Siege of King's Landing

### Outcome

**Decisive Targaryen Victory*** Queen Cersei I Lannister is assassinated by Jaime Lannister
* Cersei Lannister's wildfire plot is foiled
* Extinction of House Clegane
* Remaining Lannister and Golden Company forces join Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow
* Daenerys Targaryen takes the Iron Throne
* King's Landing is captured to be used for a final stand against the Army of the Dead

Factions| * House Targaryen
	+ Unsullied
	+ Dothraki
* House Lannister(under Jaime and Tyrion)
* House Stark
* House Arryn
* House Tully
* Night's Watch
* Free Folk
* House Baratheon(relief force)
	+ House Seaworth
	+ Queensguard
	+ City Watch of King's Landing
* Golden Company

Casualties| **Light*** Sandor Clegane
* Lord Hand Qyburn
* Lord Commander Gregor Clegane

### Civilian casualties

Light

The **Siege of King's Landing** was both a protracted siege and the penultimate battle of the Great War, taking place at King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms.

## History

### Prelude

After the Fall of Winterfell, the remnant forces of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen retreated southward down the Kingsroad to the Crossroads Inn, where they were met by reinforcements from the Riverlands and the Vale of Arryn. Furthermore, Daenerys sent an envoy led by Gendry Baratheon to the Stormlands to rally the stormlords, hoping the combined force would bring their forces back up to full strength after their decimation by the White Walkers. However, King's Landing, still under Lannister control, laid to the south, and Daenerys vowed to march on the capital to make Queen Cersei pay for betraying her trust.

### The siege

Upon arriving outside the walls of King's Landing, Daenerys had initially intended to fly straight up to the Red Keep and demand Cersei's surrender, lest she bring the castle down on top of her. Jon Snow, wanting to avoid bloodshed, talked Daenerys out of it, instead agreeing to sneaking Jamie Lannister (who was on their side) into the Red Keep to reason Cersei into yielding. However, Arya Stark, still seeking revenge for the death of her father, wished to kill Cersei herself. Despite protests from Sandor Clegane, she too snuck herself into the Red Keep.

Fresh from their tactical victory at the Battle of Dragonstone, the Baratheon forces led by Gendry Baratheon arrived at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush, and joined the besieging Targaryen, Stark, Arryn and Tully forces. Despite protests from her subordinates, Daenerys prepared to storm King's Landing, mounting Rhaegal instead of Drogon due to the latter's injuries from their second confrontation with Viserion.

After being snuck into the Red Keep by Davos Seaworth, Jaime reunited with Cersei, who was growing increasingly fraught with fear and paranoia. Moments later, the couple were attacked by Arya Stark. Jaime duelled Arya, defending Cersei from her for long enough for Gregor Clegane, the Lord Commander of the Queensguard, to arrive and engage. Jaime, Cersei and Lord Hand Qyburn fled the scene while the Mountain easily gained the upper hand over Arya. Just as Arya was about to be killed, the Hound arrived and began duelling his brother, while Arya too decided to flee.

### The battle

Not willing to wait any longer, Daenerys attacked. Rhaegal and the riderless Drogon made quick work of the large but unwieldy scorpions lining the walls of the capital. Led by Jon Snow, the allied infantry stormed the city, but most Lannister and Golden Company troops offered little resistance.

After a long fight, the Hound crash-tackled the Mountain out of the walls of Maegor's Holdfast and into the flaming battlements below, killing them both.

As Lannister and Golden Company troops began surrendering en masse, Cersei, in a last ditch act of madness, commanded Qyburn to "burn them all", directing him to ignite the caches of wildfire under the city from the reign of King Aerys II Targaryen. Jaime, who had killed Aerys for issuing an identical order, instinctively killed Qyburn before stabbing Cersei in the heart. Heartbroken himself, Jaime held Cersei as she died in his arms.

### Aftermath

Cersei's body was burned by her brothers, Jaime and Tyrion Lannister. Tyrion would end up officially succeeding Cersei as Lord of Casterly Rock, and Warden of the West, since Jaime would ultimately chose to rejoin the Kingsguard.

Immediately following the battle, the Lannister and Golden Company forces were inducted into the allied armies of the Living, and King's Landing began preparing for a final stand against the Night King. The battlements were repaired as best as possible and every civilian capable of fighting was armed, while the rest went into hiding in the Red Keep or the city's vast underground labyrinth of tunnels, cellars, dungeons and sewers.

Having finally taken the Iron Throne from Cersei, Daenerys was formally Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, but refrained from touching her newly-gained throne until after the Great War was won.

## See also

* Battle of King's Landing on Game of Thrones Wiki