Wiki of Westeros

READ MORE

Wiki of Westeros
Wiki of Westeros
Advertisement
Wiki of Westeros
This page is about the battle. For other uses, see: Battle of the Bastards (disambiguation)

"You're going to die tomorrow, Lord Bolton. Sleep well."
Sansa Stark to Ramsay Bolton[src]

The Battle of the Bastards[2] was a major battle late in the War of the Five Kings, fought as part of the northern theater of the conflict in 303 AC. It saw a Stark-Arryn-Free Folk coalition force led by Jon Snow and Sansa Stark engage Lord Ramsay Bolton, Warden of the North, and his allied vassal houses for control of Winterfell. The battle resulted in House Stark being restored to its status as the ruling house of the North, whilst marking the end of House Bolton.

This battle's conclusion marks the end of the northern theater of the War of the Five Kings.

History

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[src]

Following the death of King Robb Stark and most of his bannermen at the Red Wedding,[3] the Iron Throne named House Bolton the new ruling Great House of the North. However, to cement their hold on the North following the murders of King Joffrey Baratheon[4] and his Hand, Lord Tywin Lannister[5], the Boltons decided to betray the Lannisters. To that end, they secured a marriage alliance through Lord Petyr Baelish between Sansa Stark (formerly the Lannisters' hostage) with Ramsay Bolton, Lord Roose Bolton's recently-legitimized bastard son.[6] With help from the Boltons' prisoner, Theon Greyjoy, Sansa escaped her home during Stannis Baratheon's ill-fated attack on Winterfell and fled to Castle Black with Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne.[7] There, she reunited with her half-brother, Jon Snow, who was on the verge of leaving the Night's Watch following his death and resurrection.[8]

With Sansa's escape and her refuge with Jon at Castle Black, and the birth of a son to Roose Bolton and his new wife, Walda Bolton, Ramsay's position as Roose's heir was now shrouded in uncertainty. In a bid to secure his position, Ramsay murdered his father and orchestrated the brutal deaths of his stepmother and newborn half-brother by feeding them to his hounds. The ruthless act propelled Ramsay into the position as the new head of House Bolton, Lord of the Dreadfort, Lord of Winterfell, and Warden of the North.[9]

Sansa implored Jon to help her take back Winterfell from the Boltons. Although Jon was initially hesitant due to his weariness from fighting, he eventually agreed after receiving a letter from Ramsay. In the letter, Ramsay denounced Jon as a traitor for allowing the wildlings to cross the Wall. Furthermore, Ramsay revealed that he was holding Jon and Sansa's younger brother, Rickon, hostage and demanded Sansa's return, warning that he would slaughter Jon, Rickon and the wildlings, before having Sansa gang-raped if he refused. Jon and Sansa resolved to march south to confront the Boltons in order to save their younger brother and retake Winterfell.[8]

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[src]

With the Karstarks and Umbers having declared for Ramsay due to their anger toward Robb and Jon, respectively, Jon and Sansa are forced to rely on the support of the the meager forces of the minor Northern Houses to aid them. They manage to persuade the Free Folk, House Mazin, House Hornwood, and House Mormont to join them. However, Lord Robett Glover, head of House Glover, refuses to declare for them, citing both his hatred for the wildlings and his anger at Robb for failing to protect them from Balon Greyjoy's invasion.[10] Similarly, House Manderly also declines to support the Starks, with Lord Wyman Manderly refusing to have more Manderlys die for a cause he believed was lost.[11] Sansa sends Brienne to the Riverlands to treat with her great-uncle, Brynden Tully, who is under siege at Riverrun.[12] Unfortunately, Brynden refuses to leave his home and is later killed when the castle falls to House Frey and House Lannister. Brienne and Podrick, however, are able to escape Riverrun's fall through the river.

Despite gathering a number of allies, the coalition force is still heavily outnumbered by the Boltons. Jon is adamant that they attack Winterfell as soon as possible to prevent Ramsay from gathering more men or to avoid the weather turning against them, like it did for Stannis Baratheon. Sansa argues they still need more men and wants to try to recruit more houses. When Jon argues that they are out of time and must strike now, Sansa secretly writes a letter to Littlefinger calling for help.[10]

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[src]

On the day before the battle, the Stark leadership agrees to parley with the Boltons. Ramsay immediately offers terms for Jon's surrender: return Sansa to him, bend the knee and acknowledge Ramsay as the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. In exchange, Ramsay claims he will not harm his men and Jon will be pardoned for deserting his post as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Jon rejects the terms, 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.[13]

Ramsay rejects Jon's terms in turn, as he has heard of Jon's reputation as the best swordsman in the North, and he knows his army is more numerous and better equipped than Jon's. Jon retorts by pointing out that Ramsay's army is built on shaky loyalty, whereas his own know that their leader would live and die for them. This angers Ramsay, and prompts him to threaten to kill Rickon if Jon will not surrender. It is at this moment Sansa questions whether Ramsay really has their brother; Smalljon Umber answers 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 and to sleep well.[13]

