High Septon (Before the riot of King's Landing)

The High Septon is the title of a character in Game of Thrones. He is played by Simon Fisher-Becker and debuts in the second season.

The High Septon is the head of the Faith of the Seven, the dominant religion of the Seven Kingdoms. It is a position of supreme authority within the church, but he has little or no power outside of the religion.

In the books
In the Song of Ice and Fire novels, the High Septon is elected to the role by the Most Devout, the senior ruling council for the faith. Upon taking the role, the High Septon gives up his former name as a symbol of devoting his life to the Faith and to the Seven. The High Septon is based at the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing, the center of power for the Faith.

The position of High Septon used to be considerably more powerful. Before the invasion of Aegon the Conqueror, the High Septon (then based at the Starry Sept in the city of Oldtown) commanded thousands of Faith Militant knights and was a powerful player in the politics and affairs of the Seven Kingdoms. When Aegon invaded, the then-High Septon prayed in the Starry Sept for seven days and nights before deciding to declare the Faith's support for Aegon's cause. However, after Aegon's death, the Faith objected strenuously to his son, a bastard born of incest, taking the throne, and led a huge uprising against the Targaryen dynasty. The resulting civil war lasted a dozen years until King Jaehaerys I made peace with the Faith and disbanded the Faith Militant. Since this time the High Septon has had very little power or ability to influence events outside of the church.