Strength of the Vale

[LordToo-Fat-to-Sit-a-Horse]

Between the Lords Declarant only, they could raise 20 K men easily.

So the Vale could assembly an army of 35-40 k men at least.

[Light a wight tonight]

Doesn't Quentyn say Dorne has 50000 swords and spears? And they are the weakest off the 7 kingdoms? So the Vale might very well have more than that. Although it's possible he was exaggerating though.

Doran may have been giving misinformation to the outside world if he said that at all. It's closer to 15K than 50.

[thewingedwolf]

I think one of the important things that may not have yet been mentioned is that, ahead of numbers, the knights of the Vale are also amongst the most battle hardened in Westeros form years of fighting with the moutain clans. This is invaluable, especially when comparing them to, let's say, knights from the Reach who have likely never seen much combat.

[I'll pay the iron price]

I think Lysa has been a shit aunt and sister to Robb/Catelyn&Edmure BUT I think she was a wise leader to keep her people out of the war. Sit back, let them kill each other and join the winning side

[thewingedwolf]

I think Lysa has been a shit aunt and sister to Robb/Catelyn&Edmure BUT I think she was a wise leader to keep her people out of the war. Sit back, let them kill each other and join the winning side

Lysa Arryn was as wise as Ebola is healthy. The results of her actions made her look smarter than she is (she is no Doran Martell).

[Jasta11]

They're more than strong enough to tip the balance decisively in Robb's favour. The Vale is at least as strong as the North, so that means a total pool of about 40K men with 20K being easily levy'ed. With that extra manpower of veteran Lords and fighters, it suddendly becomes much easier to defeat Tywin's total force of also 40K.

[thewingedwolf]

They're more than strong enough to tip the balance decisively in Robb's favour. The Vale is at least as strong as the North, so that means a total pool of about 40K men with 20K being easily levy'ed. With that extra manpower of veteran Lords and fighters, it suddendly becomes much easier to defeat Tywin's total force of also 40K.

Robb did not need the Vale to inflict a series of defeats on Tywin Lannister's army, capture Jaime Lannister and nearly get Tywin as well had Edmure not messed things up.

[Borsabil]

Doran may have been giving misinformation to the outside world if he said that at all. It's closer to 15K than 50.

He is supposedly keeping 30k troops on permanent garrison should he decide to fight the Lannisters. As he obviously isn't planning to fight anyone anytime soon why he'd go to the enormous expense to do such a thing remains a mystery.

Anyway he has 30k men at a minimum, probably more as I assume not every abled bodied fighting man in Dorne are induced. So maybe 40k.

As for the North, well we don't know. The problem seems to be geographical distance, that the Starks can't muster a really big force to march because it would just take too long. Maybe they could, theoretically, raise 60k men, but in reality only half that.

As for the Vale, well if we assume they're as strong as the north that's 50-60k, let's say 30k in a hurry.

[Bright Blue Eyes]

He is supposedly keeping 30k troops on permanent garrison should he decide to fight the Lannisters. As he obviously isn't planning to fight anyone anytime soon why he'd go to the enormous expense to do such a thing remains a mystery.

Anyway he has 30k men at a minimum, probably more as I assume not every abled bodied fighting man in Dorne are induced. So maybe 40k.

Nope. 30k is total, Doran has no troops on permanent garrison. No Lord does, it's to expensive.

[The Fallen]

` Robb didn't even need the full Vale host. 20k men would have been more than enough.

And yes, the Vale fighters are just as good as those of the other regions.

[Jasta11]

Robb did not need the Vale to inflict a series of defeats on Tywin Lannister's army, capture Jaime Lannister and nearly get Tywin as well had Edmure not messed things up.

Kinda my point. Without the Vale he still mange to do very well for himself in his campaign. With 20K additional men (at least) Tywin wouldn't have had a chance.

[Winter King]

I think the Vale potentially has around 40,000 men, including trained knights and good military leaders for example Yohn Royce. Another 40,000 well trained (and let's face it, well provisioned) men could be the difference. Also, the vale is an exceptional defensive territory, and so is unlikely to require a large defensive force to remain behind.