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 annihilated by mounted soldiers as 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, rebuking him for not consulting her. She goes on to tell Jon he doesn't know how Ramsay's mind works and that he likes toying with people. The two proceed to argue, with Sansa stating to Jon they need more men and should wait to attack with a larger force. Jon replies that he believes they have already recruited all the men who will fight for them. He goes on to tell Sansa that he vows to protect her. However, Sansa, jaded by years of failures and disappointments, replies that no one can protect her or anyone now.[13]

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 sees 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.[13]

Melisandre is in her tent when Jon approaches her. Jon requests for her not to resurrect him again, should he fall in battle tomorrow. When she refuses, Jon orders her instead as commander of the coalition force, only for Melisandre to respond that she serves the Lord of Light and not Jon. She goes on to say that Jon was resurrected for a reason, as she would not be able to do so otherwise. What that reason is and what role Jon is to play in her Lord's plan, Melisandre states she is unsure.[13]

The battle

"Who owns the North?!"
―Smalljon Umber rouses the Bolton infantry.[src]

The battle begins with the Stark army deployed near a treeline to prevent themselves from being attacked unaware from behind. Across the field is the much larger Bolton army, which has placed archery distance markers with burning, flayed corpses attached to them to demoralize the Stark troops. Ramsay trots out on his horse to the front of the formation, bringing a prisoner: Rickon Stark himself. Ramsay acts at first as if he will slit Rickon's throat, but instead cuts his bonds and sadistically insists that they play a game. He points at Jon and tells Rickon, "Run to your brother." Rickon starts running straight toward Jon, while Ramsay shoots and purposely misses with a war bow. Just when Rickon is about to reach Jon, however, Ramsay's final deliberate shot hits Rickon through the heart, killing him almost instantly.[13]

Enraged and maddened with grief, Jon charges full tilt at the Bolton army, whom Ramsay immediately orders to loose their arrows on him. Alarmed, Davos orders in the Stark cavalry to charge after their commander, with the Stark and wildling infantry closely following behind. The first Bolton volley down Jon's horse, forcing him to the ground. Jon quickly recovers and prepares for his last stand by drawing Longclaw as he seemingly faces down the Bolton cavalry alone. He is saved by the timely arrival of the Stark cavalry as they collide with their Bolton counterparts, and the battle becomes a bloody storm of swords. Countless men on both sides fall in battle so quickly that they begin to form small hills of the dead.[13]

Ramsay orders his archers to shoot at the Stark forces and their own cavalry, while Davos refrains from doing the same and leads his archers to join Jon and the rest of their forces in battle. The arrow volley kills scores of 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. Seeing the Stark infantry and archers, alongside Wun Wun and wildling warriors, engaging in combat with the Bolton forces, Ramsay sends forward his remaining forces, led by Smalljon Umber, into battle. The Bolton infantry succeeds in encircling the remaining Stark army, boxing them in with a shield phalanx.[13]

The Bolton phalanx acts as a noose, tightening around the beleaguered Stark and wildling forces, who sustain heavy casualties in the process. As they retreat inward toward the wall of dead, they trample the wounded and squeeze so tightly that many are soon unable to properly move. Smalljon leads a small force over the wall of dead to ensure that none of Stark forces can escape. Jon is barely able to save himself from being crushed to death as his troops are squeezed into a close-knit circle.[13]

The endgame

Knights of the Vale S6E09 7

The Knights of the Vale relieve the surrounded Stark army.

"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[src]

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 the Boltons' undefended side, wiping away Ramsay's phalanx and freeing the Stark soldiers. Tormund, maenwhile, kills Smalljon in a brutal duel. Ramsay, with his infantry force all but destroyed, decides to retreat to Winterfell to hold out in a siege. In a murderous fury, Jon gives chase alongside Tormund and Wun Wun.[13]

JonBeatRamsay

Ramsay is beaten by Jon Snow.

Despite his general's concerns, Ramsay expresses confidence they can withstand the Starks since they hold Winterfell and the Starks lack the manpower for a protracted siege. His plan goes awry, however, when Wun Wun breaks down the main gate, allowing the Starks and Arryns to pour through. They swiftly kill all remaining Bolton archers and infantry in the castle. Wun Wun collapses to his knees after being hit by several arrows, bolts, and javelins. Before Jon can comfort his friend, however, Ramsay kills the giant with an arrow through the eye. Ramsay, refusing to surrender, taunts Jon, saying that he finally accepts his proposal of single combat before shooting arrows at an unarmed Jon. Enraged, Jon grabs a shield from a fallen Mormont soldier and while boldly advancing, blocks three of Ramsay's shots. When he reaches Ramsay, he smacks the bow out of his hands and knocks him to the ground. With Ramsay down, Jon pins him and proceeds to beat him savagely. Though it seems he will kill Ramsay, Jon stops when he sees Sansa, realizing she has as much right to revenge as he does. Jon orders Ramsay locked in the kennels, and the Flayed Man banners drop to the ground in a cluttered heap while the Direwolf banner is raised above Winterfell for the first time in three years. With Ramsay's defeat, the Boltons' rule of the North is over, and House Stark and its allies retake the North with a decisive, albeit costly, victory.[13]

Aftermath

Ramsey about to be eaten

Ramsay in his final moments.

