Red Keep

"Aegon built his castle of red rock to remind people of the fire he roasted his enemies in, so whenever King's Landing looked up they'd see the price of defiance."

- Joffrey Baratheon

The Red Keep is the residence of the King of the Andals and the First Men, his family and his court, located within King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms. It dominates the skyline of the city, and serves as the city's primary fortress and redoubt.

Located in the southeastern corner of King's Landing, the Red Keep overlooks Blackwater Bay and the Narrow Sea. It is currently the seat of King Tommen Baratheon, and was formerly the seat of King Joffrey Baratheon, King Robert Baratheon, and before him the seat of the Targaryen kings.

The Great Hall
The Great Hall is the massive throne room of the Red Keep and where the Iron Throne stands. The King (or his Hand, in the event of the King's absence), holds court and receives petitioners within the Great Hall. It is also employed for official ceremonies.

Maegor's Holdfast
Maegor's Holdfast is a stout tower in the center of the Red Keep. It was named after King Maegor Targaryen, who built the Red Keep. It serves as a redoubt when the city is attacked. The royal apartments are also located in Maegor's Holdfast.

Maegor's Holdfast served as a refuge for Queen Cersei and the highborn ladies of the Red Keep during the Battle of the Blackwater.

The Tower of the Hand
The Tower of the Hand is the location of the quarters and offices of the Hand of the King. The Hand's family, household and guards also live and work in the Tower of the Hand.

When Tywin Lannister assumes his Hand duties for King Joffrey he arranges for the meetings of the small council to be held in the Tower of the Hand to assert his own authority.

The White Sword Tower
The White Sword Tower houses the chambers of the Kingsguard.

The Maidenvault
The Maidenvault was built under orders of King Baelor Targaryen to imprison his sisters Daena, Rhaena, and Elaena to prevent them from inciting any carnal thought in the pious king.

The Godswood
The Red Keep's Godswood overlooks the Blackwater Rush. It has no weirwood as the Red Keep is not an ancient castle from the time the Old Gods of the Forest held sway south of the Neck.

The Traitor's Walk
The Traitor's Walk is an outer corridor on one of the sides of the Red Keep with view to one of its outer walls. The heads of criminals and traitors are placed on spikes over said wall, visible both to the exterior of the Red Keep and whoever passes through the corridor.

Following the arrest and execution of Ned Stark, his head and those of his entire household were placed on the wall beside the Traitor's Walk.

The dungeons
The dungeons of the Red Keep are divided in four levels:


 * On the upper level are cells with high narrow windows where common criminals are confined together.


 * The second level has smaller, personal cells without windows for highborn captives and valuable hostages.


 * The Black Cells are the third level. Prisoners accused of treason and other high crimes are kept within the Black Cells, as was the case of Ned Stark. Varys has access to the Black Cells, though he dons the disguise of a gaoler when entering.


 * The fourth level is spoken of only in rumors. Once a man is taken here, he never sees the light of day again and is subjected to the most painful torments.

Secret passages
The Red Keep, according to rumors, is full of miles of secret passages running behind the walls and below the floors. Maegor the Cruel had the builders of the Red Keep executed after the castle was completed to keep the secret of the passageways.

Notable residents of the Keep

 * King Tommen of House Baratheon, the First of His Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm.
 * Queen Regent Cersei Lannister, his mother, widow of Robert I.
 * Lord Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West, Hand of the King and Savior of the City.
 * Ser Jaime Lannister, called "the Kingslayer", his eldest son, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard
 * Ser Meryn Trant, Ser Boros Blount, Ser Preston Greenfield, Ser Balon Swann, knights of the Kingsguard.
 * Tyrion Lannister, called "The Imp" and "Halfman", his youngest son and lawful heir, former acting Hand of the King and new Master of Coin.
 * Lady Sansa Lannister (neé Stark), Tyrion's wife.
 * Shae, Sansa's handmaiden and Tyrion's concubine.
 * Ser Bronn of the Blackwater, a knight and former sellsword in Tyrion's service. Former Commander of the City Watch.
 * Podrick Payne, Tyrion's squire.
 * Ser Kevan Lannister, Lord Tywin's younger brother
 * Ser Lancel Lannister, his son and cousin to the Queen Regent.
 * Lady Olenna Tyrell, mother of Lord Mace Tyrell
 * Margaery Tyrell, King Tommen's betrothed. Widow of King Renly Baratheon and Lady Olenna's granddaughter.
 * Ser Loras Tyrell, called "the Knight of Flowers", Lady Margaery's brother.
 * Lord Varys, called "The Spider", the King's Master of Whisperers and a member of the small council.
 * Grand Maester Pycelle, the Red Keep's resident healer and king's adviser in matters of science and history, a member of the small council.
 * Ser Ilyn Payne, the King's Justice, a mute headsman and executioner.
 * Ser Aron Santagar, Master-at-Arms of the Red Keep.
 * Lord Gyles Rosby, Lord of Rosby.

Behind the scenes
Production Designer Gemma Jackson said that the look of the floor in the Red Keep is based on the Pantheon in Rome.

In the books
In A Song of Ice and Fire, the Red Keep is a major castle complex located at the south-eastern corner of the city of King's Landing, directly overlooking the Blackwater Rush and Blackwater Bay. It is built atop Aegon's High Hill, the tallest hill of the city, and affords a panoramic view of the rest of the city. It consists of a number of interconnected buildings, such as the main keep, a secondary castle called Maegor's Holdfast and the Tower of the Hand, the seat of the Hand of the King. White Sword Tower is the base of operations for the Kingsguard. The Red Keep is so-named due to the redstone bricks used to build it.

The Red Keep was built approximately three centuries prior to the events of the series and replaced an earlier wooden fort called "Aegonfort", built by King Aegon I Targaryen where he first set foot on the continent and used as his base of operations in his conquest of Westeros. After Aegon deemed the fort unsuitable for rule, he took the royal court to Dragonstone, and ruled there for many years until his death. The construction of the Keep was an immense undertaking, spanning the reign of the first few Targaryen kings, although modifications and additions to the castle have been made ever since.