Tywin Lannister

Tywin Lannister is Lord of Casterly Rock, Shield of Lannisport, and Warden of the West. The head of House Lannister, Tywin is one of the most powerful lords in Westeros, and he is the father of Queen Cersei, Ser Jaime of the Kingsguard, and Tyrion.
== Appearance and Character ==
Tywin is a tall, slender, broad-shouldered man in his fifties. His arms are thin but muscled. Tywin has kept his head shaved ever since his golden hair started going bald, but he grows out bushy golden side-whiskers. Tywin has pale green eyes flecked with gold.
Tywin is a calculating, intelligent, politically astute, ruthless, and controlling man. He dedicates his life and efforts towards maintaining the Lannisters' prestige, and ensuring House Lannister is respected, or at least feared. Tywin is a proven battle commander who leads from the rear, and he has a powerful presence combined with an intimidating gaze. He is harsh with betrayal. According to his sister Genna, Tywin mistrusts laughter because of how his father, Lord Tytos, had been laughed at; Grand Maester Pycelle was amazed that his late wife Joanna was able to make him laugh three different times.
Though ruthless, Tywin Lannister is an able and shrewd ruler who brought great prosperity during his tenure as the King's Hand. He is especially talented at the raising of funds, leading to a persistent jest that he must "shit gold." Tywin is more respected than loved in the westerlands, and he is remembered in King's Landing for the Sack.
Tywin loves his elder children, Queen Cersei and Ser Jaime, but despises Tyrion. This is partly because Tyrion is a dwarf, but also Tywin blames his youngest son for causing his beloved wife Joanna's death during his birth, as well as for shaming the family name with his frequent whoring. Tywin often relies on his brother, Ser Kevan Lannister. Ser Addam Marbrand is said to be Tywin's most daring commander. Genna's husband, Ser Emmon Frey, is terrified of his brother-in-law.
Tywin's steel plate armour is enamelled in deep crimson and highlighted with gold, and its rondels are golden sunbursts. Tywin's heavy cloth-of-gold greatcloak is clasped with gold miniature lionesses, and his greathelm is decorated with a roaring lion with ruby eyes. He also owns a thick ermine cloak. Tywin's longsword has a gold pommel. His charger is a stallion with its own gilded armour. The destrier has a blanket with enamelled crimson scales and gilded crinet and chamfron, as well as crimson silk bardings decorated with the lion of the Lannisters.
== History ==
=== Early life ===
Tywin was the first born of Tytos Lannister and Jeyne Marbrand. According to legend, the baby bit the finger of his grandsire, Lord Gerold Lannister.
Lord Tytos agreed to marry his daughter Genna to Emmon Frey, the second son of Lord Walder Frey, just to please the Lord of the Crossing. The betrothal was announced at a feast in 252 AC, with most of the western lords in attendance. Upon the announcement, Lord Roger Reyne left the hall in anger and Ellyn Reyne laughed aloud. Only the ten-year-old Tywin spoke out against the wedding because he thought it an uneven match.
Shortly after that incident, Tytos sent Tywin to King's Landing to serve as a royal page and cupbearer at King Aegon V Targaryen's court, where Tywin befriended the young Prince Aerys Targaryen and Steffon Baratheon, the heir to Storm's End. His cousin, Joanna Lannister, also served at the royal court as a companion and lady-in-waiting to Princess Rhaella Targaryen since 259 AC.
During the War of the Ninepenny Kings in 260 AC, eleven thousand westermen under the leadership Tywin's uncle, Ser Jason Lannister, were sent to fight beside other forces of the Iron Throne in the Stepstones. Tywin, who was already a knight, joined the Lannister force, as did his brothers Kevan and Tygett as squires. The young Prince Aerys served as a squire during the war and when he won his knighthood, Tywin was granted the honor of knighting his friend.
=== Reynes and Tarbecks ===
Since Lord Tytos Lannister was a weak ruler who was taken advantage of by his bannermen, Tywin and his brothers sought to restore the prestige of House Lannister after their return from the Stepstones. Tytos protested feebly before returning to his mistress.
