Why didn't Tywin Lannister remarry?

[The Dragon King]

Tywin is all about making his House is the most respected and powerful but only having 3 offspring doesn't leave you with very good odds, especially when 1 of them is basically written off due to being a dwarf. Tywin publicly gave the impression that it was because of his love for his late wife that he would not remarry but we eventually discovered that he rather fancied the whores, why would he care if people didnt find him saint-like with regards to his wife's memory? He certainly had no problem being the bad guy when it came to betraying the Targs and killing the royal family.

Even in his 50s he would easily be one of the most eligible bachelors in the 7 kingdoms. If he remarried a young and fertile maiden soon after his wife's death he could have had a whole litter of children to marry off and gain control of more Houses.

Even if he was still broken up about the whole thing I find it tough to believe that he wouldnt just grin and bear it for the good of his House, if one is fully willing to kill and die for one's House it shouldnt be too difficult to take a beautiful maiden as a wife for the good of one's House.

[TheGreyKraken]

This is an interesting question, it is easy to say that Tywin just didn't feel like getting married and kept on with his whoring but you raise the argument of 3 offspring not having very good odds. I wouldn't say its relatively bad odds since they can carry on the legacy of the house with ease and provide children themselves, though events lead to Jamie joining the KG and Tyrion being the heir of Tywin and from the start, Tywin did not want Tyrion to have CR and this tells us he was willing to give it to a different Lannister(Probably Kevan). I have a feeling Tywin didn't remarry and get other sons because he didn't want younger sons ruling as Roose said already that young boys ruling can be the bane of any house.

[The Dragon King]

This is an interesting question, it is easy to say that Tywin just didn't feel like getting married and kept on with his whoring but you raise the argument of 3 offspring not having very good odds. I wouldn't say its relatively bad odds since they can carry on the legacy of the house with ease and provide children themselves, though events lead to Jamie joining the KG and Tyrion being the heir of Tywin and from the start, Tywin did not want Tyrion to have CR and this tells us he was willing to give it to a different Lannister(Probably Kevan). I have a feeling Tywin didn't remarry and get other sons because he didn't want younger sons ruling as Roose said already that young boys ruling can be the bane of any house.

If he has more children soon after his wife dies they'll likely not be "young" when he finally dies. Suppose Tyrion is 30 in when the series starts, and Tywin is in his mid-50s, Tywin could potentially have another 20yrs to live, making his new kids middle-aged. It seems very out of character for someone like Tywin.

[King Bobby B]

One of the downsides of having sons from two different women is that they could possibly become rivals for Casterly Rock (ie. the son of the second wife kills the son of the first wife to get his father's seat). He could have avoided this by marrying after Jaime became a Kingsguard, but he was in denial about losing his heir, as seen in ASOS. In his eyes, Jaime was always going to get Casterly Rock, and so he didn't need to remarry

[The Mountain That Flies]

It's also important to note that whores aren't wives. Tywin fancying a bit of bedroom action isn't the same thing as wanting to replace Joanna. Every indication is that the man deeply loved his wife, and probably felt there was no point in trying to be happy in another marriage.

I've always been a bit confused as to why he didn't use Robert's ascension to get Jaime released from the Kingsguard, but King Bobby B summed up Tywin's denial pretty well, as well as the practical drawbacks to another wife/pack of kids.

[Fat Mac]

It's clear that he wanted no one other than Joanna. Sexually he had desires, which lead to his sleeping with whores. But it's obvious he loved only Joanna, and wanted his offspring through her (meaning Jaime) to inherit Casterly Rock.

[65536ob]

It wasn't as if his children were the only ones who could inherit, his brother could inherit so could his nephews and cousins, tywin was mostly intrested in his house not his decendants so I don't think he felt like he needed more children, also jaime didn't join the kingsguard until many years later, and I don't think tywin saw that as a problem and until jaime got all moral in SoS it wasn't.

[The Dragon King]

One doesnt need to love a woman in order to have children with her. Anyway, Jaime is GK and Tyrion is a dwarf, and it's not like a member of the KG cannot get killed in battle, in fact there's a very good chance of it, that does not seem like a good bet.

[TheGreyKraken]

If he has more children soon after his wife dies they'll likely not be "young" when he finally dies. Suppose Tyrion is 30 in when the series starts, and Tywin is in his mid-50s, Tywin could potentially have another 20yrs to live, making his new kids middle-aged. It seems very out of character for someone like Tywin.

Well it is likely that Tywin was thinking he already had 3 children fit to carry on my line and House Lannister. This could be one of the reasons he never remarried and he could think that no one other than Joanna was worthy to marry him(just a theory). However when Jamie joins the KG, this becomes a big blow and he then probably does have conflicting feelings about remarrying at a younger.

