[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 Episode 1.]
An instantly captivating Baratheon has entered the mix in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Daniel Ings‘ Lyonel Baratheon is a standout character from the series premiere of the Game of Thrones spinoff, which debuted on Sunday, January 18. Who is Lyonel Baratheon, and how is he related to Robert Baratheon from Game of Thrones? We’re explaining everything you need to know about the character from George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, without spoiling what’s to come in Season 1 of this six-episode prequel series.
Who is Lyonel Baratheon in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
In Martin’s novellas from the 1990s, Lyonel is the heir of Storm’s End, the ancient seat of House Baratheon, and is nicknamed “the Laughing Storm” thanks to his booming laugh that he hurls at his opponents in combat. He’s popular among the smallfolk of Westeros and is known to be a strong fighter.
Lyonel is boisterous and funny and loves to party, as shown in the first episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) met Lyonel in the Baratheon tent at the Ashford Tournament in the series premiere. Lyonel laughed at Dunk’s ignorance about the customs of meeting Westeros nobility, but he also found it endearing. They partied together all night.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms tells the story of the first trial by seven in 100 years. Lyonel plays an important role in this story.
Steffan Hill / HBO
How is Lyonel Baratheon related to Robert Baratheon from Game of Thrones?
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones, which means that the spinoff’s characters aren’t that far removed from characters in the original series.
Lyonel’s family tree isn’t explicitly explained in the Dunk and Egg novellas, but we do know that there are two other noteworthy Baratheons in this time period: Gowen and Ormund. Ormund Baratheon eventually succeeds Lyonel, and Ormund is Robert Baratheon’s grandfather, which makes Lyonel a close ancestor of Robert’s, even though Ormund’s exact relation to Lyonel is unknown.
Lyonel has a daughter, but there’s nothing in Martin’s books that says Lyonel had a son (it’s not yet clear if Lyonel’s daughter has already been born in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1). Ormund could be a nephew, a brother, or a cousin to Lyonel, or the show could choose to make him a son, should it intend to clear up the Baratheon family tree. Martin worked closely with showrunner/executive producer Ira Parker on the creation of the spinoff, so it’s possible that some loose ends from his books could be tied up in the show.
Is Lyonel Baratheon mentioned in Game of Thrones?
Ned Stark (Sean Bean) mentions Lyonel by name in Game of Thrones Season 1 Episode 6, when reading through the Baratheon family lineage as he investigates his suspicions that Robert Baratheon’s (Mark Addy) children are bastards.
“Lord Orys Baratheon, black of hair. Axel Baratheon, black of hair. Lyonel Baratheon, black of hair,” Ned said of the Baratheon family tree.
Dunk is also mentioned in Game of Thrones Season 1 Episode 3, when Old Nan (Margaret John) asks the badly injured Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) if he wants to hear a story about his favorite knight, Ser Duncan. He’s mentioned again in Season 4 Episode 1, when Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) reads from the pages of the Book of Brothers to torment Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau).
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Sundays, 10/9c, HBO
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