House Baratheon

"...the Baratheons fight each other..."

- Daenerys Targaryen to Jorah Mormont

House Baratheon of Storm's End is a legally extinct Great House of Westeros. A cadet branch was formerly the royal house, but House Lannister now controls the throne. House Baratheon traditionally ruled the Stormlands on the eastern coast of Westeros, aptly named for its frequent storms, from their seat of Storm's End.

House Baratheon became the royal house of the Seven Kingdoms after Robert Baratheon led a rebellion against the Targaryen dynasty. At the end of the rebellion, Robert ascended the Iron Throne as Robert I and married Cersei Lannister after the death of Lyanna Stark.

House Baratheon's sigil is a crowned black stag on a gold background and their house words are "Ours Is the Fury."

House Baratheon is now legally extinct due to Stannis Baratheon's death, but the family bloodline lives on through Gendry, a bastard son of Robert Baratheon and the last known living person with true blood ties to the Baratheon family.

Background
House Baratheon was founded by Orys Baratheon, a general in the army of King Aegon I Targaryen, the founder of the Targaryen dynasty who conquered the Seven Kingdoms. Orys Baratheon was also rumored to be Aegon's bastard half-brother. He defeated Argilac the Arrogant, the last of the Storm Kings, and captured his castle of Storm's End. For his accomplishments, Orys was made Lord of Storm's End and founded House Baratheon. Orys took the sigil and words of the defeated House Durrandon as his own, cementing his rule over the Stormlands by marrying Argella Durrandon, the daughter of the fallen Argilac.





281 years later, Lord Robert Baratheon led a rebellion against King Aerys II Targaryen after his eldest son and heir, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, ran off with Robert's betrothed, Lyanna Stark. Robert, who was backed by Eddard Stark, Jon Arryn, and Hoster Tully, slew Rhaegar at the Battle of the Trident, and King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, was soon afterwards sacked by Tywin Lannister in Robert's name. At the end of the rebellion, Ned Stark found his sister Lyanna in the Tower of Joy in Dorne, where she died "in a bed of blood." With the last known Targaryens - Prince Viserys and Princess Daenerys - having fled across the Narrow Sea to the Free Cities of Essos, Robert ascended to the Iron Throne as King Robert I. He was wed to Tywin's daughter, Cersei Lannister, and thus formed the royal cadet branch House Baratheon of King's Landing. Robert appointed Jon Arryn as his Hand of the King.

When Robert became the new King, he left his youngest brother Renly Baratheon, who was only a child at the time, to rule the Stormlands from Storm's End. Meanwhile, he appointed his middle brother Stannis Baratheon as the new Lord of Dragonstone; Dragonstone was traditionally the seat of the heir to the Iron Throne. This formed the cadet branch House Baratheon of Dragonstone, which was solidified by Stannis's marriage to Selyse Florent. This also made Stannis the liege lord of several minor outlying islands of the Crownlands which were in Blackwater Bay. This was seen as an insult to Stannis, who had failed to capture the last Targaryens at Dragonstone when he assaulted the storm-ridden island, as windswept and isolated Dragonstone was not as wealthy or prestigious as Storm's End. However, Stannis was a proven military commander and a loyal vassal of his experience was needed to rein in Dragonstone, whose lord ruled over the houses that had been the most loyal to House Targaryen.

Renly and Stannis both served on Robert's Small Council as Master of Laws and Master of Ships, respectively. However, they continued to be referred to as Lord Renly and Lord Stannis even after Robert's ascension to the Iron Throne, not Prince Renly and Prince Stannis.



It isn't exactly clear how King Robert envisioned dividing up his possessions for future generations of House Baratheon, or if he even had a plan. It isn't clear if he meant to permanently unite the Crownlands around King's Landing with the Stormlands around Storm's End (which do border the Crownlands). Alternatively, he might have handed off Storm's End and the Stormlands to a cadet branch of House Baratheon formed by Stannis or Renly's children, while Robert's own "children" ruled the Crownlands. There's even the possibility that Robert intended to cut his younger brothers out of the succession entirely, and have the rule of the Stormlands pass to his younger "son" Tommen. Whatever plans Robert or his councilors may have had were swept away by the outbreak of war upon his unexpected death.

