Mace Tyrell

Mace Tyrell is a character in "A Song of Ice and Fire" and its TV adaption, Game of Thrones. He is the head of House Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden, Lord Paramount of the Mander, Warden of the South, Defender of the Marches, and High Marshal of the Reach, ruling the most populated and fertile region in Westeros. Mace Tyrell is a greedy and ambituous lord who schemes to make his 14 years old daughter, Margaery, queen. He is very arrogant, believing himself a great military commander because of one battle where Robert suffered his only defeat during Robert's rebellion, though in fact the battle was mostly won by Lord Randyll Tarly before Mace arrived. Mace besieged Storm's End for a year, though Stannis Baratheon held the castle. After the death of Aerys II Targaryen, Eddard Stark arrived at Storm's End and Mace bent the knee to King Robert. Mace came to resent Stannis after he failed to take Storm's End.

Lord Mace is the son of Lord Luthor Tyrell and Lady Olenna Redwyne, husband of Lady Alerie Hightower, and father of 4 children, Willas, Garlan, Loras, and Margaery. Loras is Mace's favorite child.

Mace's closest friend is his first cousin Lord Paxter Redwyne, who is also married to one of Mace's sisters, while other two notable closest bannermen are Lord Randyll Tarly and Lord Mathis Rowan. House Tyrell's most unloyal sworn house is House Florent. Both Tyrells and Florents claim descent from the extinct House Gardener, the defunct Kings of the Reach. The Florents have a superior line of descent, and believe that they by rights should possess Highgarden and not the Tyrells.

King Robert I is also in debt with Mace after beggaring the realm. During Robert's reign, Mace's youngest son Loras Tyrell, lover of Renly Baratheon, Robert's youngest brother, tried making Margaery Queen despite Robert's marriage to Cersei Lannister. However after Robert's death Renly flees to Highgarden and marries Margaery, intending to usurp the throne from his legal nephew, Joffrey Baratheon, with the forces of the Stormlands and the Reach. Mace's mother Olenna Redwyne tells Mace that he shouldn't support Renly due to his poor claim, but Mace refuses to listen to her.

During the War of the Five Kings Renly and Mace close the Roseroad, plunging King's Landing into starvation. When Renly starts to march to the capital with his army, Mace remains at Highgarden preparing another host for his king with Willas, Garlan, and his uncle Garth. Renly's army moves slowly, hoping that his enemies will weaken before he reaches King's Landing. However, hearing that Robert's eldest brother Stannis Baratheon, who has also declared himself King, is besieging Storm's End, Renly takes part of his army there, intending to kill Stannis. When Renly is assassinated before the battle, Randyll Tarly, Loras, and part of Renly's force flee back to Bitterbridge, while the storm lords and a few Reach lords declare for King Stannis.

Chaos erupts at Bitterbridge, and fightings occur. People of the Reach are divided between supporters of King Joffrey and supporters of King Stannis. Randyll Tarly arrives at Bitterbridge and seizes Renly's stores, and puts many of the foot to death, especially those of House Florent. Lord Lorent Caswell shuts himself within the walls of the castle.

Mace never liked Stannis and he knows that Stannis holds a grudge against him and Paxter Redwyne for the Siege of Storm's End. He and his son, Garlan, take the new host from Highgarden to Bitterbridge. Stannis sends Ser Erren Florent and Ser Parmen Crane to recruit the rest of Renly's army camped at Bitterbridge, the best part of Renly's army, full of young skilled knights and lords, but the two former Renly's supporters are captured by Loras and Randyll and taken as captives to Highgarden.

Later Mace and his sons are met by the master of coin Petyr Baelish, who offers a royal pardon, an alliance with House Lannister, and a betrothal between Joffrey Baratheon and Margaery, which Mace agress to. After Edmure Tully chases away Tywin's army from the Trident, the army of the westerlands starts marching to King's Landing, after receiving urgent news of Stannis' imminent invasion. Mace and his large army join with Tywin Lannister and Randyll Tarly's army at Tumbler's Falls. From there they sail down the Blackwater Rush and land a half day's ride outside of King's Landing.

