Everything we know about Tourney of Harrenhal

[Rooghar Targaryen]

Sometime before Tourney of Harrenhal

-Defiance at Duskendale, King Aerys made extra suspicious and crazy (276 AC or 277 AC)

-Brandon Stark betrothed to Catelyn Tully

-Lyanna Stark betrothed to Robert Baratheon

-Jamie Lannister planned to be betrothed to Lysa Tully

-Cersie Lannister loves Jaime and hears Jaime might be married to Lysa Tully, so she suggests to Aerys that Jaime would be a good choice for Kingsguard (280 AL)

Tourney of Harrenhal

-Oswell Whent of the Kingsguard goes and talks to his brother Lord of Harrenhal... Tourney of Harrenhal is planned (280 AL)

-Lord Whent in honour of his daughter and to show off his house's power holds the greatest tourney of its time and perhaps ever

-The tourney was spread over ten days in 281 AL

-There were 5 days of Jousting, a seven-sided melee in the ancient style, an archery contest, an axe-throwing contest, a horse race, a tourney of singers and a mummer show

Known People in attendance:

-King Aerys II, High Lords Robert Baratheon (Storm Lord), Mace Tyrell (Rose Lord) and Jon Arryn along with Rhaegar Targaryen, Elia Martell, Prince Oberyn Martell (Red Snake), Lewyn Martell, Gerold Hightower, Arthur Dayne, Ashara Dayne (Laughing Purple Eyes), Barriston Selmy, Jonothor Darry, Oswell Whent, Jaime Lannister, Lord Jon Connington (Lord of the Griffins), Lord Yohn Royce, Ser Richard Lonmouth (Skulls and Kisses), Lord Eon Hunter, Brandon Stark, Eddard Stark, Benjen Stark, Lyanna Stark, Howland Reed; Some Dustins (Barrowton), Hornwoods (Moose), Mormonts (Bear) and Manderlys (Mermen), Freys (Two Towers), Blounts (Porcupine) and Haighs (Pitchfork)

[Hand of the King, Tywin Lannister not in attendance, King Aerys and Tywin were not getting along, Aerys was distrustful of Tywin ever since Duskendale]

[Queen Rhaella and baby Viserys were not in attendance]

[Rickard Stark not in attendance]

Opening Day/Night Pre Jousting

-King Aerys II attends tourney only because Varys warns him that his son Rhaegar arranged the tournament as a pretext to meet with several high lords to discuss removing Aerys as King

-[speculation: Most all of the major houses are represented at this tourney, Varys was probably right about this being some sort of meeting between Lords]

-Jaime Lannister is raised to Kingsguard, but is sent back to King's Landing and not allowed to compete in tourney

-Howland Reed beat up and bullied by 3 squires from houses Frey, Blount and Haigh. Lyanna Stark comes to his rescue and befriends him

-Howland meets the other Starks, Brandon the oldest and wildest, Eddard the quiet one, and Benjen the young Stark.

-At a feast during the tourney, Lyanna Stark listens to Prince Rhaegar perform a sad beautiful song and cries, Benjen mocks Lyanna, she pours wine over his head

-A Night's Watch member tries to recruit people at the feast

-Robert Baratheon has a drinking contest with Ser Richard Lonmouth

-Ashara Dayne dances with a kingsguard (Probably her brother Arthur Dayne), Oberyn Martell, Jon Connington and also Eddard Stark after Brandon spoke to her first

The Jousting:

-Lord Whent's daughter reigned as the Queen of Love and Beauty and she had her 4 brothers and Uncle, Oswell Whent, as champions to defend her crown

-All 4 Whent brothers were defeated on the first day of Jousting

-By the morning of the 2nd day, a Freys knight (Two Towers), a Blount knight (Porcupine) and a Haigh knight (Pitchfork) were champions

-At the end of the 2nd day, a mysterious knight appeared on the lists and challenged the Frey Knight, Blount Knight and Haigh Knight.

-The mystery knight was short of stature, and clad in ill-fitting armor made up of bits and pieces. The device upon his shield was a heart tree of the old gods, a white weirwood with a laughing red face

-Either Lyanna or Howland poses as the mysterious Knight of the Laughing Tree and defeats three knights [Not fact but makes sense, my personal guess is Lyanna]

-Then the Knight of the Laughing tree tells the knights to scold their squires and teach them honor and then returns the knights' horses and armor

-Robert Baratheon and Ser Richard Lonmouth say they will unmask the Knight of the Laughing Tree and Aerys is suspicious and think the mysterious knight is an enemy

-At the beginning of the 3rd day the Knight of the Laughing Tree does not appear, only the two undefeated champions show up to the trumpets call

-King Aerys was wroth and sends his son Prince Rhaegar to search for the mysterious Knight

-Rhaegar only finds the painted shield hanging in an abandoned tree, [Speculation: Rhaegar deduces it was Lyanna Stark].

