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The '''Battle of Castle Black''' is a fan-given name for the struggle which takes place at [[Castle Black]] along the [[Wall]] in the [[north]] during the [[conflict beyond the Wall]]. The struggle contains two battles: the [[attack on Castle Black]] and the [[battle beneath the Wall]].
|image = [[File:Battle of Castle Black by Giliberti.jpg|350px]]
 
|caption =
 
|battle_name = Battle of Castle Black
 
|conflict = [[Conflict Beyond the Wall]]
 
|date = {{Date|300}}
 
|place = [[Castle Black]]
 
|result = [[Night's Watch]] / [[Stannis Baratheon]] victory
 
|colour_scheme =
 
|combatant1 = [[Free folk]]<br>[[Thenn (people)|Thenns]]<br>[[Giants]]
 
|combatant2 = [[Night's Watch]]<br> King [[Stannis Baratheon|Stannis]]'s host
 
|commander1 = King [[Mance Rayder]]<br>[[Tormund|Tormund Giantsbane]]<br>[[Harma|Harma Dogshead]]+<br>[[Magnar]] [[Styr]]+<br>[[Varamyr]]
 
|commander2 = King [[Stannis Baratheon]]<br>[[Jon Snow]]<br>[[Donal Noye]]+<br>[[Cotter Pyke]]
 
|strength1 = Main host of 100,000<ref>Satin's estimate in ''[[A Storm of Swords]]'', [[A Storm of Swords-Chapter 64|Chapter 64]], Jon.</ref>
 
* ~20,000 fighters.
 
* 100+ mammoths.
 
Strike party south of the Wall
 
* 100 Thenns and 20 experienced raiders.
 
|strength2 = Night's Watch
 
* ~40 Night's Watch at Castle Black.
 
* Reinforcements from Eastwatch under command of [[Janos Slynt]] and [[Alliser Thorne]].
 
* Second reinforcements from Eastwatch under the command of Cotter with Stannis.
 
Stannis
 
* 1,300-1,500 knights, mounted soldiers, heavy horse, mounted bowmen, men-at-arms.
 
|casualties1 = 200 wildlings and a dozen giants died during the siege.{{ref|ASOS|73}} <br>1,000 wildlings killed and another 1,000 captured during the battle beneath the Wall against Stannis{{ref|ASOS|76}} <br>[[Styr]]+ <br> [[Harma]]+<br>[[Ygritte]]+<br> [[Mance Rayder]] (captured)
 
|casualties2 = not significant <br> [[Donal Noye]]+
 
}}
 
  
The '''Battle of Castle Black''' takes place during the [[War of the Five Kings]] at [[Castle Black]] along the [[Wall]] in the [[North]]. The [[free folk]] or wildling masses under the command of the [[King-Beyond-the-Wall]], [[Mance Rayder]], attack the [[Night's Watch]], who are under the command of a blacksmith, [[Donal Noye]].
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==Prelude==
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Having learned that the bulk of the Watch's fighting force has been wiped out in the [[fight at the Fist]] by the [[Others]], [[Mance Rayder]] plans to weaken the strength of the brothers of the Night's Watch who still remain at the [[Wall]]. He sends out several smaller raiding parties to confuse the black brothers. When Mance's diversionary force strikes hard in the west, [[Lord Steward]] [[Bowen Marsh]] marshals his forces and takes the bait, taking the remaining fighting men with him, leaving only the old, the green, and the sickly behind to defend Castle Black. Bowen leaves the infirm Ser [[Wynton Stout]] as castellan, although the blacksmith [[Donal Noye]] takes ''de facto'' leadership due to Stout's senility.{{ref|asos|48}}
  
==Preface==
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As part of Mance's plan, a group of raiders under the command of [[Styr]], the Magnar of [[Thenn (region)|Thenn]], and [[Jarl]] scale the Wall and travel through the [[Gift]], planning on attacking the weakly defended Castle Black from the south.
[[Mance Rayder]], now knowing that the bulk of the Watch's fighting force has been [[Battle of the Fist of the First Men|wiped out]] on the [[Fist of the First Men|Fist]] by [[Others|their mutual enemy]], makes his way out of the [[Frostfangs]] and starts his march toward [[the Wall]]. Mance forms a plan to divert the remaining fighting men from both [[Castle Black]] and the [[Shadow Tower]] to the far west so he can send a team to scale the Wall and take the unwalled Castle Black from behind by surprise. With Mance's diversionary force striking hard in the west, Lord Steward [[Bowen  Marsh]] marshals his forces and takes the bait, leaving only the old, the green, and the sickly behind to defend Castle Black.
 
