Joffrey I Baratheon (Good King Joffrey)

## Joffrey I Baratheon

King **Joffrey I Baratheon** is the King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm of Westeros, and the head of House Baratheon of King's Landing.

# History

## Early life

Joffrey grew up as a wilful child, fascinated by the warriors who surrounded him and that had preceded them - in particular his uncle Ser Jaime Lannister. Despite wanting to impress his father, the King took more comfort in drinking, hunting and whoring than paying his attention-starved son much heed. Thus Joffrey took more comfort in his maternal family, particularly his mother Queen Cersei Lannister and uncle.

Cersei assigned Sandor Clegane to be her son's sworn shield. While Sandor is widely known as the Hound, Joffrey refers to his guardian as "Elkhound" on account of Sandor providing him protection loyally. Despite their differing views on knighthood, Sandor and Joffrey enjoyed a convivial relationship.

At the age of seven Joffrey was made the page to his uncle Ser Jaime Lannister, the only knight his mother Cersei would trust with Joffrey's safety as well as managing to keep the Prince close.

For Joffrey's twelfth name day, King Robert organized a tourney in King's Landing in 298 AC, where, amongst others, Lord Walder Frey, Lord Jon Arryn, Lord Stannis Baratheon, and Ser Davos Seaworth were present. Following the tourney, Joffrey and his siblings travelled with Cersei to Casterly Rock with their grandfather, Lord Tywin Lannister.

# Recent Events

## A Game of Thrones

Joffrey and the rest of the royal family take the kingsroad to Winterfell after Lord Jon Arryn's death, as King Robert I Baratheon asks Lord Eddard Stark to become the new Hand of the King. Joffrey begins to court the pretty Sansa Stark, Eddard's eldest daughter, to whom he has been betrothed. Joffrey spars with Robb Stark in the yard and easily bests him with wooden practice swords. He later joins his father during a hunt. After Bran Stark is critically injured after falling from the First Keep, Joffrey visits Sansa to comfort her.

On the way from Winterfell to King's Landing, Joffrey spends a day riding and drinking wine with Sansa. They come upon Arya Stark and her friend Mycah, a butcher's boy, who are practicing sword fighting. A drunk Joffrey rashly charged at Mycah, reigning his fists down upon the boy to defend the younger sister of Sansa. Arya pulls him off of the butcher's boy, allowing Mycah to escape. The rash Prince now listened to reason as he was informed Arya and Mycah were merely playfighting. The embarrassed Prince Joffrey stormed off with Sansa in tow who successfully calmed him down.

As the royal party continues its journey Joffrey continues to court Sansa, despite what had happened with her sister. The romance between the pair flourishes and Joffrey gifts Sansa a small statue of a lion gilded with gold.

At King's Landing Joffrey attends the Hand's Tourney and later that night sat with Sansa at the feast, complimenting her by saying Ser Loras Tyrell has a keen eye for beauty after he gave her a red rose. When asked who he thinks will win the tourney Joffrey says he believes his uncle or Elkhound will win, though also believes one day he'll be a good enough fighter to beat even them. After his father King Robert drunkenly rages at his wife and argues he will fight in the melee the following day Joffrey offers to take Sansa back to her chambers. The pair continue the frivolities and walk arm-in-arm to her door where he kisses her hand and bids her goodnight.

At the Hand's Tourney, much to the excitement of the crowd, Joffrey's father King Robert was to take part in the melee.

In the melee some 60 participants took part in what was a three hour battle, the numbers having swelled with the entry of the King. Joffrey's father was clearly drunk to most witnesses, and though he initially put up a good fight in the ring his age, weight and drunkenness got the better of him. As he slowed and weakened and the heat became too much, the King took his helm off. In that moment he was struck in the back of the head and was felled by an unknown combatant. It didn't take long before the fallen king was spotted, though by this point it was too late, and his head trauma caused him to die mere hours later after being in a coma.

Following Robert's death, Joffrey summons the council and commands that they make arrangements for his coronation as Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. When Ned produces Robert's will, which declares Ned regent and mentions "the heir" rather than specifying Joffrey as heir to the Iron Throne, Cersei tears it up and advises Ned to swear fealty to her son. Ned in turn reveals that Joffrey has no claim to the throne and that his uncle, Lord Stannis Baratheon, is the true heir, but Eddard is quickly arrested for treason.

After taking the Iron Throne as Robert's heir, Joffrey starts his first court session by naming his grandfather, Lord Tywin Lannister, as the new Hand of the King and appointing his mother to the small council. Further during the court session, Sansa, to whom Joffrey is still betrothed, kneels and begs for him to spare her father Eddard's life, asking that Joffrey to do this for love of her. Joffrey promises Sansa that he will be merciful and after Eddard confesses his crimes and declares that Joffrey is the true heir to the Iron Throne on the steps of the Great Sept, Joffrey agrees to forgive him of his treason so long as he takes the black.

Eddard's son Robb captures Jaime in the Whispering Wood, thus setting the grounds for possible peace between the two camps. However on the voyage northward to the Wall, Eddard dies of sepsis. The North is bitter over Ned's death, however peace talks proceed and a peace assembly is arranged to meet at Harrenhal. Here it is agreed that Robb will swear fealty to Joffrey, the Lannister hostages will be exchanged for Sansa Stark, and the Stark Valyrian steel ancestral sword Ice will be returned to Winterfell.

Cersei withholds the news of Renly's coronation at Highgarden from Joffrey lest he insist on marching against him.

## A Clash of Kings

Stannis Baratheon, Lord of Dragonstone and the brother of King Renly and the late King Robert, has his supporters spread the message that Joffrey and his siblings, Prince Tommen and Princess Myrcella, are bastard abominations. Stannis presses his own claim to the Iron Throne. After Renly's death at Storm's End, Stannis hopes to present Robert's bastard, Edric Storm, as proof that Joffrey is illegitimate.

Ser Arys Oakheart and Sandor Clegane discuss how the smallfolk refer to the red comet as King Joffrey's Comet. During a small tourney held to honour the boy king's name day. While Tywin Lannister is Joffrey's Hand of the King,