Brandon Stark (son of Rickard)

Brandon Stark is a character who is deceased when the events of Game of Thrones begins. It is unknown if he will appear in flashbacks in the series, or only in dialogue.

Brandon Stark was the eldest son of Lord Rickard Stark of Winterfell. He was the older brother Eddard, Lyanna and Benjen Stark. When Lyanna was kidnapped by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, the son of the Mad King, Brandon rode to King's Landing seeking justice. Aerys II imprisoned Brandon for treason and ordered that his father Rickard ride south to answer for his son's impertinence. Against advice, Rickard agreed, assuming that the matter would be settled through a trial or a bargain of some kind. Instead, Aerys had Lord Rickard burned alive whilst Brandon watched, and then had Rickard's son strangled.

The kidnap of Lyanna and the cold-blooded murder of Rickard and Brandon Stark in front of the entire Royal Court made the new Lord of Winterfell, Eddard Stark, declare war against the Targaryen family, supported by Lyanna's betrothed, Robert Baratheon, and the powerful lords Hoster Tully and Jon Arryn. This sparked the beginning of the war known as Robert's Rebellion, which led to the near-destruction of House Targaryen and its removal from the Iron Throne.

Eddard named his son Bran in his elder brother's memory.