Robert Baratheon
From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
 by Amoka© | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Reign | 283AL - 298AL |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Robert Baratheon the First of His Name |
| Alias | The Usurper Demon of the Trident |
| Other Titles | King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men Lord of the Seven Kingdoms Protector of the Realm |
| Born in | 263AL |
| Died in | 298AL, at King's Landing. |
| Buried in | 298AL, at Storm's End. |
| Family | |
| Royal House | House Baratheon of King's Landing |
| Predecessor | Aerys II |
| Heir | Joffrey Baratheon |
| Successor | Joffrey I |
| Queen | Cersei Lannister |
| Issue | See Known bastards |
| Father | Steffon Baratheon |
| Mother | Cassana Estermont |
| References | |
| Books | A Game of Thrones |
| Played by | Mark Addy |
| TV series | Season 1 |
Robert Baratheon was the head of House Baratheon and King of the Seven Kingdoms until his untimely death in 298AL. Robert Baratheon was crowned King of the Seven Kingdoms after winning the War of the Usurper.
Contents |
Appearance and Personality
A large man, though not particularly intelligent, Robert was once a renowned warrior. In his youth he was described as tall, broad shouldered and muscled like a maiden's fantasy. He kept himself clean shaven. However, after winning the crown he become overweight from excessive feasting and drinking, eventually gaining over eight stone in weight and growing a beard to hide his multiple chins.[1]. Some of his favourite songs were A Cask of Ale and Fifty-Four Tuns.[2] He was known for his charm, outgoing and gregarious personality and remarkable ability to turn enemies into friends.
According to Eddard Stark Robert would promise a woman the world in the night and forget everything (including her) in the morning.
History
Early Life
Robert is the first son of Lady Cassana and Lord Steffon Baratheon, head of House Baratheon and Lord Paramount of the Stormlands. He was born and raised in the Baratheon family seat of Storm's End and has two younger brothers, Stannis and Renly.
At a young age Robert was sent to foster with Lord Jon Arryn at the Eyrie in the Vale of Arryn, along with Eddard Stark, they soon became fast friends and Jon Arryn, who had no sons of his own, came to treat them as his own family.[3] Robert's parents died in a shipwreck in sight of Storm's End, when he was still young, and he became Lord of Storm's End.[4] He rose to the occasion, with the solid and reliable support of his brother Stannis, although they were not personally close.
Robert fell in love with Eddard's sister Lyanna, and her father Lord Rickard approved the match.[3] However, some time after this event Lyanna was apparently kidnapped and taken against her will from Winterfell by Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen.[1] The kidnapped set in motion a chain of events that lead to Robert's Rebellion.
Robert's Rebellion
News of the kidnap led Lyanna eldest brother Brandon and later her father Rickard to King's Landing demanding justice, both were excuted by the mad King Aerys II demanding that Lord Jon turn over Robert and Eddard as well. Lord Jon rose up in rebellion instead, with Eddard(now Lord of Winterfell) and Robert rallying the North and the Stormlands respectively.[3] Robert, whose descent gave him the best claim to the throne of the three lords, soon became the leader of the revolt, which became known as Robert's Rebellion.
