Eddard Stark

"I am Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Hand of the King. I come before you to confess my treason, in the sight of Gods and men"

- Eddard starting his confession at the Great Sept of Baelor

Eddard "Ned" Stark is a character of A Song of Ice and Fire and its TV series, Game of Thrones. He was the leader of House Stark, Lord of Winterfell, and Warden of the North in the continent of Westeros. He was made Hand of the King by his good friend King Robert I Baratheon. Ned is the second child of Lord Rickard Stark and his cousin-wife Lyarra Stark. He's the younger brother of Brandon Stark and older brother of Lyanna and Benjen Stark. He was married to Catelyn Tully and they had five children, Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon. Alongside his five children with Catelyn, Ned also raised Jon Snow as his own, who Ned presented as his bastard son, and kept the truth of Jon's parentage a secret.

Ned discovered evidence that the king's successor, Joffrey Baratheon, and his two siblings were actually born from an incestous relationship between Queen Cersei and her brother Jaime Lannister. However before he could tell Robert the King died from a hunting accident, partially brought about by his wife. Ned intended Robert's eldest brother, Stannis Baratheon, to succeed Robert. Robert's ambitious youngest brother Renly Baratheon meanwhile decided to usurp the throne himself and fled King's Landing. When Ned accused Joffrey of being illegitimate, he was seized for treason and killed. His death, among many other things, helped spark the War of the Five Kings. After his death, Robb Stark became Lord of Winterfell. Though he didn't love Ned, Stannis is still determined to have justice for Ned's death.

Personality
Eddard Stark is known throughout the Seven Kingdoms as being a man of honour, virtue and principles. His sense of right and wrong, justice, fair-play, compassion, valour and unbendable moral compass was unfounded in most Head of Houses, many of whom are ruthless warlords combined in a bid of power. He always encountered and dealt with a situation in a calm, reproachable manner and did his best to avoid violence or extreme actions but will carry out on them if he has no choice. As Warden of the North, Eddard never frayed from his duty. He was neither fond of performing executions but did them anyway as he lives by his own code of "the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword".

Eddard was known to not judge people by their classes or status. Despite Theon Greyjoy being a prisoner/ward of the Starks he allowed him to eat at the Stark's table and grow up with his children. The cordial ways he allowed Theon to be treated caused him to lament that Eddard was his true father while attempting to escape the Dreadfort. Ned was also the kindest member of Jon Snow's intermediate family and loved Jon as his own child, raising Jon alongside his trueborn children in his home castle, despite his bastard status, but he was still careful to not treat Jon with any more attention than his legitimate children because of Catelyn's disdain for him.

Although Eddard was known as being an incredulous warrior and soldier, he never excelled at intricate court politics and usually placed honour before common sense or pragmacy. He had occasionally proven to put his faith in the very wrong people and not consider the long-term consequences of his actions. He sentenced Gregor Clegane to be stripped of his titles after he terrorised a village and was even prepared to name Tywin Lannister an "enemy of the crown" if he did not appear before the council to atone for his minions crimes ignoring the cries of the council to do otherwise. Almost foolishly, Eddard placed dependence on Petyr Baslish to do the honourable thing by helping him in place Stannis as the rightful heir of the Iron Throne, unaware that Baelish was definitely a megalomaniacal sociopath. As expected Littlefinger betrays Eddard and his men almost immediately.

There has been evidence to support that even Lord Eddard Stark's honour was not omnipotent. Though many people believed he fathered a bastard son, Jon was actually the son of his deceased sister, Lyanna Stark. Out of love for his sister and nephew, Ned protected Jon from Robert's wrath by claiming him as his bastard son and raised Jon as his own child from infancy alongside his trueborn children. Ned took the secret of Jon's parentage to the grave to protect Jon and honor his sister's dying wish. This, as well Eddard's falsified statement at the Great Septor of Baelor, shows he was capable of putting family before honour.