House Baratheon of King's Landing

House Baratheon of King's Landing is an extinct cadet branch of the original House Baratheon of Storm's End. It had been the royal house of Westeros since the defeat of and exile of the Targaryen dynasty following Robert's Rebellion.HBO viewers guide, season 2 guide to houses, House Baratheon of King's Landing entry
Their seat was the Red Keep in the city of King's Landing and their domains were the lands ruled directly by the Iron Throne, the Crownlands. After the destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor, with King Tommen I's suicide, House Baratheon of King's Landing is now extinct. Nonetheless its parent house, House Baratheon, was revived by Queen Daenerys Targaryen after she legitimized Robert's bastard son Gendry and gave him the lordship of Storm's End.
In reality, House Baratheon of King's Landing became a puppet house of House Lannister the moment Joffrey I ascended; all three of Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister's supposed children were actually the products of an incestuous relationship between Cersei and her twin brother Jaime.
==History==
===Under Robert I===
Robert Baratheon founded the new royal House after he deposed the last Targaryen king, Aerys II, known as the Mad King, during his rebellion. Afterwards, Robert ruled the Seven Kingdoms for seventeen prosperous and mostly peaceful years (barring the localized Greyjoy Rebellion which occurred eight years into his reign). To strengthen his powerbase, Robert entered into a marriage-alliance with the wealthy House Lannister, wedding Lord Tywin Lannister's daughter, Cersei. Their first child died in infancy, but afterwards Cersei gave birth to three children: Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen.
After the mysterious and sudden death of Hand of the King Jon Arryn, Robert brought his old friend and wartime companion Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, to serve as the new Hand of the King. Eddard eventually discovered the truth that Jon Arryn had died for: none of Cersei's children, including Joffrey, were Robert's children. Rather, they were all bastards of incest fathered by Cersei's own twin brother, Jaime. Out of mercy, and his steadfast refusal to harm children, Eddard directly confronted Cersei with his discovery and warned her to flee Westeros with her children. In response, Cersei had Robert assassinated by having her cousin Lancel Lannister (serving as the king's squire) slip Robert very strong wine during a hunt. Robert's senses were dulled enough that a boar managed to fatally gore him. As soon as Robert passed, Cersei sat Joffrey on the Iron Throne, and demanded Stark's submission, but he ordered the Gold Cloaks to take the royal family into custody - not realizing that Janos Slynt and his men were already bought by the Lannisters and Petyr Baelish, who all betrayed Lord Stark, killing his remaining guards and arresting him. Cersei's plan was to force Eddard into signing a confession but be allowed to keep his life by joining the Night's Watch. However, on a sadistic whim, Joffrey ordered Lord Eddard beheaded on the very steps of the Great Sept of Baelor - a politically disastrous blunder which drove the North to openly declare its independence.
===Under Joffrey I===
After Joffrey succeeded Robert as king, he changed the heraldry of his house from a crowned stag, to a crowned stag and a lion combatant, giving equal standing to his mother's family, House Lannister - indeed, slightly more than equal standing, as the lion's tail prominently crosses over into the stag's side of the heraldry, and hovers over the stag's head, implying the superiority of the Lannister lion. Metaphorically revealing Joffrey's "true colors", this reflects how he was never particularly close to Robert, while he was doted on and indulged by Cersei, so he always thought of himself more as a Lannister.
Soon after Joffrey took the throne, Stannis Baratheon sent letters across all of Westeros, revealing that Joffrey was a bastard of incest with no right to the throne. As it turned out, Eddard's letter revealing his discoveries to Stannis had successfully arrived on Dragonstone. Stannis therefore declared himself Robert's lawful successor as king, being the elder of Robert's two younger brothers.
Robert's youngest brother Renly Baratheon had already declared his claim to the throne as soon as Robert died, based solely on the fact that Joffrey was an insane monster unsuitable to rule, and Cersei Lannister's puppet. The rumors that Joffrey was a bastard of incest only served to strengthen Renly's claim.
While the two surviving Baratheon brothers bickered between themselves over which of the two of them had the better claim to the throne, virtually all of the lords from the Stormlands who were sworn to House Baratheon abandoned Joffrey to declare for either Renly or Stannis (mostly Renly, with a few declaring for Stannis). Other than a few court retainers in King's Landing, which were always more attached to the royal government than the Baratheons and Stormlands, "House Baratheon of King's Landing" contained essentially no links with the historical "House Baratheon" except for the name.
