolton is defeated. At a meeting between the lords of the North and the Vale, Jon is proclaimed the King in the North, thus reviving the Kingdom of the North.

Coup in Dorne

Angered by the deaths of Elia and Oberyn Martell at the hands of House Lannister, Ellaria Sand demanded justice. She gathered the support of three of the Sand Snakes, Oberyn's bastard daughters: Obara, Tyene, and Nymeria. They plotted to assassinate Myrcella in retaliation for Elia and Oberyn's deaths. After receiving a threatening message, Cersei sent Jaime and Bronn to rescue Myrcella.

Jaime and Bronn infiltrated the Water Gardens, where they duel against the sand Snakes. However, they were stopped and imprisoned by Areo Hotah, the captain of the guard for Prince Doran. Jaime was eventually brought before Prince Doran. Knowing that King Tommen insists on Myrcella's return to King's Landing, Doran agreed as long as Trystane could sit at the small council.

Myrcella was poisoned by Ellaria. Soon afterwards, Ellaria and the Sand Snakes staged their coup d'etat, killing Doran, Areo Hotah, and Trystane. Thus, House Martell went extinct as Ellaria and the Sand Snakes seized power over Dorne.

Fall of the mockingbird

Following the Battle of the Bastards, House Stark retook Winterfell and restored its power in the North. Sansa became the Lady of Winterfell, while Jon was declared the King in the North by the lords of the North and the Vale.[45][47]

While Jon was negotiating with Daenerys on Dragonstone, Bran and Arya returned to Winterfell. Gradually losing his influential hold over Sansa, Baelish plotted to turn the Stark sisters against each other. However, his plot was foiled, and Baelish was tried and found guilty of conspiring against House Stark. He was then executed by Arya, marking the extinction of House Baelish and the complete end of the War of the Five Kings.[50]

Legacy

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The Riverlands are among the regions that are left devastated from the War of the Five Kings.

The War of the Five Kings severely weakened the Iron Throne; specifically, the Baratheon dynasty, which had, after Robert's death, essentially become a Lannister puppet. It was the largest civil war since the Dance of the Dragons, resembling the endless internal conflicts that the Seven Kingdoms used to face before Aegon's Conquest unified the Seven Kingdoms into one realm under the rule of the Targaryen dynasty, which had been overthrown less than two decades before the War of the Five Kings in Robert's Rebellion.

The war devastated the countryside of Westeros, leaving villages and towns burnt to the ground. Tens of thousands of smallfolk were killed in the conflict, and the bloody acts of war created great rift between the nobility and the commoners.

Furthermore, for the first time since the Targaryen conquest of Westeros, the lineup of the Great Houses was dramatically shaken and altered. Tensions continued to remain between the great and noble families even after the war came to a formal close.

Ultimately, these continued tensions would go on to impact the Last War, which commenced only a couple years after the War of the Five Kings ended, as well as the Great War between the living and the army of the dead, controlled by the White Walkers, an ancient and long forgotten enemy to all that lives in the world.

Combatants

The King on the Iron Throne

Joffrey 2x10

Joffrey I "Baratheon", the King on the Iron Throne

Joffrey Baratheon is said to be the eldest son of King Robert. After Robert's death, Joffrey was crowned as the new King, and his mother was named Queen Regent in defiance of Robert's will. As Joffrey actually sat on the Iron Throne, however, he was referred to as "the King on the Iron Throne." Joffrey was primarily backed by House Lannister, the lords of the Westerlands and the de facto controllers of the Iron Throne. After the Battle of the Blackwater, he was also supported by House Tyrell. He was later assassinated during the Purple Wedding in 301 AC, becoming the third of the five kings to die in the war.

The King in the Narrow Sea

Stannis-3x01

Stannis I Baratheon, the "King in the Narrow Sea"

Stannis claimed the Iron Throne on the basis that he was the rightful heir to his late brother Robert, since Robert's three "children" were in fact fathered by Jaime. Though technically the rightful heir, Stannis found himself with little support due to his blunt nature and lack of charm and charisma. He did, however, have the support of Melisandre, who believed Stannis to be the Prince That Was Promised, as well as his vassals sworn directly to Dragonstone. He was killed in the battle in the ice in 302 AC, becoming the fourth of the five kings to die in the war.

