Excerpts from: The Military History of the Kingdom of Winter; from Brandard I to Mors III of House Stark
- Archmaester Hothar (Published Thirty-Six years after Aegon's Conquest)
'The greatest change in military thought came during the reign of Brandard I Stark and his son and successor, Brandard II Stark. Under previous kings, the main source of defensive fortifications came from easily built, wooden strongholds. Truly to this day, some remnants can be seen of this; most notably Deepwood Motte of House Glover. Yet, under Brandard I & II, there was a revolution of massive proportions. While it is unclear if it ever affected Winterfell itself as the legends surrounding such a castle have yet to be proven, certainly under these Kings of Winter, there was a recorded rise in reinforced structures and reconstructions of many houses' keeps and castle. Though many records have been lost to time, with the assistance of my brother, Maester Borwyn of Winterfell, some still survive in the library of the castle. The most recorded castle can also be considered the most important: Moat Cailin. First entrusted to House Cailin by Errol IV Stark, the Moat was supposedly originally a great wooden keep of ironwood. Yet, under the command of Brandard II, Lord Mors Cailin ordered the great castle to be rebuilt using granite and other stronger materials. This was just one example of what seemed to occur all over the Kingdom of Winter.'
- Excerpt from Chapter One: Wood and Stone
'…No doubt House Stark reached its lowest point during the reign of Edric II Stark. The work done by his ancestors was sorely wasted on the unusually lavish tastes of the spoilt King of Winter. Due to his great spending, some mighty houses revolted against his rule during a particularly harsh winter, in what seemed to be 437 BAC. Among these rebellious houses was House Cailin. We can never truly understand why one of House Stark's most loyal vassals would rebel, but there are some theories; the most likely being that House Cailin could count on marriages from House Stark. According to records, they received a Stark son or daughter at least once every three generations. Yet at the time of Edric II, the house had not received a Stark in nearly seven generations. Thereby leaving Lord Cregard Cailin feeling forgotten. In time, this rebellion was put down under the command of Crown Prince Rickon Stark and Houses Umber, Karstark, Cerwyn, and Tallhart. The last to fall was House Cailin. Such an impressive fortification meant a longer period of besieging it. By the end of it, Lord Donner Umber, the Lord of Last Hearth and Lord Harlon Karstark, the heir to Karhold had died, along with the entirety of House Cailin. Since the Siege of Moat Cailin of 436 BAC, the Moat has laid in ruin. One lucky lord after another being gifted it, never being able to fully rebuild it.'
- Excerpt from Chapter Three: Gateway to the North
'Far from the bronze arms and armor used by Bran the Builder, after the Coming of the Andals, the North adopted their materials of iron and steel. Jon IX Stark initiated a policy of rearming House Stark's host with all steel weapons and armor. All this did not come from nothing, however. Many in the North still detest the Coming of the Andals, yet were it not for them, the full potential of the North may not have been realized as dozens of major iron mines grew throughout the North. By the time of His Grace's landing at the Blackwater, the North supplied nearly a quarter of all iron used in the Seven Kingdoms. Early records from Jon IX's successor, Jonnel V Stark, indicate that the standing host of the Kingdom of Winter was the following for a footman; one steel-tipped pike, one steel arming sword, one iron dagger, one wooden shield, banded with iron, a half-helm of steel, and chainmail of steel with leather layers and padding. Their horsemen were equipped with much the same, however their pikes were replaced with lances, and they were given more plates of steel, though not as much as knights have. Since this time, the equipment of House Stark has done nothing but improve, admittedly not by much, however. Footman under Torrhen Stark, the first Lord of Winterfell under His Grace the King, have been reorganized into two separate groups, heavy and light foot. The heavy foot are still equipped like their former soldiers, this time with additional steel greaves, bracers, and pauldrons. They still use chain and leather for most of their protection. Light foot are equipped with almost all leather besides steel mail as well as a leather cap. The horse has currently been the same…'
- Excerpt from Chapter Eleven: Glittering of Steel
