The Red Wedding was a massacre that took place during the War of the Five Kings, orchestrated by Lord Walder Frey as revenge against Robb Stark for breaking a marriage pact between House Stark and House Frey. The massacre resulted in the deaths of Robb Stark, his pregnant wife Talisa, and Robb's mother, Catelyn Stark. It also led to the annihilation of the Northern army and the end of the Northern rebellion.
After the Red Wedding, the Freys were elevated as the new Great House of the Riverlands, with Lord Frey granted the castle of Riverrun and promised Lannister protection from any northern retaliation. However, the massacre left a stain on the ancient custom of guest right, and House Frey's reputation was ruined, with many in the Seven Kingdoms treating them with antipathy and disgust.
The survivors of the Red Wedding included Edmure Tully, who became a captive of the Freys, Brynden Blackfish Tully, who escaped, and Arya Stark, who later avenged her family by poisoning all surviving male members of House Frey.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Who was killed at the Red Wedding? | Robb Stark, his pregnant wife Talisa, Catelyn Stark, 200 Northern and Riverlander soldiers, Talisa and Robb's unborn child, Grey Wind (Robb's direwolf), Wendel Manderly, Lady Joyeuse Frey, Roslin Frey, Edmure Tully's bride |
Who survived the Red Wedding? | Edmure Tully, Brynden "Blackfish" Tully, Arya Stark, Sandor "The Hound" Clegane |
Who orchestrated the Red Wedding? | Lord Walder Frey, Lord Tywin Lannister, Roose Bolton, Lame Lothar Frey |
Who carried out the massacre? | Lame Lothar Frey, Roose Bolton, Black Walder Rivers, musicians, Frey soldiers, Bolton soldiers |
Who was the Red Wedding targeted at? | Robb Stark, King in the North |
Why did Lord Walder Frey orchestrate the Red Wedding? | Revenge against Robb Stark for breaking the marriage pact between House Stark and House Frey |
What was the signal for the massacre to begin? | An instrumental version of "The Rains of Castamere" |
What You'll Learn
- The Red Wedding was orchestrated by Lord Walder Frey, Roose Bolton, and Tywin Lannister
- The massacre violated the ancient law of guest right, earning the perpetrators the hatred of many in the Seven Kingdoms
- Robb Stark's direwolf, Grey Wind, was also killed during the Red Wedding
- Edmure Tully, who was marrying Rosaline Frey, was captured by the Freys
- Arya Stark avenged her family by poisoning all surviving male members of House Frey
The Red Wedding was orchestrated by Lord Walder Frey, Roose Bolton, and Tywin Lannister
Lord Walder Frey was a despicable man, and even Robb and his mother, who were aware of his nature, did not imagine that he would stoop so low as to violate the sacred guest right. The Freys' betrayal was scheduled to take place after the formal ceremony and the bedding, with Edmure Tully and his bride safely away in another part of the castle. Robb was lulled into a false sense of security by Lord Frey, who vowed to assure his guests' safety.
The signal for the massacre to begin was an instrumental version of "The Rains of Castamere", a song associated with the Lannisters. The musicians hired for the wedding were revealed to be assassins, and they fired crossbows at Robb and the Northern guests. Robb was wounded by several crossbow bolts and was eventually stabbed in the heart by Roose Bolton, who uttered, "The Lannisters send their regards."
The Red Wedding resulted in the deaths of Robb Stark, his pregnant wife Talisa, and Catelyn Stark, among others. The survivors included Edmure Tully, who became a captive of the Freys, Brynden "Blackfish" Tully, who escaped, and Arya Stark, who later avenged her family by poisoning all surviving male members of House Frey.
The Red Wedding effectively ended the conflict between House Stark and House Lannister, allowing the Lannisters to win the War of the Five Kings. For their parts in the massacre, Lord Frey was granted the castle of Riverrun, Roose Bolton was awarded the title of Warden of the North, and the Boltons were granted the lands of Winterfell.
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The massacre violated the ancient law of guest right, earning the perpetrators the hatred of many in the Seven Kingdoms
The Red Wedding was a massacre that took place during the War of the Five Kings, arranged by Lord Walder Frey as revenge against Robb Stark, ruling King in the North, for breaking the marriage pact between House Stark and House Frey. The massacre violated the ancient law of guest right, earning the perpetrators the hatred of many in the Seven Kingdoms.
Guest right is an ancient tradition in Westeros, where a host offers protection and safety to his guests. In this case, Lord Walder Frey offered guest right to Robb Stark and his army, only to betray them and orchestrate their brutal massacre. This violation of a sacred tradition shocked and outraged many in the Seven Kingdoms, who saw it as an unforgivable act of treachery.
The consequences of violating guest right were severe, and the perpetrators of the Red Wedding became targets of anger and hatred across the realm. The North, in particular, held a deep grudge against the perpetrators, and the massacre damaged the reputation of House Frey, who were treated with antipathy and disgust by their allies and enemies alike.
