House Baratheon
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House Baratheon is a fictional family from George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. It is the principal house in the Stormlands, to whom the lesser storm lords are sworn. Its seat is Storm's End. Its sigil is a crowned black stag on a field of gold, and its words are "Ours is the Fury."
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[edit] History
It is the youngest of the great Houses, tracing its descent from Orys Baratheon, one of Aegon the Conqueror's fiercest generals, and rumored to be his bastard brother. Through the female line, the Baratheons are descended from the Storm Kings, as Orys slew Argilac the Arrogant, last of the Storm Kings, and married his daughter. Orys adopted the sigil and words of his wife's ancestral line. The line of the Storm Kings dates back to the Age of Heroes when their kingdom was founded by King Durran I "Godsgrief", a legendary hero. After Robert's Rebellion, the house claimed the Iron Throne in King's Landing and the Isle of Dragonstone, with the support of House Stark, House Tully, House Arryn, and, eventually, House Lannister.
[edit] House genealogy
Rhaelle Targaryen══╤══ ? Baratheon
│
│
Steffon══╤══Cassana Estermont
│
┌────────────────┴─────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│ │ │
Cersei══╤═══Robert Stannis══╤══Selyse Florent Renly══Margaery Tyrell
Lannister │ │ │
│ │ │
┌────┬────┤ ├──────┬───────┬─────┐ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
Joffrey │ Tommen Mya Gendry Edric │ Shireen
Myrcella Stone Storm other
bastards
[edit] Current members
[edit] Robert
The eldest of three sons, Robert Baratheon was crowned King of the Seven Kingdoms after winning the War of the Usurper.
When Robert was young, he was fostered at the Eyrie along with Eddard Stark of the North; the two became close, both to each other and also to their foster father Lord Jon Arryn. At some point, Robert's parents were lost to a shipwreck, making him lord of the Stormlands. He also became betrothed to Ned's sister Lyanna, whom he loved deeply, albeit from a distance.
When Rhaegar Targaryen apparently kidnapped Lyanna, Robert was enraged by the abduction, and by the thought of Rhaegar raping her. Brandon Stark, Lyanna's brother, became even more enraged and rode straight to King's Landing, where he was captured and executed by Aerys. Eventually Aerys ordered Jon Arryn to present him with the heads of Robert and Eddard Stark. Jon Arryn instead rose in rebellion against Aerys; these three lords called their banners and began Robert's Rebellion/ War of the Usurper.
Though Robert won his war and killed Rhaegar personally on the Trident, Robert did not get Lyanna back, as she died under unknown circumstances before they could be reunited. Robert was thereafter haunted by her memory, and bore an irrational hatred against Targaryens in general and Rhaegar in particular. This hatred was shown when Lord Tywin Lannister presented Robert with the mutilated bodies of Rhaegar's wife Elia of Dorne & their two young children, despite Eddard Stark's disgust & outrage over the act, Robert was pleased they were dead referring to the bodies as dragonspawn.
In the aftermath of the war, Robert assumed the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms on the pretext of a distant relation to the Targaryens (his grandmother was the daughter of Aegon V). In lieu of Lyanna, he married Cersei Lannister to cement her family's loyalty to his rule. He pardoned many of his former enemies and, in fact, won some over as allies. He named Jon Arryn his Hand of the King, and, not bothering to hide a contempt of politics and court intrigue, left much of the governance of the realm in Arryn's hands. Fond of feasts, celebrations, and tourneys, Robert squandered the vast treasury left by King Aerys.
When Jon Arryn died suddenly, Robert journeyed to Winterfell to meet the last person he truly trusted, Eddard Stark, after a long separation. By this time, many years of indulging his pleasures had left Robert a fat, unhealthy man. Eddard reluctantly agreed to serve as hand and traveled to King's Landing, where he discovered that Robert's children were in fact Cersei's bastards born of incest with her brother. After Eddard threatened to reveal her secret to Robert, Cersei had Robert killed during a hunting trip; his death tipped off a struggle for power that lead to the War of the Five Kings.
Robert was a hale and healthy man, who loved his pleasures. As described by Ned Stark, when Robert was younger he was a veritable giant of a man, standing six and a half feet tall, broad chested, muscled, and clean shaven. His strength was evident in his wielding of a warhammer lesser men (such as Eddard Stark) could barely lift. However, after years of sedentary ruling and participating and feasts and celebrations, he gained thirteen stone and grew a coarse beard to hide his jowls. The mighty warrior who led Robert's Rebellion and defeated Rhaegar Targaryen at The Trident was gone, replaced by a fat and unhealthy man.