  
==Strike from the South==
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==Attack on Castle Black==
As part of Mance Rayder's plan, the Magnar of [[Thenn (region)|Thenn]], [[Styr]], along with his co-commander [[Jarl]], and more than 200 of his [[Thenn (people)|Thenn]] warriors, is sent ahead to scale the Wall and take Castle Black by surprise from the rear. After crossing near [[Greyguard]] and circling south-east through the [[Gift]], [[Jon Snow]], a supposed defector assigned to Styr's raiding party, escapes at [[Queenscrown]]. He warns [[Mole's Town]] and Castle Black of the on-coming attack from the south. [[Donal Noye]], Castle Black's blacksmith and now de-facto commander, and Jon organize the defense around archers in the towers and a line of fighting men on the massive wooden staircase that zigzags up the south face of the Wall.
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:{{Main|Attack on Castle Black}}
  
The battle begins in the early morning hours as wildling raiders and Thenn warriors storm Castle Black. After the archers take a heavy toll on the wildling force, the battle culminates on the stair. Once the majority of the wildling forces mount the stair and push back the crumbling defense, the Watch springs a desperate trap. The stair, soaked in oil between the last Night's Watch line of defense and the base of the structure, is set ablaze, destroying the stair and killing Styr and most of his men.{{Ref|aSoS|55}} [[Ygritte]] dies in Jon's arms. While the raiding party is defeated, Mance's main force has yet to be dealt with and the Watch's primary means of transporting men and materials to the top of the Wall is destroyed.
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Under the command of [[Styr]], the Magnar of [[Thenn (region)|Thenn]], and [[Jarl]] a force of a hundred [[Thenn (people)|Thenns]] and twenty of Jarl's raiders climb the Wall near [[Greyguard]].{{Ref|asos|64}} Jarl and three more climbers hit a patch of bad ice at a height of six hundred feet and fall to their deaths,{{Ref|Asos|30}} while two Thenns die while climbing the ladders later. Near midnight the others reach the top of the Wall.{{Ref|asos|30}}
  
==The Siege==
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Styr leads his warriors off the Wall at [[Greyguard]], an abandoned castle of the Night's Watch where the presence of huge stone steps improve the descent. From there, the group goes deeply into the [[Gift]].{{Ref|asos|41}} At [[Queenscrown]], [[Jon Snow]], who had joined the wildlings pretending to have abandoned the Night’s Watch, escapes the raiding party and travels back to [[Castle Black]] by the way of [[Mole's Town]] in time to warn the remaining brothers of the [[Night's Watch]] of the on-coming attack from the south.{{ref|Asos|41}}{{ref|asos|48}} Many residents of Mole's Town flee to the castle. Under the command of [[Donal Noye]] Castle Black organizes the defense of Castle Black.{{ref|asos|55}}
With the news that his advance party has been defeated, and he must instead assault the Wall, Mance assembles his host beyond the tree line. After a small probing attack at night, the first morning's attacks are spearheaded by [[giants]] mounted on [[mammoth]]s. [[Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg|Mag the Mighty]], King of the Giants, manages to breach the massive doors that lead to the tunnel underneath the Wall. Donal Noye and several brothers defend the tunnel system with spears and arrow fire from behind the internal gate and murder-hole system built into the tunnel. While they manage to kill all of the attackers, including Mag, and hold the interior portcullis under the Wall, all the defenders are slain, including Donal, whose body is found crushed by Mag, and his sword thrust though the giant's neck.{{Ref|aSoS|64}}
 
  
With the death of Donal Noye, Jon Snow assumes command of the defense of the Wall at the request of Maester [[Aemon]]. Over the next several days, Jon manages to throw back repeated attacks on the Wall by using catapults, archers, flaming arrows, boiling oils and finally frozen barrels of rock and ice used to destroy Mance's armored battering rams.  
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The battle starts at night when Thenn warriors reach Castle Black. The battle is a near thing, and the Night’s Watch is forced to use a trap: they set the lower portion of the great wooden stairs, soaked in oil, ablaze. The stair is destroyed and the fire melts parts of the Wall, which fall down upon Styr and his men, killing them.{{Ref|aSoS|55}}
  
