Difference between revisions of "Siege of Storm's End (299)"

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{{Template:Battlebox
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{{Battlebox collapsible combatants
|  image  =
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|  image  = [[File:Renly the traitor.jpg|350px]]
| caption =
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| caption = [[Stannis Baratheon]] and [[Renly Baratheon]], holding [[Renly's peach|his peach]], during their parlay
 
| battle_name = Siege of Storm's End
 
| battle_name = Siege of Storm's End
 
| conflict = [[War of the Five Kings]]
 
| conflict = [[War of the Five Kings]]
 
| date = {{Date|299}}
 
| date = {{Date|299}}
| place = [[Storm's End]], the [[Stormlands]]
+
| place = [[Storm's End]], the [[stormlands]]
| result = [[Stannis Baratheon]] victory
+
| result = [[House Baratheon of Dragonstone]] victory
 
| colour_scheme =
 
| colour_scheme =
| combatant1 = [[House Baratheon of Dragonstone]]
+
| combatant1 = '''[[House Baratheon of Dragonstone]]:'''<br>[[Crownlands]]
| combatant2 = [[House Baratheon]] of [[Storm's End]]
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*[[House Bar Emmon]]
 +
*[[House Celtigar]]
 +
*[[House Chyttering]]
 +
*[[House Farring]]
 +
*[[House Follard]]
 +
*[[House Massey]]
 +
*[[House Velaryon]]
 +
[[Stormlands]] (all switched to Stannis after Renly's death, except House Tarth)
 +
*[[House Bolling]]
 +
*[[House Buckler]]
 +
*[[House Caron]]
 +
*[[House Connington]]
 +
*[[House Errol]]
 +
*[[House Estermont]]
 +
*[[House Fell]]
 +
*[[House Gower]]
 +
*[[House Grandison]]
 +
*[[House Hasty]]
 +
*[[House Horpe]]
 +
*[[House Mertyns]]
 +
*[[House Morrigen]]
 +
*[[House Peasebury]]
 +
*[[House Penrose]]
 +
*[[House Selmy]]
 +
*[[House Staedmon]]
 +
*[[House Wensington]]
 +
*[[House Wylde]]
 +
[[Reach|The Reach]] (switched after Renly's death)
 +
*[[House Crane]]
 +
*[[House Florent]]
 +
*[[House Fossoway of Cider Hall]]
 +
*[[House Fossoway of New Barrel]]
 +
*[[House Meadows]]
 +
*[[House Mullendore]]
 +
*[[House Varner]]
 +
*[[House Willum]]
 +
| combatant2 = '''[[House Baratheon]] of [[Storm's End]]:'''<br>
 +
[[Reach|The Reach]], led by [[House Tyrell]]
 +
*[[House Ambrose]]
 +
*[[House Beesbury]]
 +
*[[House Blackbar]]
 +
*[[House Bulwer]]
 +
*[[House Bushy]]
 +
*[[House Caswell]]
 +
*[[House Costayne]]
 +
*[[House Cuy]]
 +
*[[House Dunn]]
 +
*[[House Footly]]
 +
*[[House Graceford]]
 +
*[[House Hightower]]
 +
*[[House Hunt]]
 +
*[[House Inchfield]]
 +
*[[House Leygood]]
 +
*[[House Merryweather]]
 +
*[[House Norcross]]
 +
*[[House Oakheart]]
 +
*[[House Osgrey]]
 +
*[[House Peake]]
 +
*[[House Redwyne]]
 +
*[[House Rowan]]
 +
*[[House Shermer]]
 +
*[[House Tarly]]
 +
*[[House Webber]]
 +
*[[House Wythers]]
 +
[[Stormlands]]
 +
*[[House Tarth]]
 
| commander1 = King [[Stannis Baratheon]]<br> Ser [[Davos Seaworth]]
 
