The War of the Five Kings proved to be a key conflict throughout A Song of Ice and Fire. After the death of King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), his son, Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleason), assumed the Iron Throne. However, when Ned Stark (Sean Bean) discovers that Joffrey is not, in fact, Robert's son, the vicious boy king has him executed, sparking a war throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
In the North, Ned's son Robb Stark (Richard Madden) declares war on Joffrey, fighting for the Northern secession. Meanwhile, Robert's younger brother Stannis (Stephen Dillane) vies for the Iron Throne, now positioned as his brother's heir if Joffrey is not, in fact, legitimate. The youngest Baratheon brother, Renly (Gethin Anthony), attempts to become king as well, thinking himself to be a more suitable ruler than Stannis. Finally, over in the Iron Islands, Balon Greyjoy (Patrick Malahide) also crowns himself king, bringing his Iron Fleet into the fight.
The War of the Five Kings plays out differently in A Song of Ice and Fire than it does in the series' TV adaptation, Game of Thrones. While many of these changes are subtle, some impact the overall story, and the war's outcome, far more than many fans realize.
Stannis' use of dark magic
In both the books and the show, Stannis is determined to win the throne by any means necessary. As such, he enlists the help of the Red Priestess Melisandre (Carice van Houten). First, Melisandre eliminates Renly by creating a shadow of Stannis to stab him in the back, establishing to Stannis' skeptical ally Ser Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham), as well as to the readers, that her powers are more than just boasts.
Later, Melisandre acquires king's blood from one of Robert's bastard sons, a boy named Edric Storm. Believing king's blood to contain magical properties, she and Stannis burn leeches filled with the blood in order to pray for the demises of the three remaining kings. Sure enough, shortly thereafter, all three of Stannis' opponents die. Robb Stark is killed at the infamous Red Wedding, Joffrey is poisoned at his own wedding, and Balon Greyjoy's death takes place off page, but it is later confirmed to be the work of his younger brother Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk), an ironic foil to Stannis himself, as Euron is also a middle child overlooked in favor of his incompetent older brother who eventually resorts to kinslaying.
This all takes place relatively quickly in the third book in Martin's series, A Storm of Swords. Within a few chapters of Stannis and Melisandre's blood ritual, Robb and Joffrey are killed, and reports come in that Balon has died. As such, readers are forced to wonder if these deaths are just a coincidence, or if this dark magic played a part in the War of the Five Kings.
Balon's death in the show changes everything
In Game of Thrones, much of the War of the Five Kings plays out similarly. Stannis and Melisandre dispatch Renly with a shadow, much like in the source material, and after capturing Gendry (Joe Dempsie), another of Robert's bastard sons who takes the place of Edric Storm, they similarly burn leeches filled with his blood in order to sacrifice the three remaining kings.
Gendry's leeching takes place in Season 3, Episode 8, "Second Sons." Robb dies in the following episode, "The Rains of Castamere," and Joffrey dies not long thereafter, in Season 4, Episode 2, "The Lion and the Rose."
However, Balon survives until Season 6, Episode 2, "Home." His death in the show was likely delayed in order to correspond with Euron's on-screen introduction, but as a consequence, it feels far too removed from the leech burning. Many casual viewers won't remember Melisandre's attempt to kill Balon three seasons earlier, effectively weakening her powers on the show, and making Robb and Joffrey's demises feel unrelated to the Red Woman.
In fact, Balon's death takes place so much later than the leech burning that, by this point in the series, Stannis himself has died. While book Stannis is still alive at this point in Martin's published material, show Stannis meets his demise in the season 5 finale at the hands of Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), two episodes before Balon dies. As such, in Game of Thrones, Balon Greyjoy, not Stannis Baratheon, is the last survivor of the War of the Five Kings.
This month marks the 15th anniversary of Game of Thrones' premiere, and we're looking back extensively on the series to ring in the occasion. Come with us on a return journey to Westeros!
For more of Martin's fantasy world, stream all eight season of Game of Thrones and its two spinoffs on HBO Max.