House Lannister
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House Lannister is one of the major houses of Westeros in the fictional world of the fantasy novel cycle A Song of Ice and Fire. They are an old family who claim descent from Lann the Clever, a trickster who lived ~10,000 years ago during the Age of Heroes. The Lannisters are the principal House in the western part of the continent Westeros.
The Lannisters were sovereigns of a kingdom until Aegon Targaryen invaded Westeros and defeated the armies fielded by King Loren Lannister and his ally King Mern of the Reach. The decisive battleground is known as the Field of Fire due to the destruction wrought by the Targaryen dragons. All of Westeros' kings submitted themselves to Targaryen rule, including the Lannisters who were allowed to remain the paramount nobility of the westlands.
They live at Casterly Rock and are presumed to be wealthy due to the rich veins of gold found there. Their sigil is a golden lion on a field of crimson, and their words are "Hear me roar!"
All titles and listings are as per onset of A Game of Thrones
Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West.
- (Lady Joanna), deceased wife of Tywin
- Their children:
- Ser Jaime Lannister, called the Kingslayer, a brother of the Kingsguard, twin to Cersei
- Queen Cersei Lannister, wife of King Robert Baratheon, twin to Jaime
- Tyrion Lannister, a dwarf,
Kevan Lannister, brother of Tywin
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Lannisters in A Song of Ice and Fire
Cersei
Cersei is the twin sister of Jaime and wife of Robert Baratheon. She plays a villainous role in the series. She is the mother of Joffrey Baratheon, Robert's heir, although the actual father of her three children is her brother Jaime.
Jaime
Jaime was made a member of the Kingsguard by King Aerys Targaryen to rob his father, Tywin Lannister, of his heir, as members of the Kingsguard cannot marry or inherit land. Jaime accepted the role as it would mean that he would not have to marry a woman other than his twin sister Cersei, with whom he was having an incestuous love affair. In the sack of King's Landing, Jaime killed Aerys, earning the name "Kingslayer".
The cause of the civil war described in A Song of Ice and Fire stems, in large part, from the fact that the Baratheon heirs to the throne are in fact Jaime's children, born of his affair with his twin sister Cersei, who is King Robert Baratheon's wife. When Bran Stark caught Jaime and Cersei in flagrante delicto, Jaime pushed him out of a tower window. Bran survived, but fell into a coma and blanked out the memory of what he had seen. This, combined with a later attempt on Bran's life by an assassin, fueled the Starks' mounting suspicions of a Lannister intrigue against the Baratheon throne.
Jaime was kidnapped in battle against the self-proclaimed king Robb Stark at the Whispering Wood, and was held captive at Riverrun. He was later freed by Catelyn Stark (against her son the king's wishes), and was sent with Brienne of Tarth in exchange for the freedom of Catelyn's daughters, Sansa and Arya, who were thought to be in the custody of the Lannisters.
Waylaid by the mercenary Vargo Hoat and his Brave Companions, Jaime's sword hand was cut off by a Dothraki arakh. Upon returning to King's Landing, he was made Lord Commander of the Kingsguard despite his mutilation. He gave Brienne his Valyrian steel sword (a recent gift from his father, forged from Ned Stark's sword Ice) and sent her in search of Sansa, who had been abducted by Lord Petyr Baelish ("Littlefinger").
Kevan
Kevan is Lord Tywin's loyal younger brother.
Tyrion
"The Imp". Parts of the first three books (at least) are told from his point of view.
Tyrion is the third and last child of Lord Tywin Lannister. His mother, Joanna, died during his birth. A dwarf with mis-matched eyes, his father has denied him his inheritance of Casterly Rock.
At the beginning of A Game of Thrones, Tyrion traveled with Robert Baratheon's retinue to Winterfell, but rather than returning with them to King's Landing, he traveled to the Wall with Jon Snow. He met Catelyn Stark on the King's Road coming back from a meant-to-be clandestine meeting with her husband, and was arrested by her and brought to the Eyrie to stand trial for the murder of Jon Arryn and the attempted murder of Bran Stark, neither of which he had committed. Tyrion had a sellsword named Bronn successfully champion him in a trial-by-combat. Passing through the Mountains of the Moon, Tyrion and his new companion Bronn entered into an alliance with mountain clansmen, who accompanied him to King's Landing and served as his own personal militia.
Following the deaths of Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark, Tywin was made King Joffrey's Hand. Tywin marched on Robb Stark's army, leaving Tyrion to act as Hand in his stead. Tyrion arranged for the wildfire-filled ships and massive chain that decimated Stannis Baratheon's fleet during his attack on King's Landing. Tyrion himself led a sortie on horseback, but was betrayed by Ser Mandon Moore, a member of the Kingsguard who attacked Tyrion, presumably on Cersei's orders. While Tyrion's squire, Podrick Payne, saved his life, Tyrion lost most of his nose and awoke on his sickbed to learn that his father had returned and replaced him as Hand. Tyrion became the King's master of coin (treasurer) following the resignation of Lord Petyr Baelish ("Littlefinger").
Tyrion was wed, almost against his will, to Sansa Stark, to prevent the Tyrells from marrying her (and hence Winterfell) to Willas Tyrell. The marriage was never consummated, and Sansa fled with Littlefinger following Joffrey's murder, for which Tyrion was arrested. Oberyn Martell championed Tyrion in trial-by-combat, but loses, killed by Ser Gregor Clegane but poisoning the monstrous knight in the process. Tyrion was freed from his prison cell by his brother Jaime and the eunuch spy Varys. He escaped King's Landing after murdering his father and his mistress Shae, whom he discovered in his father's bed.
Genealogy
Lann
The Clever
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Loren
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Damon
Grey Lion
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Tybolt Gerold Tya==+==Gowen
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Tytos ?
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Tywin==+==Joanna* Kevan==+==Dorna Tygett==+==Darlessa Gerion Genna==+==Emmon Joanna* Stafford Damion
| Lannister | Swift | Marbrand | | Frey | |
+-----+------+ +-------+-------+ +---+----+ + +-----+ +--------+--+---+ +
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Robert==+==Cersei Jaime Tyrion Lancel William Martyn Tyrek==+==Emesande Joy Cleos Tyon Cerenna Myriella Daven Lana
Baratheon | Hayford Hill
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Joffrey Myrcella Tommen
Casterly Rock
Casterly Rock is the castle of the House Lannister. Casterly Rock lies on top of numerous gold veins, therefore the Lannisters are known for their vast wealth.
Held by Lord Tywin Lannister, it was to be inherited by Jaime Lannister. Jaime revoked his claim as heir to the castle by becoming part of the Kingsguard. Tyrion Lannister would be next in line to inherit the castle, but the claim was taken away by Tywin due to the nature of Tyrion's deformities (dwarfism) and to Tywin's resentment of Tyrion's birth causing Lady Joanna's death.