Game of Thrones: 10 Reasons Why House Stark Won The Iron Throne (& The Northern Throne)

Throughout the course of Game of Thrones, it seemed like the only thing that anyone in House Stark was good at was losing and suffering. But, after being the tormented underdogs for years, House Stark came from behind and actually wound up winning the titular game of thrones, with Sansa Stark becoming Queen in the North and Bran Stark ascending to the Iron Throne (or rather, whatever became the Iron Throne after the literal throne was destroyed).

Fans of the Starks were obviously thrilled at this turn of events, but what exactly led to the Starks winning over Westeros in the end?

10 Ned Stark’s Honor

Many people would rightfully call Ned Stark foolish for clinging to his ideals when he was obviously in a world of mess, but the long-term effects of his unwavering commitment to doing right by everyone is a huge reason why House Stark succeded in the long run.

Not only did he teach his children how to rule in the right ways, but his kind and just behavior in life meant that many of the people who cared for him and wanted to follow him would keep fighting for him and House Stark after he was gone.

9 Nostalgia

Clearly the fact that Ned, Robb, and Catelyn all died in the cruelest and most unfair ways was a horrific tragedy in the history of House Stark, but in terms of people who would follow the Starks again, it certainly inspired a level of loyalty and nostalgia.

Once the terrifying reigns of House Lannister and Bolton were in full swing, it became readily apparent that the days of House Stark’s rule were the good old days, and many were desperate to get back to that.

8 They Kept Their Word

In a world where ruling families have become completely unreliable and are only looking to further increase their own power and influence, the Starks were unique in that they were always fighting for the interests of those that followed them.

When looking at the other options of Houses to follow, it comes as no surprise that House Stark was such a popular choice, as nearly every other powerful House would lie, manipulate, and betray whoever they needed to for their own gain.

7 Arya Saved The World

House Stark already had one of the best PR images in all of Westeros before the Long Night fell upon the North, but once everyone got to see how real the threat was and became aware that it was Arya Stark who saved the world, pretty much everyone was ready and willing to throw their support behind them.

Arya’s accolades were more than deserved, and the fact that House Stark saved everyone undoubtedly helped their ascent to power.

6 Westeros Was Ready For Change

After years of being led by ineffectual rulers and being at war with each other because of competing claimants for certain titles, it’s obvious that Westeros has come around on the idea that perhaps male inheritance is not the best way of deciding who’s in charge.

And, if the High Lords of Westeros hadn’t actually come to that conclusion, then there is no way that Bran would have become the king in the South or Sansa could have become Queen in the North.

5 They Were The Most Powerful Family Left Alive At The End

While hardly anyone would argue against the fact that House Stark is qualified to lead, another huge reason why they wound up as the major winners, in the end, is that they were largely the last men standing.

Yes, there were a few other surviving members of Great Houses, but House Stark nearly had a majority on their own, and they were the most seasoned and experienced leaders left alive, so it’s not at all surprising that they were chosen to lead.

4 Sansa Was A Brilliant Politician

Sansa Stark learned a great deal from master manipulators like Cersei Lannister and Petyr Baelish, but more importantly, she learned what not to do from them as well.

She was actually a kind and decent leader who wanted to protect her people, but unlike someone as politically inexperienced as Jon, she recognized the ways that political perspectives were shifting and she essentially knew how to play to her audience, and that good PR talent plus her actual skill at leading made her an obvious choice for queen.

3 Bran’s Powers Made Him Truly Fit For The Throne

While Bran is the king in the South at the end of the series, as he would say himself, he isn’t really Brandon Stark anymore.

His abilities as the Three-Eyed Raven allowed him to see anything in Westerosi history, which obviously makes him an ideal king in the sense that he can learn from every mistake that every other king ever made. Ultimately, he was just the safest and most logical choice to become king.

2 People Actually Wanted House Stark To Lead

As Sansa astutely explained to Arya when the Lords looked like they were about to turn on Jon, it’s essentially impossible to rule if the majority of the people that are being ruled don’t want to be ruled by this particular House.

House Stark had to put in an enormous amount of work to earn the trust of the other Lords and Ladies of Westeros, but they actually did put in that work and ruled with their consent instead of by force.

1 They Were A Family Who Loved Each Other

One of the strongest recurring themes throughout the course of Game of Thrones is that families are often the architects of their own destruction because they compete with each other instead of care for each other.

House Stark is different from most of the other powerful Houses in that they want to protect each other first and foremost, and they want to help each other and advance each other’s agendas rather than helping themselves alone.