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House Stark
House Stark

Rickard: "Remember that you are a Stark. Comport yourself with dignity at the Vale, and try to stay out of fights."
Eddard: "Yes, father."
Rickard: "But if you have to fight, win."
— Rickard Stark advising young Eddard Stark before his departure to the Vale.[src]

Lord Rickard Stark was the Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North, and head of House Stark until he was executed along with his eldest son and heir Brandon by the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen. He was the father of Brandon, Eddard, Lyanna and Benjen Stark. Both Rickard Stark and the Mad King are grandfathers to Jon Snow.

Biography[]

Background[]

Rickard arrest

Rickard and Brandon are arrested by Targaryen guards.

Aerys Rickard Brandon

Rickard is burned alive with wildfire by the Mad King.

Rickard Stark was the head of House Stark and Warden of the North.[1] He served under King Aerys II (known as the Mad King). He was saved from drowning by Ser Gwayne Gaunt[b] during the siege of White Harbor by the outlaw Sea Kings.[2] Rickard is the father of Brandon, Eddard, Lyanna and Benjen Stark. He arranged for the betrothal of his daughter Lyanna to Robert Baratheon, the Lord Paramount of the Stormlands. He also betrothed his son and heir Brandon to Catelyn, the daughter of Hoster Tully, Lord Paramount of the Trident. Both engagements were broken when Prince Rhaegar Targaryen allegedly abducted Lyanna.[citation needed]

When Lyanna was kidnapped by Rhaegar, Rickard's eldest son and heir, Brandon, rode to King's Landing seeking justice. Aerys imprisoned Brandon and ordered that 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 Rickard burned alive while Brandon strangled himself trying to save his father.[3]

Aerys then ordered Jon Arryn to hand over his ward and new Lord of Winterfell Eddard Stark. Having sworn a sacred oath to protect Eddard, Jon instead rose his banners in rebellion. He was supported by the North, Lyanna's betrothed Robert, and Hoster Tully. 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.[4]

Game of Thrones: Season 1[]

Reaching King's Landing, Eddard is greeted by Jaime in the throne room, who recalls listening to Eddard's father and brother scream as hundreds watched them die at the whim of the Mad King. He suggests his assassination of the Mad King was an act of justice, but Eddard dismisses that as a paltry self-justification for breaking his solemn Kingsguard vows.[5]

Game of Thrones: Season 5[]

Barristan Selmy vaguely alludes to Rickard and his son Brandon's deaths when he tells her about how her father murdered sons in front of their fathers and how his actions led to a rebellion that killed every Targaryen, save for Daenerys and her other brother Viserys, who has also since died.[6]

Later, when Tyrion is advising Daenerys about her strategy of reclaiming the Iron Throne, he points out her lack of support by the Great Houses. As he lists them, he reminds her that House Stark is gone due to the actions of their "two terrible fathers" though he doesn't discuss the specifics - her father executing Rickard and Brandon and his father orchestrating the Red Wedding.[7]

Game of Thrones: Season 6[]

Bran, with the aid of the Three-Eyed Raven, has a vision of Lord Rickard giving some parting words to the young Ned Stark as he prepares to leave Winterfell to be fostered in the Eyrie. Rickard advises his son to comport himself with dignity and stay out of fights, but implores him to win if he must fight. Seeing and hearing his grandfather for the first time brings a smile to Bran's face.[8]

Game of Thrones: Season 7[]

When Jon Snow agrees to meet with Daenerys to discuss an alliance, Sansa angrily reminds him what Daenerys's father did to their grandfather.[9] Jon refuses to bend the knee to Daenerys, reminding her of how her father executed his grandfather and uncle. Daenerys admits that her father was an evil man and asks forgiveness for the crimes he committed against House Stark.[10]

After the execution of Randyll and Dickon Tarly, following the Battle of the Goldroad, Varys compares Daenerys to Aerys, as he did the same with Rickard and Brandon. Varys then implores Tyrion to make her listen, fearing that this will make her be viewed in a similar vision to her father.[11]

Game of Thrones: Season 8[]

Rickard is mentioned under the entry about Ser Arthur Dayne,[b] in the Book of Brothers, which the new Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Brienne of Tarth is flicking through.[2]

Quotes[]

Spoken about Rickard[]

