Kingslaying

King Joffrey Baratheon dies of poison. © Josu Hernaiz

Kingslaying is the act of killing one's own king, breaking their vows of allegiance to him. In Westeros, kingslaying is condemned as an extremely vile act, especially when committed by someone sworn to protect them, as is the case with the Kingsguard.

It should not be confused with killing a king to which one has no allegiance, which is another form of regicide.

Known kingslayers

• Cersei Lannister is said to have killed her husband King Robert Baratheon; which indeed she did do by proxy, convincing her cousin Lancel Lannister to replace Robert's wine with strongwine, leading him to be fatally gored by a boar. Regicide is one of the crimes she is accused of by the Faith and the High Sparrow.

• Jaime Lannister killed his king, Aerys II, during the Sack of King's Landing, despite being a sworn brother of the Kingsguard at the time. This earns him the name Kingslayer.

• Olenna Redwyne kills her king, Joffrey Baratheon, with the help of Petyr Baelish and some unnamed co-conspirators. Olenna and Petyr both managed to escape suspicion, which instead fell to Tyrion and Sansa Stark. Olenna uses The Strangler poison, which is disguised as amethysts adorning a hairnet worn by the unwitting Sansa, given to her through Dontos Hollard.

• Roose Bolton stabs his king, Robb Stark, through the heart during the Red Wedding. He plans the murder with Walder Frey, who violates guest right with the same act. Tywin Lannister was also involved in the planning of the massacre.

Known victims of kingslaying

• Aegon II Targaryen
• Aerys II Targaryen
• Joffrey Baratheon
• Robb Stark
• Robert Baratheon

Suspected kingslayers

• Aegon IV Targaryen is suspected of poisoning his father Viserys II Targaryen to gain the throne. None dared to speak their suspicions of this crime for more than a decade.

• Brienne Tarth is suspected by some of King Renly Baratheon's murder. She is innocent, however.

• Elinor Costayne is suspected of murdering her husband, King Maegor I Targaryen, by slashing his wrists on the barbs of the Iron Throne. However, there are other suspects, such as a knight of his Kingsguard or a builder who escaped the slaughter after the completion of the Red Keep, with others believing Maegor committed suicide or was killed by the throne itself due to being such an unfit king.

• Euron Greyjoy is suspected of organizing the death of his brother and king Balon Greyjoy, which would also qualify as kinslaying. If prophecy is to be trusted, then indeed Euron hired a Faceless Man to kill his brother.

• Gyles Belgrave was sentenced to death for having caused Aegon II Targaryen's demise, either poisoning the king's wine himself or failing in his duty to prevent it from happening. However, some insist Gyles was a loyal Kingsguard and that Ummet, Aegon's food taster, was to blame. In any case, it is believed that the murderer was following the instructions of Lord Larys Strong.

• Tyrion Lannister and his wife Sansa Stark are both accused of poisoning King Joffrey Baratheon, Tyrion's nephew and Sansa's one-time fiancé. Cersei Lannister says she is certain Sansa helped Tyrion to murder her son. They are both innocent, however.

• Visenya Targaryen is suspected of poisoning her nephew, King Aenys I Targaryen, to ensure her son Maegor would ascend to the Iron Throne.

• Viserys II Targaryen is suspected of poisoning his own nephew King Baelor I Targaryen. However, the evidence on this is dubious, and it appears most likely that Viserys was innocent of this charge and Baelor died of excessive fasting.

Suspected victims of kingslaying

• Aenys I Targaryen
• Baelor I Targaryen
• Balon Greyjoy
• Maegor I Targaryen
• Viserys II Targaryen

Other responsibles of regicide

• Aegon II Targaryen kills his sister Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, which also qualifies him as kinslayer. However, Aegon and Rhaenyra were at war against each other, since they did not acknowledge one another as the rightful sovereign of the Iron Throne.

• Khal Drogo kills Viserys Targaryen by upending a pot of molten gold over his head. The gold is meant to signify the crown Viserys demanded of him.

• King Stannis Baratheon conceives a shadow assassin with Melisandre that goes on to slay his brother King Renly Baratheon. However, Stannis may not be consciously aware of his involvement; furthermore, Renly wasn't his King, and had also intended to kill Stannis in battle.

• Lord Stark (grandson of Brandon the Daughterless) slew Bael the Bard, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, not knowing he was his father.

Other victims of regicide

• Bael the Bard
• Renly Baratheon
• Rhaenyra Targaryen
• Viserys III Targaryen

Quotes about regicide

Eddard: When King’s Landing fell, Ser Jaime slew your king with a golden sword, and I wondered where you were. Gerold: Far away, or Aerys would yet sit the Iron Throne, and our false brother would burn in seven hells.

—Eddard Stark and Ser Gerold Hightower right before fighting to the death.

The Kingslayer. The false knight who profaned his blade with the blood of the king he had sworn to defend.

—Barristan Selmy

He thrust his longsword through her son's heart, and twisted.

—Roose Bolton killing his king, Robb Stark

A crown for Cart King!

—Khal Drogo

Joffrey was cruel and stupid, but I did not kill him. Have my head of if you like, I had no hand in my nephew's death.

—Tyrion Lannister, during his trial