Robert Baratheon (Game of Thrones)

Robert Baratheon is the king of the seven kingdoms of Westeros. He rose to power by overthrowing the ruling Targaryens with the aid of the Starks and the Lannisters.

Background
Robert is king of the seven kingdoms and head of House Baratheon. He is married to Cersei Lannister, with whom he has three children, Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen. He is the older brother of Renly and Stannis Baratheon. Some seventeen years before the series begins, the abduction of his fiancee Lyanna Stark and the public execution of her father and brother by the Mad King caused Robert and his friend Eddard Stark to rise up in rebellion against the ruling House Targaryen, leading to a bloody civil war that would later be known as Robert's Rebellion. Lyanna was killed during the conflict while the Targaryens were almost wiped out. Robert took the Iron Throne and married Cersei Lannister, a political arrangement to repay House Lannister for its support during the war. Robert is more a warrior than a governor by nature; he leaves most affairs of state to his small council, which includes his brothers as well as Littlefinger, Varys and Grand Maester Pycelle. The throne is deeply in debt, particularly to House Lannister.

Season 1
Robert brings a royal party to Winterfell to ask Eddard Stark to become Hand of the King following the death of the previous Hand, Jon Arryn. He does not claim that this is a generous offer, but appeals to Ned's loyalty and sense of duty - he needs his old friend's help. "I'm not trying to honor you. I'm trying to get you to run my kingdom while I eat, drink and whore my way to an early grave." Robert also proposes an engagement between Joffrey and Ned's daughter Sansa, hoping to bring their houses closer together. While on the road back to King's Landing, Robert learns that Daenerys Targaryen has married a Dothraki leader, Khal Drogo. When he later hears that she is pregnant, he orders her assassination to eliminate a future threat to the stability of the realm. Eddard fiercely opposes this, leading to a heated argument and Ned's resignation as Hand. Robert is fatally gored by a boar while on a hunting trip; the king had been drinking at the time, aided by his dutiful squire. On his death bed, he apologises to Eddard and dictates a last proclamation naming him as Lord Protector of the Realm until Joffrey comes of age. Ned at this point believes that none of Cersei's children were actually fathered by Robert; he doesn't tell his old friend this, but quietly changes the wording of the document to read 'heir' instead of naming Joffrey.

Personality and Traits
Robert was a great warrior as a young man, but has since turned to drink and whores as his major pastimes. He spends a great deal of time reminiscing about the old days and often seems bitter about the direction his life took after he became king. His womanising ways have led him to sire several bastard children, including Mhaegen's daughter and Gendry. Robert has never stopped loving Lyanna Stark, even though time has dulled his memories of her; his first action on visiting Winterfell is to pay his respects to Lyanna in the crypt. He admits to Cersei that their marriage was doomed to be loveless from the start because of this.