Ser [[Alliser Thorne]], an enemy of Jon, and Lord [[Janos Slynt]], a betrayer of Jon's father [[Eddard Stark]], arrive along with reinforcements from [[Eastwatch-by-the-Sea]]. They take Jon into custody with the knowledge, from a captured [[Rattleshirt]] who led a diversion on the eastern side of the Wall, that he had deserted and joined forces with the wildlings. Either not believing him or not caring about his orders from [[Qhorin Halfhand]] to do just that, they imprison Jon in the ice cells under the Wall.{{Ref|aSoS|69}}
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==Battle beneath the Wall==
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:{{Main|Battle beneath the Wall}}
  
Jon is eventually sent out to the wildling camp to treat with Mance, although Alliser and Janos want Jon to assassinate the King-Beyond-the-Wall.
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Mance assembles his host beyond the tree line across from the gate at Castle Black and starts his assaults. The Night's Watch withstands numerous attacks on their gate, including one led by [[giants]] mounted on [[mammoth]]s, bringing a ram,{{Ref|aSoS|64}} and one where the wildlings deploy a [[Turtle (siege engine)|turtle]].{{Ref|asos|69}} Shortly after the Night’s Watch destroys the turtle, Ser [[Alliser Thorne]] arrives with Lord [[Janos Slynt]] and some reinforcements from [[Eastwatch-by-the-Sea]]. They take Jon into custody, having learned from a captured [[Rattleshirt]] that Jon has killed [[Qhorin Halfhand]]. Janos has Jon imprisoned in the ice cells under the Wall,{{Ref|aSoS|69}} but is unable to execute him when Maester Aemon continues to insist on Jon’s loyalty. Thorne and Slynt eventually sent Jon as an envoy  to the wildling camp to treat with Mance, with the secret mission of assassinating Mance.{{Ref|asos|73}}
  
==Stannis and Battle Beneath the Wall==
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While Jon is at Mance’s camp, rangers from Eastwatch, led by [[Cotter Pyke]], and the southern host of King [[Stannis Baratheon]] arrive, taking Mance Rayder's host in the flank. The wildling host gives battle, but after Mance’s horse is killed and falls, they break and run.{{Ref|aSoS|73}} In the battle that follows, most of Mance’s lieutenants are captured or killed, with the exception of [[Tormund]] and [[Varamyr]]. A thousand wildlings are killed, and another thousand are taken captive.{{Ref|asos|76}}
[[File:Battle of the Wall.jpg|350px|thumb|right|© Fantasy Flight Games]]
 
Meanwhile, King [[Stannis Baratheon]] sails to [[Eastwatch-by-the-Sea]] with a host of over 1,000 mounted soldiers. Accompanied by [[Cotter Pyke]] and his rangers from Eastwatch, they travel along ranger roads beyond the Wall. They take Mance Rayder's host in the flank as it besieges Castle Black.
 
 
 
Mance's scouts warn him of the approaching rangers and as they emerge from the fringes of the wood, his free folk fly to meet them. The rangers are only scouts, a screen intended to draw in the wildlings, and they scatter back into the trees before Mance's wildlings and [[Harma Dogshead]]'s raiders can slaughter them. At this crucial point, [[Melisandre]] destroys [[Orell|the eagle]] that [[Varamyr Sixskins]] uses for scouting. The trumpets blow all around and three columns of heavy horse emerge. One smashes into Harma's raiders, who have no time to regroup and meet them, while the second drives into the flanks of [[Tormund Giantsbane]]'s spearmen. The third is shattered by the giants on their mammoths, but the other two are able to close in around them like pincers. On the eastern edge of the camps, archers loosen fire arrows at the tents and camps of the wildlings.{{Ref|aSoS|73}}
 
 
 
The wildling host breaks and runs as more men emerge from the trees. In the ensuing battle, Harma Dogshead is slain and the entire wildling force is either captured or routed with over a thousand wildlings killed. Mance is captured and most of his lieutenants are killed or captured, with the exception of Tormund Giantsbane and Varamyr Sixskins.{{Ref|aSoS|73}}  
 
  
 