| commander1 = King [[Stannis Baratheon]]<br> Ser [[Davos Seaworth]]
| commander2 = King [[Renly Baratheon]]+<br>Ser [[Cortnay Penrose]]+<br> Ser [[Loras Tyrell]]<br> Lord [[Randyll Tarly]] <br> Lord [[Mathis Rowan]]
+
| commander2 = King [[Renly Baratheon]]<br>Ser [[Cortnay Penrose]]<br> Ser [[Loras Tyrell]]<br> Lord [[Randyll Tarly]]<br> Lord [[Mathis Rowan]]
| strength1 = 5,000<br> [[Shadow assassin]]
+
| strength1 = 5,000{{ref|acok|31}} <small>(At the start of the siege)</small><br>Two [[shadow assassin]]s<br>~15,000 cavalry<ref group="N">Stannis originally has five thousand men (''[[A Clash of Kings]]'', [[A Clash of Kings-Chapter 31|Catelyn III]]), but describes his host as numbering twenty thousand men shortly after Renly's death (''[[A Clash of Kings]]'', [[A Clash of Kings-Chapter 42|Davos II]]), while Davos Seaworth describes the host as “nearly twenty thousand” men strong shortly before the start of the [[Battle of the Blackwater]] (''[[A Clash of Kings]]'', [[A Clash of Kings-Chapter 58|Davos III]])</ref> <small>(Joined after Renly's death)</small>
| strength2 = 20,000 mounted troops<br>Storm's End garrison
+
 
 +
 
 +
| strength2 = ~18,750<ref group="N">The host of [[Renly Baratheon]] is said to number a hundred thousand (''[[A Clash of Kings]]'', [[A Clash of Kings-Chapter 17|Tyrion IV]]). Renly himself claims to have eighty thousand with him at Bitterbridge, while another ten thousand are with Lord [[Mace Tyrell]] at Highgarden (''[[A Clash of Kings]]'', [[A Clash of Kings-Chapter 22|Catelyn II]]). The forces of House Tyrell make up the majority of Renly's forces. Renly's cavalry, said by Catelyn Stark to number ten thousand (''[[A Clash of Kings]]'', [[A Clash of Kings-Chapter 33|Catelyn IV]]), accompanies him to Storm's End to lift the siege, while his foot, according to Stannis near sixty thousand strong (''[[A Clash of Kings]]'', [[A Clash of Kings-Chapter 42|Davos II]]), remains at Bitterbridge when Renly goes to lift the siege of Storm’s End. As Renly previously stated that the total of his men numbered eighty thousand, either Catelyn was incorrect in her statement and Renly's cavalry actually numbered ~twenty thousand, or Stannis was wrong and Renly's foot actually numbered ~seventy thousand, or Renly had been exaggerating by stating eighty thousand while he actually had only seventy thousand men. The first option seems most likely, as Stannis, who originally had five thousand men (''[[A Clash of Kings]]'', [[A Clash of Kings-Chapter 31|Catelyn III]]), has twenty thousand men shortly after Renly's death (''[[A Clash of Kings]]'', [[A Clash of Kings-Chapter 42|Davos II]]), indicating that ~15.000 men from Renly's army have joined him. As only one fifth of Renly's knights did not join Stannis (''[[A Clash of Kings]]'', [[A Clash of Kings-Chapter 36|Tyrion IX]]), the total of Renly's cavalry numbered ~18.750 men, nearing twenty thousand.</ref>
 +
<br>Storm's End's garrison
 
| casualties1 = none
 
| casualties1 = none
| casualties2 = [[Renly Baratheon]]+<br>[[Cortnay Penrose]]+<br>[[Robar Royce]]+<br>[[Emmon Cuy]]+
+
| casualties2 = King [[Renly Baratheon]]<br>Ser [[Cortnay Penrose]]<br>Ser [[Robar Royce]]<br>Ser [[Emmon Cuy]]
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{See homonyms | Siege of Storm's End (disambiguation)}}
 
{{See homonyms | Siege of Storm's End (disambiguation)}}
The '''Siege of Storm's End''' is a short engagement featuring a regicide during the [[War of the Five Kings]]. This siege leads directly to the largest battle of the conflict, the [[Battle of the Blackwater]].
+
The '''siege of Storm's End''' is a short engagement during the [[War of the Five Kings]]. After both [[Stannis Baratheon|Stannis]] and [[Renly Baratheon]] proclaim themselves king, Stannis lays siege to Renly's seat, [[Storm's End]], forcing Renly to ride for Storm's End to confront him. The conflict ends in victory for Stannis, and he gains a large part of Renly's cavalry following Renly's death. Having significantly increased his strength, this victory enables Stannis to march on [[King's Landing]] for the largest battle of the conflict, the [[Battle of the Blackwater]].  
  
