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| “ | Our blades are sharp | „ |
| ~ Bolton motto |
House Bolton is a Noble House of The North in A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones. Though the franchise is famous for having mostly morally ambiguous characters and factions, House Bolton is infamous for being one of the few true villainous factions, as they are usurpers of House Stark, the closest faction the franchise has to a true hero faction.
History
Like House Stark, House Bolton was founded in The Age of Heroes. They ruled as the Red Kings from their set the Dreadfort. Their lands were plagued by seemingly never ending rebellions from unsatisfied subjects and invasions from rival houses and Ironborn invaders. This world of violence forged House Bolton into a ruthless House that used fear to control their subjects and terrify their enemies. They primarily did this by skinning their enemies and displaying their corpses. They were even rumored to wear their enemies skins as cloaks.
They were sworn rivals to House Stark, the Kings of Winter and the two houses waged countless wars against eachother, some of which ended in Bolton victories. But eventually, House Stark was victorious and the last Red King bent the knee. Nonetheless, House Bolton resented their liegelords and constantly plotted their revenge.
House Bolton entered the Seven Kingdoms when King Torren Stark bent the knee to Aegon the Conquorer.
Robb calls the banners
When Robb Stark decides to rebel against the Iron Throne, he calls on his bannermen, including Lord Roose Bolton who answers the call. Robb's bannermen declare him King in the North and Roose also bends the knee.
House Bolton fights alongside Robb in many battles and score many victory against House Lannister. However when news reaches the army that Winterfell has been seized by the Ironborn, Roose sends his bastard son Ramsay to "Liberate" Winterfell. Ramsay burns Winterfell and kills everyone inside, only Bran, Rickon and a few others escape.
The Red Wedding
Robb eventually loses momentum through not just losing Winterfell, but also losing the support House Karstark when Rob executes the ruling lord for executing unarmed prisoners without Robb's permission. Robb even backs out of his arranged marriage with House Frey to marry Talisa, a noblewoman from the Free Cities. Roose decides that Robb's cause is lost and decides the time has come for House Bolton to take their revenge of their hated lieglords. He exchanges letters with Tywin Lannister and Walder Frey where they agree to betray and murder Robb and his forces in a massacre called the Red Wedding. The Wedding is a success. For betraying Robb and the Kingdom of the North, Roose Bolton is proclaimed Warden of the North. The Iron Throne even legitimizes Ramsay as Roose has no trueborn heir. House Bolton returns to the North and captures Winterfell, claiming it as their own, even turning Theon Greyjoy into a mere servent nicknamed Reek. Roose even marries Walda Frey.
Rule of the North
But right from the start, things start going wrong for House Bolton. Most of the other Northern houses resent them for their betrayal. Nonetheless, some of the more powerful houses support the Boltons. To make matters worse, King Stannis Baratheon of Dragonstone challenges them as well. To secure dynastic legitmacy, Roose arranges a marriage between Ramsay and "Arya Stark"(but is really Jeyne Pool). However, Theon and Jeyne escape Winterfell much to the Boltons Chagrin, putting their control in the North in more jeopardy.
Rule of the North(TV show)
Like in the books, House Bolton captures Winterfell, Ramsay is legitimized, many Northern Houses resent the Boltons with only the wealthier houses supporting them, Roose marries Walda, and Stannis challenges them. However, Jeyne is removed from the show and replaced with Sansa Stark, who is married off to Ramsay by Petyr Baelish, hoping to give Stannis a Wardeness of the North if he takes Winterfell. However, Ramsay's tactics of sabotage and supply drain damage Stannis's forces, causing him to reluctantly sacrifice his daughter Shireen to appease The Lord of Light. This accomplishes nothing and Stannis is defeated and killed. However Sansa and Theon escape.
Roose is angered by Sansa's escape, but is even more angered when Ramsay suggest their armies besiege Castle Black, where Sansa has run to, saying that every Northern house would rebel against them. Shortly after, the Bolton Maester informs Roose that Walda has given birth to a son. Fearing for his title as future Warden of the North, Ramsay murders his own father in the same way he killed Robb, a knife to the chest. He then proceeds to kill Walda and the baby by feeding them to his dogs, making himself Warden of the North
Battle of the Bastards
Ramsay is presented Rickon Stark and the head of Shaggydog by Lord Smalljon Umber. Ramsay decides to use this as bait to lure Jon Snow, another surviving Stark(and unbeknownst to Ramsay or anyone else, a member of House Targaryan.) and Sansa to Winterfell, hoping to wipe out House Stark once and for all. Jon, Sansa, along with their new allies in a group of Free Folk set off to challenge Ramsay. They successfully recruit Houses Hornwood, Mormont and Mazin, but they are still outnumbered. Sansa in desperation sends a letter to Littlefinger asking for help from the Knights of the Vale.
During the battle, Rickon is killed and Jon's army is almost wiped out, but the Knights of the Vale provide reinforcements and whips out most of Ramsay's army. The Stark Loyalists capture Winterfell and Ramsay. Sansa then kills Ramsay the same way Ramsay killed Walda and the baby, by feeding him to his own dogs(Whom he has starved). With Ramsay dead, and no other known Boltons left, House Bolton is now extinct.
With the North liberated, Jon Snow is legitimized and like Robb before him, is proclaimed King in the North.
Trivia
- Though most of the Game of Thrones characters and factions are morally ambiguous, House Bolton is infamous for having no positive traits at all and being a truly villainous faction.
- In the books, House Bolton is still active and about to face Stannis in battle, while in the show they have defeated Stannis, but were defeated by House Stark. It is unknown if this will happen in the books
- In the show, the scenes with the Boltons in Winterfell, the lighting is much darker then the lighting for when the Starks were in Winterfell, symbolizing House Boltons cruelty and evil in castle previously occupied by the closest faction the show had to heroes.