 |
Although this page is based on canonical information, the actual name of this subject is pure conjecture.
|
- "Maester Wolkan, send ravens to all the Northern Houses: Roose Bolton is dead, poisoned by our enemies."
- ―Ramsay Bolton after murdering his father.
The assassinations at Winterfell occur during the War of the Five Kings, in which Roose Bolton, the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, is betrayed and murdered by his own son, Ramsay Bolton.
History[]
Prelude[]
- Roose Bolton: "Walda and I have some good news as well... since we're all together."
- Walda Bolton: "We're going to have a baby."
- — Roose and Walda announce their coming child.[src]
After defeating the forces of Stannis Baratheon, the Boltons celebrate a hollow victory, as Sansa Stark escapes during the chaos of the battle with help from Theon Greyjoy.[2] With the birth of Roose Bolton's son looming, Ramsay's position as heir becomes more uncertain, especially when Roose subtly hints that he will disinherit Ramsay in favor of the baby if Sansa cannot be recovered.[3]
Assassinations[]
- "You will always be my firstborn."
- ―Roose Bolton's final words before he is killed by Ramsay.
During a meeting with Lord Harald Karstark about future plans for the North, Ramsay suggests they storm Castle Black as Sansa has probably fled there to find safety with Jon Snow. Roose immediately shoots down the proposal, saying that killing the Lord Commander of an ancient and politically neutral order like the Night's Watch will rally the North against them, chastising Ramsay for being a wild dog. They are then informed by Maester Wolkan that Walda has given birth to a boy. Ramsay proceeds to congratulate Roose and hug him, while discreetly feeling for chain mail on his back. When he finds none, Ramsay stabs Roose in the chest. Despite the fact that Roose is Harald's liege lord and Roose avenged his father Rickard Karstark by personally killing Robb Stark, Harald doesn't intervene. Mortally injured, Roose collapses to the floor and dies, ironically in the exact same manner as when he killed Robb. Ramsay then instructs Wolkan to send ravens out with the false news that Roose was poisoned by his enemies. When Wolkan hesitates, Harald reminds him that Ramsay is his Lord now. Ramsay is quick to solidify his position as Lord Bolton, luring his stepmother and newborn brother to the kennels, where he feeds them to his hounds.[4]
Aftermath[]
With the deaths of Roose and the baby, Ramsay becomes the only living member of House Bolton and the new Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North.[4] When news of his ascension reaches Jon and his allies at Castle Black, Sansa correctly deduces that Ramsay killed his father.[5]
In the books[]
As of the most recent novel in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, Roose Bolton and the pregnant Walda are still alive.
While the Bolton storyline in Season 6 of the TV series surpassed the novels, it nonetheless seems very probable that this is going to happen in the next novel, The Winds of Winter (and isn't just an invention of the TV series). The most recent novel strongly implied that Ramsay might kill Walda's baby and possibly Roose himself, much for the same reasons as in the TV show: Ramsay has proven to be short-sighted and impulsive, Roose has lost faith in him, and Roose might make any child he has with Walda his heir instead. Roose outright expresses his fear that Ramsay will try to kill any children he has with Walda (perhaps it is a foreshadowing).
The Bastard Letter that Jon receives near the end of the fifth novel (before he is attacked by his own men) is signed "Ramsay Bolton, Trueborn Lord of Winterfell". Although the contents of the letter seem to be as least partially false, and it is doubtful that Ramsay wrote it - the fact that he signs as "Lord of Winterfell" may imply that he has already killed Roose.
In the "Inside the Episode" featurette for "Home", David Benioff directly points out that Roose's murder by Ramsay, unlike the Coup in Dorne, wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision but part of a growing tension ever since Walda announced she was pregnant in Season 5's "Kill the Boy". Benioff further explained how this wasn't meant to be an unexpected or gratuitous "surprise" by pointing out how Lord Karstark doesn't even flinch when Ramsay stabs Roose in front of him: it had become obvious to characters around the Boltons that inevitably, either Ramsay would kill Roose and the rest of his family, or Roose would disinherit and/or kill Ramsay.
References[]
- ↑ Game of Thrones: Season 6, Episode 2: "Home" (2016).
- ↑ "Mother's Mercy"
- ↑ "The Red Woman"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Home"
- ↑ "Book of the Stranger"
Notes[]
- ↑ In "Winter Is Coming," which takes place in 298 AC, Sansa Stark tells Cersei Lannister that she is 13 years old and Bran Stark tells Jaime Lannister that he is 10 years old. Arya Stark was born between Sansa and Bran, making her either 11 or 12 in Season 1. The rest of the Stark children have been aged up by 2 years from their book ages, so it can be assumed that she is 11 in Season 1. Arya is 18 in Season 8 according to HBO, which means at least 7 years occur in the span of the series; therefore, each season of Game of Thrones must roughly correspond to a year in-universe, placing the events of Season 6 in 303 AC.