Robert Baratheon is very clearly a Thor figure- big strong Storm Lord who loves to fight and drink, swings a big war hammer, defeats a serpent (Rhaegar the dragon) and he marries a member of House Lannister, who are descended from Lann the Clever, who is obviously based on Loki.
The thing about Robert is he at least seemed to understand his limitations as king and put competent people in charge of running things. Some were even absolutely trustworthy. It's even stated that it's actually unlikely his excesses could have piled up a debt that large, especially during a time of prosperity. Embezzlement is likely. The failing of Robert that caused the most trouble was the one Lyanna was concerned about. His inattentiveness to his family is what caused his downfall. He believed they were his children and could have taken a more active role in bringing them up. Joffrey was probably a lost cause as he clearly had psychological issues from an early age. However, an attentive father could have seen this and set limits, even to the point of passing him over for the throne.
I also think Robert just didn't care when it came to family if for no other reason than it wasn't the family or even the life he wanted. Robert never wanted to be king, he said Ned or Jon Arryn should have been king.
the realm was in alot of debt, but that wasn't bad debt as Littlefinger had invested it in solid assets like merchant ventures and grain. The debt only became a problem when civil war meant that alot of those investments ended up in neutral or rebel controlled territories.
The Targaryans not creating Valyrian steel: as Robert said, the Targaryans themselves weren't blacksmiths. And I imagine the secret of creating Valyrian steel was not only held by the blacksmiths, but probably only the blacksmiths of the very few Valyrian Houses that were the most powerful. It might be that the Targaryans would have liked to bring one of those blacksmiths with them to Dragonstone before the Doom, but they either couldn't persuade one or perhaps those blacksmiths weren't allowed to just go where they pleased since they held that secret.
When it comes to historical parallels, I see Robb Stark/young Robert Baratheonas young Edward IV and older Robert Baratheon as older Edward IV, and of course Henry VIII had a lot in common with his grandfather Edward IV. I see Ned Stark and Stannis as Edward IV's brother Richard III, and Renly as Edward and Richard's other brother George, Duke of Clarence.
@@michaelshelton5488 also, the aches and pains Tyrion has... Are accurate to scoliosis in the degree Richard the III had! Being a dwarf and having 85 degrees of deviation of the spine is absolutely debilitating. I have a 25 degrees deviation and have a small hunch back and bad lower back. It's very painful, thus the modern corset for support.
35:00 On Renly v Stannis: They're two sides of what would have been a very good king. Renly would have been the good politician which was needed to keep the kingdom together, but he'd likely have made a lot of naive mistakes. Wheras Stannis is much more savvy and would rule competently, his rigid morality would inexorably yield unpopular decisions which would cause problems. Kinda like Machiavelli's Prince. Renly is loved, Stannis would be feared. King Renly with Stannis (or someone like him) as his hand would have been a very good combo.
The idea that Renly would be a good politician is actually pretty questionable, given what we know about him and his political tenure. He was the Master of Laws for years, accomplishing (and wanting to accomplish) precisely nothing except for corruption and flagrant disregard of those laws. His closest friends and associates were Littlefinger - arguably the least loyal, most selfish person at the court - and Tyrells the extreme social climbers.
@@saikeenra Oh for sure, that's what I was implying with 'naive mistakes'. But half of what makes a good king is being "Mr. Congeniality", which Renly was quite good at. A well liked king keeps the peasantry from rebelling and ambitious nobles from being oportunistic lest they get slapped down by other great houses who like the king better. But they still need to rule competently and justly so that they can maintain their popularity. That's the other half and that part Renly was questionable on. He would therefore need someone like Stannis as his Hand. If he did, then he'd have been Jahaerys level GOAT.
Very true. Also, don't think Tywin had anything to do with Steffon's death. Robert and Stannis watched the ship go down in shipbreaker bay from Storms End. If anything was amiss they would've seen it.
Renly would have been great at holding court, keeping the nobility happy, and charming the masses together with his queen. Stannis would've been a good a Hand of the King and Robert would have thrived as commander of the royal army. If they could've set their differences aside, they would've made a great team.
The first story of the Dire Wolf and the Stag: the stag caused the dire wolf's death (Robert called Ned to be Hand) AND the dire wolf caused the stag's death! Ned continuing to poke around where Jon Arryn did. Cersei might have wanted to kill Robert eventually, but that certainly hurried it along.
If Robert is Edward IV and Stannis is Richard III then Renly may well by Clarence. That being said, Renly is much more competent than Clarence even if he was murdered by his brother.
