

Aerys's vicious final orders are unknown to the public, who only know Jaime as the "Kingslayer." It's Jaime who kills Aerys during Robert's Rebellion, after the Mad King ordered him to kill his family and burn all of King's Landing with a wildfire cache. As the older son of Tywin Lannister and his cousin-wife, Joanna, Jaime is intended as the heir to Casterly Rock, but King Aerys II forces him into the Kingsguard instead. Twins seem to run in the Lannister family, and none perhaps so famous as Jaime and Cersei. His hatred and resentment for his youngest son, Tyrion, prove to be his undoing, and Tyrion kills his father after one betrayal too many. He consolidates his power, arranges for the Red Wedding to slaughter the Starks, and halts other alliances in their tracks. Throughout the succession crisis after Robert's death, Tywin works to grab even more power for him and his house, both on the battlefield and through strategic marriages. Afterward, Tywin has Cersei married to Robert. He orders the sacking of the city and the brutal murder of the royal family, and his son Jaime kills the king. Then, he takes his forces to King's Landing under the pretense of defending the king but actually sides with Robert. When Robert Baratheon rebels against the crown, Tywin keeps House Lannister neutral until it's clear which side will win. Prior to Robert's Rebellion, Tywin was Hand of the King to Aerys II Targaryen, aka the "Mad King." The increasingly paranoid king rejected Tywin's proposal of marrying his daughter Cersei to the king's heir, Rhaegar, and, out of spite and paranoia, forced Tywin's son Jaime into the Kingsguard, where knights are forbidden to marry and have heirs. By Tywin's time, House Lannister has become one of the most powerful houses in Westeros, in large part due to its vast wealth. Sign up for HBO Max now to watch "House of the Dragon."Ĭenturies later, the head of House Lannister is Tywin, a formidable, wealthy, and ruthless lord. Here's who to keep an eye on and how they're connected to the characters we already know and love (or love to hate). To help you keep track of who's who in House Lannister, we've put together a rundown of the most significant members of the noble House we've met so far.

House Lannister is still represented, and at least one or two Lannisters are likely to have even bigger roles going forward. Since "House of the Dragon" takes place centuries before "Game of Thrones," many of the Lannisters we know, like Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion, will not have any role in the series. " House of the Dragon" has introduced Lannisters into the story, and like their descendants, they're set to play a major role in the brewing conflict.Īcross the two shows, we've met several Lannisters so far, all of whom have turned out to be critical to the story as a whole. When we meet them on "Game of Thrones," they're seemingly invincible, married into royalty, and controlling much of Westeros with their schemes and their money. In the universe of " Game of Thrones," few Houses are as notable or powerful as House Lannister.