==Aftermath==
 
==Aftermath==
With King Stannis on the Wall, Mance in irons and the [[Lord Commander of the Night's Watch]], along with most of the senior brothers killed at the [[Battle of the Fist of the First Men|Fist]] or the [[Battle of the Bridge of Skulls|Gorge]], the Night's Watch is left in a precarious position of having to not only elect a new Lord Commander but also to preserve their political neutrality. After a contested election between Lord [[Denys Mallister]], commander of the [[Shadow Tower]], [[Cotter Pyke]], commander of [[Eastwatch-by-the-Sea]], and Lord Janos Slynt, Jon Snow's name is suggested by [[Edd Tollett]] as a compromise that both Mallister and Pyke can agree upon instead of Janos. The political maneuvers of [[Samwell Tarly]] securing Mallister's and Pyke's support and some fortunate election night events result in Jon becoming the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.{{Ref|aSoS|79}}
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[[File:Jake Murray Defenders of the Wall II.png|thumb|350px|Jake Murray. © Fantasy Flight Games.]]
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The brothers of the Night’s Watch start the election of their new [[Lord Commander of the Night's Watch|Lord Commander]]. It takes them ten days. Meanwhile, [[Stannis Baratheon]] decides to remain at Castle Black, where he occupies the [[King's Tower]].{{Ref|ASOS|75}} Though he plans to burn [[Mance Rayder]], he is willing to allow the other free folk through the [[Wall]] and settle them on the [[Gift]] if they swear to [[R'hllor]], including the [[Lord of Bones]] and [[Sigorn]], the new Magnar of Thenn.{{ref|asos|76}} He offers to legitimize [[Jon Snow]] and name him [[Lord of Winterfell]] in exchange for Jon's help in winning the [[north]] to his side. He additionally plans to wed Val to his new Lord of Winterfell in order to assure the loyalty of his new subjects. Jon is given time to think about the offer,{{Ref|ASOS|76}} but eventually decides to decline it after having been reunited with his [[direwolf]], [[Ghost]].{{Ref|asos|79}} That same day, the tenth day of the elections, Stannis threatens the candidates to reach a decision that day, or he will do it for them. Realizing that all candidates are losing votes with the exception of [[Janos Slynt]], [[Samwell Tarly]] suggests to the two other main candidates, Ser [[Denys Mallister]] and [[Cotter Pyke]], that they give their support to a new candidate instead, suggesting [[Jon Snow]].{{Ref|asos|78}} That night, Jon Snow is elected the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.{{Ref|aSoS|79}}
  
Ser [[Godry Farring]] is nicknamed the Giantslayer for having killed an escaping giant during the battle.{{ref|ADWD|3}} The free folk host scatters; a thousand are captured by the Watch,{{ref|ADWD|3}} while others flee into the [[haunted forest]].{{ref|ADWD|Prologue}} Hundreds are led by [[Mother Mole]] to [[Hardhome]] or by a dour warrior to [[Thenn (region)|Thenn]].{{ref|ADWD|Prologue}}
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The wildlings who have escaped capture have fled into the [[haunted forest]].{{ref|ADWD|Prologue}} Many follow a rider who leads them to the [[Milkwater]], while hundreds more follow a dour warrior to [[Thenn (region)|Thenn]].{{Ref|adwd|prologue}} Even more follow [[Mother Mole]] to [[Hardhome]]; [[Varamyr Sixskins]] believes the number to have been hundreds,{{Ref|adwd|Prologue}} but [[Bowen Marsh]] later reports that more than six thousand wildlings are at Hardhome with Mother Mole.{{Ref|adwd|53}} Another three thousand follow [[Tormund]].{{Ref|adwd|53}}{{Ref|Adwd|58}}
  
{{Template:Conflict Beyond the Wall|state=uncollapsed}}
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==References==
{{Template:War of the Five Kings}}
 
 
 
 
 
==References and Notes==
 
{{EnWP|War of the Five Kings|small=yes}}
 
 
{{References|2}}
 
{{References|2}}
 
   
 
   
[[Category:Castle Black]]
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{{Conflict Beyond the Wall|state=uncollapsed}}
[[Category:Battles|Castle Black]]
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[[Category:The North]]
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{{War of the Five Kings}}
[[Category:House Baratheon]]
 
  
 
[[es:Batalla del Castillo Negro]]
 
[[es:Batalla del Castillo Negro]]

Latest revision as of 11:41, 7 June 2019

The Battle of Castle Black is a fan-given name for the struggle which takes place at Castle Black along the Wall in the north during the conflict beyond the Wall. The struggle contains two battles: the attack on Castle Black and the battle beneath the Wall.

Prelude

Having learned that the bulk of the Watch's fighting force has been wiped out in the fight at the Fist by the Others, Mance Rayder plans to weaken the strength of the brothers of the Night's Watch who still remain at the Wall. He sends out several smaller raiding parties to confuse the black brothers. When Mance's diversionary force strikes hard in the west, Lord Steward Bowen Marsh marshals his forces and takes the bait, taking the remaining fighting men with him, leaving only the old, the green, and the sickly behind to defend Castle Black. Bowen leaves the infirm Ser Wynton Stout as castellan, although the blacksmith Donal Noye takes de facto leadership due to Stout's senility.[1]

As part of Mance's plan, a group of raiders under the command of Styr, the Magnar of Thenn, and Jarl scale the Wall and travel through the Gift, planning on attacking the weakly defended Castle Black from the south.