At the Battle of the Blackwater Stannis comes close to defeating the Lannisters and the forces of the Iron Throne. However an army under Tywin Lannister and Mace Tyrell suddenly attacks Stannis from the rear, with Mace commanding from the left, forcing him to flee back to his island fortress of Dragonstone. Joffrey is then betrothed to Margaery after Ser Garlan asks him to marry her. The Iron Throne grants Garlan the titles, lands and incomes of House Florent, including lordship of their seat, Brightwater Keep, though the Florents still hold the fortress in Stannis's name. Loras joins the Kingsguard, replacing the late Ser Mandon Moore. Mace is given the position of master of ships on the small council, though Joffrey needs to rebuild a new royal fleet. Lord Redwyne is made an advisor in the small council. Randyll Tarly leaves King's Landing shortly after the battle to join with Gregor Clegane in the riverlands and fight the northmen and riverlands people.

After the Blackwater, Lady Olenna and Mace's wife, Alerie Tyrell, arrive with their retinue in King's Landing, along with many noble ladies from the Reach, including the young Tyrell girls, Megga, Alla, and Elinor, Garlan's wife, Leonette Fossoway, and Mace's sister, Janna, who's wife of Jon Fossoway, a knight who fought for Stannis, but surrended and was pardoned by the crown. At Oldtown, the Conclave of the Citadel is annoyed by the removal of Grand Maester Pycelle, as only the Citadel have the power to remove Grand Maesters from service, so they plan to send Mace's uncle, Maester Gormon, to replace Pycelle. Tywin immediately restores Pycelle to his office, in order to avoid having another Tyrell at power. While Mace serves the King in the capital, Willas Tyrell rules the Reach, acting as Lord of Highgarden.

Prince Oberyn Martell starts to march from Sunspear to King's Landing with a huge retinue of noble Dornishmen, in stead of his brother Prince Doran. Mace is not pleased with the idea of Dornishmen riding freely in the Reach, surprising Tyrion for talking like a general for once. The Tyrells hate House Martell since Oberyn accidentaly crippled Willas during a tourney. Since then, Willas uses a staff to help himself walking.

Lady Olenna was planning to secretely marry Sansa Stark to Willas Tyrell, so that the Tyrells could hold a claim to Winterfell and the North, since Theon Greyjoy assassinated Bran and Rickon Stark. However, Lord Tywin is made aware of this, so he immediately plans to marry Cersei to Willas and Tyrion to Sansa. Olenna tells Mace to refuse Tywin's offer, which he does so.

Mace attends with many other nobles the wedding of Tyrion and Sansa. After the deaths of the kings Balon Greyjoy and Robb Stark, Joffrey finally marries Margaery in the Great Sept of Baelor. Mace's wedding gift, is a seven-sided chalice decorated with the great houses of Westeros: ruby lion, emerald rose, onyx stag, silver trout, blue jade falcon, opal sun, and pearl direwolf.

At his wedding feast, Joffrey he is poisoned by Olenna, and Joffrey's uncle Tyrion Lannister is blamed. Joffrey's grandfather and Tyrion's father Tywin Lannister, Mace and Oberyn Martell sit as judges during Tyrion's trial. Not knowing that Olenna is responsible for Joffrey's death, Mace wants to find Tyrion guilty as he fears Margaery was almost poisoned, since she was drinking from the same chalice that contained the Strangler. He believs that the poison was meant for his daughter and wants Tyrion dead. The trial is manipulated by Queen Cersei and the the people who testify tell only lies or incriminating true stories about Tyrion, so Tyrion demands a trial by combat. Ser Gregor Clegane arrives from Harrenhal and fights against Oberyn in the trial by combat. As a judge Mace is present and watches the Mountain killing Oberyn while the former is deadly wounded. When Tyrion is found guilty of regicide and sentenced to death, Tywin agrees to name Ser Garth Tyrell the new master of coin. Mace sends the raven for Garth, to Highgarden, informing him to ride to the capital.

When Tyrion escapes from Westeros with the help of his brother Jaime and Varys, murdering his father Tywin before leaving, a Tyrell coin is found in Tyrion's dungeon cell. Initially Cersei thought it was Stannis Baratheon who murdered Tywin, but then the guards informed her about Tyrion's escape and her paranoia towards the Tyrells gets worse. It was Varys who put the Tyrell coin, in order to fuel a war between the Lannisters and the Tyrells.

Mace tries to become the new Hand of the King, but Cersei instead appoints the craven Ser Harys Swyft, believing he will be weak-willed enough for her to control. The Queen also names Lord Gyles Rosby as the new master of coin, upsetting Mace, since he had agreed with Tywin to have Garth Tyrell take the office.

