Summary
The world ofGame of Thronesis known for many things, and warfare is one of the most significant. Throughout the series, almost every character was caught in the middle of a huge battle, the majority of them not making it to the end of the series as a result. But some battles mattered more than others.
Between the consequences of particular battles, the sheer scale and level of death in others, and the moments in some that helped make the series as beloved as it remains today, there have been many major conflicts throughoutGame of Thrones.
9The Battle Of The Whispering Wood
Proved Robb’s Leadership & Changed The Landscape
Season 1 ofGame of Thronesdidn’t feature that many huge battles. The budget was a little lower and the political mysteries surrounding the death of Jon Arryn made up more of the runtime. However, there was one bigger and more significant than any that had come before when thefirst confrontation came between Lannister and Stark forces.
Robb Stark proved himself to be a real leader when he managed to surprise even Tywin Lannister, taking on Jaime’s army and ruining them, even taking Jaime captive. In one stroke, he massively weakened the hand of the Lannister army and proved himself to the North and the South all at once.
8The Battle Of The Blackwater
Destroyed Stannis’ Chances Of Winning The Throne
Though Stannis Baratheon did not die until the fifth season of the show, his only real chance at the Iron Throne came late in the second season. His army far outweighed the might of King’s Landing. With Tywin Lannister and the main force of the Lannister army away from the city, it was a tactical time to strike. If it wasn’t for Tyrion Lannister, he would have taken the city and maybe ended the Lannister control six seasons early.
The Battle of the Blackwaterwas one of the largest battles the series ever saw. Between Tyrion’s amazing gambit to empty the fleet and use wildfire to destroy the ships of Stannis, and his later rallying of the troops after Joffrey left the battle, he won this fight. Without him, Tywin’s army would not have returned in time to save the city and ruin the one big chance Stannis ever had.
7The Battle Of Castle Black
Ended The Wildling Threat
Much of Jon Snow’s journey through the earlier seasons ofGame of Thronesfocused not on the threat of the Night King, but on the Wildlings. Spurred by fear of the Long Night into moving southward, aWildling army that Jon knew intimately came to Castle Black, striking from both the north and south in an attempt to take the castle quickly.
Jon arrived in time to warn the men of Castle Black and help take charge of the defense. Despite the bulk of the Night’s Watch fighting force having been drawn away to a different part of the wall, they managed to repel the Wildling threat. Without this victory, the Long Night would have been a much greater threat, and Westeros would have been desperately unprepared for it.
6The Battle At Hardhome
Showcased The Night King’s Might
In another battle that took place in the far North, Jon Snow attempted after the Battle of Castle Black to bring peace offerings to the Wildlings, encouraging as many people to get south as possible in the face of the Night King. Their peace meetingoccurred in the village of Hardhome, but they were interrupted by the Night King.
This huge conflict was a brutal one. There was no winning for the Wildlings and Night’s Watch against such a force - there was only mitigating the number of deaths they would suffer. The frantic battle was one of the most impressive and surprising moments of the series, and it finally defined the Night King as the primary villain above all others in the show.
5The Siege Of Meereen
Ended Daenerys’ Troubles
In the same episode that the Battle of the Bastards occurred, Daenerys made one of her biggest moves in the history of the show. After dealing with the threat of the Slavers for many years, she finally unleashed the power of her dragons on them when theyattempted to retake the city of Meereenfrom her.
Taking control of the entirety of Slaver’s Bay and ending such a major threat was a triumphant moment, and it showed a fundamental difference in Daenerys that would prove hugely important as she continued to warp over the next couple of seasons.
4The Battle Of The Bastards
Finally United The North
Jon Snow’s rebirth and leaving of the Night’s Watch was massive, as it laid the foundation for him to pick up where Robb Stark left off in uniting the North under a true leader. First, though, he had totake on and defeat Ramsay Bolton, who had managed to become as hated a villain as Joffrey by this point in the show.
This was another massive battle, and it remains one of the most well-remembered fromGame of Thronesdue to both the scale, the story surrounding it, and the consequences. With Ramsay’s defeat came a united North, and the Starks began reforming their power base, which had been scattered and destroyed over the past few seasons.
3The Battle Of The Goldroad
Daenerys’ Real Westeros Arrival
Daenerys arrived in Westeros and seemed to be taking her conquest a little slowly at first. Fortunately, she soon remembered that dragon surprise attacks were a viable strategy, and she made use of them by taking the loot train that was returning to King’s Landing after sacking Highgarden, almost killing Jaime Lannister in the process.
The sack of Highgarden was retaliation, and the end of the Tyrell house, but it was also necessary because of the many debts the crown had. Without being able to return this loot train to the city, Cersei’s chances of surviving the battles to come were greatly weakened.
2The Battle Of Winterfell
Ended The Long Night
The threat of the Night King was one of the major features of the eighth season ofGame of Thrones. In a grand battle, Daenerys and her forces united with Jon Snow, the entire North, and even Jaime Lannister to fightthe threat of the Long Night. The battle itself was a mess, and the challenge was almost too great.
Arya Stark was the one who managed to finally kill the Night King, just before he could murder Bran Stark. Without this moment, the Night King would have marched south with his army and probably taken at least all of Westeros. This moment was one of the defining ones by which the series is remembered, for better or worse, as a massive culmination.
1The Battle Of King’s Landing
Finally Broke The Lannisters
The final major battle inGame of Throneswas shocking in many ways. Nobody expected Daenerys to come to the city with such a level of vehemence. For Cersei, such brutality was expected, but for all the subjugated people, the kind of people Daenerys had spent most of her time in Slaver’s Bay fighting for, this was a brutal and undeserved death.
This battle saw the end of major characters and the end of the war that had been raging since the beginning of the show. Daenerys would take total control of the city, and then shortly afterwards be killed by Jon Snow because of the madness this assault showed in her.
