Throughout the series, the Starks of Winterfell were Thrones’s most notable and beloved family. They weren’t loved for being good only, they were brave, honest, caring, and most of all, up to their family traditions. Ned Stark truly properly raised his children, and taught them how to act as a leader or father. As a matter of fact, we can say that Winterfell seemed to be the happiest one among all the seven kingdoms, in the very beginning of the series.
Ned Stark sowed every positive seed in his children to become better human beings, but he never showed or spoke to them about dark side of the world.
Despite their good characters, they never got the same deeds in return from other people. Everyone in the series tried to cheat or betray the Starks at some point, but was it natural? The answer is no. Because, in the real world, you have to be more than just being fair and good. You have to be smart, and at some points you have to act clever.
Ned himself was so just and honorable, that he ended up in a prison due to his loyal service in Episode 9 of Season 1.
In this article, we’ll simply have a look from top to bottom, exactly what mistakes led Starks to their doom. Before that, we’ll simply have a look at the Stark family tree to have a quick understanding of the line of succession.
The Starks of Winterfell
- Rickard Stark – Grandfather of Stark children, was seen only once in the series (Lord of Winterfell before Eddard)
- Eddard Stark – Often called Ned (Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North)
- Catelyn Tully – Wife of Eddard (Wardeness of the North)
- Rob Stark – Eldest child to Lord Eddard (later became King in the North after his father’s death)
- Sansa Stark – eldest daughter of Lord Eddard (later became Queen of the North by the end of the series)
- Arya Stark – youngest daughter (killed the Night King, became a warrior and faceless killer, never became a lady)
- Brandon Stark – second son of Eddard (second in the line of sucession, became a three-eyed raven, later became King of six Kingdoms by the end of the series)
- Rickard Stark – youngest son of Eddard (had a tough life, kept running throughout the series, never became a Lord)
- Jon Snow – son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen (half Stark and half Targaryen, raised by Eddard Stark as his son to keep his real identity as a secret, later became Lord Commander of the Nights Watch, King in the North)
That was a quick overview of Stark family tree in Game of Thrones, now let’s see all the mistakes made by every Stark in the series, that led them to their destiny, and why it was consdiered a mistake.
How the Starks Lost the Game of Thrones | A List of Costly Mistakes
Ned Stark | The Man of Honor, But Too Honest
The head of the family and the Warden of the North, Ned (Sean Bean), was known for his strong sense of honor and duty. He was too kind and soft-hearted, but sadly, in the world of politics, his kindness became his weakness. He was among the very first characters in the series who suffered the most for no reason.
Wonder, what would the Seven Kingdoms be like if Ned Stark had ruled the Seven Kingdoms? Well, it seems like a fairytale, but it would have been a world full of happiness and just systems.
Here is the list of mistakes that led him to his execution.
Trusting Littlefinger
After his arrival in the capital, Ned became the hand of the King, and many other counselors around him were jealous because they didn’t want to be ruled by someone from the outside, especially a northerner. Lord Stark already knew how Jon Arryn (John Standing) was poisoned and murdered, still he was too careless while acting has a hand.
And here comes his first mistake, when he trusted Littlefinger (Lord Petyr Baelish played by Aiden Gillen), who was primarily helping him to find out the killers of Lord Arryn. Lord Baelish is one of the most cunning and deceiving characters in the series. Apparently, no one trusted him in the whole series, but Ned was too innocent to do so.
When Ned was arrested in the Throne room shortly after King Robert’s (Mark Addy) death, Lord Baelish put his knife to Lord Stark’s neck and said, “I did warn you not to trust me“.
He should have acted smartly, use his own recourses, and should have kept an eye on every move. Instead, he sought help from those who already failed previous hand of the King.
Warning Cersei
This was the most foolish act done by Lord Stark. He tried to save Cersei (Lena Headey) and her children from Robert’s cruelty, as all of Cersei’s children were born of incest with her brother. It looked like after so many years of war and politics, he still had a soft spot inside his heart for children, that’s why he clearly confronted Cersei, that I don’t want my hands on your children’s blood.
It was kind, but he could have acted smartly and asked Robert to declare one of his brothers as his successor. After the confrontation, Cersie even warned Lord Stark that there is never a middle ground in the game of thrones, still, he kept his silence and trusted clever counselors like Petyr Baelish.
Underestimating the Game of Thrones
This one is a crucial point, as it could completely change the whole game in the series. When it comes to politics, we have to shake hands with people we despise most, but Lord Stark had a different point of view. Here are some quick points to understand how he underestimated Game of Thrones at every point.
