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She was in exile after murder of Joffrey but then married to Tyrion. After Petyr took her and gave her in marriage to Ramsay, how can this happen?

user56reinstatemonica8
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Vishnu
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    possible duplicate of Is divorce allowed in Westeros? – Kalissar Jul 13 '15 at 07:55
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    I'm not sure that this is a dupe - this is asking about a specific (answerable) part of the story, where the other is asking about a different element that is related. – Dr R Dizzle Jul 13 '15 at 08:08
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    Sounds like yet another plot hole missed by the script writers of the tv-show. That role was not played by Sansa in the books. – TLP Jul 13 '15 at 09:47
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    @TLP not a tv plot hole. Sansa is set to marry someone in the books, just not Ramsay. – kuhl Jul 13 '15 at 12:36
  • @kuhl Didn't she marry Ramsay? – TLP Jul 13 '15 at 13:02
  • @TLP in the show, yes. In the books she's betrothed to Harry the Heir. My point is that in both the show and the books Littlefinger is marrying her off even though she was married to Tyrion. – kuhl Jul 13 '15 at 15:07
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    @kuhl Sansa never marries Harry the heir, Littlefinger just brokered her engagement. She had to first meet Harry before they could get engaged. So, that is not marriage. The plot hole is that the script writers did not take into account that Sansa could not marry Ramsay until she was divorced form Tyrion. – TLP Jul 13 '15 at 15:50
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    @TLP yet she can be engaged to marry Harry? That's the point I'm making, Littlefinger doesn't care that she is already married in either medium. – kuhl Jul 13 '15 at 16:21
  • @kuhl Well, if Sansa is married to Tyrion, then her marriage to Ramsay is void. Since Roose Bolton would not benefit from a marriage that does not stand, it is a plot hole. It comes from them combining the characters "fake Arya" and Sansa, but dropping the ball on the dissolution. – TLP Jul 13 '15 at 16:43
  • @TLP when Sansa marries Harry wouldn't it be the same? Littlefinger intends for her to marry him, even though shes married to Tyrion. That's typically what an engagement means. – kuhl Jul 13 '15 at 17:43
  • It's not necessarily a plot hole. It's possible that the marriage is legally problematic, but they do it anyway hoping that the arguments for its validity are strong enough to convince the people that matter; at least just enough to leverage her name and claims. The fact that their arguments might be weak only gives more leverage to whoever decides to contest the marriage, but I think that will depend more on influences and interests, than on the strict letter of the law. – Smig Jul 13 '15 at 17:57
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    I'm not sure why you are still discussing a supposed plot hole given there are 2 answers explaining how the marriage is legal, one of which was already posted before the discussion even began. –  Jul 13 '15 at 19:22
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    @kuhl: In the books they have a whole discussion about how she is engaged to Harry, but they're going to secretly, subtly delay the marriage until after their certain Tyrion is dead. They're very clear about that in the books. – Mooing Duck Jul 13 '15 at 22:45
  • the question is purely in the context of TV series and not the books.. people relating it with the book logic please check out the tag first ! – abhi Jul 14 '15 at 07:28
  • @abhi The same conditions apply to both show and books in this case: Sansa needs to first have her marriage to Tyrion dissolved before she can marry anyone else. Of course, the script writers could just say Tada and make it so, but I have not seen them do so yet. – TLP Jul 15 '15 at 18:08

3 Answers3

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Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish explained this while talking to Roose Bolton in the episode "High Sparrow":

BAELISH: (They begin walking). I assure you she's still a virgin. Tyrion never consummated the marriage. By the law of the land, she's no man's wife. Inspect her, if you must.

ROOSE: I leave that to the brothel keeper. It's her name I need, not her virtue.

BAELISH: Then I have delivered everything I've promised.

ROOSE: And you prepared for the consequences. When the Lannisters hear I've wed Sansa Stark to Ramsay...

BAELISH: The Lannister name doesn't mean what it once did. Tywin is dead. He kept his house in power through sheer will. Without him, Jaime has one hand and no allies, Tommen is a soft boy, not a king to fear.

ROOSE: The Queen will be enraged.

BAELISH: Queen Margaery adores Sansa. Cersei is Queen Mother, a title whose importance wanes with each passing day.

BCdotWEB
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The reason that Sansa could still be betrothed to Ramsay Bolton after her marriage to Tyrion Lannister is that he marriage to Tyrion was never consumated. This means that the marriage was never made official in the eyes of the gods, and as such she is free to go on to marry anyone as officially, the marriage never took place.

We see this in one of Sansa's chapters in the A Song of Ice and Fire book A Storm of Swords, or the episode where Sansa is wed to Tyrion in season 3 of Game of Thrones. Tyrion is unable to consumate the marriage as it is clear that Sansa is terrified and unwilling to go through with it. This is confirmed by Petyr Baelish in season 5 of Game of Thrones when he is setting up the wedding between Sansa and Ramsay.

Dr R Dizzle
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  • It says,"She is nothing if not dutiful, this wife of mine.” – Tyrion Lannister's thoughts from awoiaf wiki – Vishnu Jul 13 '15 at 08:31
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    This can only happen if a septon agrees to dissolve the marriage. Did you see that happen? And also, this answer is entirely based on information from the books. – TLP Jul 13 '15 at 09:49
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    @TLP I've read the book in which it happens and seen every episode of the show to date. I'm fairly certain that Peter Baelish actually talks to one of the Boltons in season 5 and explains that the marriage between Sansa and Tyrion was never consumated, but I may be wrong about that. – Dr R Dizzle Jul 13 '15 at 09:50
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    @DrRDizzle you are not wrong. Boltons know/were told that Sansa was a virgin. Just before Ramsay rapes Sansa, he starts to taunt her by asking why's she still a virgin, was she afraid of dwarf and so on. – Nika G. Jul 13 '15 at 10:01
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    But who's informed anybody that Tyrion didn't consummate? Except Baelish and the Boltons, I mean? That wasn't in the official King's Landing Gazette or anything... Any person wanting to remarry a married woman (assuming she hasn't had kids) can claim her marriage wasn't actually consummated. – einpoklum Jul 14 '15 at 09:33
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    @einpoklum I believe it is mentioned in the books that Sansa told her chambermaid, who spread the word. At the same time, in the world of ASOIAF they believe that they can check to see if her maidenhood is intact, which it would be. – Dr R Dizzle Jul 14 '15 at 09:37
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They never smashed. In that world (and their laws) that means the marriage of Sansa and Tyrion is not legal.

zaiger
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    Can you provide references for the answer you have written? Answers this short are likely to be deleted. If you can support your claim with quotes and references, and expand upon what you have written, it would probably be a good answer. – Wad Cheber Jul 14 '15 at 01:24
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    Actually even in our world, which I assume is what inspired it. In most Western countries if you never had sex when married then you don't need a divorce, you just need a judge/official to declare the marriage null and void (never happened). This process is known as annulment and at least in the UK and most states in the US never having sex is a valid reason for annulment. – slebetman Jul 14 '15 at 07:26
  • To back up @siebetman here is the info https://www.gov.uk/how-to-annul-marriage. I never knew STD was on there lol. – Dreamwalker Jul 14 '15 at 11:58