Small Council

The Small Council is the body of chief advisors who help the king of the Seven Kingdoms govern the realm from King's Landing. Its members oversee the great offices of state, and through them flows much of the day-to-day power of the Iron Throne.

Composition

The council is led by the Hand of the King, who speaks and acts with the king's authority and presides in his absence. The other great offices include the master of coin, who manages the crown's treasury and debts; the master of ships, the lord admiral of the royal fleet; the master of laws, responsible for justice; the master of whisperers, the spymaster who gathers intelligence; the grand maester, the order's representative at court; and the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

Power and Intrigue

Because the king cannot attend to all matters himself, real authority often rests with the council, and seats upon it are prizes fought over by the great houses. The council chamber is a stage for the realm's deadliest politics. In the events of A Song of Ice and Fire, figures such as the eunuch Varys, the cunning Petyr Baelish, Tyrion Lannister, and Cersei Lannister vie for influence over the boy kings on the throne.

History

The Small Council and the office of the Hand were established by Aegon the Conqueror to help administer his new realm. Over the centuries the council has guided able and feeble kings alike, and in times of a weak or absent monarch it has at times effectively ruled the Seven Kingdoms.