Season 1
King Robert I Baratheon travels north to Winterfell to ask his old friend Eddard Stark to serve as the new Hand of the King after the sudden and mysterious death of their father figure Jon Arryn, who had fostered Robert and Ned together at the Eyrie in the Vale during their youth. Ned reluctantly accepts the position after receiving a raven from Lysa Arryn, Jon's wife and Catelyn Stark's sister, who tells them that the Lannisters poisoned her husband. Ned brings his daughters Sansa and Arya with him to King's Landing; Robert seeks to unite Houses Baratheon and Stark once and for all by marrying Sansa to his eldest son and heir, Prince Joffrey Baratheon. While traveling on the Kingsroad, Robert warns Ned that a war is coming after he informs his old friend that Daenerys Targaryen has been wed to a Dothraki khal, Drogo, as arranged by Viserys Targaryen. Joffrey is mauled by Arya's direwolf Nymeria when he attacks Arya's training partner and friend Mycah. He has his personal bodyguard, Sandor Clegane, ride down Mycah while Queen Cersei Lannister has Sansa's direwolf Lady executed after Arya forced Nymeria to escape into the woods.

Once he arrives in King's Landing, Ned attends his first Small Council meeting, where he learns that Robert has allowed the realm to become bankrupt, and is in massive debt to House Lannister, who in turn owes a tremendous amount of gold to the Iron Bank of Braavos. Ned is unwilling to allow a tournament to be held in his name because of the amount it will cost, but Robert pushes it forward anyhow. During this time, Ned investigates the death of Jon Arryn. Meanwhile, Catelyn Stark has Tyrion Lannister seized by knights of her father's bannermen, accusing him of attempting to murder and crippling her son Brandon while staying at Winterfell (which had actually been done by Jaime Lannister after the Stark boy caught him and Cersei engaging in incest). Tyrion is able to escape when the sellsword Bronn defends him in a trial by combat at the Eyrie, but his father, Tywin Lannister, invades the Riverlands nonetheless, the province ruled by House Tully, Catelyn and Lysa's house.

Meanwhile, Ser Jaime attacks Ned Stark outside of Littlefinger's brothel; Ned previously resigned as Hand after Robert ordered him to consent to the assassination of Daenerys Targaryen. Robert forces Ned to continue serving as Hand while he goes hunting with Ser Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard, his brother Renly, and his squire Lancel Lannister, a cousin to Queen Cersei. Ned deduces that Robert's children with Cersei are actually bastards born of incest between Cersei and Jaime, concluding that the Lannisters did in fact poison Jon Arryn when he made the same discovery. Ned confronts the Queen over it, where she does not deny it, noting that the Targaryens wed brother and sister for three hundred years. Ned has a message sent to Stannis Baratheon informing him of this, as he is now the rightful heir to the throne. When Robert returns from his boar hunt, however, Renly takes Ned to him, revealing that he has been mortally wounded after drinking too much wine given to him by Cersei's cousin Lancel. Before Robert sends Ned away, he has Ned write his will, naming Ned the Lord Regent and Protector of the Realm upon his death until his son Joffrey comes of age. Ned, knowing the truth of Joffrey's parentage, rewrites this to the "rightful heir." Robert also has a change of heart and orders Ned to put a stop to Daenerys's assassination if it isn't too late.

Robert eventually succumbs to his wounds and dies. Renly, who previously urged Ned to support his own claim to the throne, flees the capital with Ser Loras Tyrell and 50 retainers, riding south hastily. Ned Stark is brought to the throne room, where the herald names Joffrey as the new King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm. Ned gives Robert's will to Ser Barristan, but Cersei tears the paper up and demands that Ned to bend the knee to her son. When Ned refuses and threatens to use arms to imprison Joffrey and Cersei, Janos Slynt instead has his gold cloaks turn on Ned's guards, and Petyr Baelish, who previously conspired with Ned, draws a dagger and holds it at Ned's throat, reminding him that he did warn him not to trust him.

At court, Joffrey appoints Tywin Lannister as the new Hand of the King. Cersei, who is now Queen Regent, dismisses Ser Barristan from the Kingsguard. Despite Cersei's urging to send Ned to the Night's Watch and Sansa's pleading for her father's life, Joffrey has Ned Stark executed for treason on the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor, causing the North and the Riverlands to rise up in rebellion and proclaim Robb Stark the King in the North. The War of the Five Kings begins.

