Battle of the Bastards


 * This article is about the actual battle. For the episode see "Battle of the Bastards (episode)."

The Battle of the Bastards is a battle late in the War of the Five Kings, in which Jon Snow and Lady Sansa Stark retake Winterfell from Lord Ramsay Bolton, the Warden of the North, and restore House Stark's rule over the North.

Fought just outside Winterfell, the Stark-led makeshift force of Free Folk and other minor Northern houses is on the verge of defeat when the Knights of the Vale arrive in time to smash through the Bolton phalanx from the rear. The battle ultimately culminates in Ramsay's death, the extinction of House Bolton and the restoration of House Stark as the rulers of the North. The fate of the Karstarks and the Umbers remains unknown, with the disappearance of Lord Harald Karstark and the death of Lord Smalljon Umber during the battle.

Prelude
"A monster has taken our home and our brother. We have to go back to Winterfell and save them both!"

- Sansa Stark to Jon Snow

With the death of Robb Stark and most of his bannermen during the Red Wedding, House Bolton is named the new ruling Great House of the North by House Lannister. However, to cement their hold on the North following the murders of Joffrey Baratheon and Tywin Lannister, they betray the Lannisters and secure a marriage alliance through Lord Petyr Baelish between Sansa Stark, formerly the Lannisters' hostage, and Ramsay Bolton, Lord Roose Bolton's recently-legitimized bastard son. With help from the Boltons' prisoner, Theon Greyjoy, Sansa escapes her home during Stannis Baratheon's ill-fated attack on the castle and flees to Castle Black with Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne, where she reunites with her bastard half-brother, Jon Snow, who was on the verge of leaving the Night's Watch following his death and resurrection.

With Sansa's escape and Roose Bolton having recently sired a son with his new wife, Walda Bolton, Ramsay's position as Roose's heir is left in doubt. In order to secure his position, Ramsay murders Roose and has his stepmother and newborn half-brother mauled to death by his hounds, making him the new head of House Bolton, Lord of the Dreadfort, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North.

Sansa urges Jon to help her retake Winterfell from the Boltons. Jon, wary from fighting, is reluctant at first, but agrees when they receive a letter from Ramsay, revealing he has killed his father and is holding their brother, Rickon Stark, hostage, and demanding Sansa's return on threat of murdering the wildlings and Rickon, before having Sansa gang-raped, and Jon himself mutilated and killed.

Raising an army
"There are more than three other houses in the North: Glover, Mormont, Cerwyn, Mazin, Hornwood. Two dozen more. Together they equal all the others. We can start small and build."

- Jon Snow

With the Karstarks and Umbers having declared for Ramsay due to their anger at Robb and Jon, respectively, Jon and Sansa are forced to recruit the meager forces of the minor Houses to aid them. They are successful in persuading the Free Folk, House Mazin, House Hornwood, and House Mormont to join them, while Robett Glover, head of House Glover, refuses to declare for them, citing both his hatred for the wildlings and his anger at Robb for having failed to protect them from Balon Greyjoy's invasion of the North. Sansa sends Brienne to the Riverlands to treat with her great-uncle, Brynden Tully, who is under siege at Riverrun. Unfortunately, Brynden refuses to leave his home and is later killed when the castle falls to House Frey and House Lannister. Brienne and Podrick are able to escape through the river.

After only being able to recruit a small number of minor houses, they are still heavily outnumbered, Jon is adamant that they attack Winterfell as soon as possible to prevent Ramsay from gathering more men or the weather turning against them, like it did for Stannis Baratheon. Sansa, however disagrees, instead opting to try and recruit more houses. When Jon refuses to listen to her, Sansa secretly writes a letter calling for help without telling Jon.

Parley and Recess
"There's no need for a battle. Thousands of men don't need to die. Only one of us. Let's end this the old way: you against me."

- Jon Snow to Ramsay Bolton

On the day before the battle, the Stark leadership agrees to parley with the Boltons. Ramsay immediately offers terms for Jon's surrender, claiming that his men will not be harmed, he will be pardoned for deserting his post as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, if Sansa is given to him and Jon bends the knee and acknowledges him as the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. Jon rejects this, knowing that Ramsay has broken his own surrender terms multiple times in the past, and instead opts for a different solution to save both the armies; single combat to determine the fate of the North. This prompts Ramsay to reject Jon in turn, as he has heard of Jon's reputation as the best swordsman in the North, and that he knows that his army was more numerous and better equipped than Jon's. Jon's retorts by pointing out that Ramsay's army is built on shaky loyalty, whereas his own knew that their leader would live and die for them. This angers Ramsay, and prompts him to threaten to kill Rickon if Jon would not surrender. It is at this moment Sansa questions whether Ramsay really has their brother, prompting Smalljon Umber to answer by pulling out Shaggydog's severed head and throwing it at their feet. When Ramsay starts to speak again, Sansa confidently tells him that he is going to die when they meet on the battlefield the next day to sleep well. Ramsay then threatens Jon some more before leaving.

