A Song of Ice and Fire/Characters/House Baratheon

This is a listing of member of House Baratheon that appear in the Fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. Visit here for the main character index.



The current royal house. A house with a tradition of being aggressive, they rule the stormy eastern coast. Their brutal treatment at the hands of Aerys the Mad made them the first to rise in rebellion against the Targaryens. The impregnable castle Storm's End is their seat. The Baratheon sigil is a black stag, crowned since they became the royal house. The youngest of the Great Houses, and descended from the early Targaryens.

King Robert Baratheon
"How do you fight someone if you can't hit them?"

The King of Westeros when the story begins, he was the victor of the first civil war, known variously as "The War of the Usurper" or "Robert's Rebellion." A brave and unstoppable warrior in his youth, the death of the woman King Robert loved has caused him to degenerate over the years into a fat drunk man whose only interests are eating, drinking, hunting and whoring. Since he is uninterested in governing the realm, the real power lies with Varys and Jon Arryn. He hates the Targaryens but can't control his own vassal lords.

""Rhaegar won, damn him. I killed him, Ned, I drove the spike right through that black armor into his black heart, and he died at my feet. They made up songs about it. Yet somehow he still won. He has Lyanna now, and I have her.""
 * Adipose Rex: Not as obese as some, but he really lets himself go after gaining the throne.
 * The Alcoholic: Suggested. Heavy drinking is one of the (many) activities he prefers to actually governing his kingdom, and after he, he says upon waking that it was the wine that was responsible, not him.
 * Asskicking Equals Authority: Robert was one of the most powerful warriors in his day. Although Ned was the real tactician in charge of "Robert's Rebellion," it seems that Robert's reputation as a Badass made him its de facto leader, and won him the throne.
 * Robert led the army during the inital battles in the south (with mixed success) and in the key battle on the Trident, where Ned arrived by the time it was over. He specifically gives the credit to Ned for defeating Connington's army, but not for the whole war.
 * Well, that and the fact that it was the kidnapping of his betrothed that started the whole thing.
 * He also gains the throne because he was actually part of the line to inherit the throne through a distant relative.
 * Though it's fairly apparent that the only people who cared were Ned(who's made of Honor Before Reason) and, according to Renly, the maesters in the citadel. Renly plainly states that Robert's "right" to the throne was his warhammer, and Robert himself laments that Ned should have been the one to take the crown. Cersei even states that it would have been as simple as Ned sitting in the Iron Throne after telling Jaime to get off of it.
 * Blue Eyes
 * Boisterous Bruiser: Rather brutally deconstructed.
 * Casanova
 * Deconstructed Trope: A charismatic battle leader is a bad choice for King. Robert knows it, and surrounds himself with more cunning Straight Man advisors.
 * Domestic Abuse: Unfortunately, Robert subjects his wife Cersei to this. Had he not done that,
 * Drop the Hammer: His weapon of choice is a giant iron warhammer that is described as being so heavy Ned Stark could hardly even lift it. Robert used it effortlessly. With one hand because he had a shield on his other arm.
 * Dumbass Has a Point/The Extremist Was Right/Hilarious in Hindsight:
 * The Dulcinea Effect: Robert's motivation for fighting in the civil war that overthrew the Targaryens was to rescue his betrothed Lyanna.
 * Everyone Has Standards:
 * Robert doesn't abdicate the throne out of fear of what would happen to the realm if Cersei and Joffrey were in power.
 * In the backstory he came across an injured Barristan Selmy who was an enemy serving the Targaryens and despite Roose Bolton pushing him to cut Selmy's thrat Robert instead had his own Maestar see to the old man's injuries.
 * Failure Knight: ...and Lyanna died during the war. Woe. Robert himself comments on this:


 * Fat Bastard: He's not the worst guy in the world, but he's gained a lot of weight since he became king, and this self-indulgence seems to go hand-in-hand with an increasing moral laziness. Upon seeing him for the first time in years, Ned thinks to himself that Robert has gained at least 8 stone(100 Imperial pounds); given the descriptions of him as a young man, that easily puts him north of 300 pounds.
 * Stout Strength: Even still, he could still carry that hammer of his easily enough and could skewer a wild boar. He'd just be a bit more winded afterwards.
 * Freudian Trio: With his brothers. He's the Id.
 * General Ripper: Has an overwhelming and irrational hatred of all Targaryens, and has no moral qualms with sending assassins after a 14-year old girl currently located on another continent and moving away from him.
 * Hunting Accident:
 * I Was Quite a Looker: As a young man, he was tall, handsome and "muscled like a maiden's fantasy." By the beginning of the first book, he...isn't.
 * Marital Rape License: He doesn't care about Cersei desires or pleasure when performing his duty in bed. When Cersei tries to complain 'cause he's hurting her, he justifies saying it's the wine to make him ruthless. And keeps drinking.
 * The Mourning After: He still visits Lyanna's grave to pay his respects. She didn't fool herself about whether he would be unfaithful to her in life; but her death kept him loyal to her forever. Go figure.
 * Really Gets Around: If the prophecy Cercei got is to be believed Robert has fathered 16 children (all bastards) in his time. Despite Cercei's best effort only one is known to have been killed in her revenge. It seems his genes might stay around for somet time.
 * Varys was only able to count eight bastards from Robert, at least that's what he tells Tyrion.
 * Strong Family Resemblance: His bastard offsprings all show a strong resemblance to Robert both physicaly and in being headstrong.
 * Renly is said to look just like him, minus twenty years of drinking, overeating, and whoring.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: With Eddard Stark.
 * Uncanny Family Resemblance: All of his (numerous) children have the same black hair and blue eyes that he does. In Real Life, black hair is a dominant genetic trait, so no problem there. Blue eye colour, however, not so much.
 * Villain with Good Publicity: Borderline meta-example, in that he is no-where near as bad as many characters in the series including most of the ones who wanted him dead, and he became King- and a decent, if not necessarily competent, King at that- by rebelling against overthrowing The Caligula. But the longer the story goes on the more apparent it is that Robert was not a particularly good person- for instance, his quest to kill all Targaryen children, while arguably bad in itself, is worse because it was likely motivated not by pragmatism (ie. risk of future war with adult Targaryen heirs) but petty vengeance against the guy / family who stole his girlfriend (whom he probably would still have cheated on and might not really have loved in any meanignful way). If the "Jon Snow is Rhaegar's son" theory is true, then Ned was probably protecting Jon from Robert above everyone else; Robert would have killed him, such was his hatred for Rhaegar, though he's the only one who thought Rhaegar was anything other than an all-round fantastic man.

Joffrey Baratheon
""So long as I am your King, treason will never go unpunished! Ser Ilyn, bring me his head.""

The firstborn son and successor of King Robert. Actually the son of. He is betrothed to Sansa Stark, who completely falls in love with the handsome Prince. He gradually reveals what he really is, however, and It Got Worse.


 * Big Brother Bully: And how!
 * Bishounen: Joffrey's pretty looks are described as a combination of his sister Myrcella and his uncle Jaime.
 * Blond Guys Are Evil: Used with a twist: Robert is black-haired, and the Baratheon phenotype is invariably dominant over the Lannister one. Joffrey and his siblings Tommen and Myrcella are all blond. Hmmm...
 * The Caligula
 * Enfant Terrible
 * Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: As much as he was capable of loving anything, anyway. Much like Cersei, it's likely he truly only loved himself, and their bond was so strong because they were so much alike.
 * For the Evulz
 * Green Eyes
 * Hair of Gold
 * Her Child, but Not His: See Blond Guys Are Evil, above.
 * High Collar of Doom: Wears one when he shows
 * Kick the Dog: Or disembowel the pregnant cat, as the case may be.
 * Momma's Boy: Despite idolizing Robert, Joffrey more often clings to Cersei and calls for her at any fright or injury. Probably because he knows she'll do whatever he asks, while Robert, not so much.
 * Royal Brat: Was almost the Trope Namer; "The Joffrey" exists as a redirect.
 * Royally Screwed-Up: A list of Joffrey's senselessly cruel acts would fill up the whole page.
 * Stepford Smiler
 * Teens Are Monsters
 * Try to Fit That on A Business Card: "Joffrey of the Houses Baratheon and Lannister, the First of his Name, King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm".
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: In a very twisted way, Joffrey inflicted so much pain on others because he wanted to look "tough" and impress his neglectful father Robert. Among this acts was
 * Ned Stark notes that Robert did dote on Joffrey to some extent, and . He seems to have had some sense of Joffrey being an evil little shit, however.
 * The White Prince: Cruelly subverted.
 * The White Prince: Cruelly subverted.

Tommen and Myrcella Baratheon
"Tommen: "When I'm king in my own right, I'm going to outlaw beets.""

Eight-year-old Myrcella and seven-year-old Tommen are Cersei's other two children. They also are nothing like their older brother Joffrey: they're sweet-tempered, nice and gentle. In short, Innocents. Their favorite family member is their uncle Tyrion. Of course, considering how much of a Crapsack World this is, it probably won't end well for them.


