House Stark



House Stark is one of the Great Houses of Westeros, ruling over the vast region known as the North. It is by far the oldest, claiming a line of descent stretching back over eight thousand years. Before the Targaryen conquest, the leaders of House Stark ruled over the region as the Kings in the North.

House Stark's sigil is a direwolf on a white field, sometimes white and green. Their family motto is "Winter is Coming".

Members

 * Lord Eddard Stark, the head of the family.
 * His wife, Lady Catelyn, of House Tully.
 * Their eldest son and Eddard's heir, Robb Stark.
 * Their eldest daughter, Sansa Stark.
 * Their youngest daughter, Arya Stark.
 * Their young son, Bran Stark.
 * Their youngest son, Rickon Stark.
 * Eddard's bastard son by an unknown mother, Jon Snow.
 * Eddard's younger brother, Benjen Stark, a member of the Night's Watch.

Sworn to House Stark

 * House Bolton of the Dreadfort.
 * House Flint.
 * House Glover of Deepwood Motte.
 * House Hornwood of Hornwood.
 * House Karstark of Karhold.
 * House Locke of Oldcastle.
 * House Manderly of White Harbour
 * House Mormont of Bear Island.
 * House Reed of Greywater Watch.
 * House Tallhart of Torrhen's Square.
 * House Umber of the Last Hearth.



Military strength
Due to the North's vast size, gathering the full military strength of the Starks and their vassals is a difficult process, requiring months of travel time and the ability to supply and feed the host even before it sets out.

For this reason, the 18,000 men Robb Stark takes south to confront the Lannisters is not the full strength of the North, only what could be assembled at relatively short notice.

In the books
In the Song of Ice and Fire novels, House Stark was founded by Brandon the Builder, a semi-mythical figure who is credited with building the Wall and Winterfell, founding the Night's Watch and ensuring the survival of the people of Westeros after the mythical Long Night and the War for the Dawn against the enigmatic Others. The family has survived for over 8,000 years and was the independent royal house of the vast territories of the North until King Aegon the Conqueror overran the southern half of the continent. The King in the North, Torrhen Stark, led the amassed armies of the North to a confrontation with Aegon, but upon seeing Aegon's vast numerical superority and his dragons realised he had no hope of victory, and chose to bend the knee in submission.

The civil war known as Robert's Rebellion began when Lyanna Stark was kidnapped by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. Lord Rickard Stark and his son and heir Brandon both demanded her return from King Aerys II Targaryen and were executed by the Mad King for their presumption. Eddard Stark, now the head of the family, called the banners of the North to war, supported by House Baratheon, House Tully and House Arryn. It was decided that Robert Baratheon would claim the throne due to his strong claim as the grand-nephew of a previous Targaryen king. During the civil war Stark troops were instrumental in several engagements, including the Battle of the Bells and the Battle of the Trident, and it was Eddard Stark's forces which reached King's Landing just after the Lannisters had sacked it, ensuring the city was turned over to Robert's army when it arrived. The Starks also proved instrumental in the later Greyjoy Rebellion, lending troops used by Robert to storm the castle of Pyke and crush the uprising.