'The Hammering of the Riverlands is truly amongst the Winter Kingdom's greatest military and in fact political triumphs. There were a total of three such occasions, each known as the successive hammering. The most well-known however is the Second Hammering of the Riverlands. Brandon XVI Stark, grandson of Rickon XI Stark who was mentioned in chapter three, called his banners after House Hoare and House Durrandon made an alliance and marched north in an attempt to conquer the southern reaches of the North. The main force was pushed back at Moat Cailin, at this time under the lordship of House Towers. In response, the host raised by Brandon XVI marched south. Their first objective was to demolish the reinforcements sent by House Durrandon. At the Battle of Long Road, the two armies met. Thirty thousand Northerners met a host of twenty-eight thousand Stormlanders. The battle was fierce, but the Stormlanders eventually retreated after their commanders were slain in the battle. The North still survived with about twenty-one thousand troops. Though it was the only great battle in the South during the war, it is not what made the war famous. At the previous Battle of Moat Cailin, the entirety of the Riverland's host was decimated. Under the foolish leadership of the Ironborn-turned-Riverlords, they left no host to remain in their own lands. As such, after the Battle of Long Road, there was no more great obstacles in the region. Brandon XVI and his nephew and heir, Roderick Stark, agreed that they should never have to be attacked from the Riverlands again. As such, uncle and nephew led raids all over the region, burning villages, salting fields, and literally dismantling castles brick by brick 'til it was not possible for the Riverlords to wage war for at least a century if not more. To this day, there is still a large feeling of enmity between the Riverlands and the North.'
- Excerpt from Chapter Eight: Methods of Men
'…One cannot examine the North's history at arms while inherently disregarding the culture of the North. Certainly the Northern culture breeds beliefs in honor, courage, battle-greed and a thoroughly martial attitude about life. I myself am among the unique here in the citadel for before I joined my brothers, I had served as a warrior alongside my brother, the Lord of Hornwood. I, if I may say so, have a personal understanding of this particular topic. You see dear reader, many in the South view the Northerners as nothing more than barbarians. And perhaps the way they dress and conduct themselves in courtly matters, it can be understood. Yet, it would not be right to say that the North is barbaric over the views of warfare. After all, there is a reason that despite the Reach being able to field a host of nearly one hundred thousand, only the North did not fall to the Andals. In the South, 'tis normal for knights to be raised on the ideals of courage and honor in battle, yet many lords and most smallfolk do not share these ideals. This is not to blame them of course, why fight with honor when one can fight to win. However, this has also bred, in some places, a greater concept of cowardice. Unless expressly ordered to, a Northern warrior will never retreat or step back in a battle. And unlike the South, this code is shared by smallfolk and lords alike. This ferocity, this nearly fanatical belief in 'true warfare' is the greatest weapon of the North, not the swords or the spears. Further, this belief is only tied with the near-worship levels of loyalty to House Stark of Winterfell. It differs greatly from House to House. Houses Mormont, Flint, Norrey, Wull, Dustin, and Umber practically worship the ground that a Stark walks upon. Houses Ryswell, Cerwyn, Tallhart, Hornwood, Glover, and Karstark are quite devoutly loyal to house Stark, though perhaps not to the point of worship. There are some outliers such as House Bolton or the now extinct House Towers, but these houses are few and far between. This combination of battle fury and complete submission to their liege lords, make the Northern host a very dangerous enemy. Even outnumbered, they possess a great enemy…
…Where the fanatical loyalty to House Stark originated, no one truly knows. Perhaps 'tis the fact that House Stark still follows the Old Ways, the only Lord Paramount to do so. This is evident in that many in the North, especially the Umbers, the Mormonts, and those of Skagos, still refer to the Starks as Magnar, instead of Lord. The Old Tongue word for 'Lord.' On the other hand, it could come from the long line of able and honorable Stark kings. Oh this isn't to say the North hasn't had terrible Kings of course, after all they are still people as well. Besides arrogant and spoilt kings such as Edric II and mad and tyrannical kings such as Jon V and Mors II, for the most part, House Stark has served as able administrators, honorable warriors, and the defenders of the Old Gods, very important to the North. This is but a number of theories. Many of my colleagues here at the citadel believe that it was a combination of these theories, coupled with their evolution over many centuries which led to the loyalty to House Stark, rarely found by any other Great House in any of the Seven Kingdoms. I am of mind to agree with this conclusion.