Season 2
At Dragonstone, Stannis Baratheon has declared himself the rightful King of the Andals and the First Men. A red priestess, Melisandre, who has been brought in after Stannis's wife, Selyse Baratheon, has fallen under her influence, burns the idols of the seven gods and declares Stannis The Prince That Was Promised, the champion of R'hllor, the Lord of Light, who will lead humankind against a great coming darkness. Stannis's scribe, Matthos Seaworth, drafts the letter in the Chamber of the Painted Table that Stannis plans to send across the realm to declare his claim to the Iron Throne. Ser Davos Seaworth, Matthos's father and Stannis's friend, warns Stannis that Renly Baratheon has declared himself king as well and has not only the bannermen of the Stormlands backing him but also those of the Reach, ruled by House Tyrell. Davos advises Stannis to make peace with Renly but Stannis refuses to as long as Renly calls himself king.

Catelyn Stark is sent by her son Robb Stark to negotiate with Renly; though Robb sought to back Stannis's claim as he is the rightful heir, Renly has by far the largest army, numbering around 100,000 men, the full might of the Stormlands and the Reach. During this time, Catelyn attends a parley between Stannis and Renly in the Stormlands, where Stannis is surprised to find Catelyn by Renly's side since her husband, Eddard Stark, was a supporter of Stannis's claim. Catelyn tries to convince the brothers to make peace since they share a common enemy, but Renly refuses to back down, and Stannis declares his ultimatum: the Iron Throne is his by right, and all those that deny it are his foes. Stannis tells his brother to come to dawn with his decision. Melisandre warns Renly to look to his sins, for the night is dark and full of terror.

While negotiating in Renly's tent, Catelyn witnesses Renly's death by a shadow with Stannis's face, which had been conjured up by Melisandre with Stannis's permission after the two had sex at Dragonstone. Catelyn flees with Brienne of Tarth, one of Renly's Kingsguard who also witnessed the death, as Stannis's fleet closes in. The houses of the Reach flee, including Ser Loras Tyrell, Renly's lover, and Margaery Tyrell, who had been wed to Renly, but the stormlords stay behind and pledge fealty to Stannis. Petyr Baelish, who had been sent to negotiate with Catelyn by Tyrion Lannister, seeks to form an alliance between the Lannisters, who back Joffrey "Baratheon", and the Tyrells.

While sailing across Blackwater Bay to King's Landing, Stannis discusses the Siege of Storm's End with Davos. He appoints Davos as his Hand. With Renly's bannermen behind him, Stannis assaults King's Landing at the Battle of the Blackwater, which becomes the largest battle in the War of the Five Kings. The majority of his fleet is destroyed with wildfire by Tyrion Lannister, who serves Joffrey as acting Hand of the King in his father's stead, but Stannis is able to land his troops ashore near the Mud Gate anyway. Joffrey cowers in fear and returns to the Red Keep per his mother's urging, so Tyrion leads the counterattack against Stannis's forces. Tyrion and his men sneak through hidden routes designed by the Targaryens and attack the Baratheon troops from a flank, but more Baratheon soldiers arrive anyway. The Baratheon troops nearly overpower the Lannister forces when Tywin Lannister rides in with Ser Loras Tyrell, who dons Renly's armor, and their combined armies. Stannis is forced to retreat in order to survive. Joffrey's hold on the Iron Throne is secured.

At Dragonstone, Stannis has lost faith in Melisandre, remembering the murder of his own brother Renly. He chokes and threatens to kill her but his confidence in her is rekindled when Melisandre shows him a vision in the flames with an eventually victorious Stannis. Meanwhile, in King's Landing, Tywin is formally appointed Hand of the King and declared the Savior of the City while Joffrey agrees to wed Margaery Tyrell, ending his arrangement to Sansa Stark.

Season 3
A surviving Ser Davos Seaworth is brought back to Dragonstone by a reluctant Salladhor Saan, who does not stay behind. Salladhor warns Davos that Melisandre has burnt men alive as sacrifices to the Lord of Light and has convinced Stannis of dark evils. When Davos walks into the Chamber of the Painted Table, Melisandre confronts the Onion Knight over his persuading of Stannis to not bring Melisandre to the Battle of the Blackwater previously at Renly's camp. Davos attempts to kill Melisandre but is seized by Stannis's guards and locked into the cells beneath Dragonstone.