The King in Highgarden

Renly-baratheon-gethin-anthony-helen-sloan

Renly I Baratheon, "the King in Highgarden"

Renly laid claim to the Iron Throne just as his elder brother Stannis did, as well as his alleged nephew Joffrey. Although the youngest Baratheon brother, Renly believed that he would be a better king than Stannis, noting how the line of succession did not matter when Robert usurped the Iron Throne from Aerys II Targaryen during Robert's Rebellion. Renly also had the backing of the vassals of the Stormlands, plus the wealthy House Tyrell and its vassals in the Reach. Assassinated on the orders of Stannis in 299 AC, he was the first of the five kings to die in the war.

The King in the North

Robb Stark after the battle

Robb Stark, the King in the North

Robb did not lay claim to the Iron Throne; instead, following his father's execution, he was declared the King in the North by his bannermen, and proclaimed independence for the North and the Riverlands, constituting a revived Kingdom of the North. He was later betrayed and killed in the Red Wedding in 300 AC, becoming the second of the five kings to die in the war.

The King of the Iron Islands

Balon

Balon Greyjoy, the King of the Iron Islands

Balon Greyjoy did not lay claim to the Iron Throne, but instead re-declared independence for the Iron Islands and proclaimed himself the King of the Iron Islands. The islands' leaders came together to form the resurgent Kingdom of the Iron Islands. As the War of the Five Kings unfolded, Balon launched an invasion of the North, while the majority of its bannermen were in the Riverlands fighting the Lannisters. He was assassinated by his brother Euron in 303 AC, becoming the fifth and last of the five kings to die in the war.

In the books

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the War of the Five Kings is one of the major storylines which the narrative revolves around.

The name is first mentioned in the third novel: shortly before Joffrey's wedding, Tyrion muses that the struggle that the maesters are calling the War of the Five Kings - is all but at an end.

In the TV series, it is first named in dialogue in Season 2's episode "A Man Without Honor", when Tywin Lannister says that people are calling it the "War of Five Kings". Apparently he was just speaking loosely, and the formal name is still the same in the TV continuity, because Joffrey later prominently refers to it as the "War of the Five Kings" during his wedding in Season 4 episode "The Lion and the Rose".

While it is popularly known as the War of the "Five" Kings, in the fourth novel an archmaester named Benedict points out that this is somewhat inaccurate, as Balon openly declared himself King of the Iron Islands only slightly after Renly died, so there were never five kings actively fighting each other at one time. Nonetheless the name has stuck, and it does still refer to the fact that five kings were involved. For the TV series, however, it might be somewhat accurate, depending on when Balon Greyjoy's secession of the Iron Islands "officially" began. Renly was killed at the beginning of the fifth episode of Season 2. Balon explains to Theon that he intends to make himself a king by force in the second episode of Season 2, but this isn't followed by a polite declaration: the ironborn make a surprise attack against the North at the beginning of the sixth episode of Season 2, taking Torrhen's Square and Winterfell. Thus Balon briefly claimed the title of King while Renly was still alive, but the first the other factions knew about this was when ironborn raiders were at their doorsteps, after Renly died.

It is generally a four-sided war, between the Lannisters, Starks, Baratheons, and Greyjoys. Renly's brief time as a claimant, controlling most of the armies of the Stormlands and the Reach, did affect the strategic position of the Lannisters, but he didn't set out to engage them on the battlefield. Instead the Tyrells had cut off the Roseroad, effectively blockading resources and foodstuffs from reaching the capital, and Renly was content to sit back and let the Lannisters exhaust themselves against the Starks while he built up his own strength to overwhelming levels, at which point he intended to march directly on King's Landing. Also while there are four "sides", this does not include political machinations and large territories changing sides, i.e. the Vale of Arryn or Dorne, and particularly House Tyrell, which considerably tipped the balance of the war when they switched their allegiance to the Lannisters. Due to simple geography, of course, any one faction isn't actively fighting three others all the time. Simply due to the fact that they are located on opposite coasts of the continent the Greyjoys (off the west coast) and Stannis (off the east coast) aren't actively fighting each other while he's on Dragonstone. Stannis does nominally consider the North to be in rebellion against him, but in practice doesn't actively fight the North, because he's more concerned with retaking the capital city from the Lannisters. As seen in the TV series, the Starks do send peace overtures to the Baratheons, but Stannis refuses to allow the North to secede and take away vast territories which he feels are rightfully his. While the Greyjoys aren't actively fighting Stannis, they are not on the side of the Starks or the Lannisters, and are truly looking out only for their own interests.