He had fathered his first bastard before the age of sixteen, and sired more over the years. He was known for his gregarious, outgoing nature, and was frequently able to turn foes into friends; he was also, despite his philandering ways, deeply devoted to Lyanna (her feelings to him were not similar though), having started a civil war solely to get her back. Instead he won a kingdom, a throne made of swords, Cersei Lannister, and a crypt for his beloved, which he still paid respects to long years after her death. Robert was a warrior at heart, and was (by his own admission) ill-suited for kingship, instead surrounding himself with smarter, more responsible men to do the work for him. Unfortunately, these men were often unable to convince Robert to make prudent, if less-enjoyable, choices, and the realm began to decline under his rule.
[edit] Known bastards
Although Robert Baratheon is known to have fathered sixteen bastards, only one has been acknowledged. Five have been seen by POV characters, while two others have been mentioned only in passing.
- Gendry. An unacknowledged bastard who was born to a worker in an alehouse in King's Landing. When he was old enough, an unknown lord paid his apprentice fee so he could learn to be a blacksmith. Gendry developed a reputation for stubbornness and fashioned a bull's head helmet as a result, causing him to be named "the Bull". Following Robert's death, Lord Varys the spider sent him away (without Cersei's knowledge) with Yoren of the Night's Watch, Gendry knew that Queen Cersei wanted him dead, although he did not know why. He traveled with Arya Stark until the Brotherhood Without Banners captured them; eventually, he joined that organization. He was last seen at the Old Crossroads Inn, looking after a group of orphans there. While his last name has not been specified, the traditional surname for bastards born in the crownlands is Waters.
- Mya Stone. An unacknowledged bastard daughter born to Robert in the Vale, though her parentage was known to Robert's friends. She was given the surname Stone like all bastards born to the Vale. She served as a guide to and from the Eyrie, and became a favorite companion to Sansa Stark. Eddard Stark remembered that Robert was very fond of her, and claims to have held her in his arms himself.
- Edric Storm. Robert's only acknowledged bastard son, born to Delena Florent. He was conceived on the night of Robert's brother Stannis' wedding to Selyse Florent—in Stannis' wedding bed, before Stannis himself had actually a chance to use it (for which he has never quite forgiven his elder brother). He lived in Storm's End under the protection of Cortnay Penrose, the castellan. Stannis laid siege to the castle with the goal of capturing Edric Storm and using him to prove his claims of Cersei's incestuous affair with her brother. The red witch Melisandre also aimed to use Edric's blood to raise the dragons of Dragonstone. Davos Seaworth smuggled Edric away from Dragonstone before he could be sacrificed.
- Bella. An unacknowledged bastard daughter who lives as a whore at an inn called the Peach at Stoney Sept. Bella almost took Gendry on as a client at one point, which was prevented by an unexpected crisis.
- Barra. The youngest of Robert's known bastard children. A baby born to a whore in King's Landing, she and her mother were killed by Queen Cersei's agents following Robert's death.
Varys didn't think he needed to send her away like he did with Gendry as she was (in his words)
" A baseborn girl, less then a year old, with a whore for a mother. What threat could she pose?" To which Tyrion replied bitterly "She was Robert's, that was enough for Cersei, it would seem"
After Barra and her mother's murder, Tyrion sent Janos Sylnt the commander of the gold cloaks and his associates who carried out the attack to the wall and arranged that Allar Deem the man who personally killed Barra and her mother to be thrown overboard on the ship that was to deliver Slynt and the rest to the Night's Watch.
- Two unnamed twins. Petyr Baelish hints that Robert fathered twins to a woman in Casterly Rock, who were likewise killed by Queen Cersei's agents.
[edit] Cersei Lannister
Queen Cersei Lannister Baratheon is the wife of King Robert and mother of the royal children.
[edit] Joffrey
Joffrey Baratheon is the eldest of the royal Baratheon children, and Robert's heir. He is 12 years old at the beginning of the series. Joffrey was strong-willed already as a child and has an uncontrollable temper not unlike his mother's and an unchecked sadistic streak. Like his Lannister relatives, he is tall, blonde, and handsome.
