Cities in A Song of Ice and Fire

Much of the action in George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire takes place in and around various settlements and strongholds of note on the continent of Westeros.

This page covers the cities in Westeros, as opposed to those across the narrow sea. There are only five settlements large enough to be called cities, with a population numbering tens or hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, King's Landing, Oldtown, Lannisport, Gulltown and White Harbour.

Gulltown

Gulltown is a port city in the Vale. It is the seat of House Grafton and serves House Arryn.

King's Landing

History

The capital of the Seven Kingdoms and the former seat of the Targaryen kings, King's Landing sits beside the Blackwater Rush and Blackwater Bay astride three large hills. Prior to Aegon I Targaryen making his initial landing at the site, the area was home to a small fishing village. Aegon I founded a city at the location during the War of Conquest to serve as the economic and political center of his new kingdom. Over the course of three centuries, King's Landing has grown to be the largest city in Westeros, inhabited by over a half million people. After the War of the Usurper, King Robert I adopted the city as the capital of his new royal Baratheon dynasty.

Population

King's Landing is extremely populous, but rather unsightly and dirty compared to other cities. The stench of the city's waste can be smelled far beyond its walls. King's Landing has an estimated population of more than 500,000, as stated by Tyrion Lannister when he meets Oberyn Martell on his arrival to the city. George R. R. Martin has also stated that the city is larger than Medieval London or Paris but smaller than Medieval Constantinople or Ancient Rome (each had a population of about 1,000,000).

Landscape

The landscape of King's Landing is dominated by three large hills. They are Visenya's Hill, Rhaenys' Hill, and Aegon's Hill, named after Aegon the Conqueror and his two sisters. The hills are webbed together by a series of streets and avenues; several of the avenues take their names from the types of commerce conducted there, e.g., the Street of Steel, site of many smiths and foundries, or the Street of Flour, home of the bakers and millers. The walls are interrupted by several gates that open onto the major roads of the realm, such as the Rose Road or Kings Road, and there is a large harborside district, outside of the city walls, clustered around the River Gate, also called the Mud Gate, a tangled warren of buildings constructed against the city walls themselves.

Great Sept of Baelor

Built atop Visenya's Hill, the Great Sept of Baelor dominates the cityscape of King's Landing. The Great Sept serves as the seat of the Faith and the High Septon, which had been relocated there from the Starry Sept in Oldtown.

After being reestablished following the War of the Five Kings, the Faith Militant - the two military organizations serving the Seven - have their headquarters in the Great Sept.

The Dragonpit

Built atop Rhaenys' Hill, the Dragonpit was the domed castle that housed the Targaryen dragons. It has been in a state of ruins for years; the last dragon of Westeros lived almost two hundred years before the events in A Song of Ice and Fire.

The Red Keep

Built atop Aegon's High Hill, the Red Keep is a massive castle built by Maegor I. It serves as the actual seat of government and the royal residence, and is built of red sandstone.

The Throne Room is a vast hall that can seat 1,000 people at a feast. It holds the Iron Throne, the seat of the monarch. Aegon commissioned the throne's construction from the swords of his defeated enemies. According to legend, he kept the blades sharp because he believed that no ruler should ever sit comfortably. Centuries later, kings still cut themselves on the throne.

Traitor's Walk is a section of the battlements above the Red Keeps main gatehouse where the heads of those executed for treason are mounted on spikes for public display.

The chambers of the Small Council are located near the gatehouse in the Outer Yard, and are richly furnished with myrish carpets and valyrian sphinxes.

Maegor's Holdfast is the private residence of the royal family, described as a castle within a castle, with 12 foot thick walls. Maegor's is surrounded by a drymoat with iron spikes, and can only be entered by the drawbridge which spans it. Within is the Queen's Ballroom, a hall which can seat about 100 people.

White Sword Tower is four stories tall and built into an angle of the Red Keep's wall. It houses the brothers of the Kingsguard.

The Tower of the Hand is a tall structure in the Inner Bailey provided for the Hand of the King and his Household. There is a solar and audience chamber within, as well as apartments for the Hand. Nearby is the Small Hall of the Tower of the Hand, which can seat 200 people. At the back of the Hall are the kitchens, which also connect to the Tower itself by means of a bridge.

