Westeros Notorious Rulers and Families

Joffrey I Baratheon

King Joffrey was also known as Prince Joffrey, Joff, Joffrey the Illborn, Robert the Second, Aerys the Third, Jiffy, and The Young Usurper. Joffrey-called-Baratheon son of Robert I Baratheon (Or Jamie Lannister) and Ceri Lannister, was born in 286 AC. King Joffrey married Margaery Tyrell, they had no children. King Joffrey died at his wedding due to asphyxiate/Poison in 300 AC, he was 14 years of age.

History: Joffrey grew up as a spoiled and indulgent child with a cruel streak within him. His father, King Robert I Baratheon, is deeply disappointed with his son and feels little affection for Joffrey – nor does he like the fact that Joffrey would always cry whenever Robert picked him up. It is implied that Joffrey craves Robert's respect and approval, and many of his acts are done to live up to his father's standards. Once after learning a kitchen cat was pregnant, Joffrey killed the animal and cut open its belly to see the kittens inside. He showed one of the unborn kittens to his father. Robert was so shocked and angry he hit Joffrey so hard it knocked out two of his baby teeth. Queen Cersei Lannister believes Robert would have beaten the boy if she had allowed it. It is also implied Joffrey bullied his younger brother, Tommen.

Cersei assigned Sandor Clegane to be her son's sworn shield. While Sandor is widely known as the Hound, Joffrey refers to his guardian as "dog".

For Joffrey's twelfth name day, King Robert organized a tourney in King's Landing in 298 AC, where, amongst others, Lord Walder Frey, Lord Jon Arryn, Lord Stannis Baratheon, and Ser Davos Seaworth were present. Following the tourney, Joffrey and his siblings traveled with Cersei to Casterly Rock with their grandfather, Lord Tywin Lannister.

Recent Events: Joffrey and the rest of the royal family take the king's road to Winterfell after Lord Jon Arryn's death, as King Robert I Baratheon asks Lord Eddard Stark to become the new Hand of the King. Joffrey begins to court the pretty Sansa Stark, Eddard's eldest daughter, to whom he has been betrothed. Joffrey spars with Robb Stark in the yard and insults him. He later joins his father during a hunt.

After Bran Stark is critically injured after falling from the First Keep, Joffrey's uncle, Tyrion Lannister, slaps Joffrey for speaking rudely of the boy's condition. Tyrion is later blamed when an assassin with a Valyrian steel dagger fails in an attempt to murder the comatose Bran, which furthers the growing enmity between Houses Stark and Lannister. On the way from Winterfell to King's Landing, Joffrey spends a day riding and drinking wine with Sansa. They come upon Arya Stark and her friend Mycah, a butcher's boy, who is practicing sword fighting. A drunk Joffrey commands Mycah to spar with him. When Mycah does not take up the challenge, Joffrey pricks him with his sword, Lion's Tooth, while ignoring pleas to leave the boy alone. Arya smacks him with her stick, allowing Mycah to escape. An enraged Joffrey slashes at Arya but is injured when her dire wolf, Nymeria, protects her. Arya takes Lion's Tooth from him and hurls it towards the Trident. Humiliated and in pain, Joffrey angrily lashes out at Sansa while Arya and Nymeria flee.

Joffrey later claims before his father's court at Darry that he had been attacked by Mycah and Nymeria. Search parties are sent out to find Mycah, Nymeria, and Arya. Sandor Clegane rides down Mycah, while Sansa's direwolf, Lady, is executed after Queen Cersei Lannister interferes. This earns Joffrey the hatred of Arya. Robert's younger brother, Lord Renly Baratheon, openly laughs at his nephew for being beaten and disarmed by a girl younger than him.

While drinking with Eddard Stark at the Hand's tourney at King's Landing, King Robert openly despairs of his son and heir, revealing to his old friend that he has often thought of abdicating; the only thing that stops him is the thought of Joffrey sitting on the Iron Throne with his mother whispering in his ear. Acting as the new Hand, Ned Stark discovers that Joffrey, along with his siblings, are bastards born of incest between Cersei and her twin, Ser Jaime of Robert's Kingsguard. Robert never questioned the boy's parentage. Cersei protects her children's secret by arranging for Robert's death by increasing the strength of his favorite wine which he drinks while hunting in the Kingswood.