I don't understand why the Baratheons would be more Valyrian than first man their name comes from an apparently Valyrian man, but the mother to the family is still one of the First Man/Andals, her genes and whatnot are just as important in the Baratheon family as the Valyrian ones
This was great as usual Robert, thanks again for the consistent content throughout the whole virus situation it has definitely been a great reprieve from everything going on in the world for many of us , be it livestreams and all of your general content ; you put in the long hours of hard work for us and we do appreciate it. Per this stream a good discussion as always , the Baratheons do my head in a bit in that at times i find them hard to sort out and distinguish between them given how similar many of them look and act over the generations ; the lords / heads of House Baratheon tend to be those stormy hot head types. Although this generation the sons of Steffon - Robert , Stannis and Renly do / did seem to be quite different from each other. And although i do not necessarily relate to or route for the Baratheons past and present they are an integral part of the narrative and have been rather influential in this universe's history since the Conquest. The Baratheons have since been power players , an influential house with their Lords / head of House characters often playing integral roles in the goings on in the realm. It is rather telling the Baratheons took the sigil and words of the Durrandons , seems some retcon attempt and giving the air of history and legitimacy from Orys and Aegon I after the Durrandons were ousted during the Conquest. And it is interesting how often the Baratheons often played a major role in most every conflict / event / big goings on in the realm since the Conquest through to the present narrative time. King Robert in particular seems to have been more the hunt is better than the catch / kill type in most everything in his life be it power / ruling / getting the throne as well as sexual conquests ; the man seems overall disinterested once he gets whatever he is after and generally never satisfied and i do believe seeing his parents die in real time on a quest / task for the Targs was likely the genesis for his Targ hate. Stannis still has an integral role to play in the narrative and he very much seems a different sort and likely somewhat shaped by the fact that he did not have the same looks , popularity and charisma that Robert (in his youth) and Renly had. And Stannis though he is being corrupted by fanaticism does generally seem to be more competent and would make a better leader / ruler and does seem to be more of a fair, justice do the right thing type. Per Edric Storm who also came up in the stream I actually think he could be an advantageous political tool for whichever faction brings him to their side and back to Westeros ; Edric is massively beloved at Storm's End and the Stormlands in general and could be a great rallying cry for the Stormlands to support and rally around whichever faction has Edric on their side. Given Varys' track record of dealing with influential Westerosi in Essos (mostly banished and outcasts) and bringing them into the fold i suspect the Varys / fAegon faction will be the one who embraces and convinces Edric and for all we know ES' presence could have helped fAegon take Storm's End. Great stream Robert, the Baratheons are not my favorite House or characters from it but given how integral they are to recent Westerosi history and the ASoIaF narrative past , present and future they are certainly a worthy House to discuss and analyze.
Just letting you know this stream had 53 glasses on/off switches (give or take a few). I have the counts from a few weeks written down from while I was watching and decided to leave them as comments in the corresponding videos.
Robert would love to see you have Tony Teflon back on to discuss his views on your theory about Howland and Ashara. Really enjoy both you and Tony’s videos!!! Love the new hair cut! 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼
George R. R. Martin has explicitly stated that Robert Baratheon is based on Edward IV. Edward IV was Henry VIII's maternal grandfather and they were very similar men. They were both tall, handsome, known to wear fine clothes, charismatic, lusty, and fans of food and drink (both became quite fat in their later years - although, Edward IV was dead at 40). The main difference is that Edward was one of the foremost warriors in the history of the English crown, while Henry's military record was quite modest. Edward IV assumed the headship of the House of York at the age of 19 and won England's bloodiest day (the Battle of Towton, 1461 - ten hours' of fighting in the snow) within six months' time. He was chased out of England through an uprising led by his cousin, the Kingmaker, the Earl of Warwick; yet managed to return, defeat the Kingmaker (who died on the field), and defeat the remnants of the House of Lancaster that had assumed the throne. Edward IV never lost a battle during the Wars of the Roses. By contrast, his grandson, "won" a veritable tactical retreat, the "Battle" of the Spurs. He also took part in set-piece sieges: one in Tournai, one in Boulogne-sur-Mer - not much in the way of martial glory. Also, Edward was exceedingly fecund compared to Henry, having eight baptized children and numerous acknowledged bastards. Whereas Henry had three children across six marriages and one bastard.
