Reasons Roose Bolton is not so hated in the north afterall.

[The Fourth Head]

Manderly didn't state that he believed Roose betrayed them. You are putting thoughts in characters heads.

Perhaps a rational explanation is this? Roose- a cautious man, feared a trap and placed him men on the outskirts of the field. Walder realised he couldn't kill them all and persuaded Roose at knife-point that it would be in his best interests to do nothing and walk out with his head still intact- thus sparing his men. This would make Roose guilty of nothing more than self-interested inertia. It was the Freys who killed the bannermen, it was the Freys who hold them captive, and if they genuinely believe Roose was as much of an architect and perpetrator as the Freys- (no textual evidence to back this up- Frey was the one with an axe to grind) then why would beheading Roose be a rational course of action when the Freys- his allies- hold captives?

[TallTyrion]

Manderly didn't state that he believed Roose betrayed them. You are putting thoughts in characters heads.

Perhaps a rational explanation is this? Roose- a cautious man, feared a trap and placed him men on the outskirts of the field. Walder realised he couldn't kill them all and persuaded Roose at knife-point that it would be in his best interests to do nothing and walk out with his head still intact- thus sparing his men. This would make Roose guilty of nothing more than self-interested inertia. It was the Freys who killed the bannermen, it was the Freys who hold them captive, and if they genuinely believe Roose was as much of an architect and perpetrator as the Freys- (no textual evidence to back this up- Frey was the one with an axe to grind) then why would beheading Roose be a rational course of action when the Freys- his allies- hold captives?

Why would anyone believe that? If he assumed the wedding was going to be a trap that's even more evidence that he was in on it. Also that would make him guilty of treason since he stood idly by while his King and fellow country men were being slaughtered. "Yeah I was on the outside in no danger and instead of protecting my King I bent the knee to his murdered" That's treason any way you cut it.

[shearstone]

Why would anyone believe that? If he assumed the wedding was going to be a trap that's even more evidence that he was in on it. Also that would make him guilty of treason since he stood idly by while his King and fellow country men were being slaughtered. "Yeah I was on the outside in no danger and instead of protecting my King I bent the knee to his murdered" That's treason any way you cut it.

He's also swanning around Winterfell with a Frey bride.

[TallTyrion]

He's also swanning around Winterfell with a Frey bride.

And a fancy new title.

[The Fourth Head]

Roose is one man in a hall. What was he supposed to do? Who knows what story he spun? Perhaps he claims he was captured, then released on Tywin's orders as his nominated warden of the north as the best of a bad bunch?

And from the Northern Lords perspective, where is the hatred to clamour for the beheading of someone guilty of... doing nothing? I'm not seeing that hate anywhere. It's all directed at Ramsey and the Freys.

And from Stannis' POV, even if Roose was believed to have betrayed Robb then it wasn't treason because Robb was a false king. Roose was simply the living embodiment of the task Stannis wanted carrying out when he cast his slug in the fire. Roose did what Stannis willed, but could not carry out himself. He was nobly carrying out services to the crown....

Further evidence that Roose has successfully passed under the radar: Wouldn't Robett Glover, if he suspected Roose of masterminding regicide and treason, have suspected that Duskendale was fixed by Roose put two and two together, and then been seething about Roose? And yet, he was described as not being all that bad. They don't seem up to speed on Roose at all.

[Ferocious Veldt Roarer]

Manderly didn't state that he believed Roose betrayed them. You are putting thoughts in characters heads.

Doesn't he?

“The Freys are no better. They speak of wargs and skinchangers and assert that it was Robb Stark who slew my Wendel. The arrogance of it! They do not expect the north to believe their lies, not truly, but they think we must pretend to believe or die. Roose Bolton lies about his part in the Red Wedding, and his bastard lies about the fall of Winterfell. And yet so long as they held Wylis I had no choice but to eat all this excrement and praise the taste.”

[CorporalHicks]

Regardless of whether or not Roose himself is under suspicion, the Northmen will never bend the knee to Ramsay who is now heir to the title Warden of the North. Even the houses that are sort of on Roose's side right now will desert his house when he dies because everyone hates Ramsay.