"I was standing right here when it happened. He was very brave, your brother. Your father, too. They didn't deserve to die like that. Nobody deserves to die like that."
Jaime Lannister to Eddard Stark[src]
Eddard Stark: "My father once told me you were the best he'd ever seen. I never knew the man to be wrong about matters of combat."
Barristan Selmy: "He was a fine man, your father. What the Mad King did to him was a terrible crime."
Barristan Selmy recalls Rickard's death.[src]
"That's my grandfather, Lord Rickard. He was burned alive by the Mad King, Aerys."
Bran Stark in the Winterfell crypts.[src]
Daenerys Targaryen: "You've traveled all this way to break faith with House Targaryen?"
Jon Snow: "Break faith? Your father burnt my grandfather alive. He burnt my uncle alive."
Jon Snow reminds Daenerys Targaryen.[src]

Family[]

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Famtree-RickardStark
Rickard
Stark

Deceased
 
Stark
Lyarra
Stark[c]
Deceased
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Famtree-BrandonStark
Brandon
Stark

Deceased
 
Famtree-CatelynStark
Catelyn Stark
née Tully House Tully
Deceased
 
Famtree-EddardStark
Eddard
Stark

Deceased
 
Famtree-RhaegarTargaryen
Rhaegar
Targaryen
House Targaryen
Deceased
 
Famtree-LyannaStark
Lyanna
Stark

Deceased
 
Famtree-BenjenStark
Benjen
Stark
Night's Watch
Deceased
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Famtree-RobbStark
Robb
Stark

Deceased
 
Famtree-TalisaStark
Talisa Stark
née Maegyr
Deceased
 
Famtree-TyrionLannister
Tyrion
Lannister
House Lannister

 
Famtree-SansaStark
Sansa
Stark
Sansa Stark

 
Famtree-RamsayBolton
Ramsay
Bolton
House Bolton
Deceased
 
Famtree-AryaStark
Arya
Stark


 
Famtree-BranStark
Bran I the
Broken
Bran Stark

 
Famtree-RickonStark
Rickon
Stark

Deceased
 
Famtree-JonSnow
Jon
Snow
Night's Watch

 
 
 

In the books[]

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Rickard's role is unchanged. His wife Lyarra, with whom we had his four aforementioned children, was his first cousin once removed (her name was already "Lyarra Stark" before they were married). Her father was named Rodrik Stark, and he was the younger brother of Rickard's grandfather Willam Stark. First cousin marriage is not considered incest in Westeros.

In A Clash of Kings, Jaime explains to Catelyn just how he died: Rickard demanded trial by combat to clear his son's name, assuming he would face a Kingsguard such as Jaime, but the Mad King had him locked in a cage with fire spewing beneath it, saying "Fire is the champion of House Targaryen" and mockingly offering that all he had to do to win the trial was not to burn. When Brandon tried to stop his father's death, he ended up strangling himself due to the device the Targaryen men had strapped him to. Jaime did not say how many knights were present, only that Gerold Hightower was there, and (having noticed Jaime's visible disgust at the proceedings) told him afterwards that they were sworn to defend the king, not to judge him.

In A Storm of Swords, Jaime offers to swear an oath not to harm Brienne in exchange for being unchained, so that the two of them can share watches after they are attacked. When Brienne reminds Jaime about how he broke his oath to the Mad King, Jaime alludes to Rickard's death saying she never cooked anyone in their armor as far as he knows.

Rickard's father was Lord Edwyle Stark, son of Willam. Edwyle's sister (Rickard's aunt) married a junior member of House Royce from the Vale, and through her the Royces are blood relatives of the Starks. The Royce whom Rickard's aunt married was a member of the cadet branch of the main line of that family known as House Royce of the Gates of the Moon (or perhaps, he was specifically the founder of that cadet branch). Thus Nestor Royce, the head of House Royce of the Gates of the Moon at the time of the War of the Five Kings, is Eddard Stark's second cousin. After hearing of the Sack of Winterfell and the alleged deaths of his brothers, Robb Stark felt the need to name a new heir (otherwise the Lannisters would press a claim to Winterfell through Sansa's forced marriage to Tyrion). Catelyn suggested naming one of the Royces due to this distant blood relationship, but Robb insisted on naming Jon - either way, the point was rendered moot after the deaths of them both and the destruction of the Northern army at the Red Wedding.

Appearances[]

References[]

Notes[]

  1. In "The Kingsroad," which takes place in 298 AC, Catelyn Stark states that Eddard Stark went to war with Robert Baratheon "17 years ago;" therefore, Robert's Rebellion occurred in 281 AC.
  2. 2.0 2.1 The paragraph mentioning this event is erroneously placed in Arthur Dayne's entry. The opening sentence calling him the "thirdborn son to Lord Symon of House Gaunt" makes it apparent that this paragraph was meant for Gwayne Gaunt's entry.
  3. Conjecture based on information from The World of Ice & Fire; may be subject to change.

External links[]


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