I feel that Edric Storm will play a large part in the FAegon story as FAegon’s lord of Storms End. It’s stated that both Varys and Lysono Marr are from Lys and that the Golden Company took Lysene ships to sail to the Storm Lands. I feel that it is a possibility that Varys and Lysono picked up Edric Storm from Lys and that the Golden Company may install Edric as their puppet lord of Storms End (when JonCon says he’ll take the castle by guile, Edric could be the trick)
610 into the video you're reading viewer comments I love the way you blushed when you got complimented uninspiring someone to read again. Keep up the great work I love your videos.
Why was Cersei never called Cersei Baratheon after she married Robert? I'm thinking now of all the married women and how they are refered to. Lady Catelyn Stark, Lady Lysa Arryn etc. Cersei is always Cersei Lannister.
Sorry a bit late ,but the women who marry to the royal house dont take the royal houses name ... atleast in the game of thrones ,even for the targaryen kings ,if the queens werent targaryen ,they retain their original family name
the baratheon takeover of storm's end by marrying the durradan's daughter is a riff on how Robert the Bruce's family's last daughter carries the Scottish kingship to the Stuarts
I think some inspiration for Stannis could’ve come from ‘Longshanks’ Edward I. Both were stern, hard warriors who also have a strong sense of duty. Another great video!
Anthony Ufert I see what you are saying but Longshanks as Tywin for me. Edward I, over 6 feet tall, slim & fair; famously killed a man with a look. Cersei specifies Tywin being able to make men silent with a look & that’s a skill all 3 Lannister’s try to master to be like him
Guinevere Greenstones I agree Tywin & Longshanks are far more similar. I was just saying some of Stannis’ characteristics are inspired by Longshanks as well.
I've been watching this channel every day for a while now, it feels like a long time but it's more like exclusively (fall asleep, in the background) since discovering some while/bit ago, and this is a 3 year old video, but good channel name choice
Hi Robert! I’m loving this series of History and Lore on the powerful houses in Westeros. I was wondering if you’ll eventually do a video on House Nymeros Martell. I know they’ve been sort of inactive for most of ASOIAF but seeing how they’ll play a huge part in Faegon’s invasion; I hope to see a video on them if possible.
i always attributed Robert's exaggerated fury at Rhaegar to be fueled by his denial of his awareness that Lyanna did not want to marry him. He'd much rather rage and bluster against her "kidnapper" than admit she was not in love with him at all, and didn't want to be his wife. He made her over in his myth to this innocent pretty victim of the horrid Rhargar, so it would be ALL Rhaegar's fault for stealing his "rightful beloved".
All notifications have stopped for me. Also from Australia and apparantly Oz government has a bit of a beef with Google and youtube, so I am wondering if youtube is deliberately stopping notifications for Ozzies in an attempt to gather support from us. Anyway it has taken me a while to find this stream. Thoroughly enjoyed it. BTW Colour genetics says black hair is a dominant gene.
I suppose the big difference between Robert Baratheon and Henry VIII will have been that Henry VIII was much more of an intellectual heavyweight than Robert: he seems to have been very bright (like his daughter Elizabeth I), and ideas seem to have interested him, while they didn't have much appeal for Robert.
A firstborn son carries on the family name, thus will inherit. A daughter will mary and join another family, her children will bear their name. No family will hand over their possesions to a daughters inlaws, firstborn or not.
hello there! Cassandra fromCanada....love your videos, i'm subsribed and keep my eye on the notifications..... keep it coming... lately i watch before bedtime, or i'll go check out the patron/patreon thing...i love this medium...
I continue to be struck by the irony of Robert's loathing of the Targaryens-his contemptuous dismissal of the murdered Targaryen children as "dragon spawn"-given not only that Orys Baratheon was apparently a Targaryen bastard but also that there had been ongoing intermarriage between the families (his own grandmother was a Targaryen!). Are we supposed to think that he's absolutely clueless and unironic? Or is he simply trying to distance himself from the Targaryens as part of his own attempts to establish himself as heading a completely new dynasty? Or . . .
If Steffon had already sent word that his mission had failed, what motive does Tywin have to kill him? If anybody was responsible, it would have been Aerys. It would fit in with his infamous mood swings, being so excited by Steffon's capabilities going in and then turning on a dime when his expectations aren't met. I've found the mission's failure suspicious since reading AWOIAF, but I leaned towards thinking that Steffon failed on purpose to avoid becoming Hand. As their boyhood companion, he would have been able to see the tone shift in Aerys and Tywin's relationship when visiting court. And seeing Aerys' behaviour, I'm convinced he was part of the Southron Ambitions conspiracy and that's why Jon Arryn was ready to foster Robert after the parents' death. Bit weird to send away the new lord of the castle right upon his ascendancy, isn't it? Unless you needed to bring him gently into the fold.