The Maidenvault is a long keep in which King Baelor the Blessed imprisoned his sisters, so they would not tempt him. It is located near the Royal Sept. The Barracks of the Goldcloaks are located near the Serpentine steps, which connect different wards of the Red Keep which are on different ground levels. There is also a Small Kitchen and Pigyard near the Serpentine. The godswood of the Red Keep does not have a weirwood, but an oak for its heart tree.

There are four different levels to the dungeons. The highest level has a large common cell for common criminals. The second level has individual cells for highborn prisoners. The third level holds the black cells, where prisoners who have been condemned to death await execution. The fourth level is used for torture.

There are hidden passages and tunnels throughout the Red Keep. King Maegor the Cruel ordered the execution of all the masons and carpenters who built his castle, so that no one else would know its secrets. Some passages lead outside, to the sewers of King's Landing or to the cliffs of Aegon's High Hill and an escape route to the river.

Flea Bottom

The poor and violent district called Flea Bottom is one of the more dangerous parts of the city. Residents are so poor they regularly subsist on "bowls of brown", a mystery stew that can include the meat of rats and murder victims. Ser Duncan the Tall understood himself to be from the district.

During the War of the Five Kings, when Stannis Baratheon laid siege to the city, Tyrion Lannister had large portions of the district set ablaze to keep the attackers from using the structures as cover.

Lannisport

Lannisport is one of the five largest cities of Westeros, and is located extremely close to Casterly Rock. It is home to the Lannister fleet, and as such has been the site of many sea battles.

Oldtown

Oldtown is one of the largest cities in Westeros and is by far the oldest, built by the First Men before the Andal Invasion. It survived the invasion by welcoming the Andals, not resisting them. The city is located in the south-west of Westeros, at the mouth of the River Honeywine where it opens onto Whispering Sound and the Sunset Sea beyond.

Oldtown is primarily known as the location of the Citadel, home of the order of Maesters who serve as councillors, doctors, scientists, and postmasters for the Seven Kingdoms. The city's Starry Sept was the seat of the Holy Faith of the Seven until the construction of the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing. Aegon the Conqueror's reign is dated from his entrance into the city of Oldtown and his acknowledgment as King by the High Septon.

Oldtown is also one of the most important ports of the Seven Kingdoms: trading ships from the Summer Islands, the Free Cities, the eastern cities, and the rest of Westeros constantly crowd into its harbors. The city itself is stunningly beautiful; many rivers and canals crisscross its cobbled streets, and breathtaking stone mansions are common. The city lacks the squalor of King's Landing, which usurped its position as the pre-eminent city of Westeros.

The largest structure in the city, and also the tallest structure in Westeros, is the Hightower, a massive stepped lighthouse which extends some 800 feet into the sky and is topped by a huge beacon which can be seen for many miles out to sea. Oldtown is ruled from the Hightower by House Hightower. Originally kings in their own right, they later swore fealty to the Gardeners of Highgarden, and later became vassals of the Tyrells after the Conquest. The Hightowers are known for their loyalty and stalwartness. The current ruler of the city is Lord Leyton Hightower.

Oldtown remained aloof from the War of the Five Kings, but late in the war the ironborn under King Euron Greyjoy launched a massive raid along the coast, conquering the Shield Islands and parts of the Arbor before trying to blockade the mouth of the Honeywine. An attempt to attack the city harbour was repulsed by the city's defenders. Oldtown remains under threat from the ironborn.

White Harbour

White Harbour is the smallest of Westeros' major cities (slightly smaller than Gulltown), but it is nevertheless the largest settlement north of the Neck. It is located on the mouth of the White Knife, the principal river of the North, and is the seat of House Manderly. The castle and later city of White Harbour were founded by King Jon Stark after he drove out raiders who were using the harbour as a base for raids inland. Many centuries later the city was given to the Manderlys, an exiled house from the Reach, for loyal service to the Kings of the North. White Harbour has much more contact with the south due to its position as the North's primary trade port, and there are more knights and followers of the Seven in White Harbour than anywhere else in the North. The city has access to very good fishing grounds and is also the home of many silversmiths.

House Manderly

The Manderlys originated in the Reach, where the river Mander was named after them or vice versa. At some point their lands and title were confiscated by the King of the Reach. The Starks took them on as vassals and gave them White Harbour. Because of their southern roots, the Manderlys follow different customs than the other Northern houses, such as worshipping the Seven instead of the Old Gods.