After arriving in King's Landing, Joffrey's uncle Tyrion arranged a marriage-alliance with House Martell of Dorne, in which Princess Myrcella would be betrothed to their youngest son, Trystane Martell, and wed when they come of age. This maintains Dorne's neutrality and at least keeps it from actively joining Joffrey's enemies, though the Martells do not outright send troops to aid his faction. Despite Cersei's protests, Myrcella is sent to Dorne via ship to secure the pact.
Stannis later arranged Renly's assassination, and he died without issue, leaving Stannis to take control of the Stormlands' armies and move against King's Landing. At the subsequent Battle of the Blackwater, Joffrey's forces managed to crush most of the armies of the Storm Lords, with the few survivors bending the knee or declaring their neutrality. Most of the Stormlands are occupied by Joffrey's forces as a result, though Storm's End itself has not yet fallen.
Soon afterwards, a new marriage agreement is proposed between Joffrey and Margaery Tyrell (Renly's widow), to cement the new Lannister-Tyrell alliance. Master of Coin Petyr Baelish is also sent to the Vale of Arryn to marry Lysa Arryn, confirming the Vale's neutrality as well. With Dorne also kept neutral through Myrcella's betrothal, and the loss of Stannis's army at the Blackwater, Joffrey's hold on the mainland of Westeros begins to tighten. The betrayal at the Red Wedding then brings a quick end to the Northern rebellion with the death of Robb Stark and destruction of his army. Joffrey's new allies the Boltons and Freys will replace the Starks and Tullys in the North and Riverlands, respectively. At this point Joffrey stands at the zenith of his power, having secured almost all of mainland Westeros: the only remaining opposition to his rule are Stannis on Dragonstone, the Iron Islands, and a few holdout River Lords such as Brynden Tully at Riverrun itself. However, for all of Joffrey's good fortune, his grandfather Tywin makes it abundantly clear during a Small Council meeting that Joffrey is merely his puppet, and that this is truly a Lannister victory.
The day of Joffrey and​ Margaery's wedding finally arrives and the future of the realm is on the brink of becoming fully secured by the joining of House Baratheon and House Tyrell. The ceremony takes place in the Great Sept of Baelor and is conducted by the High Septon in sight of Gods and men. Hours later at the wedding feast, Joffrey is poisoned by Olenna Tyrell, an act that was orchestrated by Littlefinger. In Joffrey's dying moments, he points a finger at Tyrion Lannister, seemingly accusing him of poisoning his wine.
After Joffrey's passing, Tyrion is seized by Kingsguard on the orders of Cersei and is taken to a cell to await his trial. Meanwhile, the Tyrells begin to set up another match between Margaery and Joffrey's heir presumptive, Tommen Baratheon, to once again assure the future of the realm under the rule of Houses Baratheon and Tyrell. After an appropriate mourning period, Tommen ascends the throne.
===Under Tommen I===
Almost immediately after Joffrey's death, Tywin Lannister begins to lecture Tommen on the traits of a good king. As Tommen has yet to come of age to rule in his own name, besides being rather timid and submissive by nature, Tywin is easily able to manipulate him, ensuring it is truly Tommen's grandfather who rules the Seven Kingdoms in all but name. After Tywin's death, however, authority over the realm was seized by Tommen's mother Cersei, who seeks to continue her rule as Queen Regent. Cersei was unable to derail Tommen's marriage to Margaery Tyrell, who became the new queen consort.
Cersei avoids naming a new Hand of the King, and resists expanding the Small Council. Cersei's rule is challenged by her uncle Kevan Lannister, who refuses to go along with her farcical leadership and returns to the Westerlands until Tommen himself calls him to serve. Margaery was in the midst of convincing Tommen to send Cersei back to Casterly Rock when Cersei orchestrated the arrest of Loras Tyrell by the newly reformed Faith Militant. The situation then ballooned out of control, with first Margaery, then Cersei herself being arrested by the Faith. These developments effectively left the young, untested Tommen ruling with only Pycelle and Qyburn to assist him. Pycelle, intent on restoring some semblance of control and determined to keep Qyburn out of power, uses his authority as Grand Maester to summon Kevan back as Hand of the King. Cersei eventually agrees to undergo the walk of atonement to be allowed back into the Red Keep, but once there, is kept under house arrest and denied access to the Small Council. Cersei and Pycelle fight for control over Tommen, who decides to begin at least trying to play the game of thrones, rather than standing by.