-[speculation: Rhaegar becomes intrigued with Lyanna

-Prince Rhaegar defeats Yohn Royce, Brandon Stark, Arthur Dayne and Barriston Selmy in the final and wins the Jousting

-Rhaegar doesn't usually win, so this is uncharacteristic, Dayne and Selmy are very good

-As champion Rhaegar gets to name names the Queen of Love and Beauty,

-Rhaegar passes by his wife Elia Martell and names Lyanna Stark the Queen of Love and Beauty

-Robert Baratheon gets irritated/angry because he is betrothed to Lyanna and is very smitten with her

-Brandon Stark and Catelyn Tully's betrothal may have been publicly announced at the tournament sometime

Shortly after Tourney of Harrenhal:

-Tywin Lannister steps down as Hand of the King, angry at King Aerys for putting Jaime on Kingsguard, replaced by Owen Merryweatherer

-In Riverrun, Littlefinger challenges Brandon Stark for Catelyn Tully's hand in marriage, Brandon beats up Littlefinger

-Rhaeger runs off/abducts with Lyanna...

Did I miss anything?

All info from:

A Game of Thrones, Chapter 58, Eddard (Eddard is having feverish flashbacks in the jail cell in the red keep)

A Storm of Swords, Chapter 24, Bran (Jojen tells Bran the Tale of the Knight of the Laughing Tree)

[Mladen]

Tywin was also expected to come, but due to his fight with Aerys, most likely because of Jaime's enrollement in Kingsguard, he stayed at Casterly Rock

[Mrs.Grumpy]

At a feast during the tourney, Lyanna Stark listens to Prince Rhaegar perform a sad beautiful song and cries, Benjen pours wine over Lyanna's head

It was Lyanna who pours wine over Benjen's head because he mocked with her. :P

[King of Winters]

-Ashara Dayne dances with a kingsguard (Probably her brother Arthur Dayne), Oberyn Martell, Jon Connington and also Eddard Stark after Brandon spoke to her first

It could also be Ser Barristan Selmy who dances with Ashara as he did love her, and would have crowned her QoLaB if he'd have won.

[Rooghar Targaryen]

It was Lyanna who pours wine over Benjen's head because he mocked with her. :P

Good catch. Fixed it.

It could also be Ser Barristan Selmy who dances with Ashara as he did love her, and would have crowned her QoLaB if he'd have won.

Barriston was definitely infatuated with Ashara, it could have been him. But he does say in his POV that he knew nothing could come of his desire for her. He might have been too honorable to even do a dance with a single lady. From Barristan wiki, "He also fantasizes that, if he had won the tourney and crowned Ashara, perhaps she would have turned to him "instead of Stark."."

From that Barristan quote, does that mean that "Stark" bedded Ashara after Lyanna was crowned QoLaB?

[Ser Few of the Fingers]

Surely Catelyn and her family were there as well, right? After all, she, Lysa and Edmure are the children of Hoster Tully and Minisa Whent. Also, the Tullys are the liege lords of the Whents, so it makes sense.

ETA: never mind, I didn't read the whole thing. I see you already addressed this.

[King of Winters]

Barriston was definitely infatuated with Ashara, it could have been him. But he does say in his POV that he knew nothing could come of his desire for her. He might have been too honorable to even do a dance with a single lady. From Barristan wiki, "He also fantasizes that, if he had won the tourney and crowned Ashara, perhaps she would have turned to him "instead of Stark."."

From that Barristan quote, does that mean that "Stark" bedded Ashara after Lyanna was crowned QoLaB?

I think the "Stark" is Brandon, so I think that he slept with Ashara the night she had danced with Ned and the others.

[Dragonstar]

Great write up!

We're left with a few enduring mysteries that have impact on the future of the series:

Who was the Knight of the Laughing Tree

Who did Ashara Dayne fall in love with

[Ygrain]

Queen Rhaella is not present (if this matters)

The abduction/elopement took place about a year after the tourney.

[Rooghar Targaryen]

Yeah I agree, I think Brandon is the 'Stark' that slept with Ashara.