- He never liked Lannisters, so he annoyed them all the time with his bold words and moves.
- He took his oath too seriously and came to the capital as the hand of the King.
- He confronted every clever person around him and tried to undermine them with the given authority.
- He was straightforward, and despite having intelligence, he ignored diplomacy at every step.
- He was too quick to trust anyone, despite having the common knowledge that he was surrounded by killers and selfish leaders.
Catelyn Tully | The Protective Mother, But Too Emotional
Catelyn Tully (Michelle Fairley) is a fierce character, one of the most loving persons in the series. She loved her children from the depths of her heart, as any mother would do, but she had a cloudy judgment, and weak emotional intelligence, which led his family to danger. Here are some notable mistakes she made.
Capturing Tyrion Lannister
When it comes to complicated matters of war and crime, you should never blindly accuse anyone without proof. Lady Catelyn made a serious mistake by capturing Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage). She already knew the man belonged to House Lannister and was the youngest son of the most powerful man in the country, so she should have waited for the right moment with solid proof, but she lacked patience, which became a major mistake afterwards.
If Lady Catelyn hadn’t captured Tyrion, her husband would have never been abducted by Jamie, which would have given Ned more time and advantage to save his family.
Releasing Jamie Lannister
One thing is clear, when it comes to war, Lady Catelyn was not smart enough to make bold moves. She acted quickly and fiercely, and both times for the sake of her children. She captured one Lannister who wasn’t guilty of any crime and released another (Jamie played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) who had done things beyond forgiveness. Both times, she made a mistake that put her family in more danger.
The funny part is she captured the wrong person at the wrong time, and released the wrong one at the wrong time, which could theoretically prove she was wrong all the time, making decisions in this war.
Robb Stark | The Young Wolf, But Too Proud
He was the first person in Game of Thrones history who become the King in the North. But his reign was very short, as he was badly deceived and killed by his own bannermen, Walder Frey (David Bradley), following the mistakes he had made. Or else, we can say it was a kind and loving nature that became an end for his life and kingdom.
Breaking the Marriage Pact with the Freys
Robb became a King, but he never took his oath seriously. He mentioned this multiple times to multiple people (especially to the people he trusted) that he never wanted a crown, all he wanted was to protect his family and the freedom of North. Yes, it was very generous of him, but still, if he was chosen by his own people, he should have known the importance of taking oaths.
And that silly mistake led him to break his oath with Lord Walder Frey to marry one of his daughters. Instead, he married a foreign girl from Volantis, named Lady Talisa (Oona Chaplin). Of course, he had a right to choose his own wife, but he should have known that he had a whole life ahead to make decisions of love, in order to win the war, he had to play smart.
Executing Rickard Karstark
Ever seen a King who took off the head of his own general and lost half his army? Well, that kind of twisty plot also came from Game of Thrones. Lord Rickard Karstark was a Stark bannermen who pledged his sword to Robb’s father and fought multiple times beside his King. He sought vengeance with Jamie Lannister (The Kingslayer), who killed Lord Karstark’s two boys, but failed to do so.
Instead, he wrongfully killed two Lannister boys, which made King Robb very fierce, and he in return also made a drastic decision to execute Lord Karstark, which resulted in losing his half men, and that also ended the allegiance between Starks and Karstarks.
Here’s a quick catch, despite making mistakes Lady Catelyn advised his son against the execution of Lord Rickard, but he never listened anyway.
Trusting Roose Bolton
Robb exactly knew all the Stark bannermen fighting beside him, so why did he trust Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton) so much? At the Red Wedding, Roose Bolton told Lady Catelyn how he became so rich by marrying a fat and wealthy girl. It is obvious Robb had known that story, because no King chooses his close advisors without knowing their history. Still, he trusted him at every turn, and that turned out to be another major mistake.
Sending Theon Greyjoy home
Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) was a ward of Lord Stark and was brought to Winterfell after Robert and Ned won the battle of Trident and defeated the Greyjoys. Robb should have known that sending Theon to the Iron Islands could be a mistake, as his father was forced to kneel and keep his Lordship, otherwise, he had no interest in serving the realm or Starks. This one mistake doubled his trouble and put his own home at stake.
Sansa Stark | The Little Bird, But Too Naive
Despite having a terrible journey throughout the series, the sweet lady ended up as the first Queen of the Northern Kingdom. From a little bird to a young lady, she paid every cost to ensure her survival. But all the sufferings she had were because of the following mistakes.