 
==Prelude==
 
==Prelude==
===Dragonstone===
+
Following the death of King [[Robert I Baratheon]], his heir, Prince [[Joffrey Baratheon|Joffrey]], is crowned.{{Ref|agot|57}} However, Robert's two brothers also express their claim to the throne. Robert's youngest brother, [[Renly Baratheon]], is the first to present his claim. Having fled [[King's Landing]] with Ser [[Loras Tyrell]] shortly before Robert's death, Renly rode to [[Highgarden]], married [[Margaery Tyrell]], the daughter of [[Mace Tyrell]], the [[Lord of Highgarden]], and claimed the [[Iron Throne]] a fortnight later.{{Ref|agot|69}} Renly's strength comes from both the [[Reach]] and the [[stormlands]].{{Ref|agot|71}}
[[Stannis Baratheon]] is one of the first members of the [[small council]] of his brother, King [[Robert Baratheon]], to harbor suspicions of the parentage of the king's children, and to discover that they were born of incest between Queen [[Cersei Lannister]] and her brother Ser [[Jaime Lannister|Jaime]]. Taking his suspicions and what proof he could muster, in the form of Robert's numerous bastard children, to Lord [[Jon Arryn]], Stannis hopes to convince the [[Hand of the King]], one of Robert's oldest and most trusted friends, of the Lannisters' treason. When Arryn dies under suspicious circumstances shortly thereafter, Stannis flees to [[Dragonstone]], his seat of power. Rallying what strength he can, with but few [[House Baratheon of Dragonstone#Sworn to Dragonstone|houses sworn to Dragonstone]], he closes the port and its surrounding waters, hiring sellsails and pirates of the [[Free Cities]] to augment his forces. As the lord of an island domain and the sitting [[Master of Ships]], Stannis's naval power is considerable, but the sparse population of the rocky, volcanic islands surrounding Dragonstone leave him without the strength to risk openly contesting the [[House Lannister|Lannisters]] controlling the [[Iron Throne]].{{ref|ACOK|Prologue}}{{ref|ACOK|10}}
+
 
 +
Renly's elder brother, [[Stannis Baratheon|Stannis]], who had fled to [[Dragonstone|his seat]] on [[Dragonstone (island)|Dragonstone]], later proclaims his own claim for the throne, on account of his belief that Joffrey and his siblings had not been fathered by Robert, but instead by Queen [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei's]] twin brother, Ser [[Jaime Lannister]].{{Ref|acok|Prologue}} Although Stannis has been gathering his strength for half a year, he still lacks the strength to attack King's Landing, as few [[House Baratheon of Dragonstone#Sworn to Dragonstone|Houses are sworn to Dragonstone]] and the rocky, volcanic islands surrounding Dragonstone have a sparse population. Additionally, Stannis considers his brother's proclamation as a treasonous act, and is angered that the men of the stormlands have given their support to Renly, the [[Lord of Storm's End]].{{Ref|acok|Prologue}}
  
After Robert dies and is succeeded by [[Joffrey Baratheon]], Stannis presents his claims through letters distributed throughout the Seven Kingdoms, proclaiming Joffrey and his siblings the fruit of incest, and claiming the crown as Robert's eldest surviving brother and rightful heir. With neither proof, nor the support or love of nobles and commons alike, his proclamation ends as little more than tavern gossip.{{ref|ACOK|10}}
+
With his huge host, Renly begins his march from Highgarden on the [[Roseroad]] towards King's Landing, accompanied by his young bride,{{Ref|acok|10}}{{Ref|acok|17}} but his host moves slow.{{Ref|acok|22}}
  