Along with the rest of the royal family, Joffrey made the trip to Winterfell after Jon Arryn's death. There he began to court the pretty Sansa Stark, Eddard's daughter to whom he was betrothed. After an altercation with the fiery young Arya Stark, his true personality showed through his polished manners, which earned him Arya's hatred.
Acting as the new Hand of the King, Eddard Stark discovered that Joffrey, along with his siblings, were actually bastards born of incest between Cersei and Jaime. Cersei protected her children's secret by arranging for Robert's death and then arresting Eddard. Joffrey took the Iron Throne as Robert's heir, and Sansa pleaded with him to spare her father's life. Joffrey gently promised Sansa that he would be merciful, but Joffrey's mercy turned out to be Eddard Stark's quick public beheading before Sansa's own eyes. This rash act was against his mother's wishes and was the major trigger that plunged Westeros into the devastating War of the Five Kings. Joffrey ruled with whim and caprice, proving difficult for even his mother to control. Sansa became imprisoned to his will, and he frequently had his guards beat her for his amusement. When he tried to have her stripped, his uncle Tyrion stopped him, and he never tried it again, although he was determined to eventually have Sansa in his bed whether he married her or not. His cruelty made him an unpopular king, and he was nearly killed in a riot sparked by his temper. Acting as his temporary Hand, only Tyrion stood up to Joffrey's authority, and Joffrey developed a special hatred for his uncle.
After House Tyrell allied itself to his reign, Joffrey discarded Sansa and married Margaery Tyrell, but decided that he would conduct an affair with Sansa later. During his wedding feast Joffrey drank poisoned wine and died while the entire court looked on. Cersei blamed the deed on Tyrion and his newly-wedded bride Sansa, but it is later hinted that the plot may have been orchestrated by Olenna Tyrell and Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish.
It is later revealed that Joffrey was himself responsible for the attempt on Bran's life in A Game of Thrones. Overhearing a drunk remark by his "father" King Robert,[1] and ever eager to please, Joffrey stole a dagger from Robert's collection and paid a man to kill Bran. Catelyn mistakenly traced the dagger back to Tyrion, which led her to take him hostage and inevitably caused even more animosity and blood shed between House Stark and House Lannister.
[edit] Myrcella
The second oldest of the royal Baratheon children, Myrcella Baratheon is delicate, beautiful and courteous. For her age, she displays courage, a strong will, and high intelligence. She is eight at the beginning of the series.
Like her siblings, Myrcella is the product of incest between Cersei and Jaime Lannister. She was sent to Dorne as part of an agreement with House Martell to ensure their support of Joffrey during the War of Five Kings. She is betrothed to marry Prince Trystane when they come of age, and by all reports the two get along well. Arianne Martell schemed to make Myrcella queen after Joffrey's death, as befit the laws of Dorne, but the plan went awry. During the chaos, Ser Gerold Dayne attempted to kill Myrcella, slashing her across the face. She survived, but lost an ear and received a hideous facial scar.
[edit] Tommen
The youngest of the royal Baratheon children, Tommen is seven years old at the beginning of the series. His plumpness, sweet disposition, and weak will are all marked contrasts to his fiery older brother.
Tommen was crowned after Joffrey's death, and married Margaery in his brother's stead. A submissive child, he did everything Cersei bade him, being more interested in his kittens and games than in the realm. Tommen's pliability worked both ways, however, and he was soon influenced by Margaery to resist his mother's commands. After Cersei was arrested, Tommen continues to sign everything his advisors set in front of him. One of his favorite activities as king is to stamp his seal on official documents.
[edit] Renly
The younger of Robert's brothers, the Lord of Storm's End, and Master of Laws on Robert's Small Council. He is a handsome and charismatic man, winning friends easily, but also strikes some people as frivolous.
Though Renly is Robert's youngest brother, Robert gave the Baratheon seat of Storm's End to him rather than Stannis. The lands of Storm's End are considerably larger and richer than those of Stannis's Dragonstone, giving Renly more power than his older brother. While there, Renly fostered a young Loras Tyrell, and the two began a love affair (which author George R. R. Martin has confirmed[2]). Eventually, however, Renly was called to King's Landing to be a member of Robert's court.
