Tommen Baratheon

"You sound like a little cat mewling for his mother. Princes don't cry."

- King Joffrey I berating his younger brother Tommen Baratheon

Tommen Baratheon is a recurring character in the first and second seasons. He is played by guest star Callum Wharry and debuts in the series premiere. Tommen is a prince of the Seven Kingdoms. His parents are King Robert Baratheon and Queen Cersei Lannister. He is heir to the Seven Kingdoms after his older brother King Joffrey Baratheon.

Background
Tommen is presented as the youngest son of King Robert Baratheon and Queen Cersei Lannister. Cersei and Robert made a political marriage alliance after Robert took the throne by force from the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen. Tommen's real father is Jaime Lannister, his mother's twin brother. He has an older brother, Joffrey, and an older sister Myrcella with the same obfuscated parentage. Both Tommen and Myrcella often accompany their father to the jousts. Tommen is good natured and passive in contrast to his brother Joffrey. Like his sister he is fond of his uncle Tyrion Lannister.

Season 1
Tommen accompanies his family north to Winterfell. Tommen is eating breakfast with his mother, father and sister as his uncle Tyrion approaches. He giggles as his uncle lifts him aside to join them. His sister asks whether Bran Stark will die and Tyrion replies that he is expected to live, much to Myrcella’s delight and Cersei’s horror. Tyrion goes on to say how he wishes to see the Wall and witness the “wintry abode of the white walkers,” exciting Myrcella and Tommen. He then says he wants to urinate off the edge of it, a comment which causes both his niece and nephew to laugh. Cersei is irritated by his words and leaves, calling the children to her.

Tommen attends the tournament to celebrate Eddard Stark becoming Hand of the King.

Season 2
Tommen attends Joffrey's nameday tournament. He is pleased when his uncle Tyrion Lannister arrives during the festivities and tells him that one day he will be as big as the Hound. .

Tommen attends a dinner with Myrcella, his mother and Sansa Stark. He asks whether Robb will be killed after the war, and says that he wouldn't like that.

Myrcella is sent to Dorne as part of a marriage pact with House Martell. Tommen watches her departure from the harbor, sobbing. Joffrey mocks him for crying. As they return to the Red Keep Tyrion senses the unrest of the smallfolk and orders Tommen sent by a separate route narrowly avoiding the Riot of King's Landing.

Tommen takes refuge in Maegor's Holdfast during the Battle of the Blackwater. Cersei takes him to the Iron Throne room when the battle seems lost. She tries to calm him with a tale about the supremacy of lions in the kingdom of beasts: the forest is full of vicious beasts, such as stags and wolves, but he is a lion,, and all will bow to him. She has gotten a vial of Essence of Nightshade from Grand Maester Pycelle, which is deadly if taken in more than tiny amounts and she prepares to give it to him if the city defenses fail, to grant him the mercy of a quick death instead of being captured and tormented. She is stopped just in time when Tywin Lannister arrives to announce their victory.

In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Tommen is seven years old when the events of the books begin. He is a gentle boy with an interest in tournaments and kittens. He is blonde haired, green eyed, somewhat pudgy, and not very good at martial skills (though he is very young), but he does try hard. When the royal party visits Winterfell, he is matched against Bran Stark in a training fight with wooden swords and padding. He is repeatedly knocked into the mud and loses easily, but shows good sportsmanship about it and is happy that Bran was willing to spar with him so he could give it a try. This is in contrast with Joffrey, who never bothers to train and therefore has no idea how to wield a sword, but also refuses to ever admit weakness. Many characters believe he would be a better king than his brother.

Like all of Cersei's children he was mostly ignored by King Robert. While Cersei felt she doted on all of her children, most of her attention was focused on Joffrey as heir to the throne. Cersei interprets Tommen's gentle nature as a sign of weakness, and hopes he will grow out of it. Indeed, being willfully blind to Joffrey's insanity and sadism, Cersei has actually been known to chide Tommen that she wishes he would be more "decisive" like his older brother. It is implied that Joffrey bullied Tommen, and he is known to have killed several of Tommen's pets, including a pet fawn which Joffrey killed and then made jerkin out of its skin (according to Jacelyn Bywater). However, Tommen seems to have a good relationship with his sister Myrcella.

Tommen goes to the tournament for Joffrey's nameday, having been given permission by Cersei to do a practice mounted sword fight against a quintain with a straw filled mannequin as his opponent. Joffrey sees that the quality of the jousting is poor (the Hound says they are all gnats, and Ser Dontos Hollard shows up drunk), and Joffrey decides to cancel the whole thing. Tommen and Myrcella protest, as Cersei said Tommen could take part, and Joffrey can't just cancel it. When Joffrey says they are acting childish, Myrcella responds, "We are children. We are supposed to act childish." The Hound laughs and says, "She's got you there." Joffrey relents and Tommen enthusiastically tries, but is knocked off of his horse, to Sansa and Myrcella's concern and to Joffrey's raucous laughter. Then Sansa realizes that Tommen has picked himself up and wants to try again. She realizes that even at eight years old, Tommen has all the bravery, determination, and character that Joffrey lacks and she wishes she was to marry him instead. She could be happy with Tommen.

Tommen is not present in King's Landing during the Battle of the Blackwater in the books. Instead, while Cersei viciously punishes subordinates who flee the city, she hypocritically sends Tommen to the nearby town of Rosby so he will be safe during the battle. Also, she had been furious when Myrcella's marriage contract and transport to Dorne had been arranged by Tyrion without her input, and she wants Tommen away from King's Landing and out of Tyrion's power. Tyrion learns of it and decides it's a good idea, as it will ensure both Tommen's safety and that there is still a claimant to the throne for their faction, should the approaching Stannis Baratheon take King's Landing and have Joffrey executed. He lets the plan go through, but then sends gold cloaks under Ser Jacelyn Bywater to intercept Tommen on the road so Tyrion's own forces will be in control of Tommen's security at Rosby. Cersei is incensed, and she has Ser Boros Blount stripped of his white cloak of the Kingsguard for letting them just take over security and have Tommen, instead what he should have done, which was dying fighting them. Cersei later takes the prostitute Alayaya prisoner, thinking that she is Tyrion's lover Shae, threatening her safety if Tyrion lets anything happen to Joffrey or Tommen during the battle (in the TV series, the prostitute was changed to Ros, and the subplot about Tommen in Tyrion's custody was cut, so Cersei only warned Tyrion about Joffrey's saftey).

According to the TV series official pronunciation guide developed for the cast and crew, "Tommen Baratheon" is pronounced "TAH-min Buh-RATH-ee-un", as opposed to "Tom-men", etc.