| ā | An army that defends the bodies and souls of the common people. | ā |
| ~ The High Sparrow on the Faith Militant |
The Faith Militant is an organization featured in A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO's Game of Thrones. The Faith Militant are the military orders of the Faith of the Seven, the prodominate religion of the Seven Kingdoms, and serve the orders and wills of the High Septon and enforce the words of the Seven Pointed Star by force. Originally disbanded years ago, the Faith Militant was restored in 300 AC by the High Sparrow and Cersei Lannister and are the enforcers of the Faith of the Seven over the entire realm.
Known members of the Faith of the Seven who are allies to the Faith Militant are Septon Raynard, Septa Unella, Septa Moelle, and Septa Scolera.
Known historical members of the Faith Militant are two Warrior's Sons: Morgan Hightower and Damon Morrigen.
History
The Faith Militant rose in rebellion against House Targaryen during the reign of King Aenys I Targaryen after several events the Faith took as slights. His successor, King Maegor I outlawed armed holy men and took brutal steps to put down the rebelling orders and the houses supporting them, including offering bounties for their heads: a gold dragon for the scalp of a Warrior's Son and a silver stag for that of a Poor Fellow. This earned him the nickname of "the Cruel". Not even the death of the High Septon and his replacement for a more passive one stopped the determination of the Faith Militant.
After Maegor's death, his successor, Jaehaerys I Targaryen offered amnesty to the rebels in exchange for the disbandment of the Faith Militant.
Centuries later, during the War of the Five Kings, groups of ragged men and women known as "sparrows" start massing in King's Landing after Tywin Lannister's death. This is a result of the horrible actions and massacres from Gregor Clegane, Amory Lorch, Vargo Hoat, Rorge, the Lannister army, and Robb Stark's northern army in the riverlands. In fact, most of the sparrows are from the destroyed riverlands and the crownlands.
Incensed by the attacks on holy men and women and the sacking of septs and septries carried out by foragers, the High Septon known as the High Sparrow manipulates Queen Cersei Lannister into overturning Maegor's law and the Faith Militant is born again.
Orders
- The Warrior's Sons are knights and who have renounced their titles, lands, gold and possessions to fight for the Seven. They swear their swords to His High Holiness. They wear inlaid silver armor over hair shirts, rainbow cloaks, and swords with star-shaped crystals in their pommels. They developed a reputation for fanaticism and implacable hatred for enemies of the Faith. This army of holy kinghts is cut from the TV series.
- The Poor Fellows are a more humble order for commoners and women. Acting as a militant counterpart to begging brothers, Poor Fellows wander the realm and escort pilgrims between septs. They are lightly-armed footmen, who carry whatever weapons they can make or find, often axes or cudgels, and wear star badges, red on white. Before the restoration of the Faith Militant, the Poor Fellows were just known as "the sparrows". In the TV series there are no women among them.