Robert began gathering his banners at Storm's End, but he was separated from his allies in the North, more some of his bannermen decided to remain loyal to the throne and was gathering their strength at Summerhall. [5] However, Robert learned of this plan and defeated them, in what was knowns as Battle of Summerhall. While attempting to link up with the forces in the North, Robbert suffered a defeat at the Battle of Ashford and was later trapped in the town of Stoney Sept by a Targaryen army led by Lord Jon Connington, he was saved when a rebel force from the North was joined in the Battle of the Bells.[6] He led the combined forces of Baratheon, Stark, Arryn, and Tully to victory over the royal forces led by Rhaegar at the Battle of the Trident and personally killed the crown prince, securing a victory.[1]
Although he won the rebellion and killed Rhaegar, Lyanna died during the conflict. Robert was thereafter haunted by her memory and the desire for further vengeance against the slain Rhaegar.[1] His hatred was so great that when Tywin Lannister presented Robert with the mutilated bodies of Rhaegar's wife and two young children, Robert was actually pleased they were dead. Eddard Stark on the other hand was outraged and disgusted by the act, calling it murder and saying the young prince and princess were no more than babes. Robert's callous response was:
| “ | "I see no babes, only dragonspawn".[7] | ” |
Even Jon Arryn could not cool the rage and argument that followed between Robert and Eddard over that. Eddard left the Red Keep in a black rage to relieve the siege of Storm's End. It took the death of Lyanna and their shared grief to reunite the pair in friendship.[7]
Reign
Robert's claim to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms was based on his grandmother being Rhaelle Targaryen, daughter of King Aegon V, thus giving him a much stronger claim to the throne than the Arryns, Tullys or Starks. With King landing fallen, Aerys, Rhaegar, and their heirs dead or on soon to fall Dragonstone, the lords of the Seven Kingdoms swore fealty to Robert and accept him as King. He pardoned many of his former enemies and won some over as allies. Dorne however, never forgot or forgave the fact that Robert condoned the cold blooded murders of Elia Martell and her children Rhaenys and Aegon. Lord Jon Arryn managed to negotiate a truce with Dorne and a grudging acceptance of Robert's reign. Robert appointed Jon Arryn his Hand of the King. Jon Arryn, along with Robert's brother Stannis, held the Seven Kingdoms together while Robert ate, drank, hunted, and whored.
Robert began his reign by marrying Cersei Lannister in a political marriage intended to bring stability to the kingdom. The marriage was not happy one. During there wedding night Robert, while drunk, accidently whispers, "Lyanna," an act that earned him his new wife's hatred. Who in secret cheat on him with her brother Jaime, killing Robert seed and his hope for heirs. Cersei bore three children Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen. In his unhappiness Robert took to drink, feasting and sleeping with other women. In this way he had several bastard children.
Six years after taking the crown, Robert and Eddard joined forces again to crush the Greyjoy Rebellion, which cemented Robert's position on the Iron Throne. Robert subsequently beggared the realm with the expense of his tournaments and feasts, despite the fact Aerys had left treasure vaults overflowing with gold. Robert's spending eventually left the crown in debt of over six million golden dragons (borrowing heavily from the Lannisters, the Tyrells, the Faith and the Iron Bank of Braavos). Due to his frequent whoring, Robert also sired many bastards. According to Donal Noye, he changed by becoming a king, and not for the better.[8]
Recent Events
A Game of Thrones
When Jon Arryn died suddenly, Robert journeyed to Winterfell to meet the last person he truly trusted, Eddard Stark, after a long separation. Robert appeared to Eddard a broken man, unhealthy and unhappy.[1] Eddard reluctantly took the job of Hand and came to King's Landing. He, like Jon Arryn, did much of the work as Robert seldom bothered to attend council meetings. Robert confessed to Ned that he dreamed about giving up his crown and journeying to the Free Cities as a sellsword so he would spend his life warring and whoring, believing that's what he was made for; only the thought of Joffrey on the Iron Throne with his mother whispering in his ear kept Robert from indulging his fantasy.[7]
When Robert called a meeting to demand the death of the pregnant Daenerys Targaryen, Eddard refused to be a part of it and resigned his handship in protest.[9] After Eddard's injury, however, Robert visited his friend and gave him back his badge of office, stating that if Ned refused to take it, Robert would pin it on Jaime Lannister. While Robert was off on one of his hunts, Eddard discovered that Robert's children were in fact Cersei's bastards born of incest with her brother, the Kingslayer.[10]
Acting first, Cersei had Robert's squire, her cousin Lancel, give Robert a very strong wine, three times as potent as normal, which caused him to get very drunk. When the hunting party finally tracked down a large boar, Robert was so inebriated that he missed his mark and wound up getting charged down and mortally gored. According to Varys, if it had not been the boar, it would have been a fall from a horse or an arrow gone astray, as Cersei needed Robert dead before he returned from his hunt.