" Their history is not that old " Come on..... Aren't they rebranded Durrandons, eh? And Argilac was black haired, blue eyed and so was Argella..... 'Ours is the Fury' are Durrandon words....
In his Discworld series, Terry Pratchett wrote the the true motto of any king was: 'I have the crown and I will kill any whoreson who would take it from me.' Personally, I think this describes Robert pretty well.
It would take a long time to recover contemporary computers even if you took the "knowledge" with you. A great deal of precision equipment is required, and to some extent that equipment relied on earlier, less powerful computers. So chances are we'd have to undergo another "crawl up the process geometry curve." That is, we'd begin with simple computers built from discrete components, eventually move to 70's era microprocessors, etc. etc. I think it would take quite a few decades at best - maybe longer, depending on the nature of the resources available. The plants to produce the silicon wafers would have to be built, etc. etc. There's a LOT underneath that industry.
I never would have thought about that angle when it came to Renly. Because I've always thought he would make a pretty good King with the Tyrells backing him (up until the Others come from beyond the wall)
FORREST GUMP I don’t know about Stannis. He’s too rigid. The onion knight saves his life & he returns the favor by chopping the end of fingers off. At least King Robb would’ve been just, but he always had room for mercy when the situation called for it. I think Renly would’ve made the best king. He was the best suited to deal with the schemers of King’s Landing. He was regal & easy to like. Basically the opposite of Stannis.
OMG! Aegon & Orys were lovers! It explains so much! Ned and Robert’s relationship; Renly’s tendencies; the overwhelming bravado of all the Baratheons(overcompensation i.e. battleaxes in lieu of swords). I can go on and on. Why was the “Laughing Storm” laughing? Maybe he found out the origins of his house. GRRM is a mad genius. His forethought when writing is scary.
@@donsolo123 I get your meaning, but there's no question or gray area there, he DID play for both teams. But, I brought up Aegon having two wives because in the light of basically no evidence that he was bi, having two wives reinforces the fact of him being straight
I think Tolkien made the right decision scrubbing the sequel. Sure - it would have been great to have "more Tolkien." But it just never, ever would have risen to the greatness of LotR. Tolkien absolutely "went out on top." I support his decision.
so I have an idea about Stannis and his role I think when he returns to castle Black or finds out Mel killed his daughter he stabs her through the heart and draws the new lightbringer from her but realises he doesn't care about the world now and just lets Jon Snow deal with it. it would mean Mel was right on some parts but not the rest.
👍🏼 save for the last part; I think it more likely that with his wife dead and his daughter dead, he's now a man with nothing to lose. And still the True King. He'll throw his weight in with the Night's Watch and Jon Snow to fight the Others.
The story of Dunk and the laughing storm, is a way to show how Lyannas abduction could have been handled honorably. Get Rhaegar, have a trial by combat against Brandon, win, be magnanimous: marry Lyanna, offer Robert another good match (rhaenyra for example) and the Starks keep their honor, bevause they dod something, and the kingdom keeps his peace
Love ur channel. Sorry can’t do patreon but wife, two kids, new house and these damn kids don’t stop growing lol. But I do love the channel. Watching ur channel makes me want to go to an eye doctor get glasses so I can read the books without my damn eyes hurting but thank u for all u do. Love this channel especially with Lord of the Rings GoT and Witcher content. Thank u again and stay safe.
I'm going to need RU-vid to launch an investigation into those dislikes on this and any other of Robert's content. Because first of all... HOW F**KING DARE YOU?!!!
On one hand, well-ruled and well-respected. On another hand, I am rather fearful that the wiles and often-underhanded politics of the players in the Court of King's Landing will eventually corrupt the Stark rule, perhaps under Ned's notice. This is assuming that if he keeps to the original Council, especially Littlefinger and Varys.
Did you see the RU-vid about House Strong? Strong, tall, virile, dark haired, First men, and distant Stark relations of the South? One of them had three strong sons with the Baratheon Lord's Targaryen wife. So The Seed Is STRONG.
Kudos to the mods on here, because I had to entirely stop watching House of the Dragon after some rank comments on alt shift x (love the creator)'s stream talking about how they only watched the show for the forced sex scenes. Regardless of the world that's set up in asoiaf and how it reflects ours, some viewers have had experiences that make them sensitive to what fellow audience members take away from the series
Where the eff did he get the idea of Barra having gay roots? And then to jump to some half assed possibility like Orys and Aegon not only being gay, but gay lovers together? Come on.
