Tywin

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Tywin Lannister (泰温)
Alias(es)	The Old Lion 220 300 354
Gender	Male
Affiliation	House Lannister; King Tommen I’s regime; Four Kingdoms Alliance 228 363 364
Occupation/Role	Head of House Lannister; commander of the Westerlands army; leader of the alliance against Aegon Targaryen 217 227 364
Titles	Warden of the West, Duke of Casterly Rock, Shield of Lannisport, Hand of the King, and Regent of the Seven Kingdoms 364
Family	Father of Jaime, Cersei, and Tyrion; grandfather of Tommen; brother of Kevan and Gerion 140 216 217 228 299
Status	Deceased; perished with the alliance army in the Mountains of the Moon 437

Background / History

Lannister authority

Tywin’s reputation rests partly on the destruction of Houses Reyne and Tarbeck. During his later mobilization of the Westerlands, these precedents help compel frightened vassals to obey. He recalls restoring Lannister authority after others mistook his father’s friendliness for weakness, using that history to justify further exemplary punishment 227 332 336.

His overriding ambition is to raise House Lannister to the pinnacle of power. After Joffrey’s death, Tommen becomes indispensable: his publicly accepted identity as Robert Baratheon’s son gives the Lannisters a surviving claim to the Iron Throne 217 220.

Seeking a truce against Aegon

After Aegon captures King’s Landing, Tywin proposes a temporary truce with Robb Stark and Edmure Tully. He presents their previous war as internal strife and Aegon’s return as a common threat to Westeros’s established order 210.

When Robb refuses, Tywin turns to coercion. His forces have seized the families of Riverlands nobles loyal to the Starks; he threatens to kill them unless Robb agrees to a truce and joins the war against Aegon. Meanwhile, he learns that Tyrion hid Tommen at Stokeworth before the capital fell, preserving the boy’s life but leaving him trapped behind Targaryen lines 214.

The Stokeworth expedition

Jaime returns from captivity and demands troops to relieve Stokeworth, assuming Cersei is there with Tommen. Tywin refuses an immediate march into the Crownlands, arguing that the exhausted Lannister army must withdraw west rather than risk destruction against Aegon’s army and dragons 216.

Privately, Tywin recognizes that Jaime may ride east alone if denied all assistance. He instructs Addam Marbrand to guide Jaime toward a defensible military proposal, accommodate his wishes within limits, and preserve the army if personal feelings overwhelm his judgment. Tywin subsequently approves an equal division of the army: 20,000 men accompany him west, while Jaime receives 20,000 under formal orders to guard the border and remain outside the Crownlands 217.

Jaime disobeys as soon as Tywin departs. The expedition ends disastrously: Addam’s 12,000 infantry are annihilated, Jaime’s 8,000 cavalry are trapped, and Jaime is captured and later executed. Tywin receives his son’s head in a wooden box, together with the broken hilt of Bright-Roar 220 222 226 228.

Total mobilization and Tommen’s coronation

In response to Jaime’s death, Tywin cancels the army’s planned disbandment and commits the Westerlands to total war. He orders compulsory conscription, opens Casterly Rock’s treasury and armories, hires mercenaries regardless of cost, and recruits prisoners into a separate force with the possibility of pardons. Towns must also produce heavy siege crossbows, including weapons intended to kill dragons 227.

The mobilization gathers more than 100,000 men at Ashemark in a little over a month, but strips farms, mines, and settlements of workers. The host includes trained retainers alongside frightened civilians, mercenaries, and criminals. Nobles who resist are crushed; their leaders are executed, their families punished, and their lands seized 227 273.

When Tommen reaches Ashemark, Tywin realizes that Aegon deliberately allowed him to escape. Despite recognizing the likely trap, he needs the boy’s royal claim. He crowns him Tommen I, assumes the regency, and sends a kingdom-wide proclamation denouncing Aegon and calling for resistance 228.

Building a wider coalition

Robb’s defeat at the Trident gives Tywin an opportunity to replace failed opponents with useful allies. Acting in Tommen’s name without consulting him, he appoints Petyr Baelish Warden of the East and regent of the Vale. He separately offers Roose Bolton recognition and support, correctly suspecting that Bolton preserved his strength by abandoning Robb 273.

Bolton sends Ice and a secret letter as tokens of allegiance. Tywin accepts the pledge and names him Warden of the North and Duke of Winterfell. He also considers drawing Balon Greyjoy into the coalition by offering the vulnerable Riverlands as a prize 279.

