Winterfell's Post-Red Wedding Turmoil

The Red Wedding, orchestrated by Lord Walder Frey, marks a turning point in the War of the Five Kings and has far-reaching consequences for the Starks and Winterfell. The massacre sees the death of Robb Stark, King in the North, his mother Catelyn, and most of his soldiers. It effectively ends the conflict between House Stark and House Lannister, with the Lannisters emerging victorious.

Following the Red Wedding, Roose Bolton, one of the conspirators, is named the new Warden of the North and is granted the lands of Winterfell. The castle is seized by the Starks' enemies, first by the Ironborn and later by the Boltons, who put it to the torch, killing most of its inhabitants. The destruction of Winterfell marks a low point for House Stark, and it is only after a series of battles that they eventually liberate their ancestral home.

Roose Bolton is made Warden of the North

Roose Bolton is a cunning and unassuming character, described as having an unremarkable body and a plain face. He is known for his regular leechings, which have earned him the nickname "The Leech Lord". He is often described as cold and remorseless, with a soft voice that rarely raises. Despite his unthreatening appearance, his silence is said to be threatening.

Roose Bolton is introduced in "A Game of Thrones" as a bannerman of Lord Eddard Stark. He joins Robb Stark's rebellion as one of his chief lieutenants but secretly orchestrates the Red Wedding alongside Lord Tywin Lannister and Lord Walder Frey. Roose Bolton is aware that Robb Stark has broken his betrothal to one of Lord Walder Frey's daughters and marries another woman, Talisa Maegyr. This, along with Robb's execution of Lord Rickard Karstark, results in half of Robb's army abandoning him.

At Edmure Tully's wedding to Roslin Frey, the Freys betray the Starks, and Roose Bolton personally murders Robb Stark with a knife to the heart. As a reward for his service, Tywin Lannister names Roose Bolton the new Warden of the North. Roose Bolton's rule is marked by unrest, and several forces conspire to unseat him.

Ramsay Bolton is legitimised and promised Arya Stark in marriage

After the Red Wedding, Roose Bolton is awarded the title of Warden of the North and the Boltons are granted the lands of Winterfell. Roose Bolton's bastard son, Ramsay Bolton, is legitimised by King Tommen Baratheon and betrothed to Jeyne Poole, who is passed off as Arya Stark. Ramsay Bolton is a vicious and sadistic character who strives to be legitimised as a true Bolton by his father. Ramsay is directly responsible for several atrocities, including the brutal torture of Theon Greyjoy and the Sack of Winterfell.

Ramsay Bolton is the product of rape. His father, Roose Bolton, sees a miller's wife while hunting and decides to practice the banned tradition of 'the first night', where a lord has the right to bed a commoner's bride. Roose Bolton hangs the miller and rapes his wife, who becomes pregnant with Ramsay. When she arrives at the Dreadfort with the newborn Ramsay, Roose almost kills them but is stopped when he sees the child has his signature pale, cold eyes. The woman claims her husband's brother stole the mill and cast her out, so Roose has the man's tongue removed so he can't tell the truth to Roose's liege lord, Rickard Stark. Roose sends the woman away with a reward and the instruction to never tell Ramsay who his father is.

Ramsay grows up wild and unruly, and Roose eventually sends him a servant known as Reek, who always smells bad due to an unknown birth condition. Ramsay and Reek become close, and either Reek or Ramsay's mother eventually tell him about his true parentage. Ramsay is violent and unpredictable, and Roose believes that Reek and Ramsay's mother are encouraging his violent tendencies and reminding him constantly of his "rights". Ramsay's half-brother, Domeric, dies of a mysterious sickness, which Roose believes to be poison, and Ramsay earns the enmity of House Dustin in the process as Domeric was Lady Barbrey Dustin's nephew.

Ramsay is a capable fighter but was never properly trained, and so he uses a wild and aggressive fighting style. He is a cunning and brutal tactician who is good at thinking on his feet, and he is a capable manipulator who can pretend to be charming when he needs to be. Despite his brutality, Ramsay is not unintelligent.

The Boltons settle in at Winterfell

After the Red Wedding, Roose Bolton intends to relocate to Winterfell. The Boltons bring in work crews and timber to start rebuilding the castle, which had been previously destroyed by Ramsay Snow.

The Boltons' rule over Winterfell is short-lived, however, as Stannis Baratheon attempts to liberate the castle from them. He is ultimately unsuccessful, and the Boltons remain in Winterfell.

The Starks eventually defeat the Boltons and reclaim Winterfell, with Sansa Stark becoming the Queen in the North and Lady of Winterfell.

Stannis attempts to liberate Winterfell but fails

Stannis Baratheon, the would-be king of Westeros, attempts to liberate Winterfell from the Boltons, who seized it from the Starks during the War of the Five Kings. Stannis's campaign to seize Winterfell is beset by difficulties from the outset. He fails to gain the support of Robb Stark's bannermen, and the wildlings refuse to fight for him after he executes their leader, Mance Rayder. Stannis's army is further weakened by a large snowstorm, which delays his march and destroys many of his supplies. Ramsay Bolton, son and heir of Roose Bolton, leads a nocturnal raid that destroys Stannis's siege engines and kills many of his horses.

Stannis's position continues to deteriorate. Melisandre, his advisor, repeatedly urges him to sacrifice his daughter Shireen to the Lord of Light to end the snowstorm and clear the way to Winterfell. Stannis eventually agrees, and Shireen is burned at the stake in full view of her parents and the entire army. Grief-stricken, Queen Selyse commits suicide, and Melisandre flees. The sacrifice breaks the morale of Stannis's army, and many of his men desert.

Stannis arrives at Winterfell with a depleted force of around 1,300 infantry. Ramsay, believing he can defeat Stannis's weakened army, leads the Bolton cavalry in a direct attack. Stannis meets them head-on, but his rearguard flees before the battle even begins. The Bolton cavalry surrounds Stannis's army, and Stannis and his vanguard are soon forced to retreat to the Wolfswood, where they are annihilated. Stannis himself is wounded, but he manages to kill his attackers. Resigned to his fate, he is found by Brienne of Tarth, who beheads him.

The Starks defeat the Boltons and reclaim Winterfell

The Boltons seize Winterfell after the Red Wedding, and the Starks are forced to flee. Sansa Stark, daughter of Ned Stark, is held captive by the Boltons and abused by Ramsay Bolton, who rules Winterfell. However, Sansa escapes with the help of Theon Greyjoy.

Sansa and Jon Snow, the surviving Starks, gather their army and meet Ramsay's forces outside Winterfell. Ramsay releases Sansa's brother Rickon and shoots arrows at him as he runs towards Jon. Enraged, Jon charges at Ramsay, but the Bolton archers fire at him, and the Bolton cavalry charges. The ensuing battle leaves hundreds of Bolton and Stark soldiers dead.

Just as the Stark forces appear doomed, Petyr Baelish and Sansa arrive with the Knights of the Vale, and easily smash the remainder of the Bolton army. The Stark loyalists overwhelm the remnants of the Bolton garrison, and Winterfell is retaken by the Starks.

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