#WAR OF THE 5 KINGS SERIES#

Living proof that the Targaryen ideals of incest were a bad idea, Joffrey was sadistic, amoral, spoiled, and power-hungry. Next to sit the Iron Throne was Joffrey Baratheon, Jaime and CerseiвЂ™s eldest son. When Jon Arryn - RobertвЂ™s Hand of the King and lifelong mentor - was killed, it spelled the end of RobertвЂ™s reign, with calamity soon befalling both the new Hand, Ned Stark, and the realm at large. RobertвЂ™s wife, Cersei Lannister, openly despised him, and their icy personal relationship led to no legitimate heirs - just RobertвЂ™s numerous bastards (including Gendry, whom Daenerys just legitimized as RobertвЂ™s son) and CerseiвЂ™s incestuous brood sired by her brother, Jaime. He defended the realm, led armies to victory, and struck down crown prince Rhaegar Targaryen with a single blow of his war-hammer during the Battle of the Trident.Д«ut he was terrible at being a king, as hard as Varys (and other members of his Small Council) tried to rectify that. Robert Baratheon was excellent at being a hero. But typical for the Spider, his allegiance soon shifted to his successor - at least, on the surface. And the power vacuum caused by his death was filled by Robert, setting the rest of Game of Thrones in motion.ДЄs for Varys, he began his service working for Aerys. Cersei later used the wildfire Aerys seeded throughout the city to obliterate her political enemies. Putting Dany in reach of the Dothraki changed the course of the history of Westeros, given that her marriage for political gain led to her gaining control of the powerful Dothraki army. AerysвЂ™ surviving children, Viserys and Daenerys, were sent to Essos.Д«ut even after AerysвЂ™ death, the ramifications of his rule had serious consequences. Aerys was killed by one of his own Kingsguard, Jaime Lannister (permanently branded вЂњKingslayerвЂќ) who was trying to stop him from obliterating KingвЂ™s Landing with wildfire. Eventually, the Targaryen dynasty was overthrown. Those deaths led to RobertвЂ™s Rebellion, which would eventually see the other Great Houses of Westeros revolt against Aerys. His excesses as king (and his instability due to Targaryen inbreeding) eventually led him to kill Ned StarkвЂ™s father, Rickard Stark, and NedвЂ™s older brother Brandon. The father of Rhaegar, Viserys, and Daenerys (and grandfather of Jon Snow, aka Aegon VI Targaryen), the Mad King is directly and indirectly responsible for nearly all of modern Westerosi history as we know it. The Mad KingДЄny discussion of the recent kings of Westeros should begin and end with Aerys II Targaryen, aka the Mad King. With possession of that throne up for grabs once again, itвЂ™s an apt time to look back on VarysвЂ™ years of service - and, more importantly, the five rulers heвЂ™s advised so far.

But his shifting position has much more to do with the tumultuous history of the Iron Throne. вЂњHow many kings and queens have you served? Five? Six? IвЂ™ve lost count.вЂќ The gibe seems meant to suggest that Varys is disloyal at heart and should honor his commitment to Daenerys Targaryen, primarily to prove that he can be honorable. Spoilers ahead for Game of Thrones, in general, but especially season 8, episode 4, вЂњThe Last of the Starks.вЂќ Who sits in the chair?ДЄt one point in the season 8 Game of Thrones episode вЂњThe Last of the Starks,вЂќ Tyrion Lannister needles Varys, the Master of Whispers, about how many masters Varys has served in KingвЂ™s Landing.

WeвЂ™re in the final stretch now for Game of Thrones, and this weekвЂ™s episode underlined the point thatвЂ™s been clear throughout the past eight seasons: it really is all about the throne - or, more specifically, who sits on it. Whether youвЂ™re basically a Game of Thrones maester or you need a little reminder about previous events, weвЂ™ll try to help you keep your history straight.

#WAR OF THE 5 KINGS SERIES#

Every week, The Verge will dive into a scene or event from the latest episode of the series and explain how we got here. So in practically every episode, something happens that could use a little explanation. HBOвЂ™s Game of Thrones is a dense series with a huge weight of history behind its story.

War of the 5 kings