Brandon Stark

Brandon Stark was the heir of Rickard Stark, the Lord of Winterfell, and the older brother of Eddard, Lyanna and Benjen Stark. He was killed by strangulation by the Mad King when he protested the kidnapping of Lyanna by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. His father Rickard died along with him by wildfire.
==Biography==
===Background===
Brandon Stark was the eldest son and heir of Lord Rickard Stark of Winterfell.
Brandon's father arranged for his betrothal to Catelyn Tully. Brandon fought for Catelyn in a duel with Littlefinger. He defeated Baelish easily, nearly disemboweling him in the process, but Catelyn begged Brandon to spare his life. The maesters were able to save Baelish and he eventually recovered, but he was left with a deep scar running from his stomach to his collarbone, a "token" from Brandon that Baelish would always carry with him.
During the Great Tourney at Harrenhal, he asked Ashara Dayne if she would dance with his bashful younger brother Eddard.
Brandon was killed on the order of Aerys, along with his father, after they protested the kidnapping of Lyanna by Rhaegar. Rickard was burned alive inside his armor with wildfire, while Brandon was tied to a strangulation device, with a sword mere inches from his hands and strangled himself by trying to reach the sword. This brutal act triggered Robert's Rebellion, the civil war that led to the removal of House Targaryen from the Iron Throne.
===Game of Thrones: Season 1===
Reaching King's Landing, Eddard is greeted by Jaime in the throne room, who recalls listening to Eddard's father and brother scream as hundreds watched them die at the whim of the Mad King. He suggests his assassination of the Mad King was an act of justice, but Eddard dismisses that as a paltry self-justification for breaking his solemn vows. Shortly afterwards, Littlefinger recounts how Brandon wounded him in a duel. Eddard is unsympathetic to Littlefinger's predicament.
===Game of Thrones: Season 4===
Lysa mentions Brandon while speaking to Sansa at the Eyrie. In a blind rant, she briefly compares Petyr's attraction to Sansa to Catelyn's infatuation with the late heir to Winterfell. She is clearly resentful of him for nearly killing Petyr in their duel, and Catelyn still loving him anyway.
===Game of Thrones: Season 5===
Barristan Selmy vaguely alludes to Brandon and his father Rickard's deaths when he tells her about how her father murdered sons in front of their fathers and how his actions led to a rebellion that killed every Targaryen, save for Daenerys and her other brother Viserys, who has also since died.
Later, when Tyrion is advising Daenerys about her strategy of reclaiming the Iron Throne, he points out her lack of support by the Great Houses. As he lists them, he reminds her that House Stark is effectively dead due to the actions of their "two terrible fathers" though he doesn't discuss the specifics - her father executing Brandon and Rickard and his father orchestrating the Red Wedding.
===Game of Thrones: Season 7===
Jon Snow refuses to bend the knee to Daenerys, reminding her of how her father executed his uncle and grandfather. Daenerys admits her father was an evil man and asks forgiveness for the crimes that he committed against House Stark.
==Quotes==
===Spoken about Brandon===
==Family==
==Behind the scenes==
An unidentified actor was cast to play Brandon in a flashback scene. Footage of the scene appeared in the "Fear and Blood" first season trailer but has not appeared in any aired episode of the series. The scene was cut for time reasons.
==In the books==
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Brandon was rather hot-blooded, something his younger brother described as coming from the wolfblood. He shared this trait with his sister; Eddard believes this led them both to an early death. Brandon was tall and handsome, and was an excellent swordsman and jouster. Lady Dustin claims that Brandon was absolutely not shy about taking what he wanted.
According to Catelyn, Brandon and Eddard were totally different: Brandon was tall and handsome, and had a fiery personality, while Eddard was shorter and plainer of face, and very somber and reserved.
In his youth, Brandon was fostered at Barrowton with Lord Dustin, father of Willam Dustin, but he spent most his time riding in the Rills. Brandon and Lyanna both loved to ride; Lady Dustin compares them to "a couple of centaurs". Brandon also enjoyed practicing sword-play, and loved his sword. In his youth, he took the maidenhead of Lady Dustin, who was infatuated with him. When he was fifteen, he was promised to Catelyn, who was twelve at the time. Lady Dustin claims that Brandon never wanted to marry Catelyn, and that the match was made when Rickard's maester, Walys Flowers, put the idea in Rickard's head.
Shortly after the aforementioned confrontation between Brandon and Littlefinger, Rhaegar kidnapped Lyanna. Brandon and a group of close friends, all sons of powerful lords, rode to King's Landing to seek redress from the Mad King. Aerys, furious that anyone would question his son's actions, took Brandon prisoner and summoned Rickard to answer for his impertinence. He had both Starks executed: Rickard was cooked alive in his armor by pyromancers led by Wisdom Rossart, while Brandon watched, bound with a leather cord around his neck and a longsword just out of reach, strangling himself trying to get to the sword to save his father.
Brandon's brother Eddard became Lord of Winterfell, married Catelyn in his stead, and raised the banners of rebellion, beginning a bloody civil war that ended with deaths of both Rhaegar and the Mad King.
In the books, Brandon was described as a larger and more handsome man than his younger brother Ned. The TV series makes a departure from this, with Littlefinger stating that Eddard is an "even more impressive specimen" than his older brother - though it's possible that Littlefinger meant that Eddard was also a much better partner for marriage (Brandon had a fiery temper and was known as the "Wild Wolf", while Eddard was reserved and dignified).
==Gallery==
Brandon Stark.png
==Appearances==
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==References==
===Notes===
==External links==
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Category:Individuals from Game of Thrones: Conquest & Rebellion: An Animated History of the Seven Kingdoms
Category:Individuals from Histories & Lore
Category:Individuals mentioned in Game of Thrones
Brandon Stark
Category:Northmen
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ru:Брандон Старк (сын Рикарда)