While Robert lay dying, Renly approached Eddard Stark and suggested they seize control of the Iron Throne before Cersei Lannister could strike. Eddard refused the offer, and Renly left the city. After Robert's death, Renly declared himself king. Through his charisma and familiarity with the Baratheon bannermen, he managed to win support from many houses, despite his brother having the better claim. Renly also won the support of the Tyrells through a marriage to Margaery, though Loras was also kept close, most notably by commanding Renly's equivalent of the Kingsguard, the Rainbow Guard. (Though Margaery could be considered a "beard," Renly had stated his intention to sire an heir on her, placing question on her exact relationship to him.)
He spent a great deal of time moving slowly through the south, gaining support and men while waiting for the right moment to strike. He hosted tournaments for his men while the Lannisters and Starks wore each other down. This plan went awry, however, when his brother Stannis marched against him. He met Stannis' much-smaller force and refused to back down from his claim. While preparing for battle with his brother's forces, Renly was slain by an animated shadow resembling Stannis. Garlan Tyrell later wore Renly's armor in the Battle of the Blackwater to make it appear that Renly's ghost had returned for vengeance against the kinslaying Stannis.
[edit] Stannis
The elder of Robert's brothers, Stannis is Lord of Dragonstone and Master of Ships on Robert's Small Council. A brooding, humorless man known for a harsh and unyielding sense of justice, he is obsessed with slights real and imagined. His stubbornness and determination are legendary, most famously shown in resisting the Siege of Storm's End under desperate conditions. He is also a capable naval commander, having trapped and destroyed much of the Iron Fleet during Balon's Rebellion. His wife is Lady Selyse of House Florent, a mighty noble house sworn to Highgarden and House Tyrell. They have one daughter, Shireen, a small girl of poor health, and bearing a disfigurement from a childhood ailment.
After learning of Cersei's incest and the death of Jon Arryn, Stannis left the king's council and returned to Dragonstone. There, together with many of his wife's kin, the Florents, acting as his councillors, he gathered what strength he could, while also falling under the sway of the sorceress Melisandre, who proclaimed Stannis to be Azor Ahai reborn, a messianic figure of the R'hllor faith. When Robert died, Stannis claimed the Iron Throne as Robert's heir, however most of the Baratheon bannermen followed his more charismatic brother when Renly also claimed the throne, supported by the powerful Tyrell family. Stannis rode to treat with Renly, but could not convince him to renounce his claim. That night, Melisandre used her magic to give birth to a shadow, which assassinated Renly in his tent; Stannis insists that he was abed and asleep during these events (despite the fact that his army was awake and gearing up for war), and that though he thrashed and cried out in his sleep he did not wake.
After this fortuitous turn of events, Stannis swallowed his sense of justice and recruited most of his brother's treasonous host into his own army, although House Tyrell declined, eventually allying with the Lannisters. After a brief consolidation Stannis launched an amphibious assault on King's Landing. His forces were defeated at the cusp of victory when Lannister and the aforementioned Tyrell reinforcements unexpectedly arrived, seemingly led by Renly's ghost.
Stannis returned to Dragonstone, his host broken. There, Melisandre urged him to sacrifice Edric Storm to complete a spell for more power. Stannis was about to follow through with the ritual when his counselor Davos Seaworth smuggled the boy away and urged Stannis to take his remaining forces north to defend the Wall. Stannis agreed, and arrived at the Wall just in time to crush a wildling assault at the battle of Castle Black. He stayed at the Wall to negotiate a settlement compromise with the wildlings and offered to legitimize Jon Snow as heir of Winterfell if he would support Stannis's rule. Jon decided to refuse his offer, and was subsequently selected as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Stannis continues to seek support in the North for another attempt at the throne.
Stannis is "notoriously without mercy," and believes strongly in the value of justice (as evidenced by his maiming of smuggler/hero Davos Seaworth). He values the truth, continually elevating Davos for presenting no other virtue, and has confessed grief concerning the death of his brother Renly. Nonetheless, Donal Noye, former blacksmith to House Baratheon, described Stannis as pure iron: brittle, and more likely to break than bend.
[edit] Past and historic members
[edit] Lyonel
Ser Lyonel was the heir to Storm's End[3], called “The Laughing Storm” for the booming laugh he would issue during tilts, a famous knight, and one of the attendees at the Ashford tourney c. 208 AL. He fought for Dunk in the Trial of Seven.
