Robb Stark

Lore & Background

Robb assumed command of Winterfell when his father departed for King's Landing. Following Eddard's arrest for treason, Robb called the Northern banners and marched south with an assembled army to free him and relieve the besieged Riverlands. He secured passage across The Twins by promising to marry a daughter or granddaughter of Lord Walder Frey. After crossing, he surprised and destroyed the Lannister force at Riverrun, capturing Ser Jaime Lannister during the Battle of Whispering Wood. Upon news of his father's execution, Robb was crowned King in the North and King of the Trident. In A Clash of Kings, he won crushing victories against Tywin Lannister, earning his epithet. He sent Theon Greyjoy to the Iron Islands, only for Theon to betray him and seize Winterfell, killing two brothers who actually escaped.

In Their Own Story

In A Storm of Swords, Robb was wounded during an assault in the Westerlands and learned of his brothers' apparent deaths. Caring for Lady Jeyne Westerling after she tended him, he took her maidenhood and married her to preserve her honor, breaking his pact with House Frey. This caused the Freys to desert his army. After learning his mother had secretly released Jaime Lannister, Lord Rickard Karstark mutinied; Robb executed him for killing two of his sons, losing House Karstark's support. To repair alliances, he arranged for his uncle Edmure Tully to marry Lady Roslin Frey and personally attended the wedding at The Twins. There, despite being promised guest rights with bread and salt, the Northern convoy was massacred by Houses Frey and Bolton. Robb was shot with crossbow bolts and murdered by Lord Roose Bolton. His body was mutilated by having his direwolf Grey Wind's head sewn onto it.

Reader's Guide

Robb Stark is a strategic genius who utilized feints and deceptions, unlike his father Ned who fought straight-ahead battles. James Poniewozik of Time notes Robb was less eager for retaliation but more pragmatic, though he sacrificed 2,000 men on a suicide mission to save the Riverlands. In the TV series, his marriage was to Talisa Maegyr instead of Jeyne Westerling. Richard Madden received positive reviews for portraying this transition from boy to warlord. George Martin killed Robb to subvert the predictable hero's journey; as he stated, killing Ned made audiences expect the son to avenge him, so killing Robb became the necessary next step to keep the story difficult to predict.

Did You Know?

• Robb Stark was 14 years old at the start of A Game of Thrones in the books, but his age was increased to 17 for the HBO television series.
• George Martin decided to kill Robb Stark because he wanted to keep the story difficult to predict after killing Ned Stark.
• The Red Wedding was inspired by two events from Scottish history: the Black Dinner and the Glencoe Massacre.
• After his death, the Freys mutilated Robb's body by sewing the head of his dead direwolf, Grey Wind, onto his decapitated corpse.
• Robb is not a point-of-view character in the novels; his actions are witnessed through the eyes of his brother Bran, mother Catelyn, and others.