Battle on the Green Fork

From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
Jump to: navigation, search
Battle on the Green Fork
Tomasz JedruszekBattle of the Green Fork.jpg
Battle on the Green Fork by Tomasz Jedruszek. © FFG
Conflict War of the Five Kings
Date 299 AC[1]
Place Eastern bank of the Green Fork, between the Twins and the inn at the crossroads
Result Lannister victory
Combatants
Joffrey sigil coat.png Iron Throne/House Baratheon of King's Landing:

House Lannister.svg Westerlands, led by House Lannister

Vale mountain clans

Roose Bolton's Host:

House Stark.svgBolton.png The North, led by House Stark & House Bolton

Riverlands

Commanders
Lord Tywin Lannister
  • Ser Gregor Clegane
  • Ser Kevan Lannister
  • Ser Addam Marbrand
  • Lord Roose Bolton
    Strength
    ~20,000
  • ~7,500 horse, including ~300 mounted mountain clansmen
  • ~12,500 foot
  • ~17,000[N 5]
    • 16,500 infantry
    • 600 heavy cavalry
    Casualties
    Unknown casualties in the right, center, and reserve
  • ~500 in the vanguard, including ~150 mountain clansmen[3]
  • Vale clansmen Conn and Ulf
  • Several hundred die of their wounds during the subsequent march south[6]
  • ~5,000[N 6]

    The battle on the Green Fork[7][8] is an early battle in the War of the Five Kings and is the first to involve forces of House Stark. The battle occurs along the Green Fork of the River Trident in the riverlands.

    Prelude

    With the riverlands forces scattered, most of their land under Lannister control, and Riverrun besieged by Ser Jaime Lannister's host, his father, Lord Tywin Lannister, occupies the ruby ford over the Trident. He plans to intercept the Stark host at the only crossing available to them over the Trident, other than the Twins, where Lord Walder Frey remains neutral in the conflict and is thought unlikely to join them.

    However, Catelyn Stark persuades the Freys to join her son Robb, opening the way over the Twins. Robb, who does not wish to stake everything on one battle with Tywin, splits his host in two. The foot and one tenth of the horse under Lord Roose Bolton march down the kingsroad east of the Green Fork to engage Tywin, while Robb himself commands the rest of the cavalry and crosses west of the river, in the hope of lifting the siege of Riverrun by taking Jaime unawares.

    Battle

    The Stark army, commanded by Lord Roose Bolton, marches throughout the night in an effort to take the Lannister army by surprise. They arrive in the early morning and launch their attack. Tyrion Lannister observes the banners of Houses Hornwood, Karstark, Cerwyn, Glover, Frey, and Stark.[3]

    However, the Lannister army arrays itself in time to meet the northmen. The westermen's order of battle includes:

    • The center: Ser Kevan Lannister commands 10,000 men, with Lords Lefford, Lydden and Serrett at his side with 300 heavy horse. The rest of the center is a mixed infantry force including pikemen, archers, axemen, swordsmen, and spearmen.
    • The right: Ser Addam Marbrand commands 4,000 knights and other heavy lancers, among them Ser Flement Brax and members of Houses Crakehall and Swyft.
    • The left/van: Ser Gregor Clegane commanding. At 1,000 men, the vanguard is entirely mounted, but consists of Tyrion and his clansmen, freeriders, sellswords, and raw fieldhands and smallfolk from Lannisport.
    • The reserve: Personally commanded by Lord Tywin Lannister. 5,000 men, half mounted, half afoot.