In the Reach, Tywin declares House Tyrell’s assistance to Aegon treason, strips it of its governing titles, and names House Hightower temporary Warden of the South. Leyton Hightower recognizes the decree as a maneuver designed to force his house to choose sides and prevent the Reach from submitting peacefully to Aegon 294 295.

Sacrificing Lannisport and abandoning the Westerlands

With the Westerlands threatened by encirclement, Tywin plans to use the Iron Fleet as a diversion while his army attacks enemy supplies and withdraws. He offers Lannisport to the Ironborn, despite Kevan’s warning that they will plunder the city and kill its inhabitants, including tens of thousands of distant Lannister relatives 299.

Victarion understands that Tywin wants to use the fleet as a shield but accepts the opportunity for plunder. The raid ends with King Ghidorah destroying the Iron Fleet. Its rapid annihilation removes Tywin’s intended diversion and forces his army to flee the Westerlands 300 304 308.

Tywin chooses the Vale as his destination, hoping its mountains and gorges will offer protection from dragons. He plans to obtain supplies by plundering Riverlands communities that submitted to Aegon, then use the Vale’s strength and possible northern support to mount a future seaborne attack on the Crownlands. Aegon later acknowledges that abandoning Casterly Rock was prudent because its formidable conventional defenses could not guarantee protection from a dragon 308 309.

Taking control in the Vale

At the Bloody Gate, Tywin immediately assigns 2,000 soldiers to take over its defense, invoking Tommen’s safety to override Littlefinger’s objections. At the Eyrie, he orders Tommen onto Robert Arryn’s throne and declares that the king will henceforth decide the Vale’s affairs 332 333.

To win over the hostile Vale lords, Tywin publicly arrests Littlefinger, removes him as Warden, and blames him for the region’s unrest. He keeps him alive as a potentially useful asset. When House Templeton subsequently insults the Lannisters as beggars, Tywin orders its destruction within three days, dismissing Kevan’s concern that violence could alienate prospective allies 335 336.

Recruitment initially fails because the Vale’s people do not regard Tywin as their lord. He later accepts Littlefinger’s proposal to promise knighthood to men who enlist with their own horse, armor, and sword. The proclamation also casts the war as a defense of the Seven, attracting volunteers through religious identity and aspirations to status 354.

Four Kingdoms Alliance and death

Roose Bolton arrives with 120,000 Northerners, most of them poorly equipped farmers and hunters. Tywin strengthens them with the Westerlands’ final reserves: 3,000 suits of armor, 5,000 spears, 10,000 shields, and 20,000 bundles of arrows. He overrules Kevan’s objection because the coalition takes priority over retaining those supplies 363.

At an assembly in the Eyrie, Tywin seals the hall with soldiers and compels the Vale houses to pledge troops. Littlefinger pledges 20,000 men in House Arryn’s name; Royce contributes 8,000 and Grafton 6,000. Tywin declares Tommen the “Shield of All the People” and announces a 370,000-strong alliance of the Westerlands, North, Vale, and Iron Islands at war with Aegon 364.

During the army’s collapse in the Mountains of the Moon, Tywin orders loyal Lannister veterans to force fleeing soldiers back into formation and kill anyone who continues running. The attempt fails: later accounts confirm that Tywin, Bolton, the participating nobles, and the entire 370,000-man army perish 374 437.

Appearance

• Head and face: Bald, with his white hair shorn away; sharply defined features and green eyes 273 332.
• Armor: Crimson-and-gold armor bearing a golden lion on the breastplate; also described wearing deep crimson armor 228 332.
• Cloak: Crimson, seen stirring in the wind after Jaime leaves him 217.
• Bearing: Rigidly upright and frequently expressionless, appearing statue-like even after defeat and exile 228 332.

Personality

Tywin is calculating, authoritarian, and emotionally restrained. He gives orders rather than invites discussion, and even Kevan’s practical objections rarely alter his decisions. His treatment of Tommen demonstrates the distinction between kinship and political utility: he greets the frightened boy with impeccable royal courtesy but no grandfatherly warmth, then governs through his name 228 299 363.

His loyalty to House Lannister centers on its ruling line and continued power rather than every person sharing its blood. He regards Jaime as the rightful heir to Casterly Rock, rejects Tyrion with undisguised disgust, and considers distant Lannister branches expendable when sacrificing them may preserve the army. Public disrespect is likewise intolerable: House Templeton’s insults prompt an order for its destruction even while he needs the Vale’s cooperation 217 299 336.