- Excerpt from Chapter Nine: Stark and their People
'Wars are not just fought with arms and armor of course. Indeed a great deal of the important affairs of warfare lie in finance and logistics, so important that I deemed in necessary to name this chapter over such a simple concept. Let us examine the financial importance of warfare. Important to not just the North, paying for soldiers, equipment, and supplies is a rot that infects all the Kingdoms of Westeros and indeed Essos as well. Though each house of the North possess their own avenues of revenue, including the private demesne of House Stark, this work shall only examine that revenue that is raised by the entire kingdom, administered of course by the Starks. The main aspects of revenue come from husbandry, lumber, mining, and trade. Without doubt dear reader, the North is capable of agricultural pursuits, however this field is mainly focused on the private sustenance of the lord and his people. Indeed in many harsh winters, should there be extra, it is quite common for lords to simply hand out food stores. As such, though it is a major producer, agriculture is not considered a major economic strength of the North. What the former Kingdom of Winter does excel in however is husbandry. Most of this comes in the form of sheep and cattle. Northern wool is dense and warm. Often traded with Braavos and other free cities, it is used for rugs, shawls, cloaks, capes, and many other uses. Northern leather works are also of high quality as well. Often sought out by those of the Vale, the Westerlands, and Braavos. Regardless of the quality and demand of husbandry products, it is the North's least profitable source of revenue. What the North is truly known for is their lumber trade. The North possesses the largest source of Ironwood in the known world and have strict decrees in place to ensure the continued supply of the wood as well. It can be compared as the following; Valyrian steel is to steel, as Ironwood is to wood. In fact, there is not a place in the known world that doesn't wish for the incredibly strong wood. But it is not just the substance itself that the North makes profit off of, but also the knowledge of how to use it. Houses Forrester, Whitehill, and Glover, as well as House Stark themselves, are the only group in the entire world that know how to fell an Ironwood tree as well as work it in a way to use for ships, tools, arms, and other things. The trade of Ironwood is only surpassed by the leasing of Ironwood workers, most notably in the shipyards of Braavos. The last major source of revenue is the many iron mines that dot the North. The Westerlands are known for their gold mines, silver mines are known all over Westeros…as are iron mines in fact. But the greatest source of iron is found in the highlands of the North. I shall touch on such a resource in chapter eleven…
…But just as a surplus in coffers are important to warfare, so too are the logistics of warfare. Admittedly, the North does not possess a great road system. There are major thoroughfares, but these only connect the most notable to locations such as Moat Cailin to Winterfell, White Harbor to Winterfell, and the Wall to Winterfell. Besides these, there are no major roads throughout the kingdom. It is indeed a slow process to raise a mighty host, however once raised, it is the skill at leading such a host that truly is an important aspect of warfare. Before I pledged my oaths to the Order, I was once a member of House Hornwood of the North, even in a smaller house such as they, even young lords are taught the importance of logistical warfare. As many hours are spent in the tiltyard by young lords are also spent in the keep, speaking of and testing different hypothetical battles and wars, tested on their ability to organize and move an army while protecting such things as the baggage train and conquered lands. It is an important skill, one that those in the Westerlands are taught as well, besides the two kingdoms however, it is not considered a good investment of time and many commanders must learn through experience. Not a terrible teacher, but one that does not need to be necessary.'
- Excerpt from Chapter Two: Finance and Logistics