===Battling Renly===
+
Stannis receives counsel from a red priestess, [[Melisandre]], who tells him of two futures she has seen in her flames; One in which Stannis is defeated in King's Landing by his brother Renly, and one in which he sails to Storm's End, where his brother shall die, and his men will flock to Stannis.{{Ref|ACOK|42}} With the strength he has gathered thus far, Stannis sets sail for the stormlands.{{Ref|acok|22}}
Even before Stannis's ravens take wing with his claim, his younger brother [[Renly Baratheon|Renly]] had ridden from King's Landing to [[Highgarden]], where he wed [[Margaery Tyrell]], the daughter of Lord [[Mace Tyrell]], and claimed the crown for himself. For Stannis, this is blatant treason. Moreover, Stannis is infuriated with the knowledge that the [[the Stormlands]] have thrown in with Renly, despite the fact that Stannis, as the elder son of [[House Baratheon]], should have held claim to the loyalty of his House's ancestral seat, [[Storm's End]]. Unwilling to let such treachery pass, when Stannis at last sets out from Dragonstone to war, he makes not for King's Landing, but Storm's End.{{ref|ACOK|22}}
 
  
 
==Siege==
 
==Siege==
===Regicide===
+
[[Stannis Baratheon|Stannis]] arrives in the [[stormlands]] with five thousand men{{Ref|acok|31}} and lays siege to the coastal fortress [[Storm's End]], [[Renly Baratheon|Renly's]] seat.{{ref|ACOK|22}}{{Ref|ACOK|25}} Renly is at [[Bitterbridge]] with his army when the news reaches his camp. He splits his forces and rides with some twenty thousand cavalry to Storm's End to break the siege.{{ref|ACOK|31}} He confronts Stannis during a parlay, with Lady [[Catelyn Stark]] in attendance, during which he offers Stannis [[Renly's peach|a peach]], but the two brothers are unable to set aside their differences. Neither will yield; Instead, they agree that a battle is set to start at dawn the next day.{{ref|ACOK|31}} However, shortly before the battle is to start, while being armored for battle by [[Brienne Tarth|Brienne of Tarth]], Renly is killed by a [[shadow assassin]] summoned by [[Melisandre]].{{Ref|ACOK|33}} Ser [[Emmon Cuy]] and Ser [[Robar Royce]], who had been guarding the king's tent, accuse Brienne of the murder when they see Renly dead in Brienne's arms. Catelyn Stark, who had witnessed Renly's death, convinces Ser Robar that Brienne is innocent. Escaping Ser Emmon, Catelyn and Brienne flee the camp and head for the [[riverlands]].{{Ref|acok|33}} A raging Ser [[Loras Tyrell]] later kills Ser Emmon Cuy and Ser Robar Royce for failing to protect their king.{{ref|ACOK|36}}
Stannis sails for Storm's End, encircling it with his meager land host and blockading it from the sea with his superior naval force.{{ref|ACOK|41}}{{ref|ACOK|31}} Renly cannot let an army take him in the rear, so he rides to Storm's End with all his knights and lords, leaving his infantry encamped at [[Bitterbridge]]. During the parley Stannis and Renly threaten each other but agree that battle will take place at dawn the next day. However, before the battle can take place, a [[shadow assassin|shadow being]] slays Renly in his tent. A raging Ser [[Loras Tyrell]] kills Ser [[Emmon Cuy]] and Ser [[Robar Royce]] for failing to protect Renly;{{ref|ACOK|36}} [[Brienne of Tarth]], who fled with [[Catelyn Tully]], is blamed for the king's murder.{{ref|ACOK|31}}
+
[[File:Shadow baby birth.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Melisandre]] of [[Asshai]] births a [[Shadow assassin|shadow baby]].]]
 +
With Renly dead, the majority of the host that had accompanied him to Storm's End swears their allegiance to Stannis.{{ref|ACOK|36}} [[House Florent]] and both branches of [[House Fossoway]] also defect to Stannis, but a fifth of Renly's knights returns to Bitterbridge with Ser [[Loras Tyrell]].{{ref|ACOK|36}} First to join Stannis is Lord [[Alester Florent]], the uncle of Stannis's queen, [[Selyse Florent|Selyse]].{{Ref|acok|36}}
  
