Janos Slynt

"I'm not questioning your honor, Lord Janos. I'm denying its existence."

- Tyrion Lannister

Janos Slynt is a recurring character in the first, second and fourth seasons. He is played by guest star Dominic Carter and debuts in "Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things." Janos Slynt is the commander of the City Watch in King's Landing. He is named Lord of Harrenhal and becomes the founder of House Slynt for his service to King Joffrey Baratheon and the betrayal and arrest of Ned Stark. He is exiled to the Night's Watch by the acting Hand of the King, Tyrion Lannister, for his part in the massacre of King Robert Baratheon's bastard children.

Background
Janos Slynt is the commander of the King's Landing City Watch (also called the "Gold Cloaks"), with almost two thousand men under his command. He is charged with keeping peace and order in the city and quelling unrest.

Season 1
Janos reports to the small council about the disruptions to the city caused by the tournament to celebrate Lord Eddard Stark's appointment. Lord Renly Baratheon suggests dismissing Janos in favor of someone more competent, but Janos angrily replies he doesn't have enough resources. Eddard offers him twenty of his household guard and commands Littlefinger to find gold to pay for an expansion of the City Watch by another fifty men.

After Eddard resolves to expose Joffrey Baratheon's true birth, he asks for the help of the City Watch. Littlefinger agrees to bribe them into supporting Eddard's plan. Janos tells Eddard that they are with him, but is then seen exchanging looks with Queen Cersei. During the confrontation, the City Watch turns on Eddard and kills his men, allowing him to be taken prisoner. Following Lord Stark's arrest, Janos is named the new Lord of Harrenhal and head of House Slynt by King Joffrey, as a reward for his loyalty. He also attends the execution of Lord Stark.

Season 2
Lord Janos has been given a place in the small council. During a session that coincides with King Joffrey Baratheon's sixteenth nameday and the official announcement of the end of the longest summer in living memory, he expresses his concern with the influx of refugees fleeing the civil war. He is ordered by Queen Regent Cersei Lannister to bar the city gates to peasants. Later, Janos oversees the massacre of all of the late King Robert Baratheon's bastard children. He personally murders the baby Barra before the eyes of her mother Mhaegen, one of Littlefinger's prostitutes, when one of his men expresses doubt. He also interrogates Tobho Mott, who is being tortured by one of the gold cloaks, about the whereabouts of Gendry and learns that he has joined the Night's Watch and is heading to Castle Black. Janos sends a small party of men after Gendry.

Janos is present at a small council meeting when they receive a request for more men from Lord Commander Jeor Mormont of the Night's Watch. Tyrion has Janos as a dinner guest in the Tower of the Hand. Tyrion dismisses his squire, Podrick Payne, after Janos begins to chastise the boy for spilling wine on his hand. The two exchange compliments and jokes. Tyrion asks about the incident in Petyr's brothel, which Janos calls a nasty business, but necessary. Tyrion feigns agreement, saying that the peace must be kept, before adding that he did not realize the peace depended on killing babies. Janos insists that he was obeying orders. Tyrion says that Janos is right, especially when they are the Queen's orders. Janos is careful to point out that he did not say the orders came from the Queen. Tyrion asserts that no-one else would want to murder King Robert Baratheon's bastards, and Janos says only that Tyrion knows Cersei better than he does. Tyrion asks if Janos has heard the rumors about Cersei's incestuous relationship with Jaime. Janos claims that he does not listen to filth. Tyrion insists that those that believe the rumors would consider Robert's bastards better claimants to the throne than Joffrey. Janos asserts his loyalty to Joffrey and says that the rest does not interest him.

Tyrion says that he appreciates Janos' loyalty and then questions him about the murder of Eddard's men in the throne room, asking if Janos ordered their deaths. Janos says that he did and goes on to say that he would do the same again, because Eddard was a traitor who tried to buy his loyalty. Tyrion says that Eddard was a fool for not realizing that Janos had already been bought. Janos accuses Tyrion of being drunk and says that he will not let Tyrion impugn his honor. Tyrion says that he is not questioning Janos's honor, but denying its existence. Janos stands up and threatens Tyrion, calling him a dwarf, but Tyrion points out Bronn behind Janos. Tyrion elucidates that he intends to serve as Hand of the King until Tywin's return from the war and that he cannot trust Janos as Commander of the City Watch because he betrayed Eddard.

Janos insists that his friends at court will not allow Tyrion to replace him and that they will hear what Joffrey has to say. Tyrion says that they will not and nods to Bronn who summons four gold cloaks. Tyrion tells Janos that he is being sent to take the black and that he will leave on a ship for Eastwatch-by-the-Sea later that night. Tyrion says that he hopes Janos will enjoy the Wall and adds that he found it beautiful in a brutal, uncomfortable way. Bronn tells Janos that the gold cloaks will escort him to the ship, because the city streets aren't safe at night. Janos insists that the men are under his command, and Tyrion explains that Bronn is now commander of the city watch. Janos is dragged off, still protesting about his connections at court.

In the books
In A Song of Ice and Fire, Janos Slynt was a commoner, a butcher's son, who joined the Watch and rose through the ranks first to captain of the Iron Gate and then to become its commander at the death of the former commander, Manly Stokeworth. The City Watch or Gold Cloaks is one of the few institutions in Westeros to permit promotion of non-nobles from the ranks. He is a somewhat humorless man who is arrogant and proud of his achievements. He is bald, stout, and heavily jowled, often described as frog faced and shaped like a keg. He is the father of Morros, Jothos, Danos, and a daughter.

Arya Stark sees Janos Slynt at the Sept of Baelor throw her father down on his knees for Ser Ilyn Payne to behead him. Tywin Lannister is indignant that he was raised to Lord of Harrenhal, due to his low birth and Harrenhal having been the seat of a King. This is one of the questionable decisions that Tywin sends Tyrion to King's Landing to remedy as acting Hand.

The books also establish that Slynt had amassed wealth by taking bribes, selling positions, and promotions. By the end of his tenure, over half the officers were paying him part of their salaries. Jon Arryn discovered this and had two men who were willing to come forward to testify against Janos, but both were found dead a short time later. Jon still wanted to dismiss Slynt but King Robert preferred a known thief over someone who might be worse. According to Stannis Baratheon, these were Littlefinger's words, which Robert was merely repeating. Littlefinger managed to successfully convince Robert that Janos was no worse than past Commanders who took bribes now and again, when he was in fact one of the most corrupt in the history of the City Watch - outright selling positions and promotions is actually very unusual, even in their jaded history. Stannis also believes that Littlefinger not only knew of Slynt's corruption, but also made sure the crown profited from it: Janos was probably on Littlefinger's direct payroll for years, though at what point he sided exclusively with Littlefinger is difficult to say. Stannis also comments that were he King, Slynt would have lost more than his position for such corruption.

In A Clash of Kings, Janos doesn't personally kill Barra, but instead sends one of his subordinates, Allar Deem. Tyrion is still disgusted with Slynt (as he is in the TV series) because he happily passed on the orders to a man under his command, and was thus ultimately responsible for it. Deem is exiled to the Wall with Slynt, though Tyrion gives orders for Deem to be killed and thrown overboard before he arrives.