Tom the Strummer

Tom the Strummer, the Bard of Flea Bottom, was a singer and comic performer whose fame carried him from the crowds at the War for the White Cloaks to the Red Keep, where Queen Alysanne made him court singer. His appointment established an office that would be held by others for decades.

Identity and Introduction

Known as the Bard of Flea Bottom, Tom was one of the colorful competitors who drew popular attention during the contests to fill vacancies in the Kingsguard. The combats lasted seven days, and the smallfolk cheered their favorites whenever they took the field. Tom won their affection not through a white cloak, but through the ribald songs with which he mocked his opponents before each bout.

The War for the White Cloaks

Hundreds of knights competed for the honor of joining the Kingsguard, but Tom was among those who entertained the crowds rather than becoming one of the appointed champions. His songs made him a recognizable favorite of the commons, placing performance alongside martial skill as a source of spectacle during the week of melees and duels.

Appointment at Court

Some time after Jaehaerys Targaryen and Alysanne Targaryen settled into their rule, Alysanne sought out the singer whose mocking songs had amused both king and commons. At her command, men of the King's Landing City Watch combed Flea Bottom until they found him. She brought Tom to the Red Keep and made him its court singer, the first in a line of singers who would hold that position over the following decades. The appointment gave a performer celebrated in the streets a place in the royal household and carried the queen's patronage of music into the court's public life.