In the series Game of Thrones, the Great Houses are the most powerful of the noble houses of the

Seven
Kingdoms. They exercise immense authority and power over their vassals and territories and are answerable only to
the King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, with the exception of House Stark, which rules over an
independent kingdom.

Before Aegon's Conquest, each of the Seven Kingdoms was ruled independently by a powerful royal family. During
the Conquest these families were either destroyed, replaced, or defeated and made to swear allegiance to King
Aegon, who reigned from the Iron Throne in King's Landing.

The Gardeners, Hoares, and Durrandons were slain and replaced by the Tyrells, Greyjoys, and Baratheons
respectively, while the Lannisters, Arryns, and Starks surrendered peacefully and were allowed to remain in control
of their lands. In addition, Aegon raised up the Tullys to rule over the Riverlands, which had been under ironborn
occupation prior to his arrival. Only House Martell of Dorne resisted his armies, but was later brought into the fold
through a peaceful marriage-alliance some two centuries later.

Each Great House has a large number of vassal houses serving it, most of whom in turn have smaller vassals under
them, extending all the way down to farmers and landed knights. Each Great House rules over its territory and is
responsible for collecting taxes and, in times of war, raising troops to fight for the king. Otherwise they are largely
left to operate autonomously to simplify the bureaucracy and governance of the realm.

1.)House Stark of Winterfell is a Great House of Westeros and the royal house of the Kingdom of the
North. They rule over the vast region known as the North from their seat in Winterfell. It is one of the oldest lines of
Westerosi nobility by far, claiming a line of descent stretching back over eight thousand years. Before Aegon's
Conquest, as well as during the War of the Five Kings and early on in the Last War, the leaders of House Stark ruled
over the region as the Kings in the North.

Their rule in the North seemingly ended after the events of the Red Wedding when House Frey and House Bolton
betrayed House Stark after forming a secret alliance with House Lannister, during which Roose Bolton murdered
King Robb Stark. Both the North and Winterfell were taken over by House Bolton. However, the Boltons' hold was
jeopardized when Sansa Stark escaped their clutches after learning her brothers Bran and Rickon Stark were still
alive and reunited with her half-brother, Jon Snow, at Castle Black. Sansa and Jon marched on the Boltons to save
their younger brother Rickon, who was later murdered by Ramsay Bolton, and retake Winterfell. House Stark was
restored to their former stature after the Battle of the Bastards. The Stark victory led to House Stark's return to royal
status in the North with their bannermen declaring Jon as the King in the North. He later abdicated his title as king in
order to gain the full support of Daenerys Targaryen in the Great War, becoming the Warden of the North.
Following the Battle of King's Landing, Bran Stark was chosen as the new king of the Six Kingdoms, allowing the
North to secede as an independent kingdom under Sansa.

House Stark's sigil is a grey direwolf on a white background, over green. They are one of the few noble houses
whose words are not a boast or threat. Instead, the House Stark family motto is a warning, one that, no matter the
circumstances, will always be relevant: "Winter Is Coming," which served as a reminder of their beginnings in the
wake of the Long Night and a grim portent of things to come.

House Stark, as the only First Men dynasty to resist the coming of the Andals, proudly hold on to the worship of the
Old Gods. Due to their rule over the North and knowledge of it's troubles, they are unfailing supporters of the
importance of the Night's Watch, despite it's fall from glory in current times. As one of the last remaining Valyrian
steel items, from Old Valyria, House Stark greatly treasures it's ancestral sword of Ice, which has been used in
battles and executions.
2.)House Tyrell of Highgarden is an extinct Great House of Westeros. It ruled over the Reach, a vast,
fertile, and heavily-populated region of southwestern Westeros, from their castle-seat of Highgarden as Lords
Paramount of the Reach and Wardens of the South after taking control of the region from House Gardener during
Aegon's Conquest.

The House was formerly led by Lord Mace Tyrell. Mace's son Loras was a noted tournament knight and, secretly,
the lover of Lord Renly Baratheon. Mace's daughter Margaery married Renly when he crowned himself king in the
War of the Five Kings to cement an alliance between Renly and her father. Following Renly's death, Margaery was
then married to King Joffrey Baratheon before his assassination at his wedding feast. She was then married to his
younger brother, King Tommen Baratheon. Mace's mother, the indomitable Olenna Tyrell, assumed House Tyrell's
lordship after Margaery, Loras, and Mace Tyrell were all killed by wildfire at the destruction of the Great Sept of
Baelor. Under Olenna, House Tyrell realigned itself with House Targaryen and declared for Daenerys Targaryen in
opposition against Cersei Lannister, who had orchestrated the downfall of House Tyrell. With the death of Olenna
after the Sack of Highgarden, the House has officially become extinct. In the TV series, the Tyrell family is very
small, has only four known members of the main branch.

The Tyrell sigil is a golden rose on a pale green field. Their house words are "Growing Strong."

3.)House Tully of Riverrun is a Great House of Westeros. Its most senior member carried the title of Lord
of Riverrun and Lord Paramount of the Trident, until the Red Wedding. The current head is Lord Edmure Tully, son
of the late Hoster Tully. The Tully sigil is a silver trout on a red and blue background. Their house words are
"Family, Duty, Honor."

