Summary
After the monarch, the territory, and the council, the armies play a key role in state and statecraft inGame of Thrones. Those who want to usurp the throne or establish a new order need a force to fight wars. This stands true for the living as well as the Night King and the White Walkers inGame of Thrones. Daenerys raised an army from nothing, and hers is a fascinating tale of raising and mustering troops for a war that took place in foreign lands.
Being a medieval fantasy drama,Game of Thronesfeatures feudal armies. Military orders such as the Knights, and bannermen sworn to defend their liege lords were seen on the show. Additionally, Cersei had men-at-arms in King’s Landing, and the lords also raised armies from Smallfolk. After King Robert I Baratheon’s death, the political situation in the Seven Kingdoms was characterized by upheaval, wars of usurpers, and weak claims to the Iron Throne. Those who sought to remove House Lannister from the Iron Throne raised strong armies to fight their wars, while the Night King raised an army of the Dead to fight the living.
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The Army Of The Dead
Wights, collectively known as the Army of the Dead, don’t need the provisions and support that armies typically require. Needless to say, the Wights do not face the challenges of military life and the stress that wars bring with them. They are mindless, reanimated corpses who followthe Night King and the White Walkers. The Night King raises them at various places, the most notable of which is the Wildling settlement known as Hardhome. The Wights have icy blue eyes like their masters, and they are unaffected by the basic mechanisms that limit human lifespans. They can be permanently killed by fashioning weapons made out of dragonglass / Valyrian steel and fire. The Dead arrived at the gates of Winterfell inGame of Thronesseason 8. They fell down after Arya stabbed the Night King with the Valyrian steel dagger.
The Unsullied
The eunuch slave army of the Unsullied is trained inAstapor of Slaver’s Bay. Daenerys Targaryen acquires master Kraznys mo Nakloz’s whole Unsullied army inGame of Thronesseason 3. She demands to take all the eight thousand Unsullied in Astapor, including those in training in exchange for one dragon. Though her people ask her to rethink, it turns out, that the second she holds the whip, she orders the Unsullied to free the slaves. After the sack, she gives the Unsullied the choice to serve her as free men or walk away. The Unsullied fight for Daenerys in battles and after her assassination, they sail to Naath.
The Dothraki
The Dothraki are the nomadic-mounted warrior race from Essos. They charge into battles loudly and their weapon of choice is the crescent-shaped blade known as ‘Arakh.’ Daenerys is forcibly married to a Dothraki chieftain, Khal Drogo inGame of Thronesseason 1. With time, she learns the Dothraki way of life and their customs. She realizes the Dothraki are the finest killers who will help her winthe Seven Kingdoms. The Dothraki cross the Narrow Sea for her, slay countless Westerosi soldiers in the Goldroad Ambush, fight in the Battle of Winterfell, and the Battle of King’s Landing, and take back the throne for her.
The Lannister Army
The richest man in Westeros - Lord Tywin Lannister built the Lannister army from ruins. While the army was well-paid, it wasn’t the most honorable in the Seven Kingdoms. The Lannister army showed brute force under the command of Lord Tywin Lannister in the Sack of King’s Landing. The army fought in countless battles inGame of Thrones, the most notable of which wasthe Battle of the Blackwater. In the end, the Lannister forces surrendered to Daenerys Targaryen’s ground forces at the beginning of the Battle of King’s Landing.
The Northern Army
The Starks and their vassals make up the Northern army inGame of Thrones. At the beginning ofthe War of the Five Kings, and after Lord Ned Stark’s imprisonment, Robb Stark calls the banners to defend their lord. He gathers an army of eighteen thousand and marches south for his father. Ned’s beheading snowballs into a conflict that ends when Robb and his entire host (minus the Karstarks and the treacherous Boltons) are massacred at the Red Wedding. InGame of Thronesseason 6, Jon Snow regroups with minor houses and restores House Stark as the ruling House of the North. The Northern army fight the Dead and march South to fight for Daenerys in the Battle of King’s Landing.
The Knights Of The Vale
The Knights of the Vale uphold theHouse Arryn words- “As High as Honor” and are known for their chivalry and pride. After the assassination of Lord Jon Arryn and under the regency of Lady Lysa Arryn, the Knights were commanded to remain neutral in the War of the Five Kings. Later, at Lord Baelish’s behest, they aided House Stark and its allies in the Battle of the Bastards. They rode into the battlefield and cut through the Bolton army. The Knights of the Vale helped reestablish House Stark’s rule in the North and fought the Dead in the Battle of Winterfell.
The Iron Fleet
The Iron Fleet was under House Greyjoy of the Iron Islands and few could match their might. The Iron Fleet defeated enemies at the sea but land warfare wasn’t their strength. Balon Greyjoy’s younger brother, Euron assassinated him and was subsequently elected King of the Iron Islands. Yara and her brother, Theon fled with the loyal Ironborn to seek Daenerys. The Iron Fleet wasn’t as honorable as the Knights of the Vale, but when Yara declared for Daenerys, she promised to give up the dishonorable Ironborn way of life. “No more reaving, roving, raiding, and ra*ing,” Daenerys demanded and Yara agreed. During Daenerys' War for the Iron Throne, Yara Greyjoy reclaimed the Iron Islands in her Queen’s name. Euron’s fleet was destroyed by Daenerys atop Drogon, and he himself was killed by Jaime Lannister inthe Battle of King’s LandinginGame of Thrones.
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