After Tommen's death, House Baratheon of King's Landing is now extinct. Since King Tommen left no heirs, Cersei Lannister succeeded House Baratheon of King's Landing. 
==Members==
*King {Robert Baratheon}, called "the Usurper" by Targaryen loyalists, the head of the family and the King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm before his death.
**His wife, Queen {Cersei}, of House Lannister. Lady of Casterly Rock. Became the Queen of the Andals and the First Men and Protector of the Seven Kingdoms after the extinction of House Baratheon. Crushed by falling debris during the Battle of King's Landing.
***Their eldest son, {Robert Baratheon's son}, briefly heir to the Seven Kingdoms, died of a fever. The only legitimate child of King Robert and Queen Cersei.
***Their second son and Robert's successor, {Joffrey Baratheon}, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm. Dubbed "the King on the Iron Throne" during the War of the Five Kings. Poisoned at his wedding feast.
****His wife, Queen {Margaery} of House Tyrell. Died at the destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor.
***Their daughter, Princess {Myrcella Baratheon}. Previously in Dorne as a ward of House Martell, as part of her betrothal to Trystane Martell. Poisoned by Ellaria Sand.
***Their youngest son, {Tommen Baratheon}, King of the Andals and the First Men and Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. Committed suicide after the destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor.
****His wife, Queen {Margaery} of House Tyrell. Died at the destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor.
Note: Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen were legally held to be the children of King Robert Baratheon, but they were actually bastards born of incest between Queen Cersei and her twin brother, Ser Jaime Lannister. This information is not publicly known in Seven Kingdoms except as a rumor and only a few know it to be true.
This makes House Baratheon of King's Landing a nigh-cadet branch of House Lannister. Of course, given that bastard children (particularly unacknowledged bastards) cannot inherit, it is unlikely that it will ever be considered an "official" cadet branch of House Lannister.
====Royal court and household====
*King Tommen's Small Council:
**Ser {Kevan Lannister}, the Hand of the King. Killed in the destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor.
**{Grand Maester Pycelle}, advisor and healer. Killed by Qyburn's little birds.
**{Qyburn}, disgraced maester, Master of Whisperers.
**Lord {Mace Tyrell}, Lord of Highgarden, Lord Paramount of the Reach, and Warden of the South, the Master of Ships and Master of Coin. Killed in the Destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor.
*King Tommen's Kingsguard:
**Ser {Jaime Lannister}, called "the Kingslayer", former Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.
**Ser {Meryn Trant}, killed in Braavos by Arya Stark.
**Ser {Boros Blount}.
**Ser {Preston Greenfield}.
**Ser {Balon Swann}, promoted after the Battle of the Blackwater.
**Ser {Arys Oakheart}.
**Ser {Gregor Clegane}, revived by Qyburn's experiments
*Lord Gyles Rosby, Lord of Rosby.
*Ser {Aron Santagar}, master-at-arms of the Red Keep.
*Ser Ilyn Payne, the King's Justice.
*Septa Eglantine, governess and companion to Princess Myrcella.
====Sworn to House Baratheon of King's Landing====
*House Blount
*House Gaunt
*House Hollard - now extinct
*House Rosby of Rosby
*House Slynt
*House Stokeworth of Stokeworth
*House Thorne
==Military strength==
===Land forces===
Under the reign of Robert I, House Baratheon of King's Landing used a combination of Baratheon soldiers as well as Lannister soldiers, as seen in the pilot episode, Winter Is Coming. This is likely due to the fact that Robert I hails from House Baratheon, while his wife, Queen Consort Cersei Lannister hails from House Lannister. However, after Robert I's untimely death and the ascension of his supposedly legitimate son, Joffrey I (Joffrey I was actually born of incest between Cersei Lannister and her brother Jaime), Lannister soldiers seem to comprise the entirety of the royal army, likely due to the fact that after Robert I's death, his younger brothers, Stannis Baratheon and Renly Baratheon both claimed the right to the Iron Throne, pitting Baratheon soldiers against the throne and against each other, until Renly's death, in which Stannis presumably gains control of most, if not all soldiers loyal to House Baratheon.
