Editing Barth (section)

===Early life===
[[File:Barth and Mattheus by Jaydeewis.png|thumb|right|300px|Septons Barth and [[Mattheus]] at [[Bitterbridge]], by Jaydeewis]]
Barth was a blacksmith's son.{{Ref|ASOS|54}}{{Ref|ADWD|14}} He was given to the [[Faith of the Seven]] when he was young,{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Targaryen Kings: Jaehaerys I}} and eventually took a septon's vows. Barth served at first at [[Highgarden]].{{Ref|FAB|A Time of Testing - The Realm Remade}} Thanks to his brilliance,{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Targaryen Kings: Jaehaerys I}} in {{Date|50}} Barth was sent to [[King's Landing]] to see to the library of the [[Red Keep]]. According to legend, Barth traveled on his own on a [[donkey]].{{Ref|FAB|A Time of Testing - The Realm Remade}} 

In {{Date|51}}, Barth officiated the second marriage of King [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen]] and Queen [[Alysanne Targaryen]], and along with Septon [[Oswyck]] he aided the king in writing the [[Doctrine of Exceptionalism]].{{Ref|FAB|A Time of Testing - The Realm Remade}} After Oswyck died in early {{Date|54}}, Barth took over his duties. By {{Date|54}}, Barth had become one of Jaehaerys's most trusted advisors. When the [[High Lickspittle|High Septon]] died that year, Jaehaerys entertained the idea of trying to persuade the [[Most Devout]] to name Barth to the office; Barth personally persuaded him not to do so. Barth was horrified by the suggestions of influencing the [[choosing]] with gold, force of arms, and secret assassinations, and wrote down an account on how King Jaehaerys managed to influence the choosing by traveling to Oldtown, expressing regret about the corruption among the [[Most Devout]].{{Ref|FAB|Birth, Death, and Betrayal Under King Jaehaerys I}}

When Lord [[Daemon Velaryon (son of Aethan)|Daemon Velaryon]] resigned as [[Hand of the King]], King Jaehaerys at first looked at Barth, among others, to fill the office. However, due to his low birth, and due to the fact that it was suspected that Barth was more loyal to the Faith than to the [[Iron Throne]], he was not chosen.

In {{Date|55}}, Barth, King Jaehaerys, Queen Alysanne, Grand Maester [[Benifer]], and Lord [[Albin Massey]] began creating the first unified [[Books of Law|code of law]] for the entire [[Seven Kingdoms]]. It would take them decades, and Barth alone contributed three times more than any other on his [[Great Code]].{{Ref|FAB|Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Their Triumphs and Tragedies}}

When the severely-ill Princess [[Aerea Targaryen]] returned to King's Landing in {{Date|56}} on [[Balerion]] after having been missing for more than a year, Barth helped Benifer care for her. He announced to Jaehaerys and Alysanne, who waited outside the Grand Maester's chambers, when Aerea had died. Barth wrote two accounts on Aerea's death, which speak about the horrors that came forth from the girl, and in which he speculates about what had happened to her. They were kept in Barth's private papers, and were only discovered a hundred years later. The incident with Aerea left a strong impression on Barth, and afterwards he began research that eventually led to his book ''[[Dragons, Wyrms, and Wyverns: Their Unnatural History]]''.{{Ref|FAB|Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Their Triumphs and Tragedies}}