===The Garrison===
+
The siege continues as Storm's End's castellan, Ser [[Cortnay Penrose]], refuses to yield the castle to Stannis{{ref|ACOK|36}} because he fears for the safety of King [[Robert I Baratheon|Robert I]]'s [[bastard]] son [[Edric Storm]].{{Ref|ACOK|42}} During a parley beneath the walls, Cortnay offers single combat with a champion of Stannis's choosing, but is rebuffed by the king.{{ref|ACOK|42}}  
Upon Renly's death, four fifths of the mounted force that had accompanied him to Storm's End go over to Stannis. First among them is Lord [[Alester Florent]], the uncle of Stannis's queen, [[Selyse Florent]]. In the end, nearly all of the storm lords and several Reach lords join Stannis's cause. However, some influential nobles including Ser [[Loras Tyrell]], Lord [[Mathis Rowan]], Lord [[Randyll Tarly]], and Lady [[Arwyn Oakheart]] refuse to join Stannis. Ser [[Cortnay Penrose]], Renly's castellan inside Storm's End, continues to hold out, refusing to hand over the castle. During a parley beneath the walls, Cortnay offers single combat with a champion of Stannis's choosing, but is rebuffed by the king. Stannis wants Robert's bastard, [[Edric Storm]], but Cortnay refuses to surrender him.{{ref|ACOK|42}}
 
  
In order to coerce Ser Cortnay, several ideas are proposed, among them storming the castle, leaving a force to mount a protracted siege, or threatening to kill Cortnay's father, Lord [[House Penrose|Penrose]]. Stannis refuses all of these options. Instead, he turns to [[Davos Seaworth]] to smuggle [[Melisandre]] beneath Storm's End, as its walls are warded against magic. In a cavern under the castle Davos witnesses Melisandre birth a shadow being, indicating she also created Renly's murderer.{{ref|ACOK|42}} Cortnay soon falls from a wall and Lord [[Elwood Meadows]], who is Cortnay's second, surrenders the castle.{{ref|ACOK|45}} Stannis leaves Ser [[Gilbert Farring]] as his castellan, with Meadows as his second and 200 men at his command. After burning the [[godswood]] as an offering to [[R'hllor]], Stannis marches north towards King's Landing as his fleet prepares to join him in an amphibious assault.
+
In order to coerce Ser Cortnay, several ideas are proposed, among them storming the castle, leaving a force to mount a protracted siege, or threatening to kill Cortnay's father, Lord [[House Penrose|Penrose]]. Stannis refuses all of these suggestions. Instead, he turns to [[Davos Seaworth]]. To end the siege quickly, Davos  smuggles Melisandre under the castle by boat, where he witnesses her giving birth to another shadow, who assassinates Cortnay.{{ref|ACOK|42}}{{Ref|acok|44}} Although it is said that Cortnay threw himself from a tower, [[Varys]], the [[master of whisperers]] from Joffrey's [[small council]], correctly points out that Cortnay had not seemed lost to despair.{{Ref|acok|44}}
  
==Casualties==
+
Lord [[Elwood Meadows]], who becomes castellan after Cortnay, surrenders the castle to Stannis.{{ref|ACOK|45}}
  
* King [[Renly Baratheon|Renly I Baratheon]], slain by a shadow birthed by [[Melisandre]].
+
==Aftermath==
* Ser [[Emmon Cuy]], killed by Ser [[Loras Tyrell]] in a grieving rage.
+
Sixty thousand men from Renly's army remain encamped at [[Bitterbridge]], but when news of Renly's death reaches them,{{Ref|ACOK|42}} fighting breaks out between those who whish to support Stannis and those who follow [[House Tyrell]]'s decision not to do so. Stannis sends Ser [[Parmen Crane]] and Ser [[Erren Florent]] to retrieve Renly's former army for him,{{Ref|ACOK|42}} but they are taken prisoner.{{Ref|ASOS|Appendix}} Lord [[Randyll Tarly]] seizes the supplies and puts many men, mostly [[House Florent|Florents]], to death.{{ref|acok|44}} In [[King's Landing]], the [[small council]] of King Joffrey decides to attempt to make an alliance with [[House Tyrell]] by offering to marry Joffrey to Margaery. [[Petyr Baelish]], representing King Joffrey I,{{ref|ACOK|36}} travels to Bitterbridge and wins the allegiance of [[House Tyrell]]. Riders are sent north to warn Lord [[Tywin Lannister]] of Stannis's threat to the capital.{{ref|ASOS|14}}
* Ser [[Robar Royce]], also killed by Ser [[Loras Tyrell]] in grieving rage.
 
* Ser [[Cortnay Penrose]], defenestrated by a shadow birthed by Melisandre.
 
