Tywin

Biodata

Background / History

Early Career and the Westerlands

Tywin regarded his father, Tytos Lannister, as a kindly but incompetent ruler whose generosity encouraged embezzlement, betrayal, and contempt from his vassals. Restoring the authority of Casterly Rock became central to Tywin’s own approach to rule 189.

Before turning twenty, Tywin distinguished himself in the War of the Ninepenny Kings. His battlefield valor earned him a knighthood, and he subsequently knighted Prince Aerys Targaryen. Before inheriting his father’s title, he also recovered Lannister loans and suppressed banditry in the Westerlands 247.

When Houses Reyne and Tarbeck rebelled, Tywin destroyed them rather than negotiate. He defeated House Tarbeck first, executed its captured lord and sons, and burned Tarbeck Hall. After defeating Roger Reyne’s relief force, he sealed Castamere’s underground exits and diverted a stream into the mines, leaving none of the more than three hundred Reynes inside alive 146.

Hand to Aerys II

At twenty, Tywin became the youngest Hand of the King in history. He served Aerys for approximately twenty years, administering the Seven Kingdoms so effectively that people credited him with being their true ruler 88 247.

Aerys’s increasingly erratic behavior and repeated humiliations eventually drove Tywin from office. Following Robert’s Rebellion, House Lannister joined the winning side late and secured its position by taking King’s Landing. Robert married Cersei but appointed Jon Arryn as Hand; Tywin withdrew to Casterly Rock for more than a decade rather than contest the appointment 88.

Appearance

• Build: Tall, powerfully built, and somewhat taller than Corleone. Even in later life, he maintains broad shoulders and an unusually straight posture 152 239.
• Eyes: Piercing green eyes, repeatedly associated with his scrutiny and authority 52 115.
• Hair: Balding, with a conspicuously gleaming forehead by the time of his regency preparations 115 239.
• Clothing: Favors expensive velvet and brocade, often crimson, with gold embroidery and lion motifs. His earlier attire includes a dark velvet tunic and a small gold lion’s-head pin 52 115 239.
• Later condition: Suffers insomnia and dark circles before his coronation. After the Sept explosion, he sustains a deep facial wound and broken ribs; his prolonged coma leaves him markedly gaunt 239 244 245 272.

Personality

Tywin places political interests and House Lannister’s survival above affection, personal comfort, and conventional sentiment. He is patient enough to endure humiliation while fulfilling his duties, and pragmatic enough to recognize useful talent in a commoner such as Corleone 64 88.

His composure is a deliberate instrument of authority. He rarely raises his voice, and even after Corleone enters his bedroom with a bloodstained sword, he regains control of his expression and maintains the bearing of the Hand 109 151. Jaime believes that threats to this image trouble him more deeply than military or financial setbacks 154.

Tywin considers fear a dependable foundation for obedience. He cites the extermination of the Reynes and Tarbecks as proof that overwhelming punishment prevents future defiance 146. Nevertheless, he also understands the value of using enemies rather than simply killing them, especially when their survival offers a political advantage 156.

His greatest private anxiety is the continuation of his house. He finds Jaime uninterested in inheritance, Tyrion intolerable, and Cersei’s ambition unsupported by sufficient intelligence or restraint. His efforts to control their futures provoke resistance from all three 89 162.

Abilities & Skills

Governance and Political Strategy

Tywin’s long tenure as Hand establishes him as an experienced administrator and alliance-builder 88 247.

• Uses marriages and political promises to extend Lannister influence without further large-scale conquest 102.
• Arranges Tyrion’s marriage to Sansa to produce an heir with a lawful claim to Winterfell 102 158.
• Negotiates Cersei’s proposed marriage to Loras Tyrell directly with Olenna, without consulting Cersei 102.
• Recognizes Corleone’s administrative potential and authorizes material support for Flea Bottom’s expansion 88 115.

Military Command and Psychological Warfare

Tywin combines decisive violence with demonstrations of strength intended to break resistance before battle 146 238.

