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 Owen Merryweather as depicted in Game of Thrones: Histories & Lore. | ||||
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| Aliases | ||||
| Titles | ||||
| Allegiance | House Merryweather | |||
| Culture | Reach | |||
| Died | 282–299 AC | |||
| Spouse | Unknown | |||
| Issue | Father of Orton Merryweather | |||
| Books |
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Owen Merryweather was the Lord of Longtable and the head of House Merryweather during the reign of King Aerys II Targaryen. He also served as Hand of the King for Aerys.
Character
Owen was considered amiable but not capable.[4][5] He was famous for lavishing praise upon King Aerys II Targaryen and laughing at all of the Mad King's jokes.[6] Because of the sigil of House Merryweather, Ser Jaime Lannister thought of Owen as "the horn-of-plenty Hand".[1]
History
During a feast King Aerys II Targaryen held when Cersei Lannister came to court for the first time, Lord Owen talked about raising taxes on wine, which led to Lord Rykker joking about Lord Tywin Lannister shitting gold.[2] Ser Bonifer Hasty once served Lord Merryweather.[7]
When Tywin resigned his position as Hand of the King in 281 AC, the aged Owen was named the new Hand by Aerys.[5][6] With Tywin gone from court, the new focus of Aerys's mistrust and paranoia was his own son and heir, Rhaegar Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone. Lord Merryweather and Grand Maester Pycelle attempted to keep peace between the factions loyal to the king and those loyal to Rhaegar.[8] Fearing that Rhaegar had arranged the great tourney at Harrenhal to depose him, Aerys decided to attend it,[9] presumably leaving Owen in King's Landing to rule.
Owen proved ineffectual in preventing the uprising that came to be known as Robert's Rebellion. When Lords Jon Arryn, Robert Baratheon, and Eddard Stark began their rebellion, Owen sent missives to the lords of the Seven Kingdoms declaring them outlaws and demanding their heads. Some of the stormlords were encouraged by Owen, but they were defeated by Robert at Summerhall.[10] Owen never stirred from King's Landing, and this coupled with the news of Ned and Robert's successful return to their respective seats of power made the paranoid Aerys believe that Lord Merryweather was conspiring with them. Owen was subsequently stripped of lands and titles and exiled for his failure, and was replaced as Hand by the younger Jon Connington, Lord of Griffin's Roost.[1][11]
Orton went into exile with his grandson Orton, who found a bride in Myr, Taena.[12][13] Orton eventually persuaded King Robert I Baratheon to restore the lands, castle, and titles that Aerys had stripped from the Merryweathers.[4][N 1] Robert did not grant them all of their lands back, however, and also emptied the family treasury, leaving Orton a less wealthy and powerful lord than his grandfather had been.[13][14][15]
Recent Events
A Clash of Kings
Tyrion Lannister tells Petyr Baelish that two men (Owen and Jon Connington) who served King Aerys II Targaryen as Hand of the King died landless and penniless in exile.[16]
Quotes
Tywin claimed the only thing Merryweather was good for was chuckling at the king's witticisms. His lordship chuckled himself right into exile, as I recall.[3]
Replacing Tywin Lannister with Owen Merryweather had proved to be akin to replacing a destrier with a donkey, to be sure, but Owen had been an old done man when Aerys raised him, amiable if ineffectual.[5]
—thoughts of Cersei Lannister
Family
Notes
- ↑ The Merryweather restoration happened after Robert became king (283 AC) and before the birth of Orton's son, Russell, as he was born at Longtable (A Feast for Crows, Cersei VI). Given that Russell was born no later than 294 AC (see Russell Merryweather), the Merryweathers were thus restored in or between 283 AC and 294 AC.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 11, Jaime II.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 7, Cersei II.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 33, Jaime V.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 16, Jaime II.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 39, Cersei IX.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 27, Jaime III.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Fall of the Dragons: The Year of the False Spring.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 67, The Kingbreaker.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Fall of the Dragons: Robert's Rebellion.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Epilogue.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Chapter 12, Cersei III.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 George R. R. Martin's A World of Ice and Fire, Orton Merryweather.
- ↑ George R. R. Martin's A World of Ice and Fire, Longtable.
- ↑ So Spake Martin: Knights and Lords, March 02, 2002
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 3, Tyrion I.