Gyles Belgrave

Ser Gyles Belgrave was a Kingsguard knight whose suspected role in King Aegon’s poisoning brought him before Cregan Stark. While other condemned men accepted the chance to serve at the Wall, Belgrave refused the black and was executed, making his death a stark exception in the aftermath of the king’s murder.

Identity and Accusation

Belgrave was judged responsible for the king’s death either through direct involvement in poisoning the wine or through allowing the plot to proceed by negligence or deliberate blindness. The evidence did not establish which of these applied, but Cregan Stark condemned him all the same. Three of Belgrave’s sworn brothers were also sentenced because they had been present when the king died, although their participation in the plot could not be proved; the Kingsguard who had been away from the city were found innocent.

Refusal of the Wall

As the condemned were offered the opportunity to take the black, Belgrave declined. His choice set him apart from the other prisoners, including the three Kingsguard who accepted service in the Night’s Watch. He maintained that a knight of the Kingsguard should not survive a king who had died by violence, accepting the principle as applying to himself rather than seeking the reprieve available to the others.

Execution and Aftermath

Cregan Stark killed Belgrave with Ice. His head, together with that of Lord Larys Strong, was displayed on either side of the Red Keep’s gates. The other condemned men were returned to their cells until arrangements could be made to send them to the Wall. Belgrave’s refusal thus made him one of only two men executed that day, while the other prisoners’ sentence was exchanged for service in the Night’s Watch.