• Defeats rebellious houses separately, striking the weaker Tarbecks before confronting the Reynes 146.
• Orders checkpoints, rooftop archers, and martial law to contain Flea Bottom 146.
• Deploys two thousand soldiers near Corleone’s territory to spread fear and destabilize public confidence without immediately attacking 238.
• Ultimately loses control of his forces when senior commanders fall and he remains occupied behind his personal guards’ defensive formation 246.

Personal Authority

Tywin’s reputation makes his presence intimidating to nobles, commoners, and dangerous retainers alike 109 115 168.

• Restrains Joffrey from sentencing Jaime without an investigation 86.
• Stops Gregor Clegane’s attack on Corleone with a quiet command 168.
• Publicly presents knighthood and punishment as demonstrations that service is rewarded and disobedience has consequences 109 146.
• Finds this authority less effective against Corleone, whose intelligence network and popular support undermine his usual leverage 152 247.

Swordsmanship

Tywin was an excellent swordsman in his youth and earned distinction in the War of the Ninepenny Kings. After becoming Hand, he rarely carried a sword on formal occasions, relying increasingly on political and financial power 109.

• Personally performs Corleone’s knighting ceremony 109.
• Later holds a longsword that should have pierced Corleone’s throat, exposing the limits of ordinary weapons against him 153.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Recruiting Corleone

Corleone first appeals to Tywin by offering to become his “Hands in the Dark,” undertaking work that the Lannisters cannot openly perform. Tywin tests his loyalty and tentatively accepts the arrangement 64 65.

After questioning how Corleone brought order to Flea Bottom, Tywin praises his potential as a ruler and demands proof of the Black Hand Mafia’s usefulness. Corleone promises to kill Gyles Rosby before sunrise 88.

Tywin subsequently knights Corleone in the Great Sept, personally placing a white cloak bearing a black hand over his shoulders. He later approves expansion of Corleone’s reforms, with the City Watch supplying labor and materials while Corleone raises funds 109 115.

From Patron to Rival

Tywin treats Corleone’s confrontation with Gregor Clegane as a test of whether he can enforce his own rules. However, Corleone’s ties to Oberyn Martell and growing independence increase Tywin’s suspicions 118 123.

He sends Corleone to Dragonstone to persuade Stannis Baratheon to surrender. Corleone recognizes the mission as dangerous and interprets the proposed City Watch escort as surveillance and an attempt to weaken his position in Flea Bottom. During the subsequent Redwyne assault, Paxter Redwyne’s forces are explicitly searching for Corleone because Tywin wants him dead 123 139.

Flea Bottom Crisis

When thousands of commoners rally for Corleone and the Black Hand Mafia, Tywin orders two thousand City Watchmen and five hundred Lannister household troops to seal Flea Bottom. His martial-law orders prohibit gatherings and prescribe death for armed resistance, arson, and attacks on soldiers 146.

Corleone answers by entering Tywin’s bedroom, demonstrating detailed knowledge of his movements, and threatening him directly. Tywin agrees to withdraw the Gold Cloaks and recognize Flea Bottom as a special autonomous district, with three tax-free months, taxes subsequently set at thirty percent, and a security force limited to three hundred civilian volunteers 151 152 154.

Tyrion’s Trial and the Northern Marriage

Tywin’s effort to secure the North through Tyrion and Sansa falters during Tyrion’s trial for Joffrey’s poisoning. Sansa’s return initially offers him another chance to preserve the marriage’s political value, but her declaration that it remains unconsummated exposes Tyrion’s refusal to fulfill his orders 155 156 158.

Tyrion and Sansa subsequently dissolve the marriage, with Corleone acting as witness. Tywin reacts with unusual visible fury when informed, while also ordering investigations into Corleone’s informants and unexplained resistance to blades 161 163.

Arena and Iron Bank Disputes

Tywin approves a public trial by combat between Oberyn and Gregor at Corleone’s arena, while privately continuing to consider how Corleone might be killed. At the arena’s opening, he recognizes Corleone’s appeal to commoners as a genuine political threat 168 184.

