Game of Thrones Claimants to the Iron Throne

As we dive into season 2 of Game of Thrones, characters seem to be emerging by the minute. Let’s take a look at who actually are the claimants to the throne and where they stand in the show right now. Looking at HBOs guide is helpful, but I am boiling it down here. Let’s start with the brothers…

Stannis Baratheon, brother of Renly Baratheon believes that Joffrey’s questionable heritage (possibly a bastard son) makes his claim to the throne valid. The Iron throne has been in the hands of a Baratheon since Robert seized the Iron Throne from the Mad King Aerys Targaryen.

Stannis’ brother, Renly, was killed by the Shadow, so his claim to the throne has been slightly derailed by that detail.

Joffrey Baratheon currently sits on the Iron Throne, although he is an insufferable twit. He inherited the throne upon the death of his father, Robert. However, there is much question about the validity of that claim, with many purporting that he is a bastard child of Robert.

Let’s look at the Targaryen claimant next. Now that Queen Daenerys Targaryen, the “Mother of Dragons” is out of the dessert, and it looks like her people are not going to die out there, she might still have a fighting chance. Daenerys stakes her claim to the throne on the fact that the Mad King Erys Targaryen, her father, held the throne prior to Robert Baratheon usurping him. She plans to user her dragons as a force to regain the throne – once they are grown of course.

This leaves Rob Stark, whose father Ned loyally served Robert as the Hand of the King before being beheaded after Joffrey took the throne following Robert’s death. Rob declared himself King in the North following his father’s execution and is seeking to take the Iron Throne for the sake of his father and for the protection of his family as they are now enemies of the Iron Throne.

Depending on who lives and dies, the claimants could change to include other members of any of these families, and let’s not forget Gendry, the one that got away during the mass murder of all Robert’s bastard children.