The Red Wedding ended the conflict between House Stark and House Lannister, resulting in a decisive victory for the Lannisters and King Joffrey Baratheon. It also elevated House Bolton as the new Great House of the North and House Frey as the new Great House of the Riverlands. However, the victory was short-lived, as the conspirators ultimately met their demise, with Tywin Lannister, Roose Bolton, and Walder Frey all facing karmic deaths.
The Red Wedding left a lasting stain on the ancient custom of guest right, and its violation had far-reaching implications for the social order and stability of the Seven Kingdoms.
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Robb Stark's direwolf, Grey Wind, was also killed during the Red Wedding
Arya, who had snuck into the courtyard, witnessed Grey Wind's killing while hiding behind some nearby barrels. She shared a gaze with the direwolf, and due to the linked fates of the direwolves and the Stark children, she understood what was happening inside the castle to her brother.
After the massacre, the Freys decapitated Grey Wind and Robb's corpses, sewing the direwolf's head onto Robb's body and parading it around the keep atop a horse as a final insult to the King in the North.
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Edmure Tully, who was marrying Rosaline Frey, was captured by the Freys
Edmure Tully was the son and heir of Lord Hoster Tully, the Lord of Riverrun and Lord Paramount of the Trident. He was the younger brother of Catelyn and Lysa Stark. Edmure was captured by the Freys after the Red Wedding, where he was marrying Roslin Frey, one of Walder Frey's daughters. Edmure was taken prisoner and remained a hostage of Lord Frey, who remarked to Lord Roose Bolton that Edmure spent his wedding night in a dungeon.
Edmure was still a captive at the Twins when Brynden "Blackfish" Tully, Edmure's uncle, raised what remained of the Tully army and retook Riverrun. Walder Frey summoned Edmure into the main hall, where he was brought up from the dungeons in chains. Edmure was then used as leverage to try and force Brynden to surrender Riverrun. Edmure was threatened with hanging, and had a knife held to his throat, but Brynden called their bluff, knowing that if Edmure died, the Freys would have no chance of taking the castle.
Jaime Lannister arrived with a Lannister host to take command of the siege and chastised the Freys for making threats they were not prepared to carry out. Jaime then met with Edmure and offered him a deal: if Edmure agreed to surrender Riverrun, he would be allowed to live out his days in gentle imprisonment as a hostage at Casterly Rock, with his wife and newborn son. Edmure initially refused, but Jaime threatened to catapult his infant son into Riverrun, and Edmure reluctantly agreed to his terms. Edmure approached Riverrun's gates and requested entry, and though Brynden initially refused, Edmure was eventually allowed in as the head of House Tully. Edmure then commanded his men to surrender, and the Lannister-Frey army entered Riverrun. Though Jaime had hoped for a peaceful surrender, Brynden died fighting when the guards came to restrain him. Edmure was subsequently returned to his cell, though Walder Frey had no plans to kill him, stating that "killing [his] son by law would not be right".
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Arya Stark avenged her family by poisoning all surviving male members of House Frey
After the Red Wedding, Arya Stark sought to avenge her family. She trained with the Faceless Men and became a skilled warrior. When she returned to Westeros, her first order of business was to kill Walder Frey. She disguised herself as Walder Frey and poisoned all surviving male members of House Frey.
Arya's actions were not the only retaliation that House Frey faced. The massacre at the Red Wedding, which violated the ancient law of guest right, earned the perpetrators the hatred of many in the Seven Kingdoms. A farmer in the Riverlands, upon learning of the events, stated that Lord Walder Frey would be punished by the gods for his actions. Indeed, all the conspirators of the Red Wedding eventually met their demise, and their deaths mirrored the way they killed Robb and Catelyn Stark.
The Red Wedding also left a stain on the ancient custom of guest right, with safety and security in another's home no longer being considered guaranteed. The massacre ruined House Frey's reputation, and they were treated with disgust and antipathy by many in Westeros, including their own allies.
In addition, the Red Wedding effectively ended the conflict between House Stark and House Lannister, resulting in a decisive victory for the Lannisters and King Joffrey Baratheon. The Northern army that Robb led to southern Westeros was destroyed, and the Lannisters were finally able to win the War of the Five Kings.
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Frequently asked questions
The Red Wedding left a stain on the ancient custom of guest right, with safety and security in another's home no longer being considered guaranteed. The massacre ruined House Frey's reputation, and they were treated with antipathy and disgust by many Westerosi, including their own allies.
The Red Wedding effectively ended the conflict between House Stark and House Lannister in a decisive victory for the Lannisters and King Joffrey Baratheon. Not only was Robb himself killed in the betrayal, but the entire Northern army that Robb led to southern Westeros was also destroyed.
The Red Wedding was orchestrated by Lord Walder Frey, Lord Roose Bolton, and Lord Tywin Lannister.
Robb had reneged on his promise to marry one of Walder Frey's daughters, and this was seen as a violation of a sacred pact. The Red Wedding was carried out as revenge for this broken marriage pact.