    Tywin places his undisciplined men on the left to tempt the Stark commander, whom Tywin believes is the untested Robb Stark, to overcommit there. Tywin hopes the Lannister van will rout and the Starks will plunge into the gap, eager to flank him. Tywin then intends for Kevan and the center to wheel to the left and take the northerners in the flank.[3]

    Perhaps owing to the northerners' exhaustion following their night march, the Lannister van, led by Gregor, defeats the forces arrayed in front of it. Fighting in the van, Tyrion hides beneath his shield when arrows fall on northmen and westermen alike. Kevan then brings up the center in support of the left, and pushes the Stark lines against the hills behind them. Tywin leads his reserve behind the van, along the river, to break the remnants of the Stark line. The Stark forces are routed and flee to the mouth of the causeway where Roose reforms them.[3]

    Aftermath

    Although Roose Bolton is defeated, his march down the Green Fork, prior to the battle, distracts the Lannister army long enough to give Robb Stark the chance to fall upon Ser Jaime Lannister's force unmolested in the battle in the Whispering Wood.

    Roose's host loses several thousand men in the battle. Roose, Robett Glover, Ronnel Stout, Ser Kyle Condon, Ser Aenys Frey, Elmar Frey and the remainder of the army are able to escape because Lord Tywin Lannister, on account of his desire to help Jaime, fails to give chase. During the battle, Lord Halys Hornwood and Ser Pate of the Blue Fork are killed. Lord Medger Cerwyn is captured and dies later at Harrenhal from a wound taken in the fighting. Other captives taken are Harrion Karstark, Ser Wylis Manderly, Ser Donnel Locke, Ser Jared Frey, Ser Hosteen Frey, Ser Danwell Frey, and Ronel Rivers.[9] The deaths of Lord Hornwood at the Green Fork and his son Daryn in the Whispering Wood cause a succession crisis to Hornwood.[10]

    Tyrion leaves a captured northern knight in the care of Bronn.[3] Two of Tyrion's clan leaders, Conn and Ulf son of Umar, are among the slain.[3]

    Game of Thrones

    The Battle of the Green Fork in the "Baelor" episode of the television adaptation Game of Thrones is altered, with Robb Stark sending a diversionary force of two thousand bannermen—instead of the larger host commanded by Roose Bolton (who is absent)—against the much larger Lannister army of 30,000. The battle is not explicitly shown, though it is a complete massacre of the northern army. No Stark leaders or nobles are present in the army either. Later in the same episode, Robb laments his decision to sacrifice two thousand of his men to capture Jaime Lannister at the Whispering Wood.

    Quotes

    A fine victory. Your wild men fought well.[3]

    - Kevan Lannister to Tyrion Lannister


    We fought between a river and a road. When I saw my father's host deploy, I remember thinking how beautiful it was. Like a flower opening its petals to the sun. A crimson rose with iron thorns. And my father, ah, he had never looked so resplendent. He wore crimson armor, with this huge greatcloak made of cloth-of-gold. A pair of golden lions on his shoulders, another on his helm. His stallion was magnificent. His lordship watched the whole battle from atop that horse and never got within a hundred yards of any foe. He never moved, never smiled, never broke a sweat, whilst thousands died below him.[11]

    - Tyrion Lannister to Penny


    Take the Battle of Green Fork. Had his night march taken Lord Tywin unawares and won the battle, he would have smashed the Lannisters and become the hero of the hour. While if it failed... well, you see what happened. The only way he could lose there would be if were captured or slain himself, and he did his best to minimize the chances of that.[12]