Tywin demanded repayment of gold his father lent out, and those who could not repay immediately had to send a hostage to Casterly Rock until their debt was settled. Ser Kevan Lannister was given command of five hundred veterans knights tasked with ridding the westerlands of robber knights and outlaws. Ser Harys Swyft, the Knight of Cornfield, surrendered his daughter Dorna into Kevan's custody, but Roger Reyne, Lord of Castamere, reportedly laughed at Tywin's edicts. When Lord Walderan Tarbeck of Tarbeck Hall rode to confront Tytos, who was not present at the Rock, the young Tywin ordered Walderan imprisoned for disloyalty. Walderan's wife Ellyn responded by seizing Tywin's cousin Stafford and two Lannisters of Lannisport. Lord Tytos ordered the hostages to be exchanged and forgave House Tarbeck's debt to House Lannister.
Late in 261 AC Tywin provoked Houses Reyne and Tarbeck by ordering that Roger and Walderan appear at Casterly Rock to answer for their crimes. When the accused instead renounced their allegiance to House Lannister, Tywin raised an army without his lordly father's leave. Tywin defeated Walderan in battle and then destroyed Tarbeck Hall, with Ellyn dying during its collapse. Tywin then defeated Roger, who fled back to Castamere. Instead of waiting for the subterranean castle to surrender, Tywin ended the Reyne-Tarbeck revolt by diverting a nearby stream into Castamere, drowning the Reynes within.
The ruined castles were left as reminders of the fate that awaits those who scorn the power of Casterly Rock, and "The Rains of Castamere" was written as a tribute to the event. When Lord Farman of Faircastle grew truculent years later, Tywin had an envoy perform the song with a lute; Lord Farman caused no further trouble after hearing the message.
=== Hand of the King ===
Upon the death of King Jaehaerys II Targaryen in 262 AC, the newly-crowned King Aerys II Targaryen retired the cautious Edgar Sloane as Hand of the King. Aerys choose his friend Tywin as the new Hand, impressed by the ruthlessness demonstrated in the Reyne-Tarbeck revolt. Ser Tywin was the youngest man to yet serve as Hand.
With Tywin proving himself to be a brilliant administrator, the Seven Kingdoms prospered during the first decade of Aerys's rule. Tywin covered King Jaehaerys's debts to the Iron Bank of Braavos with gold from Casterly Rock. He gained the loyalty of many lords by repealing reforms enacted by Aerys's grandsire, King Aegon V Targaryen, and he supported the merchants of King's Landing, Lannisport, and Oldtown.
In 263 AC Tywin married his cousin Joanna Lannister; Genna Lannister said that her brother smiled on the day he wed Joanna. According to Ser Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard, Aerys lusted after Tywin's wife during the bedding custom. Queen Rhaella Targaryen dismissed Joanna from her service, so the young bride returned to Casterly Rock. In 266 AC Joanna gave birth to twins, Cersei and Jaime.
When Lord Tytos Lannister keeled over of a burst heart in 267 AC while climbing a flight of steps to visit his second mistress, Ser Tywin succeeded his father as Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West. Upon his return to the Rock, Tywin forced the mistress on a walk of atonement through Lannisport before banishing her from the westerlands. Aerys and Tywin ruled the realm from Casterly Rock that year.
Relations were frayed between the king and his Hand when they returned to King's Landing in 268 AC, and Aerys began to overrule many of Tywin's decisions and appointments. Tywin offered to resign after Aerys insulted Joanna at the Anniversary Tourney in 272 AC, but Aerys refused the resignation. Disaster struck in 273 AC when Joanna died giving birth to Tyrion, a dwarf considered a hideous monster. Tywin was devastated by her untimely death and took no further wife. Gerion Lannister once told his nephew Tyrion that the best part of Tywin died when Joanna did, and Tywin has blamed Tyrion for Joanna's death.
Some people joked it was Tywin and not the king who really ruled the land. When Ser Ilyn Payne, the captain of Tywin's guards, made such a comment, Aerys had the knight's tongue removed. Tywin once visited Lys while serving as Hand.
During the tournament in honour of Viserys' birth in Lannisport in 276 AC, the smallfolk of Lannisport cheered twice as loud for Tywin as they did for their king. Tension increased during the tourney when Aerys refused Tywin's offer to betroth Cersei to his heir, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, as Aerys considered Tywin to be a servant. Aerys also refused to allow Jaime to serve as Rhaegar's squire.