At the Stark camp, plans are drawn up for the coming battle. Knowing that Ramsay's numbers are superior and Tormund, not wanting to be decimated by mounted soldiers like when Stannis and Davos defeated the Wildings they will instead bait him into a "double envelopment", using his recklessness and anger against him. After Davos, Tormund, and the rest of the lords are dismissed for the evening, Sansa approaches Jon, furious for not being on the council on the matter and criticizing his plan, claiming that Jon doesn't know how Ramsay's mind works, how he likes toying with people. The argument eventually devolves into a shouting match, with Jon claiming that even if they should lose the battle, he would still be around to protect Sansa. Sansa replies that no one can protect her or anyone now, jaded by years of lies and falsehoods.

Meanwhile, Davos and Tormund take a walk out into the camp, comparing their experiences serving Stannis and Mance, respectively, and the ultimate futility of believing in kings. After some banter, Davos walks up the hill to where he spots a funeral pyre. Spotting and picking up the toy stag he gave to Shireen before Stannis' ill fated attack on the Boltons, he comes to the conclusion that Melisandre must have sacrificed Shireen to the Lord of Light.

Melisandre herself is in her tent when approached by Jon, who immediately asks her not to resurrect him again. She replies that she has no power to do so; she can only utilize what the Lord has given her, and that he was resurrected for a reason. What that reason is, no one knows.

The Battle
"Who owns the North?!"

- Smalljon Umber rouses the Bolton infantry

The battle begins with the Stark forces deployed near a treeline, to prevent themselves from being taken unawares from behind. Across the field is the much larger Bolton army, using burning flayed corpses in an effort to demoralize the Stark troops. Ramsay himself trots out on his horse to the front of the formation, bringing along a prisoner: Rickon Stark himself. Ramsay acts at first as if he will slit Rickon's throat, but instead cuts his bonds and delightfully insists that he play a game; run to Jon whilst dodging his arrows. Rickon immediately starts running in a straight line toward Jon, while Ramsay shoots and misses with a war bow. Just when Rickon is about to reach Jon, however, Ramsay's final shot hits the young lord straight in the heart, killing him almost instantly.

Enraged and maddened with grief, Jon charges full tilt at the Bolton forces, who immediately loose their arrows on him. Alarmed, Davos orders in the Stark cavalry to charge after their commander, with the infantry closely following behind. His horse shot out from underneath him, Jon prepares for his last stand by drawing Longclaw and facing the Bolton cavalry seemingly alone. He is saved by the timely arrival of the Stark cavalry, and the battle becomes a bloody storm of swords. Men fall in battle so quickly that they begin to form small hills of the dead.

Ramsay orders his own archers to fire on both the Stark forces and their own cavalry, while Davos refrains from doing the same. The arrows kill both Stark and Bolton men, and soon the small hills become a wall of the fallen. Although Ramsay loses many of his men to friendly fire, it becomes clear that they are intentionally being sacrificed as part of a sadistic plan to prevent his enemy from retreating. Davos, along with Wun Wun and Tormund, join the fray after seeing so many men die, temporarily stemming the tide, but the three are soon surrounded by a pike phalanx led by Smalljon Umber.

The phalanx acts as a noose, tightening around the beleaguered Stark men, who by now are dying in droves. As they retreat toward the wall of dead, they trample the wounded and squeeze so tightly in the confined space that they are unable to properly move. Smalljon leads a small force over the wall of dead to ensure that none are able to escape. Jon is barely able to save himself from being crushed to death.

The Endgame
"You suggested one-on-one combat, didn't you? I've reconsidered. I think that sounds like a wonderful idea."

- Ramsay Bolton to Jon Snow Just when all hope seems lost for the Starks and Free Folk, a war horn sounds off in the distance. Around the bend appears a large mounted host of the Knights of the Vale, led by Lord Baelish, Lady Sansa, and Lord Yohn Royce. The newly arrived Arryn reinforcements quickly turn the tide in favor of the Starks. With the phalanx facing inward towards the Stark forces, the Vale knights are able to attack on the Bolton's undefended side, quickly wiping away Ramsay's phalanx and freeing the Stark forces while Tormund kills the Smalljon in a brutal duel. Ramsay, now without a fighting force, decides to retreat to Winterfell to hopefully hold out in a siege.

His plan goes awry, however, when Wun Wun breaks down the main gate, allowing the Starks and Arryns to pour through. They kill any and all Bolton men remaining in the castle. Wun Wun collapses to his knees, after being hit by arrows, bolts, and javelins. Before Jon can comfort his friend, however, Ramsay puts an arrow through the giant's eye, killing him. Ramsay, not knowing when to give up, taunts Jon, saying that he finally accepted his single combat proposal. Jon quickly grabs a shield from a fallen Mormont soldier and proceeds to block Ramsay's arrows a total of three times, all the while advancing. When he reaches Ramsay, he smacks the bow out of his hand and knocks him to the ground, then proceeds to beat him savagely. He stops only when he catches Sansa looking at him. Ramsay is immediately put in chains by the Starks, and the Flayed Man banners drop to the ground in a clattered heap while the Direwolf banner is raised above Winterfell for the first time in three years. This brings an end to the Boltons' rule of the North and a decisive victory for House Stark and its allies.

