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The Red Wedding, whose fault was it? Everyone blames Robb for the Red Wedding. They’re only half right. Some say it was Robb’s fault, while others blame House Frey. But before exploring that question, we first need to understand what exactly the Red Wedding was. After Ned’s death, Robb began his campaign south. To succeed, he needed to cross the Twins at the Green Fork. So, to secure House Frey’s support, he proposed a marriage alliance the simplest solution. However, during the war, Robb fell in love with Talisa, a field nurse. They married soon after, causing Robb to break his vow to wed a Frey. This led directly to the Red Wedding. From this chain of events, it seems clear that Robb was at fault. But there’s more to the story. When Robb and his men arrived at the Twins, they were granted guest right one of the most sacred traditions in Westeros, upheld by all seven kingdoms. Once a guest accepts bread and salt, neither host nor guest may harm the other. To break this law is to be condemned by both the old gods and the new. Breaking a marriage pact is politics. Breaking guest right is a death sentence. Walder chose the second one on purpose. So why did House Frey violate guest right and slaughter the Starks? We need to look at Walder Frey’s motives for proposing the marriage in the first place. Although the Freys were a noble house, they were not highly respected. Walder Frey always wanted to raise his house’s status. Joining the great families through an alliance with the Starks, who urgently needed to cross the river, was his chance. But Robb’s broken promise shattered that dream. Still, that alone wasn’t enough to justify such brutality. A second factor became critical. When Catelyn released Jaime Lannister to protect her daughters in King’s Landing, the Starks lost their leverage over the Lannisters. At the same time, the Lannisters had formed alliances with the Tyrells and the Martells, making them stronger than the Starks. House Bolton had also long held grudges against the Starks. Although Roose Bolton supported Robb publicly, he was secretly waiting for a chance to overthrow him and take control of the North. After the Battle of the Blackwater, the Lannisters gained the upper hand, and the northern forces were at a disadvantage. Roose then secretly made a deal with Tywin Lannister to plan the Red Wedding. Walder Frey, still eager to elevate his house, saw his opportunity. Betrayed by Robb, he now had promises from both the Lannisters and the Boltons. That’s why he went through with the massacre, even if it meant breaking guest right. Here’s my take: Although Robb broke his vow first, and Walder had reason to seek revenge, the two sides had already renegotiated their terms. That made the slaughter of the Starks unnecessary, even with new promises from other houses. Robb and Catelyn were also careless, even foolish at times, but in this case that wasn’t the main issue. Robb gave Walder a reason to be angry. Tywin and Roose gave him permission to become a monster. On the surface the Freys seemed to benefit, but the real winners were the Lannisters and the Boltons. In the end, House Frey was wiped out by Arya Stark. Robb was reckless. The Freys and Boltons were evil. Who do you actually blame more?