Throughout the history of Game of Thrones, there have been many rulers and kings, with intrigues and wars plaguing each of their rulers. The power dynamic is constantly shifting, with no official ruler remaining on the throne for long, especially in the turbulent times following Ned's appointment as Hand of the King. There is the ruler who is perceived to have all the power, but he is usually not the only one in charge – behind the scenes, many other players in the game of thrones are fighting for power and influencing events as they see fit. , through intrigues, whispers and secrets. To fully cover all the power shifts in all 5 books and 7 seasons would take many more pages than are intended for this project - in fact, it could be an entire thesis. Therefore, this article will focus solely on the powerful characters from Season 1, drawing inspiration from both the book and the series, and occasionally venturing into other seasons and books to bear witness. The person holding all official power changes several times throughout season 1, starting with Robert Baratheon being the sole king, then introducing Ned Stark as Hand of the King while Robert is away, and finally ending with Joffrey Baratheon inheriting of the throne. However, real, unofficial power also lies with other individuals, namely Petyr Baelish and Cersei Lannister, both of whom have a lot of influence over the kingdom without a claim to the throne. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay At the very beginning of the series, it is clear who holds absolute power: Robert Baratheon, the man of all titles, a intimidating man. presence, the one who does what he wants. Robert is the king, although having earned his title by winning a rebellion has left him with less trust and respect than a Targaryen would have had in the same position. However, people were generally happy with Robert's reign, as it resulted in years of peace and prosperity, without major conflicts or uprisings. He let Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, and the rest of the small council rule in his place, while the king himself drank and prostituted himself: "The king shits and the hand wipes" ("Lord Snow") . although Robert always possessed official power, he never really had working power – everything was handled by his advisors and the Hand. His negligence could have led to the rise of other prominent power holders in Westeros, particularly Littlefinger, who was appointed to his first truly powerful position as Master of Coin by Robert himself. This allowed Petyr to begin his plot and throw the kingdom into chaos, a state from which he would benefit the most and have the opportunity to obtain the most power and perhaps even the throne. Littlefinger is arguably the most powerful person in the kingdom, the one who orchestrated the death of Jon Arryn and triggered the events that led to Ned's execution – Bran's attack, Tyrion's incrimination, furthering Ned's interest in Robert's bastards and subsequent events. the delays in leaving King's Landing, and finally Ned's betrayal during the redemption of the Goldcloaks. Petyr Baelish, "a man with great ambition and no morals" ("Fire and Blood"), planned from the beginning to pit the Lannisters and the Starks against each other, because he foresaw the endless opportunities a war could offer him. For this reason, Littlefinger was able to convince Lysa Arryn, who was in love with him, to poison her husband Jon Arryn and send a letter incriminating the Lannisters to Catelyn Stark, sowing the seeds ofsuspicion and resentment. After Bran's assassination attempt, when Catelyn goes to King's Landing with the assassin's dagger, Petyr reveals that Tyrion Lannister was the owner of the dagger and sent the killer after Bran, which is revealed to be a lie in the following seasons. In fact, Baelish was the true owner of the knife and set up a plot to incriminate Tyrion, knowing that the Starks would seek revenge and that Tywin would seek to defend his family's honor, leading to a war between the two houses. With this one lie, Littlefinger started the War of the Five Kings, influencing every major family in Westeros and foiling every maneuver involved. Additionally, Baelish slowly gained Ned's cautious trust by helping him uncover the secrets of Joffrey's lineage and Jon Arryn's fate. Petyr also advised Ned on how to behave when Robert died and how best to take the throne away from Joffrey. He proposed putting the City Watch on Ned's side to help him defeat the Lannister men, to ensure a less bloody transition of power, appealing to Ned's sense of honor, duty and mercy. Ned. By betraying Ned and siding with Joffrey, Baelish helped ensure that he would retain his seat on the council while still being seen as loyal to the royal family, and removed Ned from the scene, all according to plan by Littlefinger. Due to his cunning, unscrupulousness, immense ambition and intelligence, as well as his extensive spy network and powers of manipulation, Petyr Baelish has proven himself to be one of the most powerful men in the world. most powerful in the kingdom, working in the shadows and ensuring things fall into place according to his wishes. The person standing in the way of these wishes was Eddard Stark. He too wielded a type of power similar to that of Robert: he had the power to pass laws and influence the kingdom, but he could not fight against those who ruled in the shadows. Even though Ned was the Hand, he still couldn't do what he wanted, as everyone else on the council had their own allegiances and ambitions. Yet Ned slowly learned to gather some of that unofficial power: he discovered the secret of the Lannister siblings, he tried to conspire with Littlefinger to keep the throne away from Joffrey, and eventually agreed to confess as a traitor to save the lives of his family. However, even though Ned had the necessary knowledge, he could not use it effectively, because he was too honest a person. He did not realize Baelish's deception, he directly threatened Cersei to reveal her secret to Robert without realizing the consequences this decision could have, in order to protect her and her children, and he did not see what kind of monstrous leader Joffrey was growing up. be. Due to his honesty and unfamiliarity with Southern social norms and rules, as well as his distaste for intrigue and disregard for the value of hiding, Ned does not effectively exercise the power he has been given and doesn't have much authority over anyone. , Ned poses a significant obstacle to anyone trying to obtain the throne illegitimately, as he still enjoys Robert's trust. Therefore, people like Petyrn Baelish must work together and get involved with one of the other powerful players who don't have official power - Cersei Lannister. She has even more authority than Littlefinger, but lacks his intelligence and manipulation – Cersei is much less subtle and is not seen as trustworthy by those vying for power. However, Cersei is the daughter of Tywin Lannister and has […].