Lyman Beesbury

Lord Lyman Beesbury was the Lord of Honeyholt and Master of Coin on the Small Council of King Viserys I Targaryen.House of the Dragon | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com He was the first victim of the Dance of the Dragons.
==Biography==
===House of the Dragon: Season 1===
Lyman attends a meeting of the Small Council in the Red Keep. Lyman brings up that the crown has invested in the training and equipping of the City Watch which Prince Daemon requested, and he urges Viserys to get the prince to fill his seat on the table to inform the council on his role as commander. The king then asks him if Daemon is distracted by these tasks, with Lyman responding he hopes so with the amount of gold involved. When the Heir's Tournament is brought up Lyman puts forward that the tourney should be delayed for the cost of it and to wait until the king's child is born. Lord Lyonel Strong responds that most of the nobility of Westeros is already on their way to King's Landing. King Viserys then states that the tourney will last more than half a week and before it is over his child will be born, so there is no need for a delay.
Lyman attends a Small Council meeting that discusses King Viserys's younger brother Daemon's actions with the gold cloaks and the criminals of the capital. He is annoyed by the prince's insults toward his own wife, Lady Rhea Royce, and by the petty arguing between Daemon and the Hand of the King, Ser Otto Hightower.
Lyman attends the Heir's Tournament seated in the royal box. He bets five gold dragons in the joust on Daemon beating Ser Gwayne Hightower, the eldest son of Ser Otto. Lyman is later notified by Otto of the news of the birth of Prince Baelon and the death of Queen Aemma.
Lyman attends the funeral of Aemma and Baelon.
Lyman attends a Small Council meeting that debates the succession. He remains silent throughout.
Lyman attends a Small Council meeting in which Daemon is reported to have held a celebratory party at a pleasure house on the Street of Silk and is claimed to have dubbed Baelon the "Heir for a Day."
Lyman is in attendance at the ceremony naming Rhaenyra as Princess of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne.
A Small Council meeting to discuss finding a replacement for Lord Commander Ryam Redwyne is interrupted by Lord Corlys Velaryon, who wants the Crown's help ridding the Stepstones of the Triarchy forces led by Craghas Drahar. Lyman points out that the Seven Kingdoms have never entered open war with the Free Cities, and that doing so could result in incalculable losses.
The Small Council is informed by a Dragonkeeper Elder that Prince Daemon has stolen a dragon egg. Lyman reacts with shock upon hearing Daemon's intention to place the egg in the cradle of his unborn son.
Lyman attends a Small Council meeting where King Viserys announces, to the shock of everyone present, that he intends to marry Lady Alicent Hightower.
Lyman is still Master of Coin years after Rhaenyra's marriage to Laenor Velaryon and the birth of her sons, though somewhat thinner of hair and partly senile. During a Small Council meeting discussing yet another flare-up between House Blackwood and House Bracken, Lyman remains silent until the matter is already settled, speaking up in favor of House Blackwood only to be told that the council has moved on to another subject.
Lyman is summoned to the Small Council chambers before dawn along with the other members to be informed of the death of King Viserys, who had succumbed to his long illness and apparently declared with his last breath that he wished for Aegon to succeed him over Rhaenyra, which the rest of the Small Council take as support for their until-now secret plans to crown Aegon regardless. Lyman is shocked to witness the extent of this plot and speaks up against it, admonishing his fellow councilors for plotting to replace the king's chosen heir with what he deems an imposter. Lyman remains firm in his convictions, pointing out that hundreds of lords and landed knights swore fealty to Rhaenyra twenty years prior only for Lords Tyland Lannister and Jasper Wylde to dismiss this by pointing out that most of those have died over the intervening twenty years and that Viserys changed his mind. Undeterred, Lyman states that as a man seventy-six years of age, he knew Viserys longer and better than any of them and refuses to believe this claim that he recanted his stance on his deathbed alone with only Alicent to bear witness to it. He rallies further, accusing them of seizure, theft, and treason before Grand Maester Orwyle advises him to mind what he says. Ignoring this, Lyman presses on by pointing out that Viserys was "well" the previous night by all accounts, all but accusing the Greens of having murdered him; as he begins to firmly state his opposition to their plots, Ser Criston Cole (who had stolen up behind him whilst he was ranting) forcibly grabs the elderly lord and shoves him down intending to make him return to his seat. This instead causes Lyman's head to slam hard against his marble of office, puncturing his temple and killing the Master of Coin instantly, much to the shock and horror of all present. His body is then left, silent and leaking blood all over the table, where it lies as the remaining members of the Council continue to finalize their plot.
==Personality==
Lyman is frugal in his management of the economy. Lyman is a loyal servant of King Viserys, fulfilling his duty as Master of Coin whilst eschewing plotting and politics, and continues this loyalty after Viserys dies, remaining true to the late king's wishes for the succession and refusing to believe the Greens' claims that Viserys changed his mind even when it is clear that he is outnumbered in this regard. His integrity and forthrightness unfortunately costs him his life, however.
==Behind the scenes==
On September 24, 2021, HBO announced that Bill Paterson had been cast in the role of Lyman Beesbury for House of the Dragon. His character description reads as follows:
:"Lord of Honeyholt and Master of Coin on King Viserys's small council."
==In the books==
In Fire & Blood, Lord Lyman Beesbury was Lord of Honeyholt and the Master of Coin during the reign of Jaehaerys the Conciliator and also under Viserys I, as a replacement of Prince Daemon Targaryen.
After Viserys's death, Lord Beesbury was the only member of the Small Council to oppose the accession of Aegon over Rhaenyra. His fate is disputed in Fire & Blood: Grand Maester Orwyle, who was present in the council chamber, claims that Lyman Beesbury was arrested and taken to the black cells, where he died of a chill; Septon Eustace claims that Ser Criston Cole used a dagger to cut open his throat; Mushroom suggests that Criston threw Lyman out of a window, causing him to land on the iron spikes of Maegor's Holdfast. However, despite these claims, neither Mushroom nor Eustace were present in the council. As a result of his death, Lyman Beesbury became the first casualty of the Dance of the Dragons.
In the show, the manner of his death is closer to the aforementioned second version, but slightly different: first, instead of having his throat cut open, his skull was punctured; second, unlike in the novel, Criston killed him by accident instead of doing it on purpose; lastly, the latter was killed before he could finish his sentence on not wanting to take part in betraying Rhaenyra.
==Appearances==
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==References==
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Category:Bannermen of House Hightower
Category:Blacks
Category:Individuals appearing in House of the Dragon
Category:Individuals from Histories & Lore
Category:Individuals from The Dance of Dragons
Category:Individuals from the Reach
Category:Lords
Category:Masters of Coin
Lyman Beesbury
de:Lyman Biengraben
es:Lyman Beesbury/House of the Dragon
fr:Lyman des Essaims
it:Lyman Beesbury
nl:Leyman Bijenburg
ru:Лиман Бисбери
zh:林曼·毕斯柏里