  
==Aftermath==
+
Stannis names Ser [[Gilbert Farring]] as his own castellan of Storm's End,{{Ref|asos|36}} with [[Elwood Meadows]] as his second in command.{{Ref|asos|Appendix}} He leaves two hundred men to hold Storm's End,{{Ref|asos|36}} and, after burning the [[godswood]] as an offering to [[R'hllor]],{{Ref|acok|41}} begins his march north towards [[King's Landing]] while his fleet sets sail towards the city as well. The forces of Houses [[House Baratheon|Baratheon]], [[House Lannister|Lannister]], and [[House Tyrell|Tyrell]] meet in battle during the [[Battle of the Blackwater]], one of the largest battles of the war.
After the fall of Storm's End, Stannis collects enough men to mount an attack on [[King's Landing]]. When news of Renly's death arrives at Bitterbridge, fights break out between those who want to support Stannis and those who wish to follow [[House Tyrell]] once Lord Mace has decided his next move. The two knights Stannis dispatches to recruit Renly's infantry, Ser [[Erren Florent]] and Ser [[Parmen Crane]], are captured by Ser [[Loras Tyrell]]. Lord [[Randyll Tarly]] seizes Renly's stores and puts many men-at-arms to death rather than see them go over to Stannis's cause, many of them Florents. Mace Tyrell plans his next move with his sons and bannermen, the greatest of whom have stayed on his side. Meanwhile, the men of the Reach receive a visit from [[Petyr Baelish]], who makes an offer of alliance with [[House Lannister]]. The Tyrells join with [[Tywin Lannister]] on his march to King's Landing, arriving in time to meet Stannis's own forces in the [[Battle of the Blackwater]].
 
  
 
==Quotes==
 
==Quotes==
 +
{{quote|Your Grace, I see no need for battle here. The castle is strongly garrisoned and well provisioned, Ser [[Cortnay Penrose]] is a seasoned commander, and the trebuchet has not been built that could breach the walls of [[Storm's End]]. Let Lord [[Stannis Baratheon|Stannis]] have his siege. He will find no joy in it, and whilst he sits cold and hungry and profitless, we will take [[King's Landing]].{{ref|ACOK|31}}}} - [[Mathis Rowan]] to [[Renly Baratheon]]
 +
 +
 
{{quote|Bring on your storm, my lord, and recall, if you do, the name of this castle.{{ref|ACOK|42}}}} – [[Cortnay Penrose]] to [[Stannis Baratheon]]
 
{{quote|Bring on your storm, my lord, and recall, if you do, the name of this castle.{{ref|ACOK|42}}}} – [[Cortnay Penrose]] to [[Stannis Baratheon]]
  
==References and Notes==
+
==Notes==
{{references|3}}
+
{{Notes}}
 +
 
 +
==References==
 +
{{references|2}}
  
 
{{Template:War of the Five Kings}}  
 
{{Template:War of the Five Kings}}  
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[[Category:Storm's End]]
 
[[Category:Storm's End]]
 
[[Category:House Baratheon battles|Storm's End]]
 
[[Category:House Baratheon battles|Storm's End]]
 +
[[Category:House Caron battles|Storm's End]]
 +
[[Category:House Errol battles|Storm's End]]
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[[Category:House Estermont battles|Storm's End]]
 +
[[Category:House Florent battles|Storm's End]]
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[[Category:House Fossoway of Cider Hall battles|Storm's End]]
 +
[[Category:House Fossoway of New Barrel battles|Storm's End]]
 +
[[Category:House Morrigen battles|Storm's End]]
 +
[[Category:House Rowan battles|Storm's End]]
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[[Category:House Tarly battles|Storm's End]]
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[[Category:House Tyrell battles|Storm's End]]
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[[Category:House Varner battles|Storm's End]]
 +
[[Category:House Velaryon battles|Storm's End]]

Revision as of 14:56, 24 June 2017

Siege of Storm's End
Renly the traitor.jpg
Stannis Baratheon and Renly Baratheon, holding his peach, during their parlay
Conflict War of the Five Kings
Date 299 AC
Place Storm's End, the stormlands
Result House Baratheon of Dragonstone victory
Commanders
King Stannis Baratheon
Ser Davos Seaworth
King Renly Baratheon
Ser Cortnay Penrose
Ser Loras Tyrell
Lord Randyll Tarly
Lord Mathis Rowan
Strength
5,000[1] (At the start of the siege)
Two shadow assassins
~15,000 cavalry[N 1] (Joined after Renly's death)
~18,750[N 2]
Storm's End's garrison
Casualties
none King Renly Baratheon
Ser Cortnay Penrose
Ser Robar Royce
Ser Emmon Cuy

