Game of Thrones: All 18 Kings And Queens Who Appeared In The Show

Game of Thrones features as many as 18 kings and queens across its eight seasons, some with legitimate claims and others who take what they want.

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Game of Thrones features many kings and queens across its eight seasons, some with legitimate claims and others who simply take what they want. Airing from 2011 to 2019, the series was a massive hit for HBO and continues to be a draw on the network’s streaming platform, HBO Max. Its final season, though, Game of Thrones season 8, was controversial for how it wrapped up many characters’ storylines. Still, Game of Thrones remains a monumental piece of television, captivating audiences with its sweeping narrative about who ultimately wins the game of the thrones and is crowned king (or queen) in the end.

Set in the fictional, medieval continent of Westeros, Game of Thrones examines power and all the trappings that come with it. In doing so, the show cycles through several monarchs. Some of these rulers covet the Iron Throne, the seat of power for the whole Seven Kingdoms, while others seek to rule just over their own territory.

Before being melted by the dragon Drogon in the series’ final episode, the Iron Throne saw several rulers, but they aren’t the only characters who claimed to rule over a territory in Westeros. Here are all 18 kings and queens who appear across all eight seasons of Game of Thrones.

Aerys Targaryen II

Aerys II is the last Targaryen king to rule the Seven Kingdoms and is better known to most as The Mad King. He is the father of Rhaegar, Viserys, and Daenerys. Aerys II’s claim to the Iron Throne is backed up by generations of previous Targaryen kings, beginning with Aegon I. Aerys II’s reign comes to an end during Robert’s Rebellion when he’s killed by Jaime Lannister, a member of his Kingsguard, during the Sack of King’s Landing. On Game of Thrones, Aerys II only ever appears in flashbacks, frequently shown screaming for his men to “Burn them all!” before being stabbed in the back.

Robert Baratheon

Robert succeeds Aerys II as King of the Seven Kingdoms and establishes the Baratheon royal house. Beyond winning the throne through his rebellion, Robert also lays claim through House Baretheon’s Targaryen connections, with its founder, Orys, believed to be the bastard half-brother of Aegon I. Once crowned, Robert marries Cersei Lannister and the couple have three children, Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen. (Unknown to Robert, Cersei’s children are actually fathered by her brother, Jaime.) Robert’s reign lasts for 15 years, coming to end in Game of Thrones season 1 when he dies from a wound he receives during a boar hunt. The injury, however, isn’t simply an accident and is instead orchestrated by Cersei.

Joffrey Baratheon

Following the death of his father, Game of Thrones season 1 sees Joffrey becomes the next King of the Seven Kingdoms – though that hadn’t been Robert’s plan. On his deathbed, Robert signed a decree naming his Hand and friend, Eddard Stark, as Protector of the Realm and regent until his heir came of age. Upon learning this, Cersei destroys the royal decree and has Joffrey crowned anyway, cementing his position as the rightful king. For his attempt at overthrowing Joffrey by declaring him illegitimate, Ned is arrested for treason and later executed. Joffrey rules for four years until his death by poisoning in Game of Thrones season 4. He dies during the reception following his wedding to Margaery Tyrell, and the plot to kill Joffrey is later revealed to have been orchestrated by Margaery’s grandmother, Olenna.

Tommen Baratheon

Having not lived long enough to produce an heir of his own, Joffrey is succeeded by his younger brother, Tommen, in Game of Thrones season 4. He also takes Margaery as his wife since a union between Houses Baratheon and Tyrell is still favorable and Joffrey and Margaery never consummated their marriage. Tommen’s reign as King of the Seven Kingdoms is even shorter than his brother’s, with Tommen only ruling for three years before his death by suicide in Game of Thrones season 6. He dies when he throws himself from the Red Keep after witnessing the Sept of Baelor’s destruction and knowing that his wife has died in the blast – and that his mother, Cersei, is the one responsible.

Cersei Lannister

Having previously sought power by ruling through her children, Cersei finally has herself crowned Queen of the Seven Kingdoms following Tommen’s death in Game of Thrones season 6. Her claim lies not in any lineage or tradition, but simply because most of her enemies die when the Sept of Baelor explodes (an event she puts into motion), leaving no one to stop Cersei from taking the Iron Throne. Though many will dispute her claim, she manages to reign for two years. The end for Cersei comes when Daenerys Targaryen’s forces sack King’s Landing in Game of Thrones season 8. While Drogon is laying waste to the Red Keep, sections of the castle collapse and crush both Cersei and her brother-lover, Jaime.