Also, the Tully's aren't mentioned anywhere in the text yet, but they most likely had a few people there. Edmure Tully was or became Brandon Stark's squire around that time. Brynden Tully (Blackfish) was hanging out with all the Eyrie people and it seems like a lot of those guys came to the Tourney (Arryn, Royce, Hunter). Hoster Tully, Catelyn, and Lysa were in Riverrun which isn't that far away from Harrenhal. Minesa Whent was dead already though, she died during childbirth to another boy a couple years after Edmure was born.

[Dragonstar]

So was Lyanna pregnant when she was "abducted" by Rhaegar?

What is the relative age difference between Jon (if presumed to be R+L's son) and Aegon?

[Ygrain]

So was Lyanna pregnant when she was "abducted" by Rhaegar?

What is the relative age difference between Jon (if presumed to be R+L's son) and Aegon?

Aegon was born prior Rhaegar abducted/eloped with Lyanna, and Jon was born at the end of the rebellion (around the Sack or within a month since). The rebellion lasted for about a year, i.e. Lyanna was definitely not pregnant when she disappeared.

[King of Winters]

So was Lyanna pregnant when she was "abducted" by Rhaegar?

What is the relative age difference between Jon (if presumed to be R+L's son) and Aegon?

I think Lyanna got pregnant at the ToJ.

Jon was born within a month of The Sack and it happen about a year into RR. Aegon was about a year old at the time of The Sack.

[Rooghar Targaryen]

Aegon was born prior Rhaegar abducted/eloped with Lyanna, and Jon was born at the end of the rebellion (around the Sack or within a month since). The rebellion lasted for about a year, i.e. Lyanna was definitely not pregnant when she disappeared.

Yeah that is right. Not very many dates given in the books but real Aegon would be about a year older than Jon.

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/91248-detailed-timeline-pre-a-game-of-thrones/

[daario's man]

You missed a couple of candidates for KotLT, Ned, Benjen and Ashara. My personal favourite is Ned as he would have jousting training, unlike any of the other candidates.

[King of Winters]

You missed a couple of candidates for KotLT, Ned, Benjen and Ashara. My personal favourite is Ned as he would have jousting training, unlike any of the other candidates.

The most probable one though is Lyanna.

[direwienerdog]

Aegon was born prior Rhaegar abducted/eloped with Lyanna, and Jon was born at the end of the rebellion (around the Sack or within a month since). The rebellion lasted for about a year, i.e. Lyanna was definitely not pregnant when she disappeared.

I suspect Brandon and Ashara had a love affair going on even before the tourney. When Ned brings of Dayne death and Brandon is dead also it's too much for Ashara and she leaps to her death.( or so we are lead to believe.

[Ygrain]

You missed a couple of candidates for KotLT, Ned, Benjen and Ashara. My personal favourite is Ned as he would have jousting training, unlike any of the other candidates.

Ned would have his own armour and he was too tall already.

There is no connection between HR and Ashara.

Lyanna trained with the rings, which is training for jousting, and is several times referenced as an extraordinarily good rider, which, in turn, is repeatedly stated as the basis for being good at jousting. Finally,

we have Lady Lance Elia Sand who has jousting as a hobby at the age of twelve

[Rooghar Targaryen]

Knight of the Laughing Tree:

"The mystery knight was short of stature, and clad in ill-fitting armor made up of bits and pieces"

Only people who know about the 3 squires are Howland, Lyanna, Brandon, Eddard and Benjen. Brandon and Eddard are too big and would have their own armor (20 and 18 years old + fairly big guys). Benjen was younger than Lyanna (she was 13-14 years old) so he was probably too young. It is either Howland or Lyanna. If it was Lyanna, it would help connect the dots to how Rhaegar became intrigued with her. It makes sense for it to be Lyanna.

[juanml82]

Yeah I agree, I think Brandon is the 'Stark' that slept with Ashara.

Also, the Tully's aren't mentioned anywhere in the text yet, but they most likely had a few people there. Edmure Tully was or became Brandon Stark's squire around that time. Brynden Tully (Blackfish) was hanging out with all the Eyrie people and it seems like a lot of those guys came to the Tourney (Arryn, Royce, Hunter). Hoster Tully, Catelyn, and Lysa were in Riverrun which isn't that far away from Harrenhal. Minesa Whent was dead already though, she died during childbirth to another boy a couple years after Edmure was born.

I might be wrong, but IIRC Catelyn didn't meet Ned before their wedding, so I guess she wasn't at the tournament. It makes sense for Hoster to be there, but that's speculation, not fact.