At the onset of the War of the Five Kings, House Tully came under attack by House Lannister and lent its support
for House Stark when they came to their aid in the liberation of the Riverlands. House Tully has since been formally
stripped of lands and titles for rebellion against the Iron Throne, with Lord Edmure a captive of House Frey
following the Red Wedding.

Later, Brynden Tully gathered the remaining Tully forces and reclaimed Riverrun from the Freys, reopening conflict
between the Tullys and the Iron Throne. The Freys lay siege to Riverrun, and were later assisted by the Lannisters
on the orders of King Tommen I. Jaime Lannister managed to end the siege by convincing Edmure Tully to
command the garrison to lay down their weapons in return for clemency and protection. Brynden was killed during a
final stand with Lannister and Frey forces while Edmure was returned to the Freys as a prisoner. Following the
deaths of most of House Frey and the defeat of Cersei Lannister at King's Landing, Edmure is freed and restored to
his titles and lands.

4.)House Frey of the Twins is a noble house from the Riverlands and a vassal of House Tully. They were
briefly a Great House of Westeros after betraying their liege lords at the Red Wedding, but they were eventually
subdued once more.

Their ancestral seat is known as the Twins for its two identical keeps on both sides of a river linked by a bridge,
sometimes called the Stone Bridge. The Twins is one of the primary crossings over the Green Fork of the Trident
River, and tolls from bridge crossings have made the Freys quite wealthy fairly quickly, elevating them from
obscurity six centuries ago to being one of the most powerful noble houses in the Riverlands - though they are
looked down upon by older aristocratic families. The construction of the Twins took the Freys three centuries, and
ever since they have grown wealthy by charging the travelers crossing the Twins.
The current head of the house is unknown following the Assassinations at the Twins in revenge for the Red
Wedding. After the defeat of House Lannister, Edmure Tully regained control of the Riverlands.

The heraldry of House Frey represents their castle-seat of the Twins: it consists of two grey towers linked by a
bridge, on a darker grey background, over an escutcheon of blue water. Their house words are "We Stand Together."

5.) House Lannister of Casterly Rock is one of the Great Houses of Westeros, one of its richest and
most powerful families and one of its oldest dynasties. It was briefly the royal house of the Seven Kingdoms until
their defeat in the Last War.

The Lannisters rule over the Westerlands. Their seat is Casterly Rock, a massive rocky promontory overlooking the
Sunset Sea which has had habitations and fortifications built into it over the millennia. They are the Lords
Paramount of the Westerlands and Wardens of the West. As the new royal House, they also ruled directly over the
Crownlands from their seat of the Red Keep in King's Landing, the traditional seat of the royal family. House
Lannister's Heraldry consists of a golden lion on a crimson background, and their house words are "Hear me roar!",
which are rarely mentioned. Their unofficial motto, which is as well known as the official one, is "A Lannister
always pays his debts" - which is used much more often and mostly in negative context, though it can also be used
in the original, literal sense.

The incestuous relationship of Cersei and Jaime had been concealed in a conspiracy. Their son Joffrey Baratheon
had claimed the Iron Throne on the premise that he was actually fathered by the late King Robert Baratheon. Lord
Tywin was a key supporter of his reign in the War of the Five Kings. The Lannisters continued to hold sway when
Tommen Baratheon ascended the throne, with Kevan Lannister as Hand of the King and Protector of the Realm, but
lost their hold over Tommen to the Faith of the Seven, and, after destroying the Great Sept of Baelor, Cersei took the
throne. With the deaths of Cersei and Jaime at the Battle of King's Landing, Tyrion is now the head of House
Lannister and given up the crown in favor of an elective monarchy. It currently swears fealty directly to the King of
the Andals and the First Men, an office which is currently held by Bran Stark.

6.)House Martell of Sunspear is one of the Great Houses of Westeros. It rules the peninsula of Dorne in
the far south of the continent from their castle Sunspear. Though loyal to the Iron Throne, the Martells were never
conquered by the Targaryens and have pursued a more isolated role in wider political events since Robert's
Rebellion.

With the assassinations of Prince Doran Martell and his only heir, Prince Trystane, by Ellaria Sand and the three
eldest Sand Snakes, the Sand Snakes carry the Martell blood through their father Oberyn Martell. The Sand Snakes
also continue to use the Martell sigil to represent themselves and Dorne.

Under the leadership of Ellaria Sand, the forces of House Martell and Dorne were aligned with Daenerys Targaryen
against House Lannister.

Following the deaths of Ellaria and the three eldest Sand Snakes, a Martell rises to power as the new Prince of
Dorne.
House Martell's sigil is a red sun pierced by a golden spear, on an orange field, a combination of the original Martell
sigil - a yellow spear - and the emblem of Princess Nymeria - a red sun - to symbolize the marriage of the warrior-
queen to Mors Martell. Their house words are "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken."