Renly Baratheon

Robert’s death in Game of Thrones season 1 is one of the events that kicks off the War of the Five Kings. The conflict sees Robert’s two younger brothers, Stannis and Renly Baratheon, vying to take the Iron Throne from Joffrey, while Robb Stark and Balon Greyjoy fight to secede from the Seven Kingdoms and rule their respective territories. Believing Ned’s declaration that Joffrey isn’t Robert’s trueborn son and therefore not the legitimate king, Renly is quick declare himself King of the Seven Kingdoms following his brother’s death. Unbothered by the fact he’s actually the younger of the two remaining Baratheons, Renly gains the allegiance of practically every southern lord and builds a massive army, but it’s ultimately all for naught. In Game of Thrones season 2, Renly is killed by a shadow creature sent by Lady Melisandre on Stannis’ orders.

Stannis Baratheon

Stannis declares himself King of the Seven Kingdoms around the same time Renly does, and as the older brother, his claim as Robert’s successor is much stronger. However, Stannis is not well-liked, and he struggles to build support. He does have the Lady Melisandre on his side, and as evidenced by how she dispatches with Renly, she’s a valuable ally, but her magic cannot win him the throne. Stannis makes little headway in taking the Iron Throne, remaining a king without a kingdom for four years. In the Game of Thrones season 5 finale, Stannis’ army is decimated outside of Winterfell following an attempt to oust Ramsey Bolton from the castle, and he is later discovered on the battlefield by Brienne of Tarth, who kills Stannis for his part in murdering Renly.

Viserys Targaryen

When Aerys II is killed, House Targaryen does not die out. Two of his children, Viserys and Daenerys, survive and are sent across the Narrow Sea to Essos for safety. Drifting from one free city to the next, they’re occasionally taken in by those loyal to House Targaryen, but just as often the two children must beg on the street. During this time, Viserys, the rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms, earns the title The Beggar King. After trying and failing to gather support for his claim to the Iron Throne for almost two decades, Viserys exchanges his sister in marriage to Khal Drogo for the promise of a Dothraki army. However, Viserys’ entitled behavior earns him no friends among the Dothraki, and when he threatens his pregnant sister, now a Khaleesi, Viserys is killed by Khal Drogo midway through Game of Thrones season 1.

Daenerys Targaryen

Following Viserys’ death, his sister, Daenerys, becomes the last known surviving member of House Targaryen and the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Her claim to the Iron Throne is among the strongest of any character on Game of Thrones, but beginning her quest to rule while on another continent puts her at an early disadvantage. Her dragons, however, give Daenerys the power to fight for her claim to the throne, and during Game of Thrones season 7, she arrives in Westeros like her conqueror ancestor, Aegon I. Daenerys allies herself with Jon Snow, King in the North, and together they defeat The Night King and Cersei. With her enemies all destroyed, Daenerys is the presumptive queen, but her campaign to rule the Seven Kingdoms has turned her cruel. Unable to let Daenerys take her place on the Iron Throne, Jon stabs and kills her in the Game of Thrones season 8 finale.

Mance Rayder

Not every king or queen in Westeros is interested in the Iron Throne. Mance, for instance, is a former member of the Night’s Watch who deserts the order to live among the wildlings north of The Wall. In response to the growing threat of White Walkers, he manages the impossible and unites the different wildling clans, leading them south and earning himself the title, King-Beyond-The-Wall. Unlike most, Mance’s title as king is bestowed on him out of respect rather than tradition, giving him perhaps the strongest claim of any to rule over his chosen people. In Game of Thrones’ season 4 finale, though, Mance is captured when Stannis’ army arrives at The Wall, and in the Game of Thrones season 5 premiere, he set to be burned at the stake. But instead, Mance is killed by Jon Snow who takes pity on his suffering and shoots him through the heart with an arrow.

Balon Greyjoy

The Seven Kingdoms is comprised of seven different regions in Westeros that were ruled as separate, sovereign kingdoms until the Targaryens invaded and united them all under a single ruler. One of these earlier kingdoms is the Iron Islands, who once ruled over their own islands as well as much of the Riverlands. Following the death of Robert in Game of Thrones season 1, Balon declares himself King of the Iron Islands (for the second time), hoping to use the ensuing chaos to break away from the Seven Kingdoms and rule from the Salt Throne. Balon manages to rule as King of the Iron Islands for five years and claim some territory in the North, though all of these gains are eventually lost. In Game of Thrones season 6, Balon is killed by his younger brother, Euron, who returns home to claim the Salt Throne for himself.

Euron Greyjoy

Only arriving on the scene in Game of Thrones season 6, Euron had previously been living in exile following his older brother Balon’s first rebellion against the crown. When he returns, Euron kills his brother but cannot simply declare himself the next King of the Iron Islands because doing so goes against Ironborn tradition. On the Iron Islands, the right to rule must be won in the Kingsmoot – a ceremony in where claimants to the Salt Throne present their case, and it’s left to the assembled Ironborn to choose their king. The Kingsmoot ultimately picks Euron as king, and he rules the Irons Islands for two years, but he spends most of that time chasing after his niece and nephew and entering a poorly thought-out alliance with Cersei. Euron dies in the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones season 8 when he is killed by Jaime during a brawl.

