Was Stannis's victory at Fair Isle crucial?

[Hrulj]

Yes it was probably the victory that ensured Baratheons are accepted on that throne.

If he had lost the invasion of Iron Isles would be impossible for few years. And with no way to stop Ironborn from raiding and pillaging for all that time.

The Lords would rise up against Robbert, that is a certainty.

And this time, only ones who could offer direct support to Robert would be the Vale. North and Westerlands wouldnt be able to act due to Ironborn. If they leave to help Robert in the south/east Ironborn would invade and capture/raid their way trough North/Westerlands.

Which leaves the question. Can Robert and Vale defeat Reach and Dornish armies?

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Also, slavery is illegal in Westeros. Manning all those new galleys with crews would be an extreme problem.

[Universal Sword Donor]

It shows character, sure, but strategic brilliance? Barely.

Not sure if Redwyne participated, but the Lannister fleet (which Balon burned first) and the Royal fleet were the only two considerable fleets Robert could count on.

Paxter and his fleets helped out. AWOIAF: "Warships from Oldtown and the Arbor joined their strength...." and somewhere, I think in a Stannis convo, Stannis mentions Paxter Redwyne helping him (or coming with him).

[Sullen]

Paxter and his fleets helped out. AWOIAF: "Warships from Oldtown and the Arbor joined their strength...." and somewhere, I think in a Stannis convo, Stannis mentions Paxter Redwyne helping him (or coming with him).

Well shit.

Thanks for the info, mate.

(It kind of lessens the weight of the accomplishment in my mind, not that it isn't still extremely impressive)

[Poodle Pup From Astapor]

Something I'm hoping to have answered conclusively. My understanding is that Stannis's victory during the Greyjoy Rebellion had shattered the Iron Fleet and made possible the multiple landings and attacks planned by the new royalists. My question is however, if that victory was crucial in determining the direction of the war, or if it merely confirmed the end result of the War, which was always going to be a Greyjoy defeat.

No, I don't think that a Greyjoy defeat was certain. They were fighting at home, Robert was fighting thousands of miles away from his capital and home region. Sooner or later, probably sooner than later, it would all get too expensive for Robert's side and they'd go home. They needed to crush Greyjoys at sea ASAP and start besieging castles. If that battle doesn't happen, Greyjoys might win.

[Wavey Sauce]

Yes it was huge, especially with Tywin losing all of his ships.

Stannis doing that allowed Robbs army to transfer supplies/food/siege/more soldiers. And also pushed the Iron Born back to where they were no longer attacking, they fell back and ended up just trying to hold their own ground

[Fire Eater]

The victory at Fair Isle crushed the Ironborn fleet, and did significant damage to the military power of the Iron Isles with a number of lords and lordlings killed, and the fleet scattered. It also left the Iron Isles vulnerable to invasion to end the rebellion.

Also, as The Dame That Groans mentioned, had it gone the other way it would have damaged Robert's credibility as Protector of the Realm and made him look weak as a monarch. The victory at Fair Isles and the others that followed helped to cement Robert's reputation as a strong king.

[HexMachina]

The Martells aren't going to want to help Robert, same with the Tyrells/Redwynes, the Lannister fleet has been completely destroyed, the Stormlands's climate makes shipbuilding complicated, the Vale and the North do not have considerable fleets, and even then, they're on the other side of the world.

You also need qualified shipwrights, and able seamen to man the ships, it would take an enormous amount of time to come back from Fair Isle, mate.

The Redwynes have good reason to help Robert. A Greyjoy victory is particularly disastrous for them and the rest of the Reach.

[Victor227]

While I'd say the victory certainly sped up the rebellion, and was an excellent battle for for Stannis' resume, it wasn't make or break for Robert as a king. If say, the fleet was wiped out by the Ironborn, the Greyjoys would get a good bit of raiding in for months before another force could be scraped up to the contend with them (while Stannis' fleet was big, it probably wasn't the sum-total of the Seven Kingdoms' might).

Robert secured the throne the instant he took Cersei as queen. That added the Lannisters to the mix as a sure partner, and with them in the fold, the Baratheons could weather just about any sort of internal divide barring the complete destruction of the Stark/Tully/Arryn axis, and Greyjoy raiding was just not that big a deal. Even assuming it was, just as the Starks, Tullys, and Lannisters would have to contend with coastal raiding, so do the Tyrells, and they have some very choice locations. Even Dorne is within striking range, considering their only valuable assets are on the coast. Just as potential defenders of the Crown would be occupied with the rebellion, so would any potential rebels. The Greyjoy Rebellion was a threat to everyone, as no one wants belligerent murder/pillage/rapists with free reign over the coasts.

It certainly would have cost Robert dearly in prestige though, for the rebellion to continue unimpeded. Potential threats to his reign certainly would have been able to reap future dividends off every month or year it took to put the Greyjoys in their place. As the Dothraki invasion never materialized, and the Iron Throne was wrapped up in all sorts of other controversy, in the end that didn't really matter. From a dynasty-building perspective, unaware of the future, were I Robert I'd have definitely given Stannis some lavish praise for that one though.

[Fat Mac]

Yes, it was crucial, since it basically stopped any Ironborn offensive. If you ask me, it was Stannis' greatest military victory ever.