Renly Baratheon

""The Targaryens called Robert usurper. He seemed to be able to bear the shame. So shall I.""

- Renly, trying to justify his actions.

Renly Baratheon is the Lord of Storm's End, Master of Laws on Robert's Small Council and the younger brother of King Robert I Baratheon and Stannis Baratheon. His parents were Lord Steffon Baratheon and Lady Cassana Estermont. During the Siege of Storm's End by the Tyrells and Redwynes, Stannis cared for Renly, holding the castle for a year. Despite this, Robert made Renly Lord of Storm's End and Stannis Lord of the less pleasant and poorer Dragonstone.

After Robert is fatally wounded by a boar, Renly schemes to usurp the Iron Throne from Joffrey, not realizing Cersei's children are illegitimate. He already has large numbers of troops due to ruling the Stormlands and marries Margaery of House Tyrell, meaning the Tyrells, who rule the Reach, support him. With the largest army in the Seven Kingdoms, Renly declares himself King and is crowned in Highgarden, the Capitol of the Reach.

Renly moves his large army towards King's Landing, blocking off the Rose Road which brings starvation to King's Landing. However he receives word that his older brother Stannis, who has also declared himself King on the grounds that Robert has no legitimate children, is besieging Storm's End. Renly travels there and parleys with Stannis. He sneers at Stannis' claims of the illegitimacy of the Queen's children, thinking Stannis is the same as him but with less charisma and claiming nobody wants Stannis for their King. Stannis offers that if Renly bends the knee to him he'll let them remain Lord of Storm's End, keep their seat on the Small Council, and make them his heir until he has a son. Renly refuses this. He plans to destroy Stannis' army and kill his brother the next day. However, a shadow assassin the Red Priestess Melisandre has conceived with Stannis stabs Renly dead. Stannis is upset at Renly's death, but believes it was necessary. On his death, much of his army deserts to Stannis. However the Tyrells, wanting Margaery to be Queen, decide to support the Lannisters.

During the Battle of the Blackwater Renly's ghost apparantly fights alongside the Tyrells, helping to defeat Stannis' army. However, in reality Garlan Tyrell wore Renly's armor. Despite the fact Renly was planning to overthrow Joffrey, he is remembered in song as a heroic figure for helping to defeat Stannis.