House Baratheon of Highgarden

DISCLAIMER: THE SYMBOLS IN THIS SET ARE FROM THE HBO TV SERIES, NOT THE ORIGINAL NOVELS, AND THE TITLE DISPLAYED FOR THIS SYMBOL IS NOT OFFICIAL.

Based on George R.R. Martin’s famous series of novels (collectively known as “A Song of Ice and Fire”), the television series “Game of Thrones” premiered in 2011 on the channel HBO. It is set in a fantasy world heavily based on the society and culture of the European Middle Ages. Two large continents, Westeros and Essos, make up most of the visible landmass in this world, with the former being featured in storylines much more frequently. While typical elements from fantasy stories, such as dragons and various forms of magic, are seen throughout the series, they generally take a backseat to much larger themes, such as military conflicts, political machinations, and family dynamics.

The continent of Westeros is made up of many different regions, each of which has its own culture and history. Most of these regions form constituent parts of a single political realm, which is presided over by a ruling monarch. While they hold ultimate power over the realm, local governance of each region is handled by a “Great House”, a noble family whose members answer directly to the monarch. House Baratheon is one of these Great Houses, and at the beginning of the series, they are also the royal house, having seized the throne from Aerys II, the last king of the Targaryen dynasty, seventeen years prior to the series beginning.

After the death of King Robert Baratheon at the end of season one, it was widely rumored that he never had any legitimate children. Due to this uncertainty, numerous political factions emerged, all claiming rightful inheritance of the throne. One of these factions was led by Renly Baratheon, the younger of Robert’s two brothers and lord of Storm’s End, the ancestral keep of House Baratheon. His sigil consisted of a golden stag’s head on a field of green. The stag is the traditional emblem of the Baratheons (for full details, see the symbol for ‘House Baratheon’), but the color scheme of Renly’s sigil is unique: Since Renly’s claim to the throne was politically weaker than the other factions (though not in his own mind), he bolstered his military strength and popular support by marrying into House Tyrell, one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in all of Westeros. The sigil of House Tyrell is a golden rose on a field of green, so Renly altered the colors of the Baratheon sigil to reflect this new alliance. He became known as “The King in Highgarden”, after the ancestral castle of House Tyrell.

Unfortunately, Renly did not use his sigil for very long; before he could make a decisive move against the other players, he was assassinated under very strange circumstances, making his faction the earliest to disintegrate in the struggle for the throne. After Renly’s death, the Baratheon forces under his command transferred their loyalty to his older brother, Stannis, and the Tyrell forces later aligned with the powerful House Lannister.