Faith of the Seven Authority

The Faith of the Seven Authority, as embodied by the High Sparrow and his militant orders, the Warrior's Sons and the Poor Fellows, represents a resurgence of religious power in King's Landing that directly challenges and overrides the secular authority of the Iron Throne during the regency of the boy king Tommen Baratheon. This authority is not merely spiritual but is exercised through legal and punitive mechanisms that compel the crown to submit to its jurisdiction, most notably in the cases of Queen Regent Cersei Lannister and Queen Margaery Tyrell.

The High Sparrow's Rise and the Imprisonment of the Queen Regent

The High Sparrow, a man of austere piety, consolidates power by mobilizing the common people, the "sparrows," and reforming the Faith Militant. His authority is first demonstrated when he seizes Queen Regent Cersei Lannister and imprisons her in the Great Sept of Baelor on charges of adultery, fornication, incest, and high treason. Cersei, stripped of her power and isolated, is held in a cold cell and subjected to sleep deprivation by septas Unella, Moelle, and Scolera, who demand she confess her sins. The crown, under Ser Kevan Lannister, is unable or unwilling to use force to free her, acknowledging the Faith's power. The High Sparrow dictates the terms of her confinement and the path to her release, demonstrating that the Faith's authority now supersedes that of the queen.

The Walk of Atonement and the Trial by Faith

The High Sparrow's authority is most publicly and brutally displayed through Cersei's walk of atonement. After she confesses to certain sins, he commands her to present herself "naked before the eyes of gods and men" and walk from the Great Sept of Baelor to the Red Keep. This public humiliation is a direct exercise of religious power over the person of the queen, a punishment the secular authorities could not impose. The High Sparrow further asserts his authority by decreeing that Cersei must face a trial by the Faith, not by the crown. He tells her uncle, Ser Kevan, that she will be tried for regicide, deicide, incest, and high treason, and that only a trial by battle, championed by a knight of the Kingsguard, could offer an alternative. This establishes the Faith as the ultimate arbiter of justice in the realm, capable of judging and punishing the highest in the land.

The Faith's Grip on the Crown and the Realm

The Faith's authority extends beyond Cersei to the entire royal court. Queen Margaery Tyrell is also held by the Faith on similar charges, and her fate is subject to the same religious trial. The crown is forced to negotiate with the High Sparrow, and Ser Kevan Lannister, as Lord Regent, must appease him to avoid open conflict. The High Sparrow dictates the conditions of Cersei's release and her future, demanding that she be attended by septas and novices and have no further voice in governance. The Faith's power is so absolute that even the Hand of the King, Mace Tyrell, and the Lord Regent must dance to its tune, fearing that defying the High Septon would drive the pious into the arms of other pretenders. The Faith of the Seven Authority, under the High Sparrow, thus becomes the de facto ruling power in King's Landing, holding the monarchy in a state of submission and reshaping the political landscape through its uncompromising religious doctrine.