Stannis visits his wife Selyse and confesses to having been unfaithful to her, but Selyse tells Stannis that she already knows and is fine with it, as any act done in the name of the Lord of Light is no sin. Selyse, a fanatic worshiper of the Lord of Light, shows the jars of her preserved fetuses to Stannis, apologizing for failing to produce any male heirs like Melisandre "did" (with her shadow). Stannis then visits his daughter Shireen, who has been permanently scarred from her cured greyscale, where he tells her that he lost the Battle of the Blackwater. Shireen asks if Davos survived, but Stannis tells Shireen that Davos is imprisoned for treason, which saddens Shireen. Secretly, Shireen visits Davos in his cell, where she sneaks through books and helps teach the Onion Knight how to read, like his late son always wanted.

Stannis later visits Davos and apologizes for keeping him locked away in the cell, agreeing to free him so long as Davos vows never to raise a hand to Melisandre again. Stannis informs Davos that Melisandre has traveled to the Riverlands and returned with Gendry, a bastard son of Robert Baratheon - the last bastard son of Robert after Joffrey's purge. Melisandre intends to sacrifice Gendry for his kings blood, strapping him to a bed and leeching him. Stannis throws the three leeches into the flames, naming the remaining three kings in the War of the Five Kings with each leech: Joffrey "Baratheon," Robb Stark, and Balon Greyjoy. Stannis becomes divided between Melisandre and Davos, the latter of whom advises Stannis to not sacrifice Gendry, but Stannis is convinced by Melisandre to burn him alive as an offering to the Lord of Light. Realizing it is too late, Davos, who previously bonded with Gendry over their lowborn status, sets Gendry free and gives him a boat to row back to King's Landing.

When Stannis and Melisandre discover this, Stannis angrily sentences Davos to death for betraying him, also revealing that Robb Stark is dead, having been betrayed and murdered at the Red Wedding by Roose Bolton and Walder Frey. However, before he is taken away by the guards, Davos shows a letter to Stannis he found while reading Stannis's received letters with Shireen, revealing his literacy, though protecting Shireen by revealing he learned from his son Matthos before his death. Davos explains that the letter is from the Night's Watch at Castle Black and warns of the return of the White Walkers. Stannis hands over the letter to Melisandre, who burns it and says that death marches on the Wall and that only Stannis can stop it. Melisandre then tells the just Stannis to keep Davos alive, saying that he has a role to play in the war to come, which shocks Davos.

Season 4
Ser Davos Seaworth is able to secure some minor houses across Westeros to support Stannis Baratheon, but none make a significant difference. Stannis reveals to Davos that Joffrey is dead, having been poisoned at his own wedding to Margaery Tyrell, meaning that Tommen "Baratheon" now sits the Iron Throne. Davos urges Stannis to look east to hire mercenary companies like the Golden Company, but the honorable Stannis does not want to hire sellswords, which confuses Davos as Stannis has used blood magic in attempts to secure the throne. Stannis warns Davos that he is running out of time, which means Davos is running out of time.

While reading letters with Shireen, Davos has the idea of trying to secure the financial banking of the Iron Bank of Braavos, which House Lannister and thus the false House Baratheon of King's Landing is in heavy debt to. Davos has Shireen write a letter to the officers of the Iron Bank in Stannis's name. Stannis and Davos then sail to the Free City of Braavos, where they meet with Tycho Nestoris and two other representatives of the Iron Bank. Initially, they decline to support Stannis despite their reputation of funding the enemies of those who fail to pay back their debts, but Davos convinces them that Stannis is their best option to pay back the debts owed to the Iron Bank. Davos later travels to a brothel, where he rehires Salladhor Saan to sail with Stannis and his newly purchased forces.

Stannis marches north at last, where he relieves the Night's Watch against the wildling army at the Battle of Castle Black. Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, is taken prisoner while Davos confronts Jon Snow over why he is in the wildling camp. Jon reveals himself as Eddard Stark's bastard son and warns Stannis to burn the dead to prevent them from returning as wights.

