Archmaesterjimmie: Inject portrait (Wren)

2026-06-14T02:32:08Z

Inject portrait (Wren)

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	{{Infobox character		{{Infobox character
			\| image = https://archmaester.site/portraits/got/renly-baratheon.jpg
	\| name = Renly Baratheon		\| name = Renly Baratheon
	\| title = Lord of Storm's End; Master of Laws; self-proclaimed King of the Seven Kingdoms		\| title = Lord of Storm's End; Master of Laws; self-proclaimed King of the Seven Kingdoms

Archmaesterjimmie: Red-link character article, book-canon (Corvus)

2026-06-13T23:58:44Z

Red-link character article, book-canon (Corvus)

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{{Infobox character
| name = Renly Baratheon
| title = Lord of Storm's End; Master of Laws; self-proclaimed King of the Seven Kingdoms
| house = [[House Baratheon]]
| race/culture = Stormlander (Andal)
| status = Deceased
| region = [[Storm's End]]; [[King's Landing]]
| born = 277 AC (approx.)
| died = 299 AC, at Storm's End
| fate = Slain by a shadow conjured by [[Melisandre]] at the behest of his brother [[Stannis Baratheon]]
| quote = Look at them. There's my answer. The whole realm denies it, and yet she names me a usurper.
}}

'''Renly Baratheon''' was the youngest of the three Baratheon brothers, Lord of [[Storm's End]] and Master of Laws on King [[Robert Baratheon|Robert's]] small council. Handsome, charming, and beloved, Renly declared himself King of the Seven Kingdoms after Robert's death, gathering the largest host in [[Westeros]] behind him before he was killed by sorcery in the opening stage of the [[War of the Five Kings]].

== Background ==
Renly was the youngest son of Lord Steffon Baratheon and was raised largely at Storm's End. Easygoing and quick to laugh, he cultivated a brilliant, festive court and was widely popular among the lords of the [[Stormlands]] and the [[Reach]]. He married Margaery Tyrell, sealing an alliance with the powerful [[House Tyrell]], whose strength gave him an army said to number a hundred thousand.

Renly shared a close and intimate bond with Ser Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers, Margaery's brother, a relationship the novels portray with marked subtlety.

== War of the Five Kings ==
On Robert's death, rather than support the claim of his elder brother [[Stannis Baratheon]], Renly crowned himself, reasoning that he was better loved and better suited to rule. He argued, with some justice, that succession is ultimately a matter of who can command loyalty. He took the field with the host of the Reach and the Stormlands at his back, vastly outnumbering both Stannis and the Lannisters.

[[Catelyn Stark]] came to Renly's camp as an envoy from her son [[Robb Stark]], seeking alliance. Before any battle could be joined between the rival Baratheons, Stannis's red priestess [[Melisandre]] birthed a shadow with Renly's own face. The shadow stole into Renly's tent and killed him as he armored for the morning, with Catelyn and Renly's guard [[Brienne of Tarth]] looking on, helpless. Brienne was wrongly accused of the murder and fled with Catelyn.

== Aftermath ==
With Renly dead, much of his host went over to Stannis, though the [[Reach]] eventually threw its strength behind [[House Lannister]] and the Tyrell marriage to King [[Joffrey Baratheon|Joffrey]]. [[Brienne of Tarth]], who had loved Renly and served in his short-lived Rainbow Guard, swore herself afterward to [[Catelyn Stark]] and carried her devotion to his memory through the rest of her story.

== Character ==
Renly is depicted as gracious, ambitious, and pragmatic about the nature of power, dismissing rightful inheritance in favor of strength and popularity. His charm masked a willingness to put himself above his brother's claim, and his sudden death by shadow magic marks one of the first irruptions of dark sorcery into the war for the throne.

== In the television series ==
In HBO's ''Game of Thrones'', Renly is portrayed by Gethin Anthony, and his story, including his relationship with Loras Tyrell and his death by shadow, follows the novels.

== Appearances ==
* ''[[A Game of Thrones]]''
* ''[[A Clash of Kings]]''

[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Game of Thrones]]
[[Category:House Baratheon]]

Renly Baratheon - Revision history

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