Joffrey Baratheon

King Joffrey Baratheon is a major character in Game of Thrones. He is played by Jack Gleeson.

King Joffrey is the oldest son and supposed heir of King Robert Baratheon and Queen Cersei Lannister. In actuality, his father is Jaime Lannister, through the Queen's incestuous affair. He has a younger sister, Myrcella, and a younger brother, Tommen. He is usually accompanied by his bodyguard and retainer, the formidable, but scarred warrior Sandor Clegane who is better known as the Hound.

He is noted to be spoiled, arrogant, sadistic, and a coward.

Winter is Coming
King Joffrey accompanies his parents to Winterfell and is betrothed to marry Sansa Stark as part of King Robert's plan to more closely ally House Baratheon to House Stark. Both seem happy with the prospect, and Joffrey is charming and polite towards Sansa. However, he shows no sympathy when Bran falls from a tower and is severely injured, and has to be physically chastised by his uncle Tyrion into paying his respects to Bran's parents.

The Kingsroad
Whilst on the Kingsroad to King's Landing, Joffrey and Sansa chance upon her sister Arya practising sword forms with a commoner, Mycah. Joffrey sees a chance to have some fun with Mycah and cuts him with his sword, but Arya and her direwolf Nymeria overpower Joffrey, injuring him and thrown his sword in the river. Joffrey begs for his life. Later, he lies about the incident and says he was attacked in an unprovoked manner. King Robert agrees to forget about the incident in return for the death of Nymeria. When she cannot be found, Sansa's direwolf Lady is executed instead.

A Golden Crown
Eddard Stark makes the discovery that Joffrey isn't King Robert's son and rightful heir, by examining the family history and realising that black hair is a dominant trait in the Baratheon line. Joffrey's true parentage can be attributed to the incestuous relationship between his mother and his "uncle" Jaime Lannister.

You Win or You Die
When King Robert Baratheon's dies, Joffrey quickly ascends the Iron throne. He immediately demands the killing of Ned's men, upon learning that Robert named Eddard the protector of the Realm until Joffrey came of age, even though his mother tore up the orders.

In the books
In the Song of Ice and Fire novels Joffrey is twelve years old when the story commences. He is noted as a handsome young man, but not especially skilled at arms. His uncle, Tyrion occasionally tries to teach him something of politics and learning, but he is disinterested in such matters. He and his father have a distant relationship, but is doted on by his mother.