Trusting Cersei and the Lannisters
When she was a child in the beginning, all she ever wanted was to become a queen. Surely, everyone makes such mistakes in their early ages, but later on, when her father was dragged wrongfully to the dungeons, she still believed Cersei and other members of the council. She had a belief that Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) loves her and will release her father for her sake, but she was wrong.
Obviously, there was no escape from Kings Landing, but trusting Joffrey and Cersei was a mistake.
Revealing secrets to Littlefinger
Sansa always thought that Lord Petyr Baelish was a true friend of hers because he loved her mother in his childhood. But as usual, Littlefinger used her in his own ways and benefited himself by using her secrets. It was too late when Sansa realized that she should never have trusted Lord Baelish, and that is why she was dragged from one hell (Kings Landing) to another one, which was Winterfell (when the Boltons were ruling there).
The most interesting thing is that, after getting betrayed by Baelish multiple times, she used his tactic to take him down, and in the seventh season, she sentenced him to death, which is one of the most satisfying scenes in the series.
Brandon Stark | The Curious Boy, But Too Reckless
Nobody had given a single thought about Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) being the King of all the Kingdoms. But by the end of the series, everyone was surprised. As soon as the dragons left, the smartest wolf came into the game and was chosen as the King. But, being the younger one, he also made multiple mistakes.
Ignoring Warnings About Climbing
Bran loved climbing the walls and towers of Winterfell, even though he was warned it was dangerous. Because of this, he saw something he shouldn’t have (Cersei and Jaime), leading to Jaime pushing him out of a window. The most interesting theory is that one push began a war in the Seven Kingdoms and entertained everyone till the eighth season.
Bran’s journey from a young lord to the Three-Eyed Raven was full of danger, most of it because of his own actions.
Trusting the Three-Eyed Raven Without Question
Bran jumped into visions without fully understanding the dangers. This led the Night King to mark him and find their hidden cave. Yes, that’s true that in order to become a three-eyed raven he had to watch all the historical moments, but he never asked about the limitations. In fact, he never listened to the old three-eyed raven properly and spent too much time in the visions.
Arya Stark | The Fierce Wolf, But Sometimes Too Wild
From the very beginning, Arya (Maisie Williams) had a different vibe. She always wanted to be a fighter or a warrior. She had no interest in becoming a lady or marrying a lord. She even told this to her father, and that’s why Lord Stark decided to train her to be a proper swordswoman. Despite having a strong and fierce character, she also made some mistakes.
Always speaking against Sansa
As mentioned above, Ned raised his children in a positive way, and he always taught them how to take care of each other and hold each other back. Still, Arya was a little stubborn and childish among all the children. Because of her fierce behavior, they lost one of their direwolves (her name was Lady, raised by Sansa), and she even lost her own direwolf (named Nymeria).
She never hated Sansa, but she always hated her way of living, her stupid demands, and her girlish behavior. Even in the seventh season, when all the Starks were reunited in Winterfell after a long time of suffering, Arya still questioned her authority and lavish lifestyle, but thanks to Bran, who saved their family using his magical powers.
Revealing her identity to Gendry
Although she had no one left to trust anymore, and she had no clue about her family’s whereabouts. But revealing her identity to Gendry (Joe Dempsie) was a big mistake. She had already seen what happened to her father, after that, she should have learned that no one is trustworthy other than family.
Trusting Faceless Men too much
Arya was obsessed with revenge. She wanted to take out every person on her list on her own, and that’s why, after getting away from The Hound (Sandor Clegane played by Rory McCann) she boarded a merchant ship and left Westeros, so she could go to the free city of Braavos to get help from Faceless Men.
In order to become like them, she had to follow the training and serve the God of Death. But that was obvious no one wanted her to be there except Jaqen H’gar (Tom Wlaschiha). She still trusted them and continued her training, but no one truly supported her in the House of Black and White.
Underestimating the Waif
Waif (Faye Marsay) was another interesting character in the series who was a killer, but a religious killer. There was no actual reason shown, but she always hated little Lady Stark. When Arya tried to leave the Faceless Men, the Waif hunted her. She underestimated how dangerous the Waif was, and she was nearly killed because of it.
In Braavos, she made another notable mistake. After leaving the Faceless Men, she openly acted like Arya Stark. She wasn’t careful, and this made her an easy target for assassination. She ended up badly wounded because she was too confident. Sometimes, staying quiet and hidden is smarter than showing off.
