Commander is a position held by an officer of the Night's Watch in charge of one of the castles along the Wall. The Lord Commander of the Night's Watch serves as commander of the main stronghold of the Watch, historically the Nightfort and now Castle Black since the reign of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen. The Lord Commander chooses the commanders for the other castles.[1][2]
History
Around 300 BC, the commanders of the Nightfort and Snowgate went to war with each other. Eventually, both lost their heads to the Stark in Winterfell.[3]
Before the War of Conquest by Aegon I Targaryen, the Night's Watch boasted nineteen castles along the hundred leagues of the Wall, although they never manned more than seventeen at one time.[4] Over the last three hundred years, as the manpower of the Watch has dropped, most of these castles have been abandoned.[5]
In 50 AC, Ser Olyver Bracken and Ser Raymund Mallery, commanders of Rimegate and Sable Hall respectively, led a rebellion of former Faith Militant in the Night's Watch, trying to make themselves lords of castles at the Wall.[2]
In 267 AC, Ser Denys Mallister was named commander of the Shadow Tower, a position he still holds today.[6] Since the Mallisters distrust ironborn, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont kept Denys and Cotter Pyke at opposite ends of the Wall, as the commanders of the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, respectively.[7]
By the reign of King Robert I Baratheon, the Watch only manages to sustain three castles: Castle Black, Shadow Tower, and Eastwatch.[8] Sometimes, Lord Commander Mormont sends a larger force to garrison one of the abandoned castles for a fortnight or a moon's turn to make wildlings unsure of the Watch's strength.[9]
Recent Events
A Game of Thrones
After receiving concerning reports from his two commanders, with Cotter Pyke reporting about mammoths and huge misshapen tracks near Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, and Denys Mallister reporting about wildlings abandoning their villages near the Shadow Tower, Lord Commander Mormont announces the great ranging, the biggest one in living memory, consisting of nearly a third of the Night's Watch's strength.[10]
A Storm of Swords
During the election for the new Lord Commander, Janos Slynt, a former commander of the City Watch of King's Landing, gains ground on the leading candidates, the commanders of the Shadow Tower, Denys Mallister, and Eastwatch, Cotter Pyke. Believing Janos would be a disastrous Lord Commander, Samwell Tarly approaches Cotter and Denys independently, lying to each regarding Stannis Baratheon's intentions to name the other to the office, thus convincing them both to support a compromise candidate, Jon Snow, the former steward of Jeor Mormont.[6] Jon Snow is thus named the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.[11]
A Dance with Dragons
In order to strengthen the defenses against the threat of the Others, Jon Snow, the new Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, plans to re-garrison the abandoned castles along the Wall.[12] After ceding the Nightfort to King Stannis Baratheon,[12] Jon appoints men from the Night's Watch to garrison Icemark and Greyguard.[1] Since many free folk have surrendered and passed through the Wall, Jon announces his intention to garrison Deep Lake, Sable Hall, and the Long Barrow with free folk serving under the command of officers from the Watch.[13] Free folk leaders who have yielded hostages to the Watch are allowed by Lord Commander Snow to hold some other castles and settle them with their people.[14][15]
Captaining Talon, Cotter sails from Eastwatch towards Hardhome with eleven ships by the command of Lord Commander Snow. While he is away, Ser Glendon Hewett is named temporary commander of Eastwatch.[16]
Commanders during A Song of Ice and Fire
- Sworn brothers of the Night's Watch
- Bedwyck, commander of Icemark.[1]
- Cotter Pyke, commander of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.[17] While he is away, Ser Glendon Hewett is named temporary commander of Eastwatch.[16]
- Ser Denys Mallister, commander of the Shadow Tower for the last thirty-three years.[17][6]
- Emmett, commander of Long Barrow.[13] His second-in-command is Eddison Tollett.[13]
- Jon Snow, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and commander of Castle Black.[11]
- Unnamed grizzled steward from the Shadow Tower, commander of Greyguard.[18]
- Free folk leaders
- Devyn Sealskinner, granted Greenguard to garrison with his people.[15]
- Morna White Mask, granted Queensgate to garrison with her people.[15]
- Soren Shieldbreaker, granted Stonedoor to garrison with his people.[15]
- Tormund Giantsbane, granted Oakenshield to garrison with his people.[19]
- Others
- King Stannis Baratheon, ceded the Nightfort by the Night's Watch.[12]
Historical Commanders
- Unnamed commander of the Nightfort around 300 BC who went to war against the commander of Snowgate.[3]
- Unnamed commander of Snowgate around 300 BC who went to war against the commander of the Nightfort.[3]
- Ser Olyver Bracken, commander of Rimegate.[2]
- Ser Raymund Mallery, commander of Sable Hall.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 7, Jon II.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Fire & Blood, A Surfeit of Rulers.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 55, Jon VII.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 43, Jon V.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 40, Bran III.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 78, Samwell V.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 48, Jon VI.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 21, Tyrion III.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 26, Jon III.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 70, Jon IX.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 79, Jon XII.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 3, Jon I.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 35, Jon VII.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 58, Jon XII.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 69, Jon XIII.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 49, Jon X.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 A Clash of Kings, Appendix.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 10, Jon III.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 53, Jon XI.