In 277 AC, Tywin advised Aerys against meeting with Denys Darklyn, Lord of Duskendale, over a trade issue, and the king ended up imprisoned by House Darklyn in the Dun Fort. In response to the Defiance of Duskendale, Tywin blockaded the town by land and sea. Tywin eventually threatened to storm the town, but Barristan of the Kingsguard was able to infiltrate Duskendale and rescue the king, however.
In the aftermath of his captivity, Aerys came to believe that Tywin had intended for the king to die at Duskendale and be replaced by Rhaegar, who would then marry Tywin's daughter, Cersei. When Steffon Baratheon drowned in the sinking of Windproud in Shipbreaker Bay, Aerys feared that the Lord of Storm's End had somehow been assassinated by Tywin. Aerys decided to only meet with Tywin in the presence of Kingsguard.
Tywin hoped to betroth Jaime to Lysa Tully, the second daughter of Lord Hoster Tully. In 281 AC, however, Aerys raised the fifteen-year-old Jaime to the Kingsguard to replace Ser Harlan Grandison, robbing Tywin of his prized heir and making Jaime a hostage to use against his father. Pleading illness, Tywin resigned and returned to Casterly Rock. He was replaced as Hand with Lord Owen Merryweather. Tywin chose not to attend the great tourney at Harrenhal in 281 AC.
=== Robert's Rebellion ===
When Robert's Rebellion began, Lord Tywin ignored calls to arms from both King Aerys II Targaryen and rebels. After the king dismissed Lord Owen Merryweather, Tywin disapproved of Jon Connington, Lord of Griffin's Roost and a headstrong friend of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, as the new Hand of the King.
Tywin took no side until after the Battle of the Trident, in which Robert Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End, slew Rhaegar. Tywin rode from Casterly Rock to the capital of King's Landing. After Aerys was convinced by Pycelle that Tywin had come to aid him, the king ordered the gates of the city opened for Tywin. His westermen proceeded to sack the city, however. Aerys was killed by Ser Jaime Lannister before Tywin's forces arrived at the Red Keep, but Gregor Clegane and Amory Lorch, knights sworn to Tywin and under Tywin's orders, slew Rhaegar's wife, Elia Martell, and her two young children, Rhaenys and Aegon. Tywin wrapped the bodies in crimson Lannister cloaks to better conceal the blood and presented them to Robert as a token of fealty.
While earning House Lannister the hatred of both House Martell of Dorne and the population of King's Landing, this act led to the marriage of the new king, Robert I Baratheon, to Tywin's daughter, Cersei. Tywin offered Targaryen loyalists like Alliser Thorne and Jaremy Rykker the choice between taking the black or facing execution.
=== Recent History ===
After Robert's Rebellion, Lord Tywin returned to Casterly Rock, where he continued to serve as Warden of the West.
When Tywin discovered his son Tyrion had wed a common girl, Tysha, which in Tywin's eyes would make House Lannister a laughingstock again, Tywin taught him a sharp lesson. He commanded Tyrion's older brother, Ser Jaime, to name Tysha a prostitute and made Tyrion watch as Tywin gave her over to his garrison, having each man pay the girl a silver coin after raping her. He forced Tyrion to do the same but pay Tysha a gold coin. Tywin earned the enmity of his son forever for that act, but Tywin did not care, for it was on his other children that he placed all his hopes.
When Tyrion was turning sixteen, Tywin refused to allow him to travel and see the world as Tywin's brothers had in their youth, fearing Tyrion would bring further shame on House Lannister. Tywin instead put his son in charge of the drains and cisterns of Casterly Rock.
In 289 AC, Balon Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands, began Greyjoy's Rebellion against King Robert I Baratheon through the burning of the Lannister fleet anchored at Lannisport. After the defeat of the Greyjoys, Tywin rebuilt the Lannister fleet and hosted another tourney at Lannisport. Tywin sent men in search of Gerion Lannister after his brother disappeared, but the Laughing Lion was not found.
Due to Robert's financial mismanagement of the realm, as well as his own new connection to the throne by marriage, Lord Tywin frequently lent money to the crown, placing the court in King's Landing in debt of over three million gold dragons to House Lannister. Tywin was unsuccessful in three attempts to purchase Valyrian steel longswords from impoverished lesser houses.
Tywin brought a retinue to King's Landing for the tourney on Prince Joffrey's name day.