7.)House Arryn of the Eyrie is one of the Great Houses of Westeros. It has ruled over the Vale of Arryn for
millennia, originally as the Kings of Mountain and Vale and more recently as Defenders of the Vale and Wardens of
the East under the Targaryen, Baratheon, and Lannister dynasties. The nominal head of House Arryn is Robin
Arryn, the Lord of the Eyrie, with Yohn Royce holding actual power over the house.

Their lands are in the central-eastern region of the continent. Their seat is the Eyrie, a castle on a shoulder of the
Giant's Lance. House Arryn's sigil is a white crescent moon and falcon on a blue field. Their house words are "As
High as Honor."

8.)House Targaryen of Dragonstone is an exiled Great House of Westeros and the former royal house of
the Seven Kingdoms. House Targaryen conquered and unified the realm before it was deposed during Robert's
Rebellion, where House Baratheon replaced it as the new royal house. The two surviving Targaryens, Viserys and
Daenerys, fled into exile to the Free Cities of Essos across the Narrow Sea.

House Lannister replaced House Baratheon as the royal house in the aftermath of the War of the Five Kings, but
they were defeated in the Last War. After Daenerys burnt King's Landing, she was assassinated by her nephew Jon
Snow to prevent further destruction. Jon is the last known Targaryen, but his identity as the son of Rhaegar
Targaryen is kept a secret, and he was exiled to the Night's Watch for the assassination of Daenerys, effectively
ending House Targaryen. However, the bloodline of House Targaryen still exists in various houses, such as House
Baratheon, House Velaryon, and House Martell.

House Targaryen's sigil is a three-headed red dragon on a black background, and their house words are "Fire and
Blood." The head of House Targaryen is referred to as "the dragon."

9.)House Greyjoy of Pyke is one of the Great Houses of Westeros. It rules over the Iron Islands, a harsh and
bleak collection of islands off the west coast of Westeros, from the castle at Pyke. The head of the house is the Lord
Reaper of Pyke.

House Greyjoy's sigil is traditionally a golden kraken on a black field. Their house words are "We Do Not Sow,"
although the phrase "What Is Dead May Never Die" is also closely associated with House Greyjoy and their
bannermen, as they are associated with the faith of the Drowned God.

Following the extinction of House Hoare, the ironborn elected House Greyjoy as Lord of the Iron Islands, an
administrative region of the Seven Kingdoms, as vassals to House Targaryen. During Robert's Rebellion, House
Greyjoy declared for House Baratheon. During the Greyjoy Rebellion, Balon Greyjoy declared sovereignty as the
Kingdom of the Iron Islands and seceded from the Seven Kingdoms, but the rebellion was put down. House Greyjoy
bent the knee to Robert Baratheon, and the Kingdom of the Iron Islands became defunct.

During the War of the Five Kings, Balon Greyjoy declared himself King of the Iron Islands and the Iron Islands
independent once more, restoring the Kingdom of the Iron Islands and seceding from the Seven Kingdoms.
Following his assassination and the election of his brother and murderer, Euron, as the new King of the Iron Islands,
House Greyjoy was divided between Euron and his followers, and Balon's surviving children, Yara and Theon, and
their followers. During the Last War, Euron allied with Cersei of House Lannister, while Yara and her followers
allied with Daenerys Targaryen, who Euron originally intended to ally with. After being set free by Theon, Yara
retook the Iron Islands in Daenerys's name. Theon died at the Battle of Winterfell while Euron died at the Battle of
King's Landing, leaving Yara firmly as the head and last living member of House Greyjoy.

10.)House Bolton of the Dreadfort is an extinct Great House of Westeros. After the Red Wedding, they
became the rulers of the North, having usurped their position from their former liege lords, House Stark. Their
original lands were in the northeast of the North. Their stronghold was a castle called the Dreadfort, and the head of
the house was the Lord of the Dreadfort.

House Bolton was infamous for its centuries-old practice of flaying their enemies alive, to the point that they used a
flayed man as their sigil. The Boltons supposedly gave up this practice after bending the knee to House Stark, and
centuries later, Lord Eddard Stark outlawed flaying in the North altogether, but the Boltons continued the practice.
This led to them being despised and feared by many of the Northern houses, especially after their betrayal of House
Stark.

House Bolton's heraldry consisted of a red flayed man upside-down, his flayed skin forming a white, X-shaped cross
behind him, over a field of black. Their house words were "Our Blades Are Sharp,"though a common saying of
members of the house was "A naked man has few secrets; a flayed man, none."

11.)House Baratheon of Storm's End is a Great House of Westeros that traditionally rules the
Stormlands on the eastern coast of Westeros, aptly named for its frequent storms, from their seat of Storm's End.

House Baratheon became the royal house of the Seven Kingdoms (as House Baratheon of King's Landing) after
Robert Baratheon led a rebellion against the Targaryen dynasty. At the end of the rebellion, Robert ascended the
Iron Throne as Robert I and married Cersei Lannister after the death of Lyanna Stark.

House Baratheon became officially extinct after the deaths of Stannis Baratheon and his family, but was revived
when Robert's last known bastard was legitimized by Queen Daenerys Targaryen as Gendry Baratheon.

House Baratheon's sigil is a crowned black stag on a gold field and their house words are "Ours is the Fury."