Brandon Stark (son of Rickard): Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox character | {{Infobox character | ||
| image = https://archmaester.site/portraits/got/brandon-stark-son-of-rickard.jpg | |||
| name = Brandon Stark | | name = Brandon Stark | ||
| title = Heir to [[Winterfell]] | | title = Heir to [[Winterfell]] | ||
Latest revision as of 21:32, 13 June 2026
| House / Order | House Stark |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | |
| Status | Deceased |
| Origin | The North; King's Landing |
| Born | 262 AC (approx.) |
| Died | 282 AC, at King's Landing |
| Weapon | |
| Fate | Strangled himself trying to save his father while the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen looked on |
| Portrayed by |
Brandon Stark was the eldest son and heir of Lord Rickard Stark of Winterfell, elder brother to Eddard, Lyanna, and Benjen. Gallant, hot-blooded, and possessed of the "wolf blood" his sister shared, Brandon was destined to rule the North until his death, alongside their father, at the hands of the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen helped ignite Robert's Rebellion. He is not to be confused with his nephew Brandon "Bran" Stark, who was named in his memory.
Background
As the firstborn of Rickard Stark, Brandon was raised to inherit Winterfell and was betrothed to Catelyn Tully of Riverrun, a marriage meant to bind the North to the Riverlands. He was charming and impetuous, more inclined to action than caution. His younger brother Eddard, by contrast, was quieter and more deliberate, and the two were very different in temperament.
Death
When Brandon learned that his sister Lyanna had vanished with Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, he rode to King's Landing in a rage with a party of companions, shouting at the gates for Rhaegar to come out and die. King Aerys II Targaryen had them all seized and charged with treason, then summoned their fathers to court to answer for them.
When Lord Rickard Stark arrived and demanded trial by combat, the Mad King named fire his champion. Rickard was suspended from the rafters in his armor and roasted over a blaze, while Brandon was bound before him with a leather cord around his throat, attached to a device that tightened as he strained toward a longsword set just out of reach, ostensibly the means to save his father. Brandon strangled himself in his desperate efforts as Rickard burned, both men dying for the king's cruel amusement.
Legacy
The murders of Brandon and Rickard, followed by Aerys's demand that Jon Arryn surrender Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon for execution, drove the realm into open rebellion. With Brandon dead, the lordship of Winterfell and the betrothal to Catelyn Tully both passed to Eddard, reshaping the future of House Stark. Catelyn would sometimes wonder at the husband she might have had in the bold Brandon rather than the solemn Ned.
Character
Brandon is remembered as fierce, proud, and reckless, the very image of the impetuous Stark "wolf blood." His rash ride to King's Landing, however righteous his fury, delivered him and his father into the Mad King's hands, a tragedy that set the dominoes of the rebellion falling.
In the television series
In HBO's Game of Thrones, Brandon Stark does not appear directly but is referenced in dialogue recounting the deaths of the Starks at the Mad King's court.
Appearances
- A Game of Thrones (mentioned)
- A Storm of Swords (mentioned)