Ned Stark was one of our favorite characters in Game of Thrones. Why, we even thought he was the protagonist until Joffrey chopped his head off. His shocking death was ultimately caused by a chain of mistakes, as I have ranked below.

14. Not listening to the deserter’s warnings
Before Ned beheaded the deserter of the Night’s Watch, the deserter claims, “I saw the White Walkers. People need to know.” Ned did not take the man’s warnings seriously - and paid the Others no mind. Ultimately, the greatest threat to the realm was the White Walkers, and if he had solidified the strength of the Night’s Watch, the danger might not have been so dire.

However, this mistake was ranked in the end because White Walkers were mere superstition in Westeros at that time, and deserters were not to be trusted - so it was understandable that Ned did not take action.

13. Not listening to Arya when she overheard Varys and Illyrio
When Arya was lost under the Red Keep, she overheard Varys and Illyrio conspiring to kill Ned: “If one Hand can die, why not a second?” Though Arya reported this to Ned, he remained indifferent to this threat. He should have been more vigilant or alarmed that someone wanted him dead - and recruited more men for his household guard (which could have helped to prevent the large massacre in the Red Keep that followed Robert’s death).

Nevertheless, without knowing who conspired with whom and who wanted him dead, it was hard for Ned to take action - which puts this mistake at #13.

12. Leaving Winterfell and going south
Though Catelyn begged for Ned to stay, Ned chose to leave the North and head for King’s Landing. Little did he know that he would never return home again - he would be charged with treason and later executed in King’s Landing. Remember the stag and direwolf that killed each other in season 1 episode 1? It foreshadowed that Stark and Baratheon would be the downfall of one another, and this would lead to both Robert’s and Ned’s deaths. Yet, Ned still chose to go south.

But did Ned have any choice anyway? It was a king’s command - and if Ned stayed in the North and defied His Grace’s orders it would have been considered treason. And that wouldn’t have ended well either, would it?

11. Not telling Sansa the seriousness of their situation
Ned gave Arya multiple lessons on the seriousness of their situation and that “we've come to a dangerous place. We cannot fight a war amongst ourselves.” But Ned did not tell Sansa. In the books, before Arya and Sansa could safely leave King’s Landing, Sansa, driven by her so-called “love” for Joffrey, reported to Cersei of Ned’s plans for them to return north. This, as we all know, triggered Cersei to secure the loyalty of the gold cloaks and prevent the Stark girls from leaving. If Ned had taught Sansa of the dangers of their situation, she might not have tattle-taled.

Well, I suppose Ned did not expect Sansa to betray them to the Queen (though Sansa was not aware of it) so this mistake is ranked at #11.

10. Following in Jon Arryn’s footsteps
When Ned asked Varys “[Jon Arryn] was Hand for 17 years. 17 good years. Why kill him?” Varys’s response was “he started asking questions”. Though Ned may not have noticed it, Varys was warning him not to follow in Jon Arryn’s footsteps - not to go searching for the truth of Joffrey’s birth, because it would kill him, just as it killed Jon Arryn. If Ned had heeded Varys’ advice, he would not have threatened Joffrey’s claim to the throne, and therefore, he would not have died.

Some would rank this mistake even higher, but I think Ned would have done it again regardless of its cost - because of the “honorable fool” he is.

9. Not taking more men to King’s Landing
When Ned went south to King’s Landing, he took only 50 men with him - did he expect 50 men to protect him from the Lannisters? Besides, he sent much of his household guard to men like Beric Dondarrion (to execute the Mountain for his crimes) and Janos Slynt out of generosity. However, that wasn’t how you play the game of thrones. In the end, Ned only had a few loyal men left to protect him, and they were all slaughtered following Robert’s death, leaving him defenseless and the Lannisters free to capture him.

However, it may look suspicious if Ned brought a small army with him to the south, so I suppose he had no choice but to bring 50 men. Still, to correct this mistake, Ned could have bought the loyalty of other men like the gold cloaks, but sadly he trusted Littlefinger for that job.

8. Keeping Bobby B in the dark
When Ned found out about Joffrey’s illegitimacy, he decided not to tell Robert and disturb him in his passing. Did Ned not know that Robert was the only man keeping him alive all these years in King’s Landing? Ned was surrounded by enemies in the Red Keep, most of whom would want him dead. If only he had told Robert about the incest, Robert would have punished Cersei, Jaime and their children, thus removing the threat to Ned’s life. But yet again, the honorable Ned would not have done such a thing.

Even if Ned revealed the truth to Robert, however, Cersei and Joffrey would still pose a threat to him. Robert was dying; after he died, Cersei could return and take revenge, as she still had power in King’s Landing.