At the Tyrell's urging, Margaery is married to Joffrey's brother, King Tommen I, though he is too young to consummate the marriage.

Cersei sends Mace to capture Storm's End, which is still held by Stannis' forces, while Paxter Redwyne is to take the Redwyne fleet to Dragonstone and capture the island. At the same time Garlan is leaving King's Landing as well, preparing to start a siege at Brightwater Keep, and take his new seat from the Florents. Cersei is also delighted by the fact that Lady Olenna is also going back to Highgarden with Garlan, as well as Alerie and Leonette. Mace leaves King's Landing with half the Tyrell strength. Now the only Tyrells left in the capital are Queen Margaery, Loras, and their aunt Janna, with also their cousins, Alla, Elinor, and Megga. Cersei starts to plot against the young queen, planning to blame many other "annoying" men at court of having sexual relations with her, including Prince Jalabhar Xho and Paxter's twin sons, Horas and Hobber.

Later King [Euron Greyjoy]] attacks the Reach with the ironborn Iron Fleet. The ironmen take many islands, castles, and towns, while also invading the Mander. With Mace at Storm's End, Lord Redwyne at Dragonstone, and Randyll in Maidenpool, Willas and Ser Moryn Tyrell, the Lord Commander of the City Watch of Oldtown, and Leyton Hightower have to organize the defenses against House Greyjoy. Garlan is forced to abandon is imminent siege against the Florents and bring his forces against the ironborn. At King's Landing Loras and Margaery try to reason with Cersei and beg her to let Paxter Redwyne return to the Reach with his strong fleet, to deal with Euron. Cersei refuses, wanting the Tyrells to remain weak. Loras is furious and days later asks Cersei to leave the capital for Dragonstone, meaning to take command of the siege, since Paxter is taking too long. An happy Cersei allows him to go. Loras turns the siege into a massacre: Stannis' soldiers pour boiled oil on Ser Loras, and he's now gravely injured. Tommen's forces manage to take Dragonstone from Stannis and Loras is said to being in a dying state at Dragonstone.

While Mace is still besieging Storm's End, Cersei and Qyburn manage to incriminate Margaery and her cousins and inform the Faith. However, Cersei's plan backfires when the Faith finds out about her plotting against Margaery and her fornication with Ser Lancel, the Kettleblack brothers, and Taena Merryweather. Becuase of their reciprocal accusations of immorality, both queens are imprisoned by the High Septon in the Great Sept of Baelor.

On hearing that Margaery and her cousins have been arrested by the Faith, Mace returns to King's Landing with most of his army. Mace leaves the rest of his force to keep besieging Storm's End, under the command of Mathis Rowan.

Randyll Tarly arrives at King's Landing with his army before Mace. When Mace arrives at the capital Margaery, Alla, Megga, and Elinor have already been released by the Faith. The evidence against them is weak, so the little girls were given into custody of Lord Randyll. Their release was conditional on Tarly's holy oath to return them for trial. Cersei Lannister is stripped of the regency. Tywin's brother, Ser Kevan Lannister has been summoned by Grand Maester Pycelle, and arrives from Casterly Rock in the city, ruling the Seven Kingdom as Lord Regent to King Tommen Baratheon.

Mace is named Hand of the King by Ser Kevan, while Randyll is made master of laws and Paxter Redwyne is master of ships in the small council. The war is infuriating in the realm: Stannis Baratheon in the North, Euron Greyjoy in the Reach, and Jon Connington with the Golden Company in the stormlands. Mace refuses to bring his army anywhere until his daughter is left alone by the Faith, so only Paxter leaves with his fleet back to the Reach to start fighting the ironmen. Mace asks that Margaery be declared innocent, but Kevan reminds him that she has to be found innocent by the Faith, and has to remind him of the importance of Cersei being found innocent of her adultery, as if Tommen ceases to be a King Margaery ceases to be a Queen. Mace adds a hundred men of the Reach to the City Watch of the capital and plans a new Tower of the Hand (Cersei had the original tower burned after Tywin's death) double the size of its predecessor. Mace and Randyll are not happy about the new Kingsguard, Ser Robert Strong, and try to send the Mountain's men to the Wall, but Kevan sends them to escort his father-in-law, the master of coin Harys Swyft, to Braavos. Kevan finds Mace an annoying and foolish figure, but believes that Tarly is the real danger. Kevan's murder by Varys leaves it unclear how the relationship between the Tyrells and Lannisters will progress now.