[marsyao]

Roose is one man in a hall. What was he supposed to do? Who knows what story he spun? Perhaps he claims he was captured, then released on Tywin's orders as his nominated warden of the north as the best of a bad bunch?

I recall in the chapter of "Red Wedding", it was clearly stated that Roose's men participated into the killing, smalljon was killed by Dreadfort men

[Mrs_Darcy]

And a fancy new title.

And some of her in-laws + 2000 Frey soldiers.

[TallTyrion]

Roose is one man in a hall. What was he supposed to do? Who knows what story he spun? Perhaps he claims he was captured, then released on Tywin's orders as his nominated warden of the north as the best of a bad bunch?

And from the Northern Lords perspective, where is the hatred to clamour for the beheading of someone guilty of... doing nothing? I'm not seeing that hate anywhere. It's all directed at Ramsey and the Freys.

And from Stannis' POV, even if Roose was believed to have betrayed Robb then it wasn't treason because Robb was a false king. Roose was simply the living embodiment of the task Stannis wanted carrying out when he cast his slug in the fire. Roose did what Stannis willed, but could not carry out himself. He was nobly carrying out services to the crown....

Further evidence that Roose has successfully passed under the radar: Wouldn't Robett Glover, if he suspected Roose of masterminding regicide and treason, have suspected that Duskendale was fixed by Roose put two and two together, and then been seething about Roose? They don't seem up to speed on it at all.

Once again, why would Roose be the only one not only released but rewarded?

Mountain Clansmen: "I want to taste Bolton Blood on my axe before I die"

Wyman Manderly: "Roose Bolton lies about his part in the red wedding"

There's evidence of Bolton hate. Ramsey is Bolton's bastard son his actions will be viewed as one and the same with Roose. Why would people assume a bastard is seizing land and marrying people without his Lord's consent?

Sorry but Stannis would not view killing your Liege Lord at a wedding as "noble service." Even if Robb betrayed the Crown Stannis will not respect or appreciate a bannerman murdering his lord.

As for Robett Glover, he is plotting with Manderly to betray Roose and declare for Stannis so for all we know he has figured out Dukensdale, he just didn't mention it in that one scene he has been in since it happened.

[Bedwyck]

Not only do Roose's close associations and logistics of the Red Wedding make him look very guilty, but there easily could have been witnesses against Bolton men who escaped the carnage and at least lived long enough to get word out to people what his men did in the camps.

One such example is Marq Piper's sworn man who Arya and the Hound run in to in the aftermath of the Red Wedding. He tells Arya and the Hound about how he ate, drank, and celebrated beside a Bolton man all night, until the end when this man suddenly turned on him by fatal wounding. A witness against Bolton men is essentially a witness against their commander.

The other Lords would love to turn against Roose the moment he shows enough weakness.

[Mrs_Darcy]

I recall in the chapter of "Red Wedding", it was clearly stated that Roose's men participated into the killing, smalljon was killed by Dreadfort men

Roose should know, that he cannot keep it under wraps for a long time, that his men participated in the Red Wedding on the side of the Freys. Arya meets a Piper man-at-arms, who tells her, that he was killed by Bolton men. Even if most of the Northern+allied Riverlords soldiers were killed, there are bound to be stragglers, who in case of the Riverlanders even are on home soil afterwards, so at least a few of them should escape.

Roose might keep it under wraps, that he personally killed Robb Stark, but even this is a stretch.

[marsyao]

Roose did not personally kill Robb in the novel, and since so many of his men participate in the killing, there is not way to keep this as a secret

[TallTyrion]

Roose did not personally kill Robb in the novel, and since so many of his men participate in the killing, there is not way to keep this as a secret

Yeah he does, he stabs him and says "Jamie Lannister sends his regards"

[Nittanian]

By then men were pouring in the other doors as well, mailed men in shaggy fur cloaks with steel in their hands. Northmen! She took them for rescue for half a heartbeat, till one of them struck the Smalljon's head off with two huge blows of his axe. Hope blew out like a candle in a storm.