His composure is not absolute. Jaime’s defiance forces him to suppress anger and more complicated emotions; reports of a silver-haired swordsman possibly being Aegon leave him sweating in private. Aegon’s unpredictable behavior frustrates his ability to infer and control events 217 346.

Abilities & Skills

Military strategy

• Preservation of forces: Prioritizes keeping the army intact over defending cities or fixed strongholds 216 299 308.
• Strategic adaptation: Abandons the Westerlands and selects the Vale for its terrain, reinforcements, and potential access to a counterattack by sea 308.
• Operational discipline: Doubles sentries, suppresses destabilizing rumors, and delegates responsibility for restraining reckless commanders 217.
• Limitations: His Stokeworth maneuver ends in the loss of 20,000 elite troops; the Iron Fleet diversion fails; the final coalition is annihilated 228 308 437.

Political bargaining and royal authority

• Appointments as leverage: Trades titles and recognition for Baelish’s influence in the Vale and Bolton’s support in the North 273 279.
• Rule through Tommen: Uses the king’s claim, seal, and presence to issue decrees, demand homage, and override regional authorities 273 332 333.
• Disposable alliances: Removes Littlefinger when his arrest can win favor with the Vale lords, then returns him to useful service 335 354 364.
• Coalition-building: Presents Aegon’s reforms as a threat to every noble house’s military, taxation, and judicial rights 363.

Mobilization, intimidation, and propaganda

• Resource extraction: Mobilizes the Westerlands’ manpower, treasury, armories, craftsmen, mercenaries, and prisoners 227.
• Coercion: Uses hostages, punitive executions, confiscations, and armed assemblies to secure compliance 214 227 364.
• Recruitment incentives: Approves knighthood promises for self-equipped Vale recruits when pay and plunder attract too few men 354.
• Religious framing: Brands Aegon a heretic and supports proclamations presenting enlistment as a defense of the Seven 295 354.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Crimson-and-gold armor — Displays House Lannister’s lion emblem 228.
• White steed — Used during the retreat toward the Vale and his confrontation with its lords 308 335.
• Royal seal — Used to authorize appointments in Tommen’s name without seeking the child king’s permission 273.
• Bright-Roar’s broken hilt — Held after Jaime’s execution; its ruby-studded lion survives while the blade has been severed 226.
• Ice — Received from Roose Bolton as a diplomatic token of allegiance 279.

Relationships

• Jaime Lannister — Son and intended heir. Tywin tries to channel his determination to rescue Cersei into a controlled expedition; Jaime’s execution triggers total mobilization 217 226 227.
• Cersei Lannister — Daughter. Her uncertain fate drives Jaime’s demands, but Tywin refuses to risk the whole army for an immediate rescue 216 217.
• Tyrion Lannister — Son whom Tywin rejects as an heir. He nevertheless acknowledges that hiding Tommen at Stokeworth was a sensible precaution 214 217.
• Tommen Baratheon — Grandson, crowned king, and political figurehead. Tywin exercises actual authority as regent and uses his claim to rally opposition 228 364.
• Kevan Lannister — Brother and subordinate adviser. Handles logistics and raises objections, but ultimately obeys Tywin’s decisions 299 336 363.
• Addam Marbrand — Trusted commander instructed to guide Jaime and place the house’s interests above personal loyalties 217.
• Aegon Targaryen — Principal enemy. Aegon deliberately returns Tommen to Tywin so that the Old Lion can unite scattered opponents into a single target 224 228 281.
• Robb Stark — Former enemy and sought-after temporary ally. Tywin resorts to hostage threats after Robb rejects a truce, then seeks a replacement northern ruler after his defeat 214 273.
• Roose Bolton — Transactional ally, granted northern authority in exchange for allegiance and troops 279 363.
• Petyr Baelish — Appointed ally, imprisoned scapegoat, and later recruitment agent; repeatedly used according to his immediate value 273 335 354 364.
• Leyton Hightower — Recipient of Tywin’s Reach appointment, which pressures House Hightower into opposing Aegon 294 295.
• Yohn Royce — Wary Vale leader who challenges Tywin’s intervention but eventually pledges troops under armed pressure 335 364.

Notable Quotes

“Either they agree to a truce and join us against Aegon Targaryen, or the families of every Riverlands noble will die for his stubbornness.” 214

“The foundation of House Lannister is its army, not those stone castles. As long as the army survives, House Lannister still has a chance.” 299

“This is not a private feud between Lannister and Targaryen. This is a war for the survival of every noble house.” 363