[Erkan12]

I think one of the important things that may not have yet been mentioned is that, ahead of numbers, the knights of the Vale are also amongst the most battle hardened in Westeros form years of fighting with the moutain clans. This is invaluable, especially when comparing them to, let's say, knights from the Reach who have likely never seen much combat.

Yes this is the reason i thought. Reach men 'were' strong when Dorne is seperated and attacking them but after the join of Dorne there is nothing to fight. On the other hand Vale knights fighting with mountain clans, Northeners fighting with wildlings and cold as well.

[Batman]

They would have made the difference if they came in force to Robbs aid. The Starks were sitting between Tywin and Casterly Rock and the Vale host had a clear line to the east. But going forward, if the Vale intends to mix things up going forward they had better deal with the Mountain clans before they go. If they march out of the Vale in force the clans could do some real damage while they are gone.

[StannisandDaeny]

When were Robb's forces ever thinned? Only at the Red Wedding. And why would he expose their backs to a superior force on the other side? Do you mean that the Ironborn at Moat Cailin would work together with the Lions and Roses at Kings Landing? With all the castles and rivers of the Riverlords in between?

At the time he said this he's lost men fighting in battles and he's also lost the Freys and the Karstarks.

They're more than strong enough to tip the balance decisively in Robb's favour. The Vale is at least as strong as the North, so that means a total pool of about 40K men with 20K being easily levy'ed. With that extra manpower of veteran Lords and fighters, it suddendly becomes much easier to defeat Tywin's total force of also 40K.

Remember at the time of this quote Robb's forces have been thinned and they're facing not just Lannisters but also Ironmen up North, men from the Reach and the part of Stannis' army that deserted. They had over 80 000 men at the Blackwater, meaning they would still outnumber Robb's forces by a fair margin. The odds aren't impossible but I think it was very quick of Robb to make it seem like the Vale would help them to just waltz over their enemies if they joined them especially since he didn't control all of his own men and because of the strategic disadvantage of having enemies on all sides.

[LucionLannister]

They're more than strong enough to tip the balance decisively in Robb's favour. The Vale is at least as strong as the North, so that means a total pool of about 40K men with 20K being easily levy'ed. With that extra manpower of veteran Lords and fighters, it suddendly becomes much easier to defeat Tywin's total force of also 40K.

Yeah, the Vale could have ended Lannister power much easier. If they had sent 20,000 men (the power the Lords Declarent easily mustered) and marched on Harrenhal from the Bloody Gate with Roose Bolton's infantry marching down from the Twins, Tywin would have been defeated or at least forced to retreat down to King's Landing. This would have given the Riverlords time to organize alot more and the Vale could have raised even more men. With all three combined they certainly would have outnumbered the Lannisters, and possibly even been a viable threat to Renly's army if it came to swords between them.

[Queen Alienor]

Robb would have won if the Vale lords had joined, I think. They can surely muster about 40K, and that would have been enough to beat Tywin. Also, with for example Bronce Yohn Royce there would have come some seasoned warriors.

[Kungsmurfen]

If I looked at a map I would think that the vale would have the least amount of troops at around 15 - 20000.

Now we know that Dorne can have the least amount of men at about 20000 so I'd guesss for 25-30000 at full strength.

[Mithras]

We could, thought Jon, if we had the gold, and someone willing to sell us food. Both of those were lacking. Our best hope may be the Eyrie. The Vale of Arryn was famously fertile and had gone untouched during the fighting.

[Michael Herman]

"Bronze Yohn and his friends can raise 20,000" a quote that does something like that from littlefinger suggests that the Lord's declarant (Royce, Redfort, Waynwood, Hunter, Templeton, and belmore) can raise as many men as the entire north (on short notice) most of these houses are located in the (seemingly) fertile southeast of the Vale, suggesting great agricultural wealth. The Graftons, house Arryn itself and the rest of the vale are not included, even if Littlefinger's number is an exaggeration the vale could still probably field 30,000 on short notice, and high proportion of whom might be cavalry.

I'd say that the overall strength is similar to that of the north, except the north is not fertile enough to feed all those men in the field and takes longer to raise that many people.