Alester I Tyrell

Protector of the Realm

Prince of Highgarden

**Alester I Tyrell** was the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, reigning from his coronation in 351 AC to his death in 377 AC.

The firstborn son of Tommen II, Alester forever remained in the shadow of his beloved father. Though ultimately an adequate ruler, his reign was marred by indecision, paranoia and melancholy. His years on the throne saw the division of the Reach, the outbreak of interregional tensions and the accumulation of massive debts.

## Appearance and Character

Alester Tyrell stood at an average height with a heavyset build. His facial features were soft, and he inherited brown hair and gray eyes from his Stark mother. In the early part of his reign he kept his figure in good shape and sported extravagant clothing; in the aftermath of the War of White and Gold, Alester gained weight and tended toward relatively plain attire.

Alester was an indecisive man with little self-confidence. He knew how little the lords of his realm liked him, and he resented them in turn. During his earliest years on the throne, Alester ambitiously endeavored to further consolidate royal power, though this course was completely abandoned in the aftermath of the War of White and Gold. He thereafter became withdrawn and melancholy, tending to the affairs of state only out of obligation.

## History

### The Prince of Highgarden

When Tommen II succeeded to the throne in 336 AC, he abolished his title of Lord Paramount of the Mander and named his two-year-old son the Prince of Highgarden. As had been the case during his father’s minority, the Lord of Greenshield was appointed as Alester’s regent. Unlike his father, however, the crown prince seldom visited Highgarden during his childhood, instead growing up in the Red Keep.

King Tommen II intended to have Alester squire at Highgarden, but he ultimately yielded to his son’s refusal. The prince instead squired for a knight of the Kingsguard at the Red Keep, where he could still enjoy the frequent company of his childhood friends. The lords of the Reach consequently remained largely unacquainted with their liege, though neither did they mind his absence; the Lord of Greenshield was an effective and respected regent.

### Seeds of Division

In 351 AC, Alester at last relocated to Highgarden, ready to take on the duty of ruling. Within a few moons, however, he was recalled to King’s Landing to accept his father’s crown.

Despite the unambitious course of his youth, Alester was intent on expanding upon the success of his father’s reign. With his attentions centered on the capital, he named his younger brother, Lyonel, the new Prince of Highgarden, and for the third time the Tyrells of Greenshield were given regency over the Reach. Unlike Alester before him, however, Lyonel eagerly returned to his family’s ancestral seat, taking a keen interest in the land he was still too young to rule alone.

Several years later, after Lyonel had endeared himself to every lord in the Reach, the King revoked his brother’s title and named his newborn son, Garlan, the Prince of Highgarden. Lyonel humbly accepted Alester’s decision, knowing that it was his father’s intention for Highgarden to remain the royal heir’s seat. The lords of the Reach, however, were outraged, and convinced Lyonel to lead them in rebellion.

### The Withered Rose

The subsequent War of White and Gold proved the turning point in Alester’s life and reign. The death of Prince Lyonel during the conflict aggrieved the King, who deeply regretted taking up arms against his brother. Instead of seizing an imminent victory, Alester wholly surrendered to the rebels’ demands. The Lord of Greenshield was installed in Highgarden as the Lord Paramount of the Mander, reverting the Reach from a royal possession to a lordly vassal. To appease the Hightowers, who had vigorously supported him, Alester further partitioned the Reach and named them Lord Paramount of the Honeywine.

Alester never recovered from his grief. He remained involved in his rule over the realm, but never to a greater extent than duty demanded. With every crisis that emerged, the King erred toward the most bloodless solution, even when such an approach proved more costly. He appeased his vassals with low taxes and his people with lavish spending, creating massive deficits in the royal budget. Where his father and grandparents had diligently worked toward the repayment of the Iron Throne’s debts to the Iron Bank, Alester’s irresponsible fiscal policies brought them to unprecedented levels.

Alester’s enduring depression took a toll on his physical health, leading to his death in 377 AC. The succession of his charismatic son, Garlan, was enthusiastically welcomed by a realm that longed to see another King in the vein of Tommen II.