He later assigns Corleone to address the Iron Bank’s repayment demand. When Corleone reports envoy Naho Dimittis’s death, Tywin orders concealment, only to learn that Corleone has already arranged forged correspondence. Nymeria Sand’s admission that she killed the envoy further complicates Tywin’s attempts to preserve relations with Dorne 195 208 209.

Regency and the Sept Explosion

Following Cersei’s Stokeworth scandal, Tywin removes her as regent and sentences her to six months of penance under the Silent Sisters. He also increases military pressure on Flea Bottom while preparing to assume the regency himself 223 224 233 238.

At the Great Sept, violence interrupts the coronation. Tywin nevertheless takes the crown and places it on his own head, declaring himself Regent and Protector of the Realm 241.

He survives the ensuing wildfire explosion because Tybert Hetherspoon shields him. Despite evidence against Cersei, Tywin declares her innocent, blames Corleone, confines the surviving nobles, and orders another attack on Flea Bottom. Kevan resigns in protest; Tybert also renounces his service and is killed by Daven, whom Tywin rewards with command 244 245.

Defeat and Return West

Black Hand forces overwhelm the Lannister cordon. After learning that the people of King’s Landing helped Corleone defeat him, Tywin spits blood and collapses. Corleone spares him and orders that he receive treatment in the Red Keep 246 247.

Tywin remains comatose for an extended period, with Tyrion visiting his bedside. By the time Euron Greyjoy plunders Lannisport, he has recovered sufficiently to return to the Westerlands. He agrees to hold the west and stay away from King’s Landing, but demands that Corleone send Jaime home to inherit Casterly Rock 272 283.

Relationships

• Joanna Lannister — His deceased wife, whom he loved throughout his life. He blames Tyrion for her death in childbirth 151.
• Jaime Lannister — His eldest son and intended heir. Their conflict centers on Jaime’s commitment to the Kingsguard and refusal to inherit Casterly Rock 52 86 89 283.
• Cersei Lannister — His daughter. He condemns her judgment and removes her from power, yet protects the family’s position by denying her responsibility for the Sept bombing 189 223 245.
• Tyrion Lannister — His younger son, whom he treats with contempt while using his marriage for political gain. Their estrangement culminates in Tyrion’s public accusations during his trial 151 155 158.
• Kevan Lannister — His brother and longtime deputy. Kevan breaks with him over the attempt to blame Corleone for the Sept’s destruction 245.
• Vito Corleone — Initially a useful covert agent, later his principal rival in King’s Landing. Corleone defeats him but preserves his life 65 88 247.
• Tybert Hetherspoon — His captain of the guard and rescuer during the explosion. Tybert renounces him after learning of his responsibility for Meera Ya’s death; Tywin approves Daven’s killing of him 245.
• Oberyn Martell — A hostile political opponent seeking justice for Elia Martell and her children. Oberyn later attempts to reach Tywin during the Black Hand counterattack 163 246.
• Olenna Redwyne — An alliance negotiator and sharp-tongued rival who challenges his family management and Cersei’s conduct 102 116 222.
• Shae — Tyrion’s former lover, who later shares Tywin’s bed 151.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Ceremonial longsword: Worn for his coronation, with seven large rubies decorating its scabbard; never used by him on a battlefield 239.
• Golden crown: Taken and placed on his own head during his declaration as regent 241.
• Golden toilet: A gift from Stafford Lannister, fitted with crimson velvet, lion-paw armrests, and a lion-embroidered cushion 208.
• Black Dornish steed: Prepared for his journey to the coronation; Tywin prefers riding to traveling by carriage 239.

Notable Quotes

“Negotiation is the choice of the weak. It acknowledges the other party’s right to speak to you as an equal, and they were not worthy.” 146

“As far as I’m concerned, it makes no difference whether a man or a woman rules Casterly Rock.”
“But he or she cannot be a fool!” 189

“From this day forward, I, Tywin Lannister, am Regent and Protector of the Realm.” 241