House Baratheon

House Baratheon is one of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms, its origins rooted in the Wars of Conquest when Orys Baratheon, rumored to be a bastard half-brother of Aegon the Conqueror, slew Argilac the Arrogant, the last Storm King. Aegon rewarded Orys with Argilac's castle, lands, and daughter; Orys took the girl to bride and adopted the banner, honors, and words of her line. The Baratheon sigil is a crowned stag, black, on a golden field, and their words are "Ours Is the Fury." The house's power base is Storm's End, a formidable castle on the shores of Shipbreaker Bay, and its dominion extends over the stormlands.

Rise to the Iron Throne and the War of the Five Kings

In the 283rd year after Aegon's Conquest, Robert of House Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End, overthrew the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen to win the Iron Throne. His claim derived from his grandmother, a daughter of King Aegon V Targaryen, though Robert preferred to say his warhammer was his claim. Robert's reign ended when he was killed by a boar while hunting. His death triggered the War of the Five Kings, in which his brothers Stannis and Renly both claimed the throne, along with Robb Stark, Balon Greyjoy, and Joffrey Baratheon, who was widely believed to be Robert's son but was actually the product of incest between Queen Cersei Lannister and her twin brother Jaime. Renly was murdered at Storm's End by a shadow creature birthed by Melisandre, a priestess of R'hllor serving Stannis. Stannis, defeated at the Battle of the Blackwater, retreated to Dragonstone and later sailed north to answer the call of the Night's Watch against the wildling invasion.

Stannis Baratheon at the Wall and the March on Winterfell

By the time of A Dance with Dragons, Stannis Baratheon has taken up residence at Castle Black, styling himself King of Westeros. He smashed Mance Rayder's wildling host beneath the Wall and took the King-Beyond-the-Wall captive. Stannis demands that Jon Snow, the newly elected Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, legitimize his claim by granting him the abandoned castles along the Wall and swearing fealty. Jon refuses, insisting that the Night's Watch takes no part in the wars of the Seven Kingdoms. Stannis offers to make Jon Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North if he will bend the knee, but Jon declines. Stannis eventually marches south from the Wall with a mixed host of southron knights, northern mountain clans, and wildling warriors, aiming to take Winterfell from Roose Bolton and his bastard son Ramsay. The march is brutal, plagued by blizzards and starvation, and Stannis's army is reduced to eating its own horses. The queen's men urge him to burn sacrifices to R'hllor to end the storm, but Stannis refuses. He presses on, determined to free "Arya Stark" (actually Jeyne Poole) from Ramsay's clutches and claim the north.

Tommen Baratheon and the Lannister Regency

In King's Landing, Tommen Baratheon sits the Iron Throne, a boy of eight years. His mother, Cersei Lannister, serves as regent until her arrest by the Faith of the Seven on charges of adultery, incest, and high treason. After her walk of atonement, her uncle Kevan Lannister becomes Lord Regent and Protector of the Realm, while Mace Tyrell is named Hand of the King. Tommen is betrothed to Margaery Tyrell, who is also imprisoned by the Faith on similar charges. The legitimacy of Tommen's rule is constantly questioned by those who believe him to be a bastard born of Cersei's incest with Jaime. Stannis Baratheon, as Robert's trueborn brother, presses his own claim, insisting that Tommen and his late brother Joffrey are not Robert's sons. The Iron Bank of Braavos, angered by the Iron Throne's default on its debts, sends an envoy to treat with Stannis, offering him financial backing. The Baratheon sigil—the crowned stag—flies over Storm's End, held by Stannis's men, and over Dragonstone, which was taken by the Tyrells. The house's future hinges on the outcome of Stannis's desperate gamble at Winterfell and the survival of Tommen's contested reign.

Narrative Role and Thematic Significance

House Baratheon embodies the theme of contested legitimacy that runs through the series. Robert's rebellion established a new dynasty, but his failure to produce trueborn heirs and his brothers' rival claims plunged the realm into war. Stannis, rigid and just, represents the law and duty, but his reliance on Melisandre's fire magic and his willingness to burn those who oppose him make him a figure of terrifying righteousness. Tommen, gentle and innocent, is a pawn in the game of thrones, his rule a hollow shell propped up by Lannister gold and Tyrell ambition. The Baratheon words, "Ours Is the Fury," speak to the house's martial pride, but by the end of A Dance with Dragons, that fury is spent, scattered between a frozen march, a besieged castle, and a boy king's empty throne.