Thanks, Woody.
Foible, I respectfully disagree. I believe the Red Wedding made perfect sense
1. Why would Walder even want to do such a thing?
The eight thousand plus year history of Westeros is one of small kindoms and regional rivalries. The land has only known unity in the three hundred years of Targaryen rule... and as we can see, as soon as the dragons are gone the ancient fueds and demands of honor quickly surface.
Walder's honor was destroyed by Robb. Walder had just maneuvered to place his family from one of the bannermen of the Riverlands to the power behind the King in the North. The Freys worry about their honor because they are in short supply of it... and Robb had just humiliated them.
The Freys control the Twins and are very wealthy as a result... not Lannister or Tyrell wealthy, but they probably have more assets than either the Tullys or Starks. Couple this with a triple alliance between the Lannisters and the Boltons (remember Walder's son, Emmon was given Riverrun, and remember that Roose was at the Twins and actually delivered Robb's death blow) and Walder could feel confident that the new Westerlands, the Reach, the Vale, Riverlands, Northlands, and King's Landing alliance could easily withstand any challenge from Stannis, Dorne or the Iron Islands.
The North and the Riverlands had outmaneuvered and outfought the Lannisters in the field, but were in turn outmaneuvered by the Greyjoys. Nor could the Starks replace their money, material, and men as quickly and as easily as the Lannisters and their allies. Even Robb lamented how he was losing the war even though he won all the battles.
In Walder's mind, he just put himself on the rich, powerful, established, and winning side.
2. Why would the other Freys do such suicidal thing?
Lord Walder had held power for so long and had such tight control over all Frey finances that for them to step out of line meant risking exile. As Walder himself often mentioned, he had more sons and grandsons and nephews to take the place of any who fell or were disgraced.
Also, Walder played them all against each other. Any hints of scheming against Walder's authority would have been instantly reported to him. All those weasels were jealous of each other.
And one thing continually confounded Catelyn at the Twins... the absence of the Freys who had been close to Robb. Walder had sent any Freys with a conscience far away so they would not be tempted to disclose his plotting to Robb.
3. How is it even possible that some crap force inside the Frey's Keep could completely destroy the battle hardend force of the King in the North?
First, I'd say that even if many of Walder's sons and grandsons were physically unimposing, it appears that Black Walder and Walder Rivers were very militarily competent commanders. They planned the massacre in detail. They had an equal number of men at the Twins to Robb's force... and their force was probably instructed to drink less than the Northmen. Plus, the Frey's held their battle hardened forces that had fought with Robb outside the Twins. They brought these fresh, sober, and veteran troops in at the moment of the betrayal. These forces in battle order would have made short work of any drunken, disorganized, unarmored, unarmed troops, battle hardened or not.
History is replete with examples of treachery and massacres.
Dinah, a daughter of Jacob (Abraham's grandson), was raped by a Shechem, a Canaanite prince. Dinah's brothers told Shechem he could marry Dinah if he and all his people became circumcised like thJacob's people were. The morning after the mass cicumcision while Shechem's men were all lying abed in pain, Dinah's brothers attacked and slew them all.
Around the year 1000 BC, Absalom (son of King David of Israel), murdered his eldest half-brother Amnon at a feast Absalom threw for all his brothers. Absalom's excuse for murdering the heir apparent was that Amnon had raped Absalom's sister, Tamar. Absalom fled into exile and was pardoned years later. After his return Absalom effected a coup d'etat against David, but defeated later in battle.
On Palm Sunday 991, the Bishop of Laon (a vassal of Duke Charles of Lorraine) invited Charles to dinner. Charles asked for an oath of fealty over holy communion and the Bishop gave it. Later that night, the Bishop arrested Charles and handed him over to Hugh Capet (who overthrew Charles' older brother to become the first King of France). Charles died in Hugh's prison.
In 1064, Harold Godwinson, the most powerful lord in England and heir apparent to King Edward the Confessor, shipwrecked on the French coast and was captured by the Count of Ponthieu. William of Normandy rescued Harold and brought him to Normandy as a guest. Once there, William knighted Harold and gave him gifts. But he refused to let Harold go home until Harold promised to forsake his claim to the English throne in favor of William. Two years later when Edward died and Harold claimed the throne, William invaded... to his lasting glory.
Lalli, the Finnish hero, caught and killed Swedish Bishop Henry in 1156. Henry's crime? He did not pay for Lalli's hospitality at supper.
Richard I of England was captured and held hostage by Leopold, Duke of Austria during Richard's return from crusading.
In 1385, Bernabo Visconti, Lord of Milan, was captured by his nephew Gian Galeazzo Visconti at a welcoming reception upon Gian's arrival in Milan. Bernabo was deposed and killed.
The infamous Pope, Alexander VI, would invite rich men to dinner and then accuse, imprison, confiscate all their wealth, and then murder them.
In 1757 during the French and Indian War, French commander, Montcalm, accepted the surrender of the British garrison of Fort William Henry. He let the British leave peacefully, but his Algonquin allies attacked and massacred the British retreat. You may remember this in the 1990's film
The Last of the Mohicans.
Revenge, honor, and power are all motivations for betrayal and murder.
