Jaime Lannister

Jaime Lannister's History

Jaime is the eldest son of Joanna Lannister and Lord Tywin Lannister. Tywin is the head of House Lannister, the richest man in Westeros and the most powerful man in the world, and Lord Paramount of the Westerlands. The Westerlands are one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms and House Lannister is one of the Great Houses of the realm. Jaime had great difficulty learning to read as a child because he transposed letters in his mind. Tywin sat with him through four hours a day practicing until he learned. Jaime resented being forced to spend so much time on reading.

Jaime is the older brother of Tyrion and the twin brother of Cersei. Their mother died giving birth to Tyrion. Due to his place in the Kingsguard, Jaime cannot inherit his father's lands or titles, making Tyrion his father's heir; a fact which vexes Tywin. Unlike Cersei and Tywin, Jaime always treated Tyrion with a degree of love, kindness and respect.

Jaime began an incestuous relationship with his twin Cersei in his youth. At the age of 16, Jaime rose to the rank of knighthood. At the behest of Cersei, he consented to join the Kingsguard so that the two of them could be together in King's Landing. However, Tywin erupted in fury and resigned his position as Hand of the King, taking Cersei back to Casterly Rock with him. Jaime was appointed to the position by the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen during the Tourney at Harrenhal. He was then the youngest man ever appointed to its membership.

At the conclusion of Robert's Rebellion, Jaime's father Tywin arrived at the gates of King's Landing with the main Lannister army, pledging his allegiance. Most of the Small Council urged Aerys not to trust Tywin, especially Jaime, knowing his father would never support the losing side of a war. Instead, Grand Maester Pycelle gave the opposite counsel, and once the Lannister army was allowed inside, Tywin ordered his men to attack the city. As Lannister soldiers raped and pillaged throughout the city during the Sack of King's Landing, King Aerys remained holed up inside the Red Keep, for hours maniacally repeating the order to "burn them all".

Despite being sworn by the holiest oaths to protect the king as a member of the Kingsguard, Jaime ultimately turned his own sword on Aerys, slaying him at the foot of the Iron Throne itself. For this infamous act, he is known throughout the Seven Kingdoms as the "Kingslayer", to his irritation.

Jaime always refused to discuss precisely what happened the day he slew the Mad King, and thus his true motivations �?? and what plans Aerys had for King's Landing �?? were never revealed. On one occasion he confides the truth to Brienne of Tarth: Aerys' final orders were for Jaime to kill his father, and to burn the entire city and its inhabitants with wildfire. Unwilling to let that happen, Jaime killed him, and in doing so actually saved thousands of innocent lives. He adds that the "honorable" Ned Stark judged him guilty on the spot, without giving Jaime a chance to explain.

He was forgiven for breaking his vows by King Robert Baratheon and permitted to remain in the Kingsguard as part of Robert's alliance with House Lannister, along with the marriage of Jaime's twin sister Cersei to Robert. In addition to the slaying of the Mad King, Jaime is known for his handsome looks, arrogant demeanor, and his superior and incredible fighting skills, and for his superb martial skills. He is so skilled and great with a sword that he claims that there are only three men in the seven kingdoms who may have a chance at beating him in a fair duel.