Ramsay Bolton: "You can't kill me. I'm part of you now."
Sansa Stark: "Your words will disappear. Your house will disappear. Your name will disappear. All memory of you will disappear."
— Sansa Stark and Ramsay Bolton.[src]

Although House Stark was restored to their seat at Winterfell as a Great House of the North and gained the support of House Arryn in the War of the Five Kings, the price of this victory was high. The Stark-Free Folk coalition sustained heavy losses in the battle, leaving no Northern house with a significant force left to oppose Littlefinger, the Night King, the Iron Throne, or even Daenerys Targaryen, should either one of them decide to conquer the North, save for those who sat out the conflict, such as the Manderlys, the Cerwyns, and the Glovers. Worse, the heir apparent to Winterfell and House Stark, Rickon, was now dead, leaving the newly restored Great House in the hands of an illegitimate son and an eldest daughter. Following the battle, Jon orders Rickon to be buried next to their father, while Sansa decides to visit Ramsay in the kennels, ironically the same place he kept Theon over the course of a year.[13]

Upon seeing Sansa, Ramsay 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, his legacy and that of House Bolton will be forever erased from history. Ramsay soon notices his hounds coming closer to him, the kennel doors having been left open. Scoffing, the former Lord of Winterfell tells his wife that his hounds are loyal to him, to which she reminds him that he starved them for seven days and that they were loyal, but now they are starving. As if to prove her point, his alpha hound does not respond to his command to heel, instead hungrily sniffing and licking his bloody face. Overcome by hunger, the hound proceeds to savagely maul his face, and the others follow suit. As Ramsay is devoured alive by his own dogs, Sansa turns and walks away, savoring the sounds of her husband's demise as she smiles.[13]

With Ramsay's death, the Starks finally avenge the role that House Bolton played in the Red Wedding by leaving the Bane of the North completely extinct, as well as bringing a permanent end to the ancient feud between the Starks and the Boltons. With the North no longer divided between noble houses loyal to the Starks and Boltons, Jon is subseqeuntly named the new King in the North by the Northern and Vale Lords. With the North united once more alongside the Vale of Arryn, Jon turns his attention to finding potential allies to counter the Night King and the growing threat of his army of the dead beyond the Wall.[11]

With the deaths of Harald Karstark and Smalljon Umber, Alys Karstark and Ned Umber become the heads of Houses Karstark and Umber, respectively, and renew their houses' oaths of fealty to House Stark.[11]

Two years after the Battle of the Bastards, in the celebrations that followed the defeat of the Night King and his forces in the Battle of Winterfell, the Hound and Sansa speak about how Sansa killed Ramsay by feeding him to his own hounds.[14]

Numbers

Stark forces

Battle of the Bastards 20

The Stark-Free Folk army

According to Davos and Sansa, the Starks have gathered 2,000 wildlings, 62 Mormont soldiers, 200 Hornwoods and 143 Mazins.[10] There are also several Stark men-at-arms present. This brings Jon's host to the size of over 2,405 men, as well as a giant, Wun Wun. Most of the soldiers are infantry, and the rest are archers and cavalry, creating a disadvantage against the Bolton forces. Only an estimated sixth of the original force survives the battle.

Bolton forces

Battle of the Bastards 22

The Bolton army

At the parley one day before the battle, Ramsay states that he has 6,000 men (including his allies, the Karstark and Umber troops). He is rumored to command some 5,000 Bolton men,[8] although possibly weakened after the battle in the ice against Stannis; the numbers of the Karstark and Umber troops are unknown.

Most of Ramsay's horsemen are killed after the charge and ensuing melee against Jon's cavalry, also suffering losses as Ramsay's own archers begin to rain arrows on friend and foe alike. Ramsay's infantry were mostly comprised of pikemen, shield-bearers, and mixed infantry - these men were annihilated by the Arryn cavalry late in the battle, when they are hit from behind.

A token force of mostly archers and a few crossbowmen remains holding Winterfell, most of which are killed when remnants of the Stark army take the castle.

Arryn forces

Knights of the Vale S6E09 3

The Knights of the Vale arrive.

Due to the altitude in the Vale, the Arryn troops are trained to fight in winter conditions, a huge advantage in the North. According to Sansa, the expeditionary force (cavalry, as seen in the episode) consists of 2,000 men,[1] still leaving the pro-Stark forces at a numerical disadvantage. However, by the time they arrive, the Northern armies have nearly wiped each other out, with the Bolton forces having clearly suffered much higher casualties than the Stark forces. The all-cavalry Arryn force also has a clear qualitative advantage, and is able to wipe out the remaining Boltons and rescue what remains of the Stark force 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 still marching against Winterfell and Jon's death. 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.

References

Notes

  1. 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.

External links


Advertisement