Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Ironborn (铁皮人) |
| Species/Race | Human 212 215 |
| Affiliation | Iron Islands; traditionally ruled by House Greyjoy 201 204 |
| Occupation/Role | Sailors, raiders and soldiers; some also mine iron and trade 201 204 |
Culture
- The Iron Price — The Ironborn idealize taking goods by force rather than earning them through labor or trade. Balon uses this creed to rally a raid on the North 176 204.
- Faith — The Drowned God is central to Ironborn identity. Drowned priest Aeron Greyjoy conducts Theon's funeral rites and invokes the god before the fleet departs 201 204.
- Captives and servants — More than half the Iron Islands' population consists of people with no rights. Captives are put to work in shipbuilding, smithing and mines, while women may be taken as salt wives 215.
- Differences among houses — House Goodbrother mines and trades iron ore and is less enthusiastic about raiding than many other Ironborn houses 201 239.
Warfare
- Fleet — Fast, shallow-draft longships allow landings along much of a coastline. The Iron Islands also field larger sailing warships 202 203 225.
- Shipboard combat — Ironborn are skilled at sea. Many avoid heavy armor aboard ships because falling overboard in it can be fatal; Victarion Greyjoy is a notable exception 203 204.
- Land combat — Ironborn forces are less practiced in formations and large land battles. Against Jon's troops, their light equipment and limited archery become serious disadvantages 204 212.
History
War with Jon Stark
After Jon takes Casterly Rock, Balon and Asha Greyjoy consider further raids on the Westerlands, rejecting Theon's proposal to trade with him. Jon, meanwhile, plans to bring the Iron Islands under his control to secure the Sunset Sea 176 178.
The Ironborn send more than eight thousand elite troops and hundreds of ships against the North. Jon traps their fleet in ice and defeats the army at the Bay of Severed Heads; the ships are captured almost intact 204 211 214 215.
Jon then lands a smaller force on Harlaw Island. His attacks on plantations and efforts to mobilize their serfs help defeat a much larger Ironborn army. Euron withdraws from Harlaw, and Balon announces his intention to submit to Stannis 226 229 230 232 233.
The remaining defenders gather on Pyke, but Euron's summoned storm fails to stop Jon's linked warships. Jon's forces land, and Pyke Castle surrenders 235 237 238.
After the conquest
Jon plans to replace the islands' ruling families and end their capacity for independent raiding. Asha publicly renounces House Greyjoy's claim to the Seastone Chair; House Goodbrother is relocated to the Westerlands, and Brynden is appointed temporary Warden of the Iron Islands 235 239. Jon later forbids independent ships and fleets on the islands and controls the use of shipbuilding timber 245 290.