When Robert returned badly wounded and near death, he had Eddard visit him and make a will. Eddard, seeing how much pain Robert was in, did not reveal the secret of Joffrey's parentage, not wanting to add further pain to his dying friend. Instead, when writing the will, Eddard replaced "My son Joffrey" with "my trueborn heir". Robert died a day later. His death tipped off a struggle for power that lead to the War of the Five Kings.
Family Tree
| Unknown Baratheon | {Aegon V Targaryen} | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ser {Harbert} | Unknown Baratheon | {Rhaelle Targaryen} | {Jaehaerys II} | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| {Steffon Baratheon} | {Cassana Estermont} | {Aerys II} | {Rhaella Targaryen} | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Various women | {Robert I} | Cersei Lannister | Stannis | Selyse Florent | {Renly I} | {Rhaegar Targaryen} | {Elia Martell} | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mya Stone | {Joffrey I} | Shireen Baratheon | {Viserys Targaryen} | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Edric Storm | Myrcella | Daenerys Targaryen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gendry | Tommen I | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Others | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Known bastards
Although Robert Baratheon is known to have fathered - according to Maggy the Frog's prophecy - at least sixteen bastards, only one has been acknowledged. Varys admits to knowing of eight. Five have been seen by POV characters, while two others have been mentioned only in passing. Because of how Eddard words Robert's will, Cersei begins a campaign to kill all of Roberts bastards, but Tyrion stops it after an ugly scene with Barras mother fighting to protect the baby. They are listed in approximate age order.
- Mya Stone. A bastard daughter born to Robert in the Vale whilst he was Jon Arryn's ward. She served as a guide to and from the Eyrie, and became a favorite companion to Sansa Stark. Eddard Stark remembered that Robert was very fond of her, although like all his bastard children he later abandoned her.
- Bella. An unacknowledged bastard daughter who lived at the brothel called "the Peach" in Stoney Sept. Her mother told her that she was conceived during the Battle of the Bells when a wounded Robert hid there.
- Gendry. An unacknowledged bastard who was born to a worker in an alehouse. When he was old enough, an unknown lord paid his apprentice fee so he could learn to be a blacksmith. Gendry developed a reputation for stubbornness and fashioned a bull's head helmet, causing him to be named the "Bull". Following the death of Robert, Varys arranged for the boy to flee the city with Yoren of the Night's Watch. Gendry knew that Queen Cersei wanted him dead, although he did not know why. He traveled with Arya Stark until the Brotherhood Without Banners captured them and he joined the organization. The Brotherhood later placed him at the Old Crossroads Inn to smith and look after a group of orphans there. When Brienne meets him, she is astonished by how much he looks like Renly, actually addressing him as "Renly" and "my lord".
- Edric Storm. Robert's only acknowledged bastard son, born to Delena Florent.[11] He lived at Storm's End under the protection of Cortnay Penrose, the castellan. Stannis laid siege to the castle with the goal of capturing Edric Storm and using him to prove his claims of Cersei's incestuous affair with her brother. The red witch Melisandre also aimed to use Edric's blood to raise the dragons of Dragonstone. Davos Seaworth smuggled Edric away from Dragonstone before he could be sacrificed.
- Two unnamed twins. Petyr Baelish hints that Robert fathered twins to a serving woman at Casterly Rock who were killed by Queen Cersei's agents.[11]
- Barra. The youngest of Robert's known bastard children, born to a King's Landing prostitute. A baby, she was killed by Allar Deem under Cersei's orders following the death of Robert.
References and Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 4, Eddard.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 42, Daenerys.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 2, Catelyn.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Prologue.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 55, Jon.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 29, Arya.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 12, Eddard.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 6, Jon.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 33, Eddard.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 39, Eddard.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 35, Eddard.
This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at House Baratheon. The list of authors can be seen in the page history of House Baratheon. As with the A Wiki of Ice and Fire, the content of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