===Navy===
The royal fleet under Robert I had a considerable amount of vessels, with most primarily based on or around the island of Dragonstone, under the Master of Ships Stannis Baratheon. However, after the death of Robert I and Stannis claiming rights to the Iron Throne over Joffrey I, the royal fleet fractured, with the vast majority joining Stannis, resulting in his best advantage in the onset of the war, as he now held a significant naval force, and would be supplemented by 30 sellsails. The remaining ships that remained loyal to Joffrey I numbered at around 20 vessels and the Battle of the Blackwater would pit these two naval forces against each other. During the battle, Acting Hand of the King Tyrion Lannister orchestrated a plan which included sailing an unmanned ship filled with barrels of wildfire towards the center of Stannis's approaching fleet, and having Bronn ignite it with a flame tipped arrow. The tactic was successful, and nearly all of Stannis's fleet was destroyed, and resulted in him losing the battle and withdrawing back to Dragonstone, not mounting another assault years later when he sailed up to the Wall and participated in the battle for the Wall and later the battle in the ice, the latter which would annihilate his forces and end in his death.
==Family tree==
==In the books==
Houses sworn to House Baratheon of King's Landing in the books, yet to appear in the series, include:
* House Buckwell of Antlers
* House Byrch
* House Chelsted
* House Hayford of Hayford
* House Staunton of Rook's Rest
In the books, it is Stannis Baratheon who first begins to suspect that Robert Baratheon has no true born heirs, but he knew that Robert wouldn't listen to anything he had to say. So he enlisted Jon Arryn's help in his investigations, because Robert listened to Jon. Eddard Stark found out that they traveled together when visiting Gendry at the blacksmith and baby Barra at the brothel, while he was trying to trace Jon Arryn's footsteps. Jon Arryn found the proof in the book of lineages that he borrowed from Grand Maester Pycelle. He died saying "the seed is strong", i.e. black hair is a dominant trait over blonde hair. When Jon Arryn dies suddenly and mysteriously, Stannis leaves King's Landing for Dragonstone. Stannis talks about this to Renly, while negotiating with him at Storm's End. The letter Eddard Stark writes to Stannis saying he is Robert's heir and heir to the Iron Throne never reaches Stannis, and it is used by Cersei as proof of Lord Eddard's treason. While in the Red Keep's dungeon, Ned laments that the truth about Cersei's children was written right on their faces: all three are blonde and look nothing like Robert, but all of Robert's bastard children strongly resemble him.
Royal inheritance laws are different from normal inheritance laws, putting female heirs behind all possible male ones, meaning that Myrcella actually ranked behind Stannis and Renly. Even in the TV series, Renly specifies in Season 1's "The Wolf and the Lion" that he is fourth in line to the throne, behind Joffrey, Tommen, and Stannis - but skipping Myrcella. The Lannisters tried to at least maintain the pretense that Joffrey was Robert's lawful heir. After Joffrey's death, however, if Tommen also died, Stannis would technically be next in line for the throne, regardless of what happened to Myrcella. The Lannisters do not particularly care about the lawful line of succession, and would probably just wave aside that Stannis was a traitor who attacked King's Landing, but it would be much more difficult for them to maintain any pretenses about their grab for the throne.
After Robert Baratheon became king, he continued to use the Heraldry of House Baratheon of Storm's End, a black stag on a gold field, but with a crowned stag to signify the new royal status of his house. In Season 2, Joffrey's "House Baratheon of King's Landing" starts using a new heraldry design, with a Baratheon stag and a Lannister lion facing each other. The books more clearly explain that this is what Joffrey used as his personal heraldry, even before Robert died. When Joffrey comes to Winterfell at the beginning of the first novel, Jon Snow remarks on how arrogant it is that Joffrey gives equal standing to his mother's house in his personal sigil. By the second novel, corresponding to Season 2, Joffrey just used his personal sigil so prolifically at court that it became established as the new heraldry for his cadet branch of House Baratheon.
==References==
===Notes===
==External links==
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Category:Cadet branches
Category:Extinct houses
Category:Great Houses
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Category:Houses from the Crownlands
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