[edit] Gowen
Gowen Baratheon was a third son who married Lady Tya of House Lannister c. 207 AL. Their only issue was a black haired boy who died in infancy.
[edit] Steffon
Lord Steffon Baratheon was the father of Robert, Stannis, and Renly. He perished at sea with his wife, Cassana, in sight of Storm's End, on their return from a trip to the Free Cities. King Aerys had sent Steffon, his first cousin, to the Free Cities to find a bride for Rhaegar.
[edit] Harbert
An uncle of Steffon, Ser Harbert was master-at-arms of Storm's End and frequently served as castellan while the lord was away. After Steffon's death, Harbert remained castellan until Robert came of age to rule. He is long dead by the beginning of A Game of Thrones.
[edit] Sworn houses
[edit] Sworn directly to King's Landing
- House Blount. Ser Boros of House Blount is one of the Kingsguard.
- House Chelsted. Lord Qarlton Chested was for a short time the Hand of King Aerys II. The House may be extinct.
- House Hayford.
- House Hogg of Sow's Horn.
- House Kettleblack. The Kettleblacks are a family of sellswords and hedge knights who serve several masters. Osmund is a member of the Kingsguard, while his brothers Osfryd and Osney are officially retainers of Cersei Lannister. Their father, Oswell, is a retainer of Petyr Baelish.
- House Massey of Stonedance.
- House Rosby of Rosby. Lord Gyles Rosby attends the court of King's Landing.
- House Rykker of Duskendale. The Rykkers were given the lordship of Duskendale after the Defiance of Duskendale and the subsequent execution of all members of House Darklyn of Duskendale.
- House Stokeworth of Stokeworth.
- House Thorne.
- House Darklyn of Duskendale. An extinct House.
[edit] Sworn to Dragonstone
- House Bar Emmon of Sharp Point.
- House Celtigar of Claw Isle.
- House Rambton are vassels of Lord Sunglass.
- House Sunglass of Sweetport Sound.
- House Velaryon of Driftmark. The Velaryons are Valyrian in origin and have intermarried with House Targaryen. Lord Velaryon is given the title Lord of the Tydes.
[edit] Sworn to Storm's End
- House Cafferen of Fawonton.
- House Caron of Nightsong. The Lord of House Caron is given the title of Lord of the Marches.
- House Connington of Griffin's Roost. After Lord Jon's failure at the Battle of the Bells they were stripped of their lands by King Aerys II. King Robert later returned their castle Griffins roost but not their title of Lord, gold or the greater part of their lands, henceforth they are masters and landed knights.
- House Dondarrion of Blackhaven. The first Dondarrion was given a lordship by a Storm King for delivering an important message. The house sigil of a forked, purple lightning bolt commemorates a lucky lightning strike that saved the messenger's life. The Dondarrions are marcher lords.
- House Errol of Haystack Hall.
- House Estermont of Greenstone. Lord Estermont is maternal grandfather to King Robert Baratheon; his mother, Lady Cassana was the daughter of Lord Estermont.
- House Fell of Fellwood.
- House Gradison of Grandview.
- House Penrose of Parchments.
- House Seaworth of Cape Wrath.
- House Selmy of Harvest Hall. Ser Barristan Selmy is the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.
- House Swann of Stonehelm. The Swanns are marcher lords.
- House Tarth of Evenfall Hall. The Tarths rule the island of Tarth, situated at the edge of Shipbreaker Bay. Lord Selwyn is called the Evenstar. His only daughter and heiress is Brienne, a POV character.
- House Toyne. A few members of the house have played a part in the larger history of Westeros. Simon Toyne was a famous outlaw killed by Barristan Selmy, and another Toyne was a knight of the Kingsguard who was executed for sleeping with Aegon IV's mistress. His two brothers tried to avenge him by murdering the king, but Aegon was saved by his brother Aemon the Dragonknight, who died defending him.
- House Trant of Gallowsgrey. Ser Meryn Trant is a knight of the Kingsguard.
- House Wylde of Rain House.
[edit] References
- ^ George R. R. Martin. A Storm of Swords (US paperback), 1003. ISBN 0-553-57342-X.
- ^ Author commentary
- ^ Ser Lyonel is styled heir to Storm's End in the heraldry section at the end of the graphic novel adaptation of The Hedge Knight.
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