Yara Greyjoy

In the event of his death, Balon had hoped for his daughter, Yara, to sit the Salt Throne, but such wishes go against Ironborn tradition. Instead, Yara makes an effort to win the crown via the Kingsmoot, but her uncle Euron proves too convincing and wins the crown instead. Yara and Theon must then flee or be killed. They sail to Meereen where they seek out Daenerys and the two desperate queens form an alliance. Yara is able to retake the Iron Islands in Game of Thrones season 8, and following the death of Euron and Theon, her claim as Queen of the Iron Islands is undisputed. However, Yara chooses to remain loyal to the Seven Kingdoms and gives up her crown, settling for the title of Lady of the Iron Islands and taking part in the election of Bran as king.

Robb Stark

The North’s involvement in the War of the Five Kings begins with Robb declaring war on the Lannisters following the arrest and execution of his father, Ned. While on the march south, the northern bannerman swear fealty to Robb and crown him King in the North during Game of Thrones season 1’s finale. This action transforms Robb’s campaign from winning justice for his father into one of northern succession. The North no longer recognizes Joffrey as their king, and they wish to become an independent kingdom ruled by the Starks as they had been prior to the Targaryen’s conquering. Though Robb wins every battle, his reign as king ends with his death in Game of Thrones season 3, coming during the shocking events of the Red Wedding when he is betrayed by Walder Frey and murdered by Roose Bolton.

Sansa Stark

For much of Game of Thrones, Sansa is merely a pawn in the plans of more powerful people. During season 6, though, she reunites with Jon Snow and together they defeat Ramsey Bolton and win back Winterfell. Once again in her ancestral home, Sansa takes on the role of Lady of Winterfell while the northern bannerman declare Jon their new King in the North. But when Daenerys arrives in Westeros, Jon chooses to swear fealty to her, upsetting a great many of the northern lords – including Sansa. Soon after, it’s revealed Jon is actually the legitimate heir to the Iron Throne, and even though he abdicates that responsibility, he also does not reclaim his title as King in the North. Instead, the northern lords choose Sansa – Ned’s oldest living child and the only Stark remaining at Winterfell – to be crowned Queen in the North in Game of Thrones season 8’s finale, and the show ends with her ruling over the newly independent kingdom.

Bran Stark

After Jon kills Daenerys and renounces his claim, there is no clear heir to the Iron Throne. In fact, there’s no longer even an Iron Throne. With the lords of Westeros assembled to decide the fates of Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister, a proposal is put forward by Tyrion that this council should choose a new king. Following some deliberation, Tyrion gives a passionate speech for Bran Stark to be crowned king, arguing that he’d be a just king seeing as he’s also the Three Eyed-Raven and holds all the world’s memories. The council agrees, and in the first election of its kind, Westeros elects Bran the Broken as King of the (newly formed) Six Kingdoms.

The Night King

The supernatural threat facing every king and kingdom in Westeros is the White Walkers, led by the frightening Night King. Game of Thrones season 6 reveals that the Night King was originally human, one of the First Men to inhabit Westeros, until he was transformed by the Children into the very first White Walker. The White Walkers were created to defeat the invading First Men, but The Children could not control their own creation. The Night King waged war on Westeros, blanketing the continent in darkness during an age known as The Long Night. The Night King’s army was eventually driven north by the First Men and The Children, and The Wall was built to keep the White Walkers from invading again. During Game of Thrones season 8 the Night King successfully breaches The Wall and leads his forces south. A great battle ensues at Winterfell between the armies of the living and the dead during which the Night King is destroyed by Arya Stark using a Valyrian steel dagger, ending his reign of terror.

Jon Snow

Though he begins Games of Thrones as the bastard son of Ned Stark, it is ultimately revealed that Jon Snow is actually the trueborn son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. As such, Jon – whose real name is Aegon – is the rightful heir to Iron Throne, supplanting even his aunt, Daenerys’ claim. Of course, though Jon begrudgingly accepts the title of King in the North from the northern lords, he has no interest in becoming King of the Seven Kingdoms. He fights to place Daenerys on the throne instead, but upon witnessing how ruthless she’s become, he kills her for the good of the realm and all those she hoped to conquer. Jon is arrested for regicide, but rather than being executed, the newly crowned Bran the Broken sends him to The Wall to again take the black and join the Night’s Watch.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/game-thrones-every-king-queen-westeros-explained/