Seeking Revenge Above Everything Else
Arya made a list of people she wanted to kill. Revenge gave her strength, but it also consumed her. At times, she focused so much on killing that she risked losing her kindness and compassion. Holding onto anger for too long can change who you are. She even forgot the teachings of her parents and the value of mercy.
Rickon Stark | The Youngest Wolf, But Too Unlucky
Rickon (Art Parkinson) was the youngest Stark, and sadly, he didn’t get much chance to show his strength. The others, well, everyone transformed themselves in a particular way, learning from their mistakes and getting revenge in their own ways. But the youngest Stark never got too much screen time or fame.
Running Straight During the Battle of the Bastards
It’s true that when someone is chasing you to completely take you down, you would be confused to death, thinking about how to save yourself, and especially when you have no idea how to survive in such conditions. But Rickon was a part of the mighty warriors. When you spend half of your life in the wilderness, trying to escape death, you learn a lot of survival tactics.
Most of all, he spent his last days with Osha (Natlia Tena), who was a wildling and a great survivor. Hasn’t she taught him anything? Of course, she had told him a lot of tricks and strategies, still, he during the Battle of Bastards, when Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) gave him a simple task of running towards Jon Snow (Kit Harrington), he should have ran in a zig zag way, in order to avoid arrows.
Jon Snow | The Hero, Innocent but too brave
Jon (Technically a Stark) was raised as Ned Stark’s son, and he carried the same sense of honor, sometimes too much for his own good. We can hardly recognize him as a hero by the end of the first season. His character is too quite and innocent in the beginning.
If you want to see an exact copy of Ned Stark, that’s Jon Snow without a doubt. He always followed his teachings and served with honor and respect.
And, of course, if he’s innocent, he has made a lot of mistakes, sometimes the same ones that his father made.
Telling Nights Watch about breaking his oath
When Jon was beyond the wall in the second season, wandering with the wildling army, basically, he was on a mission. He handled that very smartly, even after falling in love with Ygritte (Rose Leslie), he handled his expedition carefully.
Still, as mentioned above, he was exactly like his father, and that’s why when he finally made his way back home to in Night’s Watch, he told all the superiors that he slept with a girl and had broken his oath. Seriously? Nobody was watching him, and no one even knew, other than a few wildlings, why he acted so decent. Because he never lacked honor like his father. That’s appreciable, but not smart.
Not taking the advantage of situation
When he became the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch and finally started to get a bit of dignity, he should have remembered how he was treated before, and now, when he’s finally getting a bright show, the people who disliked him can take him down at any moment.
We’re talking about Ser Allisor Thorne (Owen Teale). When Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) arrived at Castle Black, he also suggested sending Ser Allisor to Eastwatch by the Sea, but he never cared about that. And that became the main reason for John’s resurrection later in season 6.
Saving Rickon without a plan
Jon was an innocent man, but he wasn’t stupid. One of the clear mistakes is about saving Rickon without a plan. Sansa warned him about Ramsay, how he works, how he plays with everyone’s mind, but Jon ignored her advice. He thought that Sansa was afraid due to what Ramsay had already done to her, so he could take him out man to man, but that turned out to be a mistake, and they lost Rickon.
One thing is clear, the Battle of the Bastards could be the last battle of Jon Snow, as it was nearly lost, and then they won because of Petyr Baelish, who brought the Knights of the Vale with him.
Telling Daenerys the Truth About His Identity
Jon told Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) he was Aegon Targaryen, the true heir to the throne. This truth created a rift between them, leading to disaster. Again, we can see his father’s reflection in that decision. He could have waited for the right moment, but he told her exactly before the long night, when the whole army of the dead was at their gates. Of course, it was a sudden shock for Daenerys as well, as she was fighting this battle for the losing cause.
Sometimes, timing and strategy are as important as honesty.
Even after seeing Daenerys’s darker side, Jon trusted her until it was almost too late. His loyalty blinded him until the very end. That leads to another lesson from Jon’s mistake that love and trust must be balanced with caution.
These were some of the major mistakes that the Stark family made and suffered due to them. We only highlighted the major blunders of the Stark family that shaped their future till the eighth season and created a lot of twisty plots for the show. They suffered a lot, sometimes due to their own mistakes, and sometimes eventually, but in the end, they got what they deserved, and that’s why Starks were ruling all the Kingdoms by the end of the series.
