Is a bastard/trueborn sibling dynamic, like the one described in my post, feasible in Westeros?

[Mysecondaccount]

How plausible of a bastard-legitimate sibling relationship dynamic, like what is described my scenario, is in Westeros? If so, to what extant do similar situations occur? Or are the societal taboos against bastards too great, to make these scenarios a common basis? Last but not least, how historically accurate is such a dynamic in real world medieval Europe?

In this hypothetical scenario, a generic nobleman had conceived a child with the daughter of his castle’s blacksmith. Although the nobleman never officially acknowledged his illegitimate child, he did permit him/her to periodically intermingle with his/her trueborn siblings. For most of his/her childhood, the bastard was raised by his/her mother’s family. Once the bastard reached a specific age, with his/her father’s blessing, he/she received a low ranking occupation in his castle. When probably entailed something on the lines of him/her becoming a rank and file guard or some kind of servant.

In spite of what you might expect with the obvious power imbalance between him/her and his/her aristocratic relatives, he/she wasn’t overtly ostracized or deliberately mistreated Cinderella style. If anything, his/her half siblings more or less welcomed him/her with open arms to the degree that their circumstances allowed. The worst he/she received was pure indifference from his/her “stepmother” (for the lack of a better term) and the father’s subordinate nobles.

Even though he/she is barred from inheriting anything or gaining any prestigious titles, the bastard is still showered with favoritism. To the point that the bastard has a much higher standard of living then his/her fellow servants and guards. His/her noble siblings also go out of their way to socialize with him/her, and he/she is commonly included in their entourage. The older siblings even entrust their children to the bastard.

However, there are still points of contention in the dynamic. For example, the noble siblings are fairly inconsiderate to the bastard’s life aspirations. What the exact aspirations entails, I haven't thought off yet. Maybe the bastard wants to be a sailor, merchant, bakery owner, a Nights Watch guardsmen, or something on the lines of that. Regardless, the noble siblings do everything in their power to discourage the bastard's daydreams.

They are also extremely controlling (not unlike a modern helicopter parent) of every little aspect of his/her life, and he/she can’t do anything about it. As the bastard is literally duty bound to subservient to their every whim, on the part of being their servant.

The stigma over bastards and his/her legitimate siblings being granted an almost unlimited amount of privileges that he/she can’t have, has taken its toll. Not to mention, his/her fellow servants and guards are resentful of the nepotism he/she receives. When the nobles’ backs are turned, the bastard gets mercilessly bullied* by the other servants and guards.

Despite all of those issues, the bastard still performs his/his duties to the best of his/her abilities, in hopes of impressing his/her ailing father and society as a whole.

Is what I'm describing making any sense to any of you, as I had a very difficult time translating my thoughts into words on paper.

* I’m picturing that the bastard is a very emotionally vulnerable and nebbish person, who tends to cower into a shell when attacked. To matters worse, he/she is quite introverted and tends to keep his/her problems to himself/herself. In my head, the other servants are fully aware of that, and take full advantage of it. Though, they are walking on a razor edge when bullying him/her. As if any of his/her noble relatives find out about it… it won’t be pretty for them.

In addition, the bullies are also fairly young and retain a “invincibility mentality.” So they don’t really consider the consequences of the very real possibility of getting caught. Best think of them as a careless high school or college student that drives home after drinking heavily from a party. In other words, they are just reckless kids playing with fire.

[The hairy bear]

The scenario you describe is reasonably plausible. While it's true that there's some stigma attached to bastards in Westeros (mostly after the Blackfyre Rebellion), it's also true that we've seen many examples of bastards that are given a good post and probably are beneficiaries of some degree of nepotism: Daemon Sand is allowed to squire for Oberyn Martell, Rolland Storm commands armies, Bastard Walder was married to a noble family, etc.

17 hours ago, Mysecondaccount said:

In spite of what you might expect with the obvious power imbalance between him/her and his/her aristocratic relatives, he/she wasn’t overtly ostracized or deliberately mistreated Cinderella style. If anything, his/her half siblings more or less welcomed him/her with open arms to the degree that their circumstances allowed.

To make that work, the bastard should pose no threat to the actual heirs of the family. So the Lord should have at least a couple of sons that are older than the bastard.

[Jaenara Belarys]

1 hour ago, The hairy bear said:

The scenario you describe is reasonably plausible. While it's true that there's some stigma attached to bastards in Westeros (mostly after the Blackfyre Rebellion)

I would disagree with this assessment, because during the Dance of the Dragons, Rhaenyra and the Black Council suspected Nettles and Ser Addam Velaryon of being traitors due the sterotype that bastards are treacherous, prone to betrayal, yadayadayad.

[Jaenara Belarys]

So the stereotype existed and was kind of prominent prior to the Blackfyre Rebellions.

[Lord Varys]

19 hours ago, Jaenara Belarys said:

So the stereotype existed and was kind of prominent prior to the Blackfyre Rebellions.

Yes, not only that, but Aegon I to Jaehaerys I didn't even tolerate royal bastards. The Conqueror had none, and neither did Aenys I who even arranged and forced through the marriage of his heir to his sister in part because he feared that Prince Aegon might give him a bastard grandchild (which he didn't want).

Bastards are universally shunned by the Westerosi people, and the noble bastards are branded by those silly names. Even in Dorne, where things are somewhat better, they get the Sand name and they are not eligible to intermarry with trueborn nobility nor do they inherit anything.

As for the scenario - if a bastard is never formally acknowledged then privileged treatment of any kind at a castle is fairly unlikely since there would be uncertainty whether the person in question even is a child of the lord or not.

[Jaenara Belarys]

I wouldn't say that bastards are shunned, but there is a stigma attached that can prove to be somebody's undoing in the game of thrones. Rhaenyra for example, by sending out warrants for Nettles' head and the capture of Addam Velaryon, basically lost her two dragons (Sheepstealer and Seasmoke) and their riders. Nettles' didn't turn up again until AFTER the end of the Dance. Ser Addam did however die for the blacks at Second Tumbleton.

[Lord Varys]

1 minute ago, Jaenara Belarys said:

I wouldn't say that bastards are shunned, but there is a stigma attached that can prove to be somebody's undoing in the game of thrones. Rhaenyra for example, by sending out warrants for Nettles' head and the capture of Addam Velaryon, basically lost her two dragons (Sheepstealer and Seasmoke) and their riders. Nettles' didn't turn up again until AFTER the end of the Dance. Ser Addam did however die for the blacks at Second Tumbleton.

I meant they are ostracized, branded with a specific name, and are not even treated remotely like trueborn children ... and that isn't an Andal thing as their treatment on the Iron Islands and the North show.

In the Free Cities it is different, as the Rogare bastards show who do share in their father's vast inheritance after his death.

Rhaenyra's mistrust of Nettles and Addam is fueled by the betrayal of the Two Betrayers which is 'explained' by her advisers as a consequences of their humble birth. Hugh was a blacksmith's bastard, Addam definitely a bastard, and Nettles a reputed bastard.

Of course, that's stupid, but it is part of the culture of Westeros.

Some people use bastards, employ them in this or that capacity, but that doesn't go that far, and usually doesn't result in them being ennobled or considered in the line of succession. That only happens when there are no other heirs around ... or when calamity strikes, etc.

Roose would have never considered Ramsay as his heir if he had a bunch of nephews or close cousins, for instance.