Season 5
Melisandre brings Jon Snow atop the Wall, where Stannis Baratheon reveals to Jon that he intends to take back the North from Roose Bolton. Stannis implores Jon to convince Mance Rayder to bend the knee so that the wildlings can march in his army against House Bolton, but Mance refuses. Melisandre has Mance burnt alive with Stannis's permission, though Jon shoots an arrow into his heart out of mercy. Stannis tries to convince Jon Snow to kneel before him so that he can rise as Jon Stark, Lord of Winterfell, but Jon is hesitant to break his vows to the Night's Watch. He finally declines Stannis after he is chosen as the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, though he continues to house Stannis and his men at Castle Black. Ser Davos Seaworth tries to convince Jon that the best way to protect the realms of men against the White Walkers isn't by sitting at a frozen castle at the edge of the world, and thus marching with Stannis wouldn't be a violation of his vows since part of the oath is to act as the shield that guards the realms of men. Later, while watching Jon train recruits, Stannis and Selyse discuss Ned Stark. Stannis thinks highly of Jon and points out that fathering bastards wasn't Ned Stark's way.

Stannis finally departs from Castle Black as the snows are picking up, forcing him to march on Winterfell. The march is hard on Stannis's army, however, which is largely unfamiliar with the terrain of the North and begins to starve, freeze, and weaken them. Stannis sends Ser Davos back to Castle Black demanding for horses and grain from Lord Commander Jon Snow, not allowing Davos to take Stannis's family with him. Melisandre tells Stannis that the best way to clear a path for Stannis is to sacrifice another to the Lord of Light with kings blood: Stannis's daughter Shireen. Stannis initially refuses, however, disgusted. However, desperate to save his army and continue the march, Stannis reluctantly allows Melisandre to sacrifice Shireen by burning her alive. Selyse, her motherly love overcoming her fanaticism, rushes to try and save her but is unable to do so.

Soon afterwards, Stannis is informed that half his army has deserted and is shown the body of his wife Selyse, who has hanged herself. Stannis is then informed that Melisandre has been spotted riding out of camp. Realizing that he has lost, Stannis orders his remaining forces into formation and to resume their march onto Winterfell. Stannis marches and orders for siege preparations to begin, but Ramsay Bolton leads a cavalry charge against Stannis, beginning the Battle of Winterfell. The Bolton forces easily overcome the remaining exhausted Baratheon army. In the woods, Stannis is found by Brienne of Tarth, who sentences Stannis to death for his role in Renly Baratheon's death. Stannis tells Brienne to go on and do her duty as she beheads him, ending the trueborn bloodline of House Baratheon.

Season 6
Though House Baratheon is in fact no more, King Tommen I "Baratheon" of the still surviving cadet branch House Baratheon of King's Landing continues to use the Baratheon name to legitimize his rule, thus leaving House Baratheon still legally in tact. He mourns the death of his sister Myrcella, who had been poisoned in Dorne by Ellaria Sand, in the Great Sept of Baelor with his "uncle" (actually father) Jaime Lannister. Tommen keeps his mother Cersei locked away in the Red Keep as he is still under the spell of the High Sparrow. Jaime urges Tommen to apologize to his mother, which he does.

Tommen confides in his mother that the High Sparrow plans to force Queen Margaery Tyrell to atone for her sins through a walk of shame like Cersei's; Tommen previously met with the High Sparrow demanding Margaery's release. Cersei and Jaime plot with their uncle Kevan, who continues his tenure as Tommen's Hand, and Olenna Tyrell to allow the Tyrell army to march into King's Landing to the Great Sept of Baelor to prevent this from happening. However, at the standoff between Mace Tyrell's host and the Faith Militant, the High Sparrow reveals that he has solidified a new holy alliance between the Crown and the Faith: by bringing Tommen out of the Sept of Baelor and having him declare a new age of harmony along with Queen Margaery, who later reveals to her grandmother Olenna that she is playing along. The gathered smallfolk cheer on. Because of his march against the High Septon, Tommen has Jaime Lannister dismissed from the Kingsguard and commands him to ride to the Riverlands to assist the Freys in their siege of Riverrun, which had been recaptured by Ser Brynden Tully, one of the last of Robb Stark's men.