Aftermath
"Your words will disappear. Your house will disappear. Your name will disappear. All memory of you will disappear."

- Sansa Stark to Ramsay Bolton

The victory, while a decisive one for the Starks, was not without great cost, even if it marked the entry of the Arryns into the War of Five Kings on their side. Out of Jon's original force of 2,400 men, perhaps only 400 survived, and now no Northern house has a true force to stand against Littlefinger, the Night King, the Iron Throne, or even Daenerys Targaryen should one of them decide to conquer the North, save for those who sat out of the conflict such as the Manderlys, the Cerwyn's, and the Glovers. What is worse, the heir apparent to Winterfell, Rickon, is now dead, leaving the newly restored Great House in the hands of an illegitimate son and an eldest daughter. Jon orders Rickon to be buried next to their father, while Sansa decides to visit Ramsay in his new cell: the dog kennels, ironically the same place he kept Theon Greyjoy over the course of a year.

Upon seeing Sansa, he tries to goad her one last time, telling her that he will always be a part of her now. She throws back the insult by pointing out that very soon, the legacy of himself and his house will be forever erased from history. Ramsay soon notices his hounds coming closer to him. Scoffing, the former Lord of Winterfell tells his wife that his hounds were loyal to him, to which she reminds him that he starved them for seven days and that they were loyal, but are now just hungry. As to prove her point, his alpha hound does not respond to his command to heel, and instead proceeds to savagely maul his face. As the bastard of Roose Bolton - and last member of House Bolton - is devoured by his own dogs, Sansa turns and walks away, savoring the sounds of her husband's demise as she smiles.

A few days after the battle, a meeting is called in the Great Hall to discuss the future of the North. The meeting begins with Lord Royce and Tormund bickering, and Cley Cerwyn declaring that the lords should now return to their homes and wait out the winter, as the Boltons were now defeated. Jon, however, points out that the Second War for the Dawn was about to begin, and that the Night King will not wait out the coming storm; he brings the storm. As the lords of the North and the Vale discuss among themselves about this new development, unsure whether or not Jon is telling the truth, Lyanna Mormont stands up and chastises them, pointing out that even though each one of them had family slain by the Boltons, they refused House Stark's call to arms out of fear. She then proudly states that House Mormont remembered their oath, and that Bear Island knew no King but the King in the North, whose name is Stark. To everyone's -especially Baelish's- surprise, however, she does not name Sansa as her monarch, but Jon Snow, claiming that she doesn't care if he is a bastard, as Ned Stark's blood runs through his veins. Wyman Manderly and Robett Glover also get up, apologizing to Jon for not supporting his house in their time of need, and along with Lyanna, declare him the new King in the North and the White Wolf.

As the lords of the North, the Free Folk, and the lords of the Vale cheer for Jon, chanting "King in the North!", Sansa becomes concerned when she catches Littlefinger glowering at Jon, worried that the scheming Lord Protector might seek retribution.

Stark forces
Tormund Giantsbane, a chieftain in the Free Folk army, has told Jon Snow that he commands 2,000 fighting wildlings. Furthermore, the Starks have gathered 62 Mormont soldiers, 200 Hornwoods and 143 Mazins. This brings Jon's total host to an army of around 2,400 men, as well as a giant (Wun Wun). Most of the soldiers are infantry, causing a disadvantage against the Bolton forces. Only an estimated sixth of the original force survives the battle.

Bolton forces
Ramsay Bolton is rumored to command some 5,000 Bolton men, although possibly weakened after the Battle of Winterfell against King Stannis. The Umbers and the Karstarks possibly have the same numbers, but this has never been made clear. When the Karstarks abandoned Robb Stark after he executed Rickard Karstark, it was stated that Robb lost half of his army, implying that the Karstarks had around 3,000 men.

At the parley one day before the battle, Lord Ramsay states that he's got 6,000 men. It is unknown how many of those men are Bolton soldiers and which part consists of Umber and Karstark forces. However, Ramsay does make clear that he outnumbers Jon's army two to one. During the battle, Ramsay sacrifices at least half his forces in order to trap the Stark infantry, and the rest is annihilated by the Arryn cavalry late in the battle.

A token force remains holding Winterfell, most of which are killed when remnants of the Stark army take the castle.

Arryn forces
Earlier in the series, we learn that the Arryn forces are approximately equal to the Stark and Tully forces, which means that Lord Petyr Baelish commands an army of 20,000 men or maybe more. Due to the altitude in the Vale, these men are trained to fight in winter conditions, a huge advantage in the North. It is left unclear how many of these Lord Baelish has marched into battle, but as the force consists solely of cavalry, most of the Arryn Army probably remains in the Vale. Regardless, the force is more than enough to wipe out the remaining Boltons with ease.

In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, no such battle has taken place yet. The fifth and most recent novel, A Dance with Dragons, ends with Stannis Baratheon still marching against Winterfell. Given that season six onward is based on an outline of what will happen in future novels, the battle, or a different version of it, rather, may serve as the climax of The Winds of Winter.