Robert Baratheon is King of the Seven Kingdoms and at the beginning of A Game of Thrones, he has reigned for fifteen years. He is described as a fat, bearded man who is fond of hunting, whoring, and drinking. However, he was a formidable warrior in his youth. He was the ward of Jon Arryn and was raised at the Eyrie alongside Eddard Stark, another of Jon's wards, whom he considers a brother; in fact, Robert is not very fond of his own brothers Renly and Stannis, a feeling that is mutual. Robert and Eddard grew closer than brothers and became devoted to Jon. Fifteen years before the series, Robert was betrothed to Ned's sister Lyanna, whom he adored from afar. When Lyanna and Rhaegar Targaryen disappeared, Robert was outraged. King Aerys II Targaryen ordered Jon to kill Robert and Eddard. Instead, Robert, Eddard and Jon revolted, beginning the conflict known as Robert's Rebellion or the War of the Usurper. Robert eventually killed Rhaegar on the river Trident and was crowned king. However, Lyanna died. Afterward, Robert is haunted by her memory and bears a deep hatred against House Targaryen. After the war, he married Cersei Lannister to ensure House Lannister's loyalty to his rule. Robert believes he and Cersei have three children, but the children are actually fathered by Cersei's brother Jaime. Although Robert believes he is the father, he prefers to ignore the children rather than raise them. He leaves the responsibility of running the Seven Kingdoms to his Hand of the King. Robert squanders the vast treasury left by Aerys on tourneys and feasts, leaving the crown heavily in debt. In spite of his squandering, Robert is not a particularly unpopular king, as it is considered that he brought a sense of peace to the kingdom, though his ways create a political and fiscal bubble that bursts at the moment of his death. In A Game of Thrones, he goes hunting drunk and is severely wounded by a boar. He dies a few days later.
Robert Baratheon is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin.