7. Taking Arya and Sansa to King’s Landing
When Ned went south to King’s Landing, he took his two daughters along with him (to expose them to the wider world). That immediately threatened Arya’s and Sansa’s lives after Ned died, because Sansa was captured and held hostage in King’s Landing (not to mention being both physically and mentally tortured by Joffrey and Cersei), while Arya had to journey all the way back north (which was very dangerous given that she was a lone girl).

Nevertheless, Ned was (initially) unaware of the dangers of King’s Landing and he had reasonable reasons for bringing his daughters there - but it was still a grave mistake indeed.

6. Refusing to bend the knee to Joffrey
Once he discovered Joffrey’s illegitimacy, Ned immediately began supporting Stannis’s claim to the throne, which earned him the title of traitor. If, however, Ned had sworn fealty to Joffrey from the very beginning, he would not have been charged with treason - yes, it would have been dishonorable - but he wouldn’t have had his head chopped off. Perhaps Joffrey would even keep him as Hand of the King, due to his loyalty and friendship with the late King Robert.

But as I’ve mentioned above, supporting Joffrey’s claim would truly be dishonorable - and Ned even valued his honor above his life, as he said to Varys, “You think my life is some precious thing to me? That I would trade my honor for a few more years of...of what?”

5. Dismissing Renly’s offer
When Renly offered to “put a hundred swords in [Ned’s] hand” to strike the castle, Ned rejected it almost without hesitation (due to honor). If he had sided with Renly’s plan, they would have taken Joffrey into custody (away from Cersei), and held control over the city. Thus, Ned’s head would not have fallen off his shoulders; instead, he would have gained control over the Seven Kingdoms themselves.

Things would have been so different if Ned had accepted the plan - in fact there wouldn’t even be a Game of Thrones storyline if Ned and Renly had taken control of the city. It definitely was one of Ned’s largest mistakes, however, and it cost him his life.

4. Trusting Littlefinger
When Littlefinger promised to buy the City Watch for Ned, Ned actually trusted him. Even Littlefinger himself warned Ned against doing so: “Distrusting me was the wisest thing you've done since you climbed off your horse.” Eventually, it was revealed that Littlefinger bribed the gold cloaks for Cersei instead - thereby causing Ned’s imprisonment and the deaths of Ned’s men. Littlefinger even held a knife to his neck and said, “I did warn you not to trust me.”

This was one of Ned’s biggest mistakes because it directly led to his imprisonment, and later, execution. If only he had trusted someone else for the job… *sigh*

3. Confronting Cersei about the incest
During Ned’s detainment in King’s Landing, Varys told him (to his shame), “It was not wine that killed the king. It was your mercy”. And he was right. After learning the truth of Joffrey’s birth, Ned, driven by mercy, urged Cersei to flee King’s Landing with her children, lest Robert finds out and kills them all. This turned out to be a very bad decision, because it drove Cersei to assassinate Robert and imprison Ned to keep the secret from spreading.

This reminds me of Cersei’s iconic quote “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.” Ned chose mercy, and the consequence was death. Truly not a very wise decision.

2. Not using his powers as Hand of the King
When Robert sent Ned to King’s Landing as his Hand, Ned saw himself as only a temporary replacement for Jon Arryn (i.e. an acting Hand). As Jaime Lannister told him, "The king shits, and the Hand wipes", the Hand is the second most powerful man in Westeros, after the king - but Ned didn’t seem to have realized that. He could have used his powers to remove untrustworthy men from the small council (e.g. Varys, Littlefinger, Pycelle) or fire other disloyal men from their posts (e.g. Janos Slynt) to ensure his place was not challenged at the capital.

This is Ned’s second-greatest mistake because he had the chance to put the entirety of King’s Landing under his control - like how Tyrion sent Janos Slynt to the Wall and figured out where Pycelle’s true loyalties lay - and yet Ned gave up that chance, foolishly.

1. Believing that everyone shared his sense of honor and morality
Ned’s greatest mistake hands down. Ned thought those around him were just as honorable as him, and yet honor did not matter to any one of them - every single one of them betrayed Ned in the end. Ned trusted Littlefinger’s honor - and Littlefinger bribed the gold cloaks for Cersei; Ned trusted Cersei’s honor - and Cersei killed the king and charged him with treason; Ned trusted Joffrey’s honor - and Joffrey ordered his execution. Even after making this mistake so many times, Ned did not learn from it - his trust in others was what truly killed him. 

Compared to other mistakes he made, this was the worst because it blinded him to the political complexities in King’s Landing. He underestimated the cunning and treachery in the capital, allowing people like Littlefinger and Cersei to manipulate him and exploit his weaknesses. Ned's assumption that honor alone would be enough to rally support for his cause in the realm was utterly misguided. He believed that revealing the truth about Joffrey's illegitimacy would lead to a united front against the Lannisters - however, he failed to recognize the self-interest and ambition that motivated many, if not all of the noble families. RIP, Ned Stark.