Attack on Castle Black

Under the command of Styr, the Magnar of Thenn, and Jarl a force of a hundred Thenns and twenty of Jarl's raiders climb the Wall near Greyguard.[2] Jarl and three more climbers hit a patch of bad ice at a height of six hundred feet and fall to their deaths,[3] while two Thenns die while climbing the ladders later. Near midnight the others reach the top of the Wall.[3]

Styr leads his warriors off the Wall at Greyguard, an abandoned castle of the Night's Watch where the presence of huge stone steps improve the descent. From there, the group goes deeply into the Gift.[4] At Queenscrown, Jon Snow, who had joined the wildlings pretending to have abandoned the Night’s Watch, escapes the raiding party and travels back to Castle Black by the way of Mole's Town in time to warn the remaining brothers of the Night's Watch of the on-coming attack from the south.[4][1] Many residents of Mole's Town flee to the castle. Under the command of Donal Noye Castle Black organizes the defense of Castle Black.[5]

The battle starts at night when Thenn warriors reach Castle Black. The battle is a near thing, and the Night’s Watch is forced to use a trap: they set the lower portion of the great wooden stairs, soaked in oil, ablaze. The stair is destroyed and the fire melts parts of the Wall, which fall down upon Styr and his men, killing them.[5]

Battle beneath the Wall

Mance assembles his host beyond the tree line across from the gate at Castle Black and starts his assaults. The Night's Watch withstands numerous attacks on their gate, including one led by giants mounted on mammoths, bringing a ram,[2] and one where the wildlings deploy a turtle.[6] Shortly after the Night’s Watch destroys the turtle, Ser Alliser Thorne arrives with Lord Janos Slynt and some reinforcements from Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. They take Jon into custody, having learned from a captured Rattleshirt that Jon has killed Qhorin Halfhand. Janos has Jon imprisoned in the ice cells under the Wall,[6] but is unable to execute him when Maester Aemon continues to insist on Jon’s loyalty. Thorne and Slynt eventually sent Jon as an envoy to the wildling camp to treat with Mance, with the secret mission of assassinating Mance.[7]

While Jon is at Mance’s camp, rangers from Eastwatch, led by Cotter Pyke, and the southern host of King Stannis Baratheon arrive, taking Mance Rayder's host in the flank. The wildling host gives battle, but after Mance’s horse is killed and falls, they break and run.[7] In the battle that follows, most of Mance’s lieutenants are captured or killed, with the exception of Tormund and Varamyr. A thousand wildlings are killed, and another thousand are taken captive.[8]

Aftermath

Jake Murray. © Fantasy Flight Games.

The brothers of the Night’s Watch start the election of their new Lord Commander. It takes them ten days. Meanwhile, Stannis Baratheon decides to remain at Castle Black, where he occupies the King's Tower.[9] Though he plans to burn Mance Rayder, he is willing to allow the other free folk through the Wall and settle them on the Gift if they swear to R'hllor, including the Lord of Bones and Sigorn, the new Magnar of Thenn.[8] He offers to legitimize Jon Snow and name him Lord of Winterfell in exchange for Jon's help in winning the north to his side. He additionally plans to wed Val to his new Lord of Winterfell in order to assure the loyalty of his new subjects. Jon is given time to think about the offer,[8] but eventually decides to decline it after having been reunited with his direwolf, Ghost.[10] That same day, the tenth day of the elections, Stannis threatens the candidates to reach a decision that day, or he will do it for them. Realizing that all candidates are losing votes with the exception of Janos Slynt, Samwell Tarly suggests to the two other main candidates, Ser Denys Mallister and Cotter Pyke, that they give their support to a new candidate instead, suggesting Jon Snow.[11] That night, Jon Snow is elected the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.[10]

The wildlings who have escaped capture have fled into the haunted forest.[12] Many follow a rider who leads them to the Milkwater, while hundreds more follow a dour warrior to Thenn.[12] Even more follow Mother Mole to Hardhome; Varamyr Sixskins believes the number to have been hundreds,[12] but Bowen Marsh later reports that more than six thousand wildlings are at Hardhome with Mother Mole.[13] Another three thousand follow Tormund.[13][14]

References