Still under the influence of the High Sparrow, Tommen decrees to the court that the trials of Cersei Lannister and Loras Tyrell are to take place on the first day of the Festival of the Mother and that trial by combat has been banished, forcing Cersei and Loras to face seven judges, including the High Sparrow himself. On the day of the trial, however, Cersei has the Great Sept of Baelor destroyed with leftover wildfire from the time of the Mad King, destroying her gathered enemies: the Sparrows and the Tyrells. Witnessing the explosion from the Red Keep and being informed of the deaths of all attendants, Tommen removes his crown and flings himself from the castle. With this, House Baratheon becomes legally extinct. With none standing in her away, Cersei Lannister seizes the Iron Throne and is proclaimed by Qyburn, her new Hand, the Queen of the Andals and the First Men and Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, forging at last a new and public Lannister dynasty as her father wished, no longer ruling from the shadows, though Jaime, having taken back Riverrun from the Blackfish, watches on Cersei's coronation with a grim look on his face.

Jon Snow, resurrected by Melisandre at the behest of Ser Davos Seaworth, both former advisors to the late Stannis Baratheon, fulfills Stannis's goal of uniting the North against the White Walkers when he gathers a host of Stark loyalists with Sansa Stark and marches on Winterfell at the Battle of the Bastards. Jon is subsequently declared the new King in the North by the gathered lords, which include the former followers of Stannis Baratheon.

Season 7
When Daenerys Targaryen sends her Hand, Tyrion Lannister, to King's Landing to negotiate with his brother Jaime Lannister, Ser Davos Seaworth, who smuggles in Tyrion, travels to Flea Bottom. At the Street of Steel, Davos finds the unrecognized bastard Gendry, the last living person with Baratheon blood through his father, Robert Baratheon. Gendry recognizes Davos and agrees to accompany him back to Dragonstone, expressing his disgust over forcibly forging armor and swords for the Lannisters, who killed his father and his family and tried to kill him. Gendry brings with him a war hammer with the Baratheon sigil emblazened on it, similar to the one his father Robert famously used during Robert's Rebellion and the Greyjoy Rebellion. Gendry uses the hammer to kill two gold cloaks that recognize Tyrion. Back at Dragonstone, Davos tells Gendry to keep his identity a secret, but Gendry immediately introduces himself to Jon Snow, the new King in the North, as Robert Baratheon's bastard son. The two bastards get along well, reminiscing over their fathers (Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark, unaware that Jon is actually the son of Rhaegar Targaryen, whom Robert killed at the Battle of the Trident). Just as Robert and Ned fought together, Gendry agrees to fight with Jon and accompanies him to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea in his mission to capture a wight to prove the existence and return of the White Walkers. At Eastwatch, Gendry warns Jon not to trust the Brotherhood Without Banners but Jon says that they are all on the same side because they're "all breathing."

Beyond the Wall, Gendry asks the wildling Tormund how he kept himself warm, stating that he's never seen snow before. When Tormund jokingly alludes to needing to have sex with Gendry in order to keep warm, the disturbed Gendry falls back. He confronts Beric Dondarrion and Thoros over selling him to Melisandre when Gendry tried to join the Brotherhood years back, but Sandor Clegane tells Gendry to quit his whinging. Thoros offers Gendry rum, which Gendry drinks. Later, after successfully capturing a wight, Jon has Gendry run back to Eastwatch when that wight attracts the attention of hundreds of more wights. Tormund forces Gendry to leave behind his war hammer. Gendry makes it back to Eastwatch nearly exhausted, where he has Ser Davos send a raven to Dragonstone asking Daenerys for help.

Members

 * King {Robert Baratheon}, the former head of the family. King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm. Killed by a boar.
 * Queen Cersei, his wife of House Lannister. Queen Mother after Robert's death.
 * King {Joffrey Baratheon}, their eldest son. Poisoned at his royal wedding by Olenna Tyrell.
 * Princess {Myrcella Baratheon}, their only daughter. Betrothed to Trystane Martell. Poisoned by Ellaria Sand.
 * King {Tommen Baratheon}, their youngest son. Jumped out of a window in the Red Keep after witnessing the Destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor.
 * Queen {Margaery}, his wife of House Tyrell. Widow of Joffrey and Renly. Burned alive by wildfire during the Destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor.
 * King {Stannis Baratheon}, Robert's younger brother, the Lord of Dragonstone and Storm's End, claimant to the Iron Throne. Killed by Brienne of Tarth after the failed Battle of Winterfell.
 * Queen {Selyse}, his wife of House Florent. Hanged herself after the death of their daughter.
 * Princess {Shireen Baratheon}, their daughter. Burned alive by Melisandre as a sacrifice to the Lord of Light.
 * King {Renly Baratheon}, Robert's youngest brother, the Lord of Storm's End, also a claimant to the Iron Throne. Killed by a shadow.

