Master of Laws[1] is the chief legal officer and advisor to the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms on matters relating to the laws of the land and the administration of justice. The holder is a member of the monarch's Small Council, the inner cabinet of the realm. They are also responsible for overseeing the City Watch of King's Landing, managing the dungeons at the Red Keep, as well as supervising the royal executioner, also known as the King's Justice.
History[]
House of the Dragon: Season 1[]
Nine years into the reign of King Viserys I Targaryen, Lord Lyonel Strong of Harrenhal serves as Master of Laws. Prince Daemon Targaryen previously served as Master of Laws for a time, though the Hand of the King, Ser Otto Hightower, convinced Viserys that Daemon was acting as a tyrant, and had him removed. As Master of Laws, Lyonel Strong is mindful of precedent, and expresses doubt about Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen possibly being named heir, as no queen has ever sat the Iron Throne.[2]
After the dismissal of Ser Otto Hightower, Lord Strong is appointed as the new Hand of the King.[3] Lord Jasper Wylde thus takes his place as Master of Laws.[4]
Game of Thrones: Season 1[]
Renly Baratheon is Master of Laws, during the reign of his older brother, King Robert Baratheon. Renly abandons the title in order to lay claim to the Iron Throne himself following Robert's death.
Game of Thrones: Season 5[]
The post has remained vacant after Renly left. Even after Tywin's death, when Cersei restaffs the Small Council, she does not bother to appoint a new Master of Laws.[5]
Game of Thrones: Season 8[]
In the Small Council meeting following Bran Stark's election as King, Bran notes that they still do not have either a Master of War or a Master of Laws. Bran's hand Tyrion explains that suitable candidates for both positions are being evaluated and they will bring those candidates forth for an audience with Bran in the coming weeks.[6]
In the books[]
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, given that Renly was only a child when his eldest brother Robert was crowned king, he was only appointed as Master of Laws a few years before the beginning of the narrative, after he had come of age. It is not stated which person (or persons) served as Master of Laws under Robert before him.
Following the Battle of the Blackwater, Tywin grants the title to his younger brother, Kevan. However, Kevan did not reappear in Seasons 3 and 4, leaving it unclear if he held the position in the TV continuity. In Season 5's episode "The House of Black and White" however, he stated that he had only just returned to the capital for Tywin's funeral, indicating that he was not in King's Landing "off screen" during the past two seasons, but was in the Riverlands commanding Lannister armies. Therefore, in the TV continuity, Kevan was not made Master of Laws. Moreover, apparently the office was simply left vacant after Renly left - and it remains vacant after Tywin's death, because when Cersei reformed the Small Council she did not bother to name a new one.
In A Feast for Crows, Cersei renames the office justiciar. She appoints Lord Orton Merryweather to the office; he flees back to Longtable after Cersei is arrested.
In A Dance with Dragons, Kevan, currently the Lord Regent, appoints Lord Randyll Tarly as the new justiciar for King Tommen.
References[]
- ↑ Game of Thrones: Season 8, Episode 6: "The Iron Throne" (2019).
- ↑ "The Heirs of the Dragon"
- ↑ "We Light the Way"
- ↑ "The Princess and the Queen"
- ↑ "The House of Black and White"
- ↑ "The Iron Throne"
External links[]
Hand of the King | |
Lord Commander of the Kingsguard | |
Grand Maester | |
Master of Coin | |
Master of Ships |