The siege of Storm's End is a short engagement during the War of the Five Kings. After both Stannis and Renly Baratheon proclaim themselves king, Stannis lays siege to Renly's seat, Storm's End, forcing Renly to ride for Storm's End to confront him. The conflict ends in victory for Stannis, and he gains a large part of Renly's cavalry following Renly's death. Having significantly increased his strength, this victory enables Stannis to march on King's Landing for the largest battle of the conflict, the Battle of the Blackwater.

Prelude

Following the death of King Robert I Baratheon, his heir, Prince Joffrey, is crowned.[2] However, Robert's two brothers also express their claim to the throne. Robert's youngest brother, Renly Baratheon, is the first to present his claim. Having fled King's Landing with Ser Loras Tyrell shortly before Robert's death, Renly rode to Highgarden, married Margaery Tyrell, the daughter of Mace Tyrell, the Lord of Highgarden, and claimed the Iron Throne a fortnight later.[3] Renly's strength comes from both the Reach and the stormlands.[4]

Renly's elder brother, Stannis, who had fled to his seat on Dragonstone, later proclaims his own claim for the throne, on account of his belief that Joffrey and his siblings had not been fathered by Robert, but instead by Queen Cersei's twin brother, Ser Jaime Lannister.[5] Although Stannis has been gathering his strength for half a year, he still lacks the strength to attack King's Landing, as few Houses are sworn to Dragonstone and the rocky, volcanic islands surrounding Dragonstone have a sparse population. Additionally, Stannis considers his brother's proclamation as a treasonous act, and is angered that the men of the stormlands have given their support to Renly, the Lord of Storm's End.[5]

With his huge host, Renly begins his march from Highgarden on the Roseroad towards King's Landing, accompanied by his young bride,[6][7] but his host moves slow.[8]

Stannis receives counsel from a red priestess, Melisandre, who tells him of two futures she has seen in her flames; One in which Stannis is defeated in King's Landing by his brother Renly, and one in which he sails to Storm's End, where his brother shall die, and his men will flock to Stannis.[9] With the strength he has gathered thus far, Stannis sets sail for the stormlands.[8]

Siege

Stannis arrives in the stormlands with five thousand men[1] and lays siege to the coastal fortress Storm's End, Renly's seat.[8][10] Renly is at Bitterbridge with his army when the news reaches his camp. He splits his forces and rides with some twenty thousand cavalry to Storm's End to break the siege.[1] He confronts Stannis during a parlay, with Lady Catelyn Stark in attendance, during which he offers Stannis a peach, but the two brothers are unable to set aside their differences. Neither will yield; Instead, they agree that a battle is set to start at dawn the next day.[1] However, shortly before the battle is to start, while being armored for battle by Brienne of Tarth, Renly is killed by a shadow assassin summoned by Melisandre.[11] Ser Emmon Cuy and Ser Robar Royce, who had been guarding the king's tent, accuse Brienne of the murder when they see Renly dead in Brienne's arms. Catelyn Stark, who had witnessed Renly's death, convinces Ser Robar that Brienne is innocent. Escaping Ser Emmon, Catelyn and Brienne flee the camp and head for the riverlands.[11] A raging Ser Loras Tyrell later kills Ser Emmon Cuy and Ser Robar Royce for failing to protect their king.[12]

With Renly dead, the majority of the host that had accompanied him to Storm's End swears their allegiance to Stannis.[12] House Florent and both branches of House Fossoway also defect to Stannis, but a fifth of Renly's knights returns to Bitterbridge with Ser Loras Tyrell.[12] First to join Stannis is Lord Alester Florent, the uncle of Stannis's queen, Selyse.[12]

The siege continues as Storm's End's castellan, Ser Cortnay Penrose, refuses to yield the castle to Stannis[12] because he fears for the safety of King Robert I's bastard son Edric Storm.[9] During a parley beneath the walls, Cortnay offers single combat with a champion of Stannis's choosing, but is rebuffed by the king.[9]