&

A man in dark armor and a pale pink cloak spotted with blood stepped up to Robb. "Jaime Lannister sends his regards." He thrust his longsword through her son's heart, and twisted.

The mention of shaggy fur cloaks brings to mind Karstarks, but the Boltons seem more likely to wear mail. When the Karstarks are introduced in AGOT, they are mentioned as wearing pelts of bear, seal, and wolf. Robb's murderer is Roose (confirmed by the app).

[Mourneblade]

Once again, why would Roose be the only one not only released but rewarded?

Mountain Clansmen: "I want to taste Bolton Blood on my axe before I die"

Wyman Manderly: "Roose Bolton lies about his part in the red wedding"

There's evidence of Bolton hate. Ramsey is Bolton's bastard son his actions will be viewed as one and the same with Roose. Why would people assume a bastard is seizing land and marrying people without his Lord's consent?

Sorry but Stannis would not view killing your Liege Lord at a wedding as "noble service." Even if Robb betrayed the Crown Stannis will not respect or appreciate a bannerman murdering his lord.

As for Robett Glover, he is plotting with Manderly to betray Roose and declare for Stannis so for all we know he has figured out Dukensdale, he just didn't mention it in that one scene he has been in since it happened.

That is the thing. No one in the north knows exactly what Roose did to betray his King. They do not know the level of his involvement. Most northern houses have also lost their Lords, their leadership, and have been dealing with an invasion from the Iron Born.

So you have the north in complete disarray, overrun with Iron Born, with petty grudges between some of them, and Roose coming home with almost more veteran troops than all the houses can muster combined. They could not openly revolt against Roose even if they wanted to. Unless of course the planets line up, Stannis invades the north, manages to rally the mountain clans, and the winter storm from hell descends upon them. Even with all that it is still a toss up lol.

[Mourneblade]

Roose did not personally kill Robb in the novel, and since so many of his men participate in the killing, there is not way to keep this as a secret

Yes he did.

When Roose returns to the hall he is dressed in mail armor. Roose approaches Robb, who has already been wounded by Frey arrows, and kills him while saying:

“ Jaime Lannister sends his regards. ”

[Chebyshov]

The mention of shaggy fur cloaks brings to mind Karstarks, but the Boltons seem more likely to wear mail. When the Karstarks are introduced in AGOT, they are mentioned as wearing pelts of bear, seal, and wolf. Robb's murderer is Roose (confirmed by the app).

I thought the pink cloak made that fairly explicit, too.

[The Fourth Head]

I recall in the chapter of "Red Wedding", it was clearly stated that Roose's men participated into the killing, smalljon was killed by Dreadfort men

of course, I'm not denying that at all, but only LS knows that for certain. If that was believed, than Manderly would be far more focussed on Roose than the Freys or Ramsey: Ramsey's crimes are small fry in comparison but you don't get that sense in Manderly, Glover and Davos' chat- just the vague suspicion that Roose has lied about his role. For them, what happened is guesswork. Bolton was released alive, the Bolton men were not killed and Bolton swore allegiance to the IT after Robb was killed. As far as they know, he was simply the first to react to the new realities of the world and recognised as such by Tywin.

Ive read the ADWD chapter again to refesh my memory, and Robbet simply doesn't mention the Duskendale trap- he honestly spoke badly of "that iron bitch" and so it;s safe to assume that he believed Roose was well intended in allowing him off to Duskendale on his own free will.

I'm just not gettting the recognition of Roose's role from the other lords. He is seen as scary, reasonable, self-serving and not as bad as Ramsey. He is not suspected of being an architect in Robbs' death, in masterminding the whole event, of sending Northmen off deliberately to the slaughter- because if they did, he would be the prime focus, not Ramsey or the Freys.

[Bedwyck]

I dont even think Roose thinks it's feasible for his involvement at the RW to be a secret. I think part of his motive for personally killing Robb was so he could put on a show to scare people. When the other northern lords hear about that it will paint a perfect picture of how ruthless and dangerous he is. Personally killing a King instills terror in people and Roose is set on ruling through fear.