Robb's killing of Rickard Karstark

[NorthRemembers]

Robb also murdered Karstark to make himself feel better. He didn't do it because it was the best thing for his people, he only did it because it made him feel good for doing it.

He hated having to execute Karstark for treason, but it is what had to be done. He would have lost the repsect of all the northern lords for a mere imprisonment.

[jandslegate]

Beheading is a more honorable death than a hanging and I would assume a 'cleaner' death. It's just insult to injury for the ones being hung.

[David Selig]

Some people are more equal than others even in death.

I doubt any Stark executed personally all condemned to death. Given the harsh laws and the huge territory they rule, it's just not feasible.

[Erkan12]

Are you expect to kill everyman in his kingdom execute by himself ? He killed the leader, i think this is enough.

[Eli Stark]

It's not considered murder because they're at war with the Lannisters. Killing enemies during war is not considered "murder".

Do you think it's right that a king should choose his honor vs providing justice for his people? I think not. His main priority should be his people, not himself.

Robb also murdered Karstark to make himself feel better. He didn't do it because it was the best thing for his people, he only did it because it made him feel good for doing it.

There's a difference between killing enemy combatants in battle and a defenseless prisoner who has already surrendered.

[The Manhood-Eating Goat]

Yeah, there are some reasonable counter arguments presented here but also a lot of unreasonable ones.

Ned's lesson, and Robb's opinion, is that he who pronounces the judgement of death should carry out the sentence. That specifically doesn't include people killed in war, or any criminal condemned in the north as some people have tried to suggest.

It does include every person one personally sentences for death. As far as we see, and as far as Ned's opinion seems to carry, that is everyone and anyone. As far as Robb's words carry, it is again everyone. And yet Robb sentences people to death without carrying it out himself.

I doubt Ned (who was famously honourable) ranked practicality, getting tired, or being too gory above being honourable and so the only logical conclusion in my opinion is that Robb's actions in having Karstark's co-conspirators hanged directly betrayed his father's code of honour.

[SerJeremiahLouistark]

Yeah, there are some reasonable counter arguments presented here but also a lot of unreasonable ones.

Ned's lesson, and Robb's opinion, is that he who pronounces the judgement of death should carry out the sentence. That specifically doesn't include people killed in war, or any criminal condemned in the north as some people have tried to suggest.

It does include every person one personally sentences for death. As far as we see, and as far as Ned's opinion seems to carry, that is everyone and anyone. As far as Robb's words carry, it is again everyone. And yet Robb sentences people to death without carrying it out himself.

I doubt Ned (who was famously honourable) ranked practicality, getting tired, or being too gory above being honourable and so the only logical conclusion in my opinion is that Robb's actions in having Karstark's co-conspirators hanged directly betrayed his father's code of honour.

I see it a little different, I think he ordered the hangings because the Karstark men murdered the Lannister kids. They didn't deserve a clean death because of their actions. Rickard was a noble lord, he had to give Rickard a clean death.

[The Manhood-Eating Goat]

But if he truly believed that the man who condemned them to death should carry it out, he still could have hanged the rest of them personally.

[SerJeremiahLouistark]

They were just goons though.

[The Manhood-Eating Goat]

Ned never mentioned a man's quality (indeed the man he beheaded from the watch was lowborn) and neither did Robb. They both insisted that the man who passes the sentence should commit the execution. That's where Robb's words contradict his actions, and the importance/intelligence/birth of those killed doesn't support that contradiction at any point of the text.

[SerJeremiahLouistark]

That's just my best guess. The guy in AGOT was also a black brother, the Starks held them in very high regard.

[Father of Hosts]

We have Cat's POV. If it was a huge deal that he did not personally execute every single one, she would have said something or thought about it. She doesn't.

[The Manhood-Eating Goat]

The entire series has the idea of unreliable narrator underwriting every observation. She is overwhelmed with relief that he has forgiven her for releasing Jaime and unlikely to take a critical view of the way he has some traitors killed.

If we accepted the opinions given in the POVs there wouldn't be a great deal for us to discuss.

[Father of Hosts]

Cat has never, in any instance, been proven an unreliable narrator. I would disagree with that whole description of her attitude and mindset during the Riverrun chapters. You seem hell-bent on your interpretation of Robb's actions. Agree to disagree, I guess.

[GREYJOY4LYFE]

Yeah, there are some reasonable counter arguments presented here but also a lot of unreasonable ones.

Ned's lesson, and Robb's opinion, is that he who pronounces the judgement of death should carry out the sentence. That specifically doesn't include people killed in war, or any criminal condemned in the north as some people have tried to suggest.

It does include every person one personally sentences for death. As far as we see, and as far as Ned's opinion seems to carry, that is everyone and anyone. As far as Robb's words carry, it is again everyone. And yet Robb sentences people to death without carrying it out himself.

I doubt Ned (who was famously honourable) ranked practicality, getting tired, or being too gory above being honourable and so the only logical conclusion in my opinion is that Robb's actions in having Karstark's co-conspirators hanged directly betrayed his father's code of honour.

I'm guessing when a band of 20 outlaws would commit some crime in the north and be sentenced to die Ned Stark wasn't swinging the sword on every single one of their executions. I don't think it's meant to be some blood crazy kill fest. The idea is you don't become too comfortable sentencing men to die. It's supposed to be a weary exercise. If you're executing this many people at once you start to grow numb to the effects of so easily killing a person.

[Direwolf of the Starks]

Rickard Karstark was an unstable man who went directly against his KINGS orders. Robb had to execute him otherwise it would look as though he was weak to his bannermen. Rickard was also a complete idiot, he had another living son who was captured by the Lannisters and he seemed to have no regard for his life. And I don't really blame Robb for hangin the rest of them. Did you see him after he beheaded Rickard, if he had beheaded the rest of them Robb probably would have hung himself

[Mordwyn of House Harcarste]

I think after they find out about Ned's death Robb should have marched back past Moat Cailin and waited for the southron armies to come to him, destroy them, then march south AND get rid of the Ironborn problem.