By the point the novels reached, only one of the five titular leaders in the War of the Five Kings is still alive - Stannis.

References

  1. Game of Thrones: Season 4, Episode 2: "The Lion and the Rose" (2014).
  2. Game of Thrones: Season 2, Episode 7: "A Man Without Honor" (2012).
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "First of His Name"
  4. "Fire and Blood"
  5. HBO viewers guide, season 2 map, special features - Areas of Control
  6. "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things"
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "You Win or You Die"
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Fire and Blood"
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 "The Pointy End"
  10. 10.0 10.1 "Baelor"
  11. "Garden of Bones"
  12. 12.0 12.1 "A Man Without Honor"
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 "The Prince of Winterfell"
  14. 14.0 14.1 "What Is Dead May Never Die"
  15. 15.0 15.1 "The Ghost of Harrenhal"
  16. 16.0 16.1 "The Old Gods and the New"
  17. "The Night Lands"
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 "Valar Morghulis"
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 "Mhysa"
  20. 20.0 20.1 "Blackwater"
  21. "Kissed by Fire"
  22. "Valar Dohaeris"
  23. "Dark Wings, Dark Words"
  24. "Walk of Punishment"
  25. 25.0 25.1 "The Rains of Castamere"
  26. 26.0 26.1 26.2 "The Laws of Gods and Men"
  27. "The Stormlands"
  28. 28.0 28.1 28.2 "The Lion and the Rose"
  29. "Breaker of Chains"
  30. "Oathkeeper"
  31. 31.0 31.1 "The Mountain and the Viper"
  32. 32.0 32.1 "The Children"
  33. 33.0 33.1 "The Wars To Come"
  34. 34.0 34.1 34.2 "The House of Black and White"
  35. 35.0 35.1 "High Sparrow"
  36. "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken"
  37. "The Gift"
  38. "Hardhome"
  39. "The Dance of Dragons"
  40. 40.0 40.1 "Mother's Mercy"
  41. "The Red Woman"
  42. 42.0 42.1 "Home"
  43. 43.0 43.1 "The Door"
  44. 44.0 44.1 "The Broken Man"
  45. 45.0 45.1 "Battle of the Bastards"
  46. "No One"
  47. 47.0 47.1 "The Winds of Winter"
  48. "Dragonstone"
  49. "Winterfell"
  50. "The Dragon and the Wolf"

Notes

  1. In "You Win or You Die," Jorah Mormont receives a pardon stating that the current year is 298.
  2. In "Winter Is Coming," which takes place in 298 AC, Sansa Stark tells Cersei Lannister that she is 13 years old and Bran Stark tells Jaime Lannister that he is 10 years old. Arya Stark was born between Sansa and Bran, making her either 11 or 12 in Season 1. The rest of the Stark children have been aged up by 2 years from their book ages, so it can be assumed that she is 11 in Season 1. Arya is 18 in Season 8 according to HBO, which means at least 7 years occur in the span of the series; therefore, each season of Game of Thrones must roughly correspond to a year in-universe, placing the events of Season 3 in 300 AC.
  3. In "Winter Is Coming," which takes place in 298 AC, Sansa Stark tells Cersei Lannister that she is 13 years old and Bran Stark tells Jaime Lannister that he is 10 years old. Arya Stark was born between Sansa and Bran, making her either 11 or 12 in Season 1. The rest of the Stark children have been aged up by 2 years from their book ages, so it can be assumed that she is 11 in Season 1. Arya is 18 in Season 8 according to HBO, which means at least 7 years occur in the span of the series; therefore, each season of Game of Thrones must roughly correspond to a year in-universe, placing the events of Season 6 in 303 AC.
  4. In "Winter Is Coming," which takes place in 298 AC, Sansa Stark tells Cersei Lannister that she is 13 years old and Bran Stark tells Jaime Lannister that he is 10 years old. Arya Stark was born between Sansa and Bran, making her either 11 or 12 in Season 1. The rest of the Stark children have been aged up by 2 years from their book ages, so it can be assumed that she is 11 in Season 1. Arya is 18 in Season 8 according to HBO, which means at least 7 years occur in the span of the series; therefore, each season of Game of Thrones must roughly correspond to a year in-universe, placing the events of Season 7 in 304 AC.

External links