Leaving Jaime to command the siege, Tywin marched to the ford over the Green Fork to intercept the Stark host, meeting Tyrion along the way. The Lannisters used this time to march east and besiege Riverrun. His foot he sent downriver under the command of Roose Bolton. Robb won an alliance with the prickly Lord Walder Frey in return for Frey's allegiance and the access of crossing the Green Fork of the Trident, he agreed to marry of one Walder Frey's daughters. Robb Stark mustered 18,000 Northmen and force-marched to the Riverlands' relief, meeting his mother on the way. He was captured and imprisoned in the Red Keep.Д«y this stage, Tyrion had won his freedom in the Vale and won the allegiance of a band of barbarian warriors from the Mountains of the Moon, and rapidly headed back to join his father's forces. Eddard refused, denouncing Joffrey as a usurper, and attempted to have the royal family arrested. He ordered Eddard to take over as Regent just before he died, but Cersei rejected the letter and had Joffrey command Eddard to swear loyalty. Robert was then gored to death by a boar in a hunt in the Kingswood. King Robert's attempts to defuse the situation failed, and Eddard refused his command to have Tyrion released. This act of kidnapping, as the Lannisters saw it, sparked the beginning of open hostilities.Д¬ourse of the war Initial skirmishes ДЄfter Catelyn took Tyrion prisoner, Jaime Lannister left King's Landing without permission and rendezvoused with his father, Tywin Lannister, who was raising an army and threatening a punitive strike into the Riverlands, ruled over by Catelyn's father, Lord Hoster Tully. Eddard's wife, Catelyn, apprehended Tyrion on the Kingsroad and took him into custody. He was carrying a knife said to belong to Tyrion Lannister. Meanwhile, Eddard's son Bran had suffered an injury in Winterfell, and an assassin had attempted to finish him off but was stopped and killed. Aware that the Lannisters would likely make a power grab should Robert die, Renly agreed to marry Mace's daughter Margaery in return for his military support in an attempt to take the throne. Unbeknownst to Eddard or Robert, Robert's youngest brother Renly had been in secret negotiations with Lord Mace Tyrell. Eddard's investigations led him along the same path as Jon and Stannis before him, and to the same conclusions. Oblivious, King Robert appointed Eddard Stark to the position of Hand, but Eddard was tipped off by a letter from Jon's widow, his sister-in-law Lysa Arryn, that the Lannisters had Jon murdered. However, Jon's actions exposed himself to the Queen, and he was poisoned to death. Stannis immediately returned to Dragonstone and began mustering troops, whilst Jon continued his investigations, hoping to produce enough evidence to convince the king. They investigated and eventually concluded that the children were not Robert's at all, but the product of incest between Cersei and her twin brother, Jaime Lannister. However, the King's Hand, Jon Arryn, and the king's brother, Stannis, became suspicious over the legitimacy of Robert's three children. He married Cersei Lannister and they had three children, Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen, apparently easily securing the succession. Elements of the war, such as mercenary armies, widespread pillaging and atrocities committed on villagers were transposed to the conflicts in the Riverlands.Дuring the War of the Usurper, Robert Baratheon successfully overthrew the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen, and began a new dynasty. The clear historical influence for this war is the Thirty Years War, a prolonged religious and political war fought mostly in Germany at the beginning of the 17th century.

The War of the Five Kings is the principal military conflict depicted in the first three novels of the Song of Ice and Fire series, and its aftermath and successor conflicts continue in the latest two novels. House Tully remained closely allied to House Stark throughout the conflict. The powerful House Tyrell first declared themselves to Renly, then to Joffrey. It is notable that House Arryn and House Martell both remained neutral in the war, and took no part in the fighting.

As the name implies, at one time during the war five people claimed the title of king: Joffrey, Stannis and Renly Baratheon all claimed the Iron Throne of Westeros, whilst Robb Stark claimed the title of King in the North and Balon Greyjoy claimed the title of King of the Iron Islands.

The War of the Five Kings was a large, multi-theatre war fought for control of the Iron Throne of Westeros. Notable commanders King Joffrey Baratheon Undecided Belligerents Iron Throne House Baratheon of King's Landing

War of the five kings game of thrones