    - George R. R. Martin regarding Roose Bolton

    Notes

    1. 1.0 1.1 Burley & Norrey men are not directly mentioned at the Battle of the Green Fork but are later mentioned in A Storm of Swords as being part of Roose's host that is attacked by the Mountain's men whilst crossing the Trident.[2] Therefore it can be assumed that the Burleys and Norreys were present at earlier battles involving Roose's host, including at the Green Fork.
    2. Condon men are not directly mentioned at the Battle of the Green Fork but are later mentioned in A Storm of Swords as being part of a force of men left behind by Roose at the Ruby Ford to defend against incursions by the Mountain's men, following the crossing the Trident by the Northmen.[2] Therefore it can be assumed that the Burleys were present at earlier battles involving Roose's host, including at the Green Fork.
    3. Dustin men are not directly mentioned at the Battle of the Green Fork. However, during A Dance with Dragons Lady Dustin mentions that Dustin men died in the Red Wedding, which suggests that Dustin men were present during the Northmen campaigns in the Riverlands. As the Dustins are loyal to House Bolton, it is likely that they were a part of Roose's host, meaning that they took part in the battles between Roose's army and the Lannisters, including at the Green Fork.
    4. Ser Donnel Locke is captured following the Battle on the Green Fork.[4] Therefore, Locke men must have been present at the Green Fork.
    5. Robb's initial Northern force consists of 19,500 men (A Game of Thrones, Catelyn VII), with slightly more than 1/4 being heavy cavalry (A Game of Thrones, Bran VI gives the figures of 3,300-3,400 heavy cavalry out of an initial muster of 12,000). This would suggest ~14,500 infantry and ~5,000 heavy cavalry in his Northern host. He is joined by 4,000 men of House Frey (A Game of Thrones, Catelyn IX), whose forces have a heavy cavalry-to-infantry ratio of 1-to-4 (A Storm of Swords, Catelyn II). His total force after this therefore consists of 23,500 soldiers (17,500 infantry, 6,000 heavy cavalry). He leaves 400 Frey infantry and 400 Northern infantry at the Twins with a mix of swordsmen/spearmen and archers (A Game of Thrones, Catelyn IX), and orders a small garrison, mostly archers, to be left at Moat Cailin (A Game of Thrones, Catelyn VII). Earlier, Eddard Stark had stated that "two hundred determined archers [at Moat Cailin] can hold the Neck against an army." (A Game of Thrones, Eddard IV). By leaving these 1,000 infantry behind in garrisons, this brings Robb's army back to 22,500 men (16,500 infantry, 6,000 heavy cavalry). Robb then splits his army, leaving all of the infantry and one-tenth of the heavy cavalry (~600) under the command of Roose Bolton, and taking the rest of the heavy cavalry (~5,400) under his personal command to the Whispering Wood (A Game of Thrones, Catelyn IX). Thus, Roose Bolton's host is about 17,100 troops in total (16,500 infantry, 600 heavy cavalry).
    6. The casualties Roose's forces took on the Green Fork can be calculated by going backwards from what he ends with at the Red Wedding. There, he claims to have 3,500 men with him (almost entirely Bolton men) and another 600 guarding a ford, with 200 Bolton riders having previously been sent to escort Jaime to King's Landing under Steelshanks (A Storm of Swords, Jaime VI), for a total of 4,300 remaining soldiers (A Storm of Swords, Catelyn VI). In chronological order from after the Green Fork, his host suffered the following major changes to its strength: 400 men Robb originally left at the Twins joined it under Edmure's orders (A Clash of Kings, Catelyn V). ~1,000 Karstark troops deserted him and took to the countryside following Robb's execution of their lord according to Roose (A Storm of Swords, Jaime V). The 1,500 Frey soldiers (A Clash of Kings, Arya X) who were with Roose by the time he took Harrenhal pulled out like the rest of the Frey men due to the Stark-Frey marriage pact being broken. ~3,000 soldiers (said to be 1/3 of Roose's remaining infantry at the time) were sent to Duskendale (A Storm of Swords, Catelyn IV) where they were smashed. Finally, ~2,050 soldiers were left to die at Ruby Ford (A Storm of Swords, Catelyn VI). This would mean Roose's host underwent a net loss of ~7,200 troops between the aftermath of the Green Fork and the Red Wedding, where he had 4,300 troops left. Therefore Roose's host had ~11,500 troops before any of these events, meaning losses on the Green Fork could not have exceeded ~5,600 men. Note that this is an upper ceiling rather than a concrete figure for this losses in the battle, as possible losses to Roose's from various small skirmishes and sieges in the Riverlands must also be considered.

    References