The_Red_Viper_of_Dorne Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 The guys who run the Citadel, or the guy who advises the King himself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ckram Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Archmaesters. Grand Maesters are very prestigious maesters, but still are under the power of the Archmaester's Conclave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyberdirectorfreedom Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Well, the Archmaesters may be superior to the Grand Maester in order of hierarchy, the Grand Maester certainly has more power, at least if he's competent enough to secure the trust of the royal family. So, it depends what you mean by superior, I suppose. Which position is at the top, or which position has more power? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elder brother jonothor dar Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 It's comes back to the old riddle about power again, individually grand maester has more power, but collectively they can strip him of his title, however the likes of Quburn can be stripped of all his titles ejected from the order but still rise and maintain his position on the small council despite the objections of a grand maester Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpg2016 Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 On 7/2/2017 at 4:33 AM, elder brother jonothor dar said: It's comes back to the old riddle about power again, individually grand maester has more power, but collectively they can strip him of his title, however the likes of Quburn can be stripped of all his titles ejected from the order but still rise and maintain his position on the small council despite the objections of a grand maester In feudal politics, power is about access to the person of the king or lord. So from an overall perspective, the Grandmaester has more political clout than the Archmaesters. Look at Pycelle - he is partially responsible for the Sack of Kings Landing, he acts as a mole for certain interests within the court (Cersei/Tywin), he's privy to all the decisions of the Small Council... he's extremely powerful and important and his voice carries weight. Within the world of the Citadel and among maesters as a whole, Pycelle has no power and is a figurehead appointment. Like, I don't think he has the power to dictate to other maesters in the capital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bent branch Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 Grandmaester. The Grandmaester is the head of the Citadel. The Archmaesters choose from amongst themselves which one will be sent to KL to represent them. This is why the Archmaesters leaked information on who they would replace Pycelle with. They were threatening to put someone at the head of the Citadel that KL would like even less than Pycelle. They were proving that they controlled their own affairs and that KL shouldn't try to interfere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giant snake Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 We haven't gotten enough detail of the Citadel. Was there ever a followup to AFfC's introduction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bent branch Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 8 hours ago, giant snake said: We haven't gotten enough detail of the Citadel. Was there ever a followup to AFfC's introduction? Actually, we were given a lot of information on the political structure of the citadel earlier. We were given this information when Tyrion removed Pycelle from office. The hierarchy of the Citadel was explained in pretty good detail when the Citadel was considering a replacement for Pycelle. I don't have my books available, but you can find an answer during that time. I think it is ASOS. The Citadel is one of three supposedly independent institutions in Westeros that choose their own leader (the Citadel, the Church and the Wall). As we have seen, the Church had been pretty corrupted, but the Citadel and the Wall were still independent. The leader of the Citadel is the Grandmaester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
velo-knight Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 I'm not sure either is superior, as they're both very different. Grand Maester is a very publicly prestigious title, and the Grand Maester has both enormous influence over the royal family as the primary Maester who attends to their needs; but also as a formal Small Councilor, in a position to work with and form power blocks with some of the most powerful and important figures in the realm. At the same time, the Grand Maester is far from the Citadel and probably has limited powers to influence Citadel policy. Given that it seems as though the Citadel has an agenda of it's own - and that the most recent Grand Maester seems to have had little part in that agenda - we can surmise that the Citadel does not consider the ability to influence the Crown their only, or even their primary policy tool. It seems more likely that Citadel agendas are effected through general influence on the education and counsel given to lords and heirs. It seems likely to me that Archmaesters set and enact Citadel policy, while Grand Maesters may or may not be a component of their plans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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