The wildling raid across the Wall in 133 AC

The wildling raid across the Wall in 133 AC brought a force of three thousand across the northern frontier, overrunning the black brothers at Queensgate and spreading through the Gift. Cregan Stark’s response drew together northern houses and Night’s Watch rangers to pursue the raiders and end the incursion.

Background and Setting

The raid took place amid a difficult period for the North. Famine was widespread, and the Winter Fever had reached Barrowton for the first time. Against that backdrop, Sylas the Grim led three thousand wildlings against the Wall, opening a second and immediate crisis for the region.

The Incursion

The wildlings overwhelmed the Night’s Watch at Queensgate. They then spread out across the Gift, carrying the threat beyond the Wall and into lands under northern protection. The account gives no further details of their movements or the fighting at the gate, but makes clear that the Watch’s defense there had failed to contain the invasion.

The Northern Response

Cregan Stark rode out from Winterfell to hunt the raiders. The Glovers of Deepwood Motte joined him, as did the Flints and Norreys of the hills and a hundred rangers from the Night’s Watch. Their combined pursuit put an end to the incursion.

Consequences and Significance

The raid’s account is brief, but its sequence is stark: the Wall was breached at Queensgate, the raiders dispersed through the Gift, and Cregan assembled a force to drive them down. The presence of Night’s Watch rangers alongside northern houses also marks the response as a joint effort after the Watch’s local defense had been overwhelmed. The episode appears among reports of famine and disease in the North, placing the incursion within a year already burdened by multiple crises.