HOUSE STARK

House Stark of Winterfell is a Great House of Westeros and the royal house of the Kingdom of the North. They rule over the vast region known as the North from their seat in Winterfell. It is one of the oldest lines of Westerosi nobility by far, claiming a line of descent stretching back over eight thousand years. Before the Targaryen Conquest, as well as during the War of the Five Kings and early on in Daenerys Targaryen's war for Westeros, the leaders of House Stark ruled over the region as the Kings in the North.

Their rule in the North seemingly ended after the events of the Red Wedding when House Frey and House Bolton betrayed House Stark after forming a secret alliance with House Lannister, during which Roose Bolton murdered King Robb Stark. Both the North and Winterfell were taken over by House Bolton. However, the Boltons' hold was jeopardized when Sansa Stark escaped their clutches after learning her brothers Bran and Rickon Stark were still alive and reunited with her half-brother, Jon Snow, at Castle Black. Sansa and Jon marched on the Boltons to save their younger brother Rickon, who was later murdered by Ramsay Bolton, and retake Winterfell. House Stark was restored to their former stature after the Battle of the Bastards. The Stark victory led to House Stark's return to royal status in the North with their bannermen declaring Jon as the King in the North. He later abdicated his title as king in order to gain the full support of Daenerys Targaryen in the Great War, becoming the Warden of the North. Following the Battle of King's Landing, at the Great Council of 305 AC, Bran Stark was chosen as the new Lord of the Six Kingdoms, with the king being elected by the lords of Westeros rather than inheriting the crown through a royal bloodline. Meanwhile, the North has been granted independence with Sansa Stark being declared the Queen in the North as a hereditary monarch.

House Stark's sigil is a grey direwolf on a white background, over green. They are one of the few noble houses whose family motto is not a boast or threat. Instead, the House Stark family motto is a warning, one that, no matter the circumstances, will always be relevant: "Winter Is Coming."

BACKGROUND

Before the Targaryen Conquest, the leaders of House Stark ruled over the region as the Kings in the North. The house traces its roots to Bran the Builder, a legendary First Man who lived during the Age of Heroes and founded House Stark. The Starks ruled as Kings of Winter over one of the many smaller, petty First Men kingdoms that were established in the North, with their chief rivals for domination being the Red Kings of House Bolton. Eventually the Starks united the North under them. They defeated the Boltons, drove pirates away from the White Knife, slew the last Marsh King and wed his daughter for the Neck, and, according to legend, King Rodrik Stark wrestled with an Ironborn for Bear Island and won. Several centuries before the Targaryen Conquest, Karlon Stark, a younger son of the King in the North, was awarded lands in the eastern regions of the North after successfully putting down a rebellion led by House Bolton. Over time Karlon's seat of Karl's Hold came to be known as Karhold, and the Starks that descended from him became known as Karstarks.

King Torrhen Stark was on the throne at the time of the Targaryen Conquest and marched his army south to face them. He surrendered when he saw the Targaryens' greater host and their dragons, believing that fighting was futile. He was made Lord Paramount of the North and served the Targaryens as Warden of the North, thus escaping the fates of House Gardener of the Reach and House Hoare of the Riverlands whose lords refused to bend the knee and were rendered extinct after failing to resist the invaders. Thereafter, Torrhen was known as "the King Who Knelt," though those who criticize him for this often forget that they are only alive to do so thanks to his surrender.

 MEMBERS and ALLIES

*REPRESENTED IN THE SERIES*