Game of Thrones: Top 10 castles in Westeros, ranked
7. Castle Black
During the time of A Song of Ice and Fire, Castle Black is one of the last three inhabited and operational castles still remaining on the Wall, with 16 others being abandoned. These castles are manned by the Night’s Watch, a brotherhood of knights who defend the south from the threats to the north of the Wall, like wildlings and the Others (White Walkers on the show). Although the Nightfort used to be the Watch’s main stronghold, Castle Black at some point became the seat of the Night’s Watch.
Castle Black is vulnerable to attack from the south, as there are no walls surrounding the garrison besides the Wall to the north. Underground passageways that are used to navigate from building to building in the winter. There is a giant gate that leads into a tunnel going through the Wall and out the other side. There is also a great staircase that goes all the way to the top of the Wall in addition to an iron cage attached to a winch that can transport men and supplies to the top.
The majority of Jon Snow’s chapters take place at Castle Black. As a Night’s Watch recruit, he meets many characters, including Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, Samwell Tarly, Alliser Thorne and Donal Noye. After stopping an undead wight from killing Jeor Mormont, the Lord Commander decides to bring a large host of 200 brothers North of the Wall on a great ranging. After infiltrating the wildling army and falling in love with Ygritte, Jon returns to Castle Black in A Storm of Swords to help defend it from Mance Rayder’s assault. After Mance attacks the castle several times in one night, it is clear that he will eventually win against the outnumbered Night’s Watch. Jon goes to parlay with Mance, planning to assassinate the wildling leader. But Stannis Baratheon shows up out of nowhere with a large army, scattering the wildlings.
Jon is then elected as the new Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, Jeor having died on the ranging beyond the Wall. Stannis occupies Castle Black while he figures out how to take the Iron Throne. Stannis marches south in A Dance with Dragons and leaves his family and Melisandre at Castle Black. Meanwhile, Jon begins letting many wildlings come south of the Wall. He plans to have the Wildlings man the other abandoned castles on the Wall and to give them lands to settle, figuring that all humanity will have to unite in the fight against the Others.
After Jon receives a disturbing letter from Ramsay Bolton, he plans to break his Night’s Watch vows and march south to fight the Boltons. Most of the wildlings volunteer to go with him, but the Night’s Watch brothers are not happy with their Lord Commander’s decision. The final chapter of Dance shows the Night’s Watch officers betray and murder Jon at Castle Black.