In order to coerce Ser Cortnay, several ideas are proposed, among them storming the castle, leaving a force to mount a protracted siege, or threatening to kill Cortnay's father, Lord Penrose. Stannis refuses all of these suggestions. Instead, he turns to Davos Seaworth. To end the siege quickly, Davos smuggles Melisandre under the castle by boat, where he witnesses her giving birth to another shadow, who assassinates Cortnay.[9][13] Although it is said that Cortnay threw himself from a tower, Varys, the master of whisperers from Joffrey's small council, correctly points out that Cortnay had not seemed lost to despair.[13]

Lord Elwood Meadows, who becomes castellan after Cortnay, surrenders the castle to Stannis.[14]

Aftermath

Sixty thousand men from Renly's army remain encamped at Bitterbridge, but when news of Renly's death reaches them,[9] fighting breaks out between those who whish to support Stannis and those who follow House Tyrell's decision not to do so. Stannis sends Ser Parmen Crane and Ser Erren Florent to retrieve Renly's former army for him,[9] but they are taken prisoner.[15] Lord Randyll Tarly seizes the supplies and puts many men, mostly Florents, to death.[13] In King's Landing, the small council of King Joffrey decides to attempt to make an alliance with House Tyrell by offering to marry Joffrey to Margaery. Petyr Baelish, representing King Joffrey I,[12] travels to Bitterbridge and wins the allegiance of House Tyrell. Riders are sent north to warn Lord Tywin Lannister of Stannis's threat to the capital.[16]

Stannis names Ser Gilbert Farring as his own castellan of Storm's End,[17] with Elwood Meadows as his second in command.[15] He leaves two hundred men to hold Storm's End,[17] and, after burning the godswood as an offering to R'hllor,[18] begins his march north towards King's Landing while his fleet sets sail towards the city as well. The forces of Houses Baratheon, Lannister, and Tyrell meet in battle during the Battle of the Blackwater, one of the largest battles of the war.

Quotes

Your Grace, I see no need for battle here. The castle is strongly garrisoned and well provisioned, Ser Cortnay Penrose is a seasoned commander, and the trebuchet has not been built that could breach the walls of Storm's End. Let Lord Stannis have his siege. He will find no joy in it, and whilst he sits cold and hungry and profitless, we will take King's Landing.[1]

- Mathis Rowan to Renly Baratheon


Bring on your storm, my lord, and recall, if you do, the name of this castle.[9]

Cortnay Penrose to Stannis Baratheon

Notes

  1. Stannis originally has five thousand men (A Clash of Kings, Catelyn III), but describes his host as numbering twenty thousand men shortly after Renly's death (A Clash of Kings, Davos II), while Davos Seaworth describes the host as “nearly twenty thousand” men strong shortly before the start of the Battle of the Blackwater (A Clash of Kings, Davos III)
  2. The host of Renly Baratheon is said to number a hundred thousand (A Clash of Kings, Tyrion IV). Renly himself claims to have eighty thousand with him at Bitterbridge, while another ten thousand are with Lord Mace Tyrell at Highgarden (A Clash of Kings, Catelyn II). The forces of House Tyrell make up the majority of Renly's forces. Renly's cavalry, said by Catelyn Stark to number ten thousand (A Clash of Kings, Catelyn IV), accompanies him to Storm's End to lift the siege, while his foot, according to Stannis near sixty thousand strong (A Clash of Kings, Davos II), remains at Bitterbridge when Renly goes to lift the siege of Storm’s End. As Renly previously stated that the total of his men numbered eighty thousand, either Catelyn was incorrect in her statement and Renly's cavalry actually numbered ~twenty thousand, or Stannis was wrong and Renly's foot actually numbered ~seventy thousand, or Renly had been exaggerating by stating eighty thousand while he actually had only seventy thousand men. The first option seems most likely, as Stannis, who originally had five thousand men (A Clash of Kings, Catelyn III), has twenty thousand men shortly after Renly's death (A Clash of Kings, Davos II), indicating that ~15.000 men from Renly's army have joined him. As only one fifth of Renly's knights did not join Stannis (A Clash of Kings, Tyrion IX), the total of Renly's cavalry numbered ~18.750 men, nearing twenty thousand.

References