Iron Islands

The Iron Islands form one of the nine constituent regions of Westeros. They were a sovereign nation before being subdued by Aegon the Conqueror.

The Iron Islands are ruled from Pyke by House Greyjoy. They are the smallest and least-populous of the regions of Westeros, but the naval skills of their population are unmatched and they enjoy great mobility due to their ships. The people of the Iron Islands, the ironborn, have a traditional raiding and pillaging culture, which they have been forced by the Iron Throne to reign in.

Bastards born in the Iron Islands are given the surname Pyke.

In the books
In the Song of Ice and Fire novels, the Iron Islands are seven small, barely-fertile rocks located in the Sunset Sea and Ironman's Bay to the west of the Riverlands, north-west of the Westerlands and south of the North. The religion of the Faith of the Seven holds little sway over the isles, which are instead dominated by the worship of the Drowned God, a savage and merciless figure.

The ironborn have several large fleets of ships, mostly smaller longships. The mighty Iron Fleet commanded by Victarion Greyjoy consists of galleys which can stand against the largest warships produced elsewhere in Westeros. However, the ability of the ironborn to build larger ships is compromised by a lack of natural resources.

The Iron Islands were settled by the First Men many thousands of years ago. Somewhat isolated from the rest of Westeros, they did not take up the worship of the Old Gods of the Forest, instead creating their own religion based around the Drowned God and the Seastone Chair, which they allegedly found already standing on the shores of Great Wyk when they arrived. When the Andals overran Westeros and conquered the Iron Islands, they intermingled with the natives. Whilst a few locals converted to the Faith of the Seven, it did not fully take hold and worship of the Drowned God continued.

Under the rule of House Hoare, the ironborn reached the zenith of their power approximately four centuries ago. They invaded and conquered the Riverlands, building an immense castle on the shores of Gods Eye called Harrenhal. The castle was completed by King Harren the Black on the very day that Aegon the Conqueror landed on the coast of Westeros. Harren refused to surrender and was roasted alive in Kingspyre Tower by Aegon's dragons. The Riverlands rose in a bloody rebellion led by House Tully, and the ironborn were thrown back to their islands. With Harren and all his line extinguished, the ironborn elected House Greyjoy of Pyke to rule over them.

Several years after Robert's Rebellion was completed, Lord Balon Greyjoy rebelled against the Iron Throne, reasoning that most of the lords of Westeros would not support a usurper. He was wrong, and in the Greyjoy Rebellion he was soundly defeated. The ironborn fleets were destroyed and the castle at Pyke stormed. Balon's two eldest sons were both slain and his surviving son, Theon, was taken as ward and hostage by Lord Eddard Stark in return for his good behaviour.

Castles of the Iron Islands

 * Pyke, the seat of House Greyjoy, the ruling family of the region.
 * Ten Towers, the seat of House Harlaw and the most prominent seat of learning on the Isles.