 * Arranged Marriage: Tommen and Margaery. Myrcella was supposed to marry Prince Trystane Martell, and they got along pretty well before shit happened.
 * Brother-Sister Incest: A fan theory, given a line by Tommen which indicated abuse by Joffrey (it being sexual is not confirmed, though.)
 * The Cutie: Both of them.
 * Break the Cutie:.
 * Green Eyes: Both of them.
 * Hair of Gold
 * Kindhearted Cat Lover: Tommen really likes his kittens.
 * Momma's Boy: Tommen is completely dominated by his mom Cersei. That does not bode well, and his wife Margaery tries to reverse it but it doesn't really work either.
 * The Ojou: Myrcella.
 * Perfectly Arranged Marriage: It looks like Myrcella's marriage to Trystane may become this
 * Tommen and Margaery Tyrell get along famously. She takes him hawking, out for visits among the smallfolk in King's Landing, gives him a litter of kittens as a gift, and lets her brother Loras teach him how to joust. Because of their age difference, though, Tommen looks up to her like a Cool Big Sis rather than as a romantic partner. It's telling that when Cersei makes an offhand comment about taking off Margaery's head, he puts his eight-year-old foot down and stands up to her for the first time in the series.
 * Sibling Yin-Yang: Tommen and Joffrey.
 * Perfectly Arranged Marriage: It looks like Myrcella's marriage to Trystane may become this
 * Tommen and Margaery Tyrell get along famously. She takes him hawking, out for visits among the smallfolk in King's Landing, gives him a litter of kittens as a gift, and lets her brother Loras teach him how to joust. Because of their age difference, though, Tommen looks up to her like a Cool Big Sis rather than as a romantic partner. It's telling that when Cersei makes an offhand comment about taking off Margaery's head, he puts his eight-year-old foot down and stands up to her for the first time in the series.
 * Sibling Yin-Yang: Tommen and Joffrey.
 * Sibling Yin-Yang: Tommen and Joffrey.
 * Sibling Yin-Yang: Tommen and Joffrey.

Stannis Baratheon
""Great or small, we must do our duty.""

""There is no creature on earth half as terrifying as a truly just man." Varys, about Stannis"

King Robert's stern and uptight younger brother, Stannis is a man obsessed with his principles and always, always does what he feels to be his duty. He is unpopular with the people for his merciless sense of justice, but proves to be a very complex man who dislikes what he forces himself to do.

"Stannis: Robert could piss in a cup and men would call it wine, but I offer them cold clear water and they squint in suspicion and mutter to each other about how queer it tastes."
 * Alternate Character Interpretation: Most of his (reader) supporters take the approach that he's a man of principle, strong-willed and out to do what's best for Westerous. The facts that he's used blood magic to murder his rivals, threatened and blackmailed the Night's Watch, and committed pretty much every grievous sin the setting has in his quest to be king could just as easily paint him as the most power-mad egomaniac in a setting full of power-mad egomaniacs.
 * Badass: He's described as a mighty war leader and is without mercy.
 * Bald of Awesome
 * Be Yourself: Subverted Trope in the very first Davos chapter. Stannis describes a hawk he rescued and nursed back to health, though not enough that it could hunt for him. Everyone tells him, "Give up, try a different bird." He does.
 * Big Damn Heroes: Arrives just in time to save the Night's Watch and the Wall during the battle with Mance Ryder.
 * Blue Eyes
 * Brutal Honesty: an Establishing Character Moment. He can't even make small talk.
 * His Brutal Honesty is an interesting case, because while speaking his mind can cause him to hurt people's feelings, it also means that on the rare occasions he says something nice, it is truly heartfelt. This can sometimes lead him to kick and pet the dog almost simultaneously, such as when he bluntly tells maester Cressen that he is too old and confused to be of any use to him anymore, but then states a few sentences later that the maester's age makes the stairs he would need to use to perform his duties dangerous to him, and says "I will not have you kill yourself in my service". This may not seem like much, but considering Stannis' general grimness, (plus the You Have Outlived Your Usefulness mentality that many characters have,) this is actually quite a significant sign of affection and respect for the maester's past services.
 * Cain and Abel: Stannis and his younger brother Renly. The series' Gray and Grey Morality being what it is, though, it's impossible to tell who is the "good" and the "evil" one.
 * Case in point: Renly wants power as king. Stannis seems to see it more as his duty as Robert's heir, though Renly acknowledges that Stannis may well have a better claim but he (Renly) has the larger army. It's never quite clear whether Stannis knew about this. He says he didn't, and that's usually enough, it's not 100% certain.
 * Character Tic: Grinding his teeth.
 * The Chosen One: Maybe, maybe not.
 * Couldn't Find a Pen: In
 * Cult: The religion that Melisandre, his sorceress-advisor, brings to Dragonstone.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Despite his rigidity and seriousness, does demonstrate a very dry sense of humor on occasion.
 * Determinator: His stubbornness in the face of adversity is well known. He demonstrated this during the Siege of Storm's End, and keeps on trucking despite incredible setbacks in the War of the Five Kings.
 * Dude, Where's My Respect?: He has shown himself to be a capable leader, and won several victories for Robert, but because (in the words of TV!Loras) he "has the personality of a lobster!", he is disdained in favor of his more likable brothers. This bothers him more than he cares to admit..
 * Supplemental material says that Stannis remaining on Dragonstone in a fit of pique throughout the first book was in part due to Robert refusing to name him Hand of the King after Jon Arryn's death.
 * He openly complains about how much this annoys him:

"Stannis: He reminded me of my duty, when all I could think of was my rights."
 * Evil Uncle:
 * Flat Earth Atheist: He hasn't believed in any gods since the tragic death of his parents combined with his observations of the unfairness of the world, but Melisandre and others believe he is the messiah of their religion, and at least in theory, her magical powers confirm that Rh'llor is real.
 * Freudian Trio: With his brothers. He's the Superego.
 * Hidden Depths: Much of Davos' interactions with Stannis are there to showcase that Stannis is more conflicted, unsure and flexible than the front he shows the rest of the world indicates. Amongst other things he openly resents his brothers for their charm (something he's never had), is willing to consider alliances with the Arryns and other undeclared houses,
 * Honor Before Reason: He also expects the rest of the world to act this way. This is part of why he is so disliked. He takes this to the greatest possible extreme in A Dance With Dragons by
 * Lonely at the Top: So very much. "Kings have no friends, only subjects and enemies".
 * Middle Child Syndrome
 * Morality Pet: Davos, who tells him everything and gets away with it.


 * (aDwD spoilers)
 * No Social Skills
 * Principles Zealot: He has an almost pathological need to following the established rules of honor and duty, even if he himself thinks they're morally wrong. "Screw What's Right, I'm Following The Rules!" if you will.
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something: When the Night's Watch cries for help, for they have no chance to win against the Wildlings, Stannis leaves the battle for the Iron Throne, calls his banners and runs to Wall to defend the realm. He's the only one to put Westeros needs before his own.
 * Except that he then spends the next few months trying to force both the Night's Watch and the Wildlings to help him win the war, so he may have had slightly more pragmatic reasons for going.
 * Sibling Yin-Yang: He's completely unlike either of his brothers, possibly as a result of his Middle Child Syndrome.
 * The Stoic
 * Surrounded by Idiots: Sees most of the lords who support him as useless, two-faced fools who he very grudgingly tolerates because he needs their support to take the Iron Throne, or they're fanatical worshippers of R'hllor. Davos and Melisandre are the only two people he trusts and respects completely.
 * Wangst: A lot of his dialog is actually made up of him whining and complaining about how people don't like him, don't do what he wants them to, and he's so maligned. He's just described as so grim and solemn that some people apparently fail to notice how much bitching he does. Put the same words in a teenage girl's mouth and it would sound remarkably like a Facebook rant after being grounded.
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist

Renly Baratheon
""Loras, stay and help me pray. It has been so long I have quite forgotten how.""

King Robert's youngest brother. A handsome, flashy and charismatic young man, he is very popular with the common people. Later, Renly refuses to support either his nephew Joffrey's claim to the throne or his brother Stannis's rebellion, and declares himself King since that he has the largest army in Westeros thanks to his alliance with the Tyrells.

"Jaime, to Loras: "Sheath that sword or I'll shove it someplace even Renly never found.""
 * Blue Eyes
 * Cain and Abel: Renly and his older brother Stannis are mortal enemies, though both are equally "good" and "evil".
 * The Charmer: as is noted above, people like him.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Disc One Final Boss: By the end of the first book, Renly commanded an enormous war host larger than all other armies on the continent put together. It didn't last very long.
 * Freudian Trio: With his brothers. He's the Ego.
 * Hanging Separately: With Eddard in the first book, and with his elder brother in the second book
 * Hunk: frequently described as handsome, as well as "tall and powerfully made".
 * Hide Your Gays: Renly and Loras Tyrell had a sexual relationship. Word of Gay was necessary before some fans would believe it.
 * It's All About Me: shades of this. His quest for kingship is -not- improving things.
 * Invisible to Gaydar: He thought he was. Apparently pretty much everyone else in Westeros was quite aware.
 * Invisible to Gaydar: He thought he was. Apparently pretty much everyone else in Westeros was quite aware.

""I have it in me to be a great king, strong yet generous, clever, just, diligent. loyal to my friends and terrible to my enemies, yet capable of forgiveness, patient-" "-humble?" Catelyn supplied. Renly laughed. "You must allow a king some flaws, my lady.""
 * Might Makes Right: When discussing the legitimacy of his claim, he's quick to point out that he's got the biggest army.
 * Pride: His biggest flaw.
 * Pride: His biggest flaw.


 * Pet the Dog: Brienne.
 * The Resenter: Perhaps not as much as Stannis, but it figures into his motivation nonetheless.
 * Sleazy Politician: Is one at heart, although he doesn't appear like one.


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