Note: Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen are claimed to be the children of King Robert Baratheon, but actually were born of incest between Queen Cersei and her twin brother, Ser Jaime Lannister. Thus, Stannis was Robert's lawful heir before his death. With the deaths of Stannis and Shireen, the bloodline of House Baratheon is legally extinct (Gendry is an unacknowledged bastard of Robert Baratheon and thus not entitled to claim the Baratheon name). With the death of Tommen, the people of Westeros start to believe that House Baratheon is completely extinct.

Vassal Houses

 * House Connington of Griffin's Roost
 * House Errol of Haystack Hall
 * House Estermont of Greenstone
 * House Grandison of Grandview
 * House Morrigen of Crow's Nest
 * House Musgood
 * House Peasebury of Poddingfield
 * House Tarth of Evenfall Hall
 * {House Toyne} - extinct
 * House Trant of Gallowsgrey
 * House Seaworth of Cape Wrath
 * House Wylde of Rain House

Houses from the Dornish Marches Houses from Blackwater Bay
 * House Caron of Nightsong
 * House Dondarrion of Blackhaven
 * House Selmy of Harvest Hall
 * House Swann of Stonehelm
 * House Velaryon of Driftmark

In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Orys Baratheon was the rumored bastard half-brother of King Aegon I Targaryen, the conqueror of the Seven Kingdoms. Orys led an army which slew the last of the Storm Kings, Argilac the Arrogant, and captured his castle of Storm's End. For his loyal service, Orys was made a lord and allowed to found his own Great House, marrying the daughter of Argilac and taking his sigil and words for his own. At just under 300 years, this makes House Baratheon the youngest by far of the Great Houses.

House Baratheon has ruled over the tempest-wracked southeastern shores of Westeros, the area known as the Stormlands, ever since. It has produced a number of great and notable warriors, such as Ser Lyonel Baratheon, the Laughing Storm, and married into the royal House Targaryen several generations ago.

When Robert Baratheon's betrothed, Lyanna Stark, was kidnapped by Rhaegar Targaryen, he was enraged and raised his banners in rebellion against King Aerys II, along with Lyanna's brother (and Robert's best friend) Eddard Stark. They were joined by several other houses in a civil war known as Robert's Rebellion. Robert's army smashed the royal host at the Battle of the Trident and put it to rout. The treachery of House Lannister delivered the capital at King's Landing to Robert. With Lyanna killed during the war, Robert agreed to marry Cersei Lannister in gratitude for her father's pledge of fealty.

Robert became King and he made his brother Stannis (one year younger than him) the Lord of Dragonstone, the ancestral island stronghold of the Targaryens, and his youngest brother Renly (fifteen years younger) lord of the familial seat at Storm's End.

In a very minor difference to the books, the TV series spells "Argilac" as "Argalic". It is not clear if this is an error or a deliberate change. Another difference is that, after crowning himself King, Renly doesn't alter the colors of the Baratheon sigil.

Following the death of Robert and Renly, the only surviving members of House Baratheon are Stannis, his wife, and his daughter Shireen. No mention has been made in the five current novels of any surviving cousins, who might make claim to rule of House Baratheon. Robert is rumored to have fathered over a dozen bastards, but they are not considered legitimate heirs. Robert does have one acknowledged bastard, Edric Storm, whom he acknowledged because his mother was a member of the nobility. Robert had no part in raising him, instead sending him to foster at Storm's End.

In the TV series, their banner depicts a stag with a crown around its neck, while in the novels, the crown is above its head. The original stag sigil used by House Durrandon had a crown, but when Orys Baratheon took the sigil for his own the crown was removed because the Baratheons were not kings under the Targaryens. The crown was only added back nearly three centuries later, after Robert deposed the Targaryens and usurped the Iron Throne. Even in the TV series, during Bran Stark's history lesson in Season 1, he explicitly states that the stag in Baratheon heraldry only gained a crown after Robert became king.

Houses sworn to House Baratheon in the books, yet to appear in the series:
 * House Buckler of Bronzegate
 * House Cafferen of Fawnton
 * House Fell of Felwood
 * House Mertyns of Mistwood
 * House Penrose of Parchments

According to the TV series official pronunciation guide developed for the cast and crew, "Baratheon" is pronounced "Buh-RATH-ee-un".