[GallowsKnight]

Well he truly loved Joanna. He had three children already. I think he always thought he'd get Jaime released somehow. Then he had three brothers and one sister. All with offspring. Then he had multiple cousins. So no danger of the Lannister line being erased.

Then who would he marry? There's no women of Lord Paramount houses that he could marry. So he'd have to step down to a lower house. He could have married Malora "The Maid" Hightower. But really he was comfortable where he was.

[shyndy]

I think the more realistic answer is that nobody wanted to marry him that would strengthen his House. This is Tywin Lannister we are talking about. Tywin "the only thing that lives on is the name" Lannister, I don't think he is choosing not to remarry because "he truly loved Joanna" regardless of whether or not it is true. It does seem to be a bit strange and something I looked over until reading this.

[Lord Damian]

Only a Lannister was good enough to marry, so he married his first cousin. He must not have had more single female family members.

[The Dragon King]

I think the more realistic answer is that nobody wanted to marry him that would strengthen his House. This is Tywin Lannister we are talking about. Tywin "the only thing that lives on is the name" Lannister, I don't think he is choosing not to remarry because "he truly loved Joanna" regardless of whether or not it is true. It does seem to be a bit strange and something I looked over until reading this.

I'm thinking that he could have married Cat Tully if he wanted, the Lannisters were and are much more powerful than the Starks and the Tullys would likely have jumped at the chance.

[Scipio Africanus]

I'm thinking that he could have married Cat Tully if he wanted, the Lannisters were and are much more powerful than the Starks and the Tullys would likely have jumped at the chance.

He tried to set up Jamie with Lysa Tully. Tywin did want a Tully - Lannister alliance. But Jamie joined up with the KGs and destroyed that possibility.

[Lady Green]

Probably because he was concentrating his efforts on marrying off his golden twins at the time.

Also he could have been as 'disgraced' after he resigned as King's Hand. If I lived in Westeros I would not want to marry a man who is number 2 to a nut case, and likely to end up dead or impoverished. Its just not good prospects.

[mormont]

Tywin is all about making his House is the most respected and powerful but only having 3 offspring doesn't leave you with very good odds, especially when 1 of them is basically written off due to being a dwarf. Tywin publicly gave the impression that it was because of his love for his late wife that he would not remarry but we eventually discovered that he rather fancied the whores, why would he care if people didnt find him saint-like with regards to his wife's memory? He certainly had no problem being the bad guy when it came to betraying the Targs and killing the royal family.

I think the mistake here is to imagine some sort of over-simplistic consistency to Tywin's character: he's a more complex figure than that.

I have some degree of doubt over whether Tywin ever did make use of whores - the evidence is not really compelling, to me - but putting that aside, what we can say is that if he did use whores, he went to extraordinary lengths to be discreet about it. Nobody mentions it. We can assume that Tyrion never even heard a whisper or a rumour or a hint to that effect, or he'd be cursing his father for a total hypocrite in his POVs.

So, if Tywin used whores, he clearly cared enough - either for Joanna's memory or for his own reputation - to cover it up almost totally. The latter I find completely credible, because we know that Tywin absolutely wouldn't stand for mockery, and that's what he would get (given how his father and his son behaved). It's one thing to have people fear you for being a bad guy: it's another to have them laugh at you.

But if that was all it was, then as you say, there's no real reason not to remarry, at least after a decent interval. If you can cover up whoring that effectively when you're single, you can do it when you're married, after all. So here we get to another complexity in Tywin's character: he's dedicated to increasing the power of his House, but there are limits on that, even for him. And one of them, it appears, is that he won't remarry. So I think we have to conclude that he really did love Joanna that much.

Which in some ways is his tragedy. At least part of his hatred for Tyrion is down to Joanna's death, after all. And I tend to think that at least part of his blind fixation on his ambitions for the twins - Cersei must be Queen, Jaime must be a golden knight and inherit the Rock - is to do with Joanna too. They're all he has left of her. It's apparent that these ambitions stem from the time when Joanna was alive, and it's telling that he seems unable to accept any change in them (he's in denial about Jaime joining the KG, at least).

[Scipio Africanus]

I have some degree of doubt over whether Tywin ever did make use of whores - the evidence is not really compelling, to me - but putting that aside, what we can say is that if he did use whores, he went to extraordinary lengths to be discreet about it. Nobody mentions it. We can assume that Tyrion never even heard a whisper or a rumour or a hint to that effect, or he'd be cursing his father for a total hypocrite in his POVs.

Varys told Tyrion of the story why a secret passage way was built from the Red Keep to a brothel - a certain Hand built it to hide his "hobby". That Varys omitted the name (Varys is one of the few characters who is interesting for things he doesn't say) is for me compelling theory that this Hand was Tywin in his stint at the office during Aerys' reign. Why else leave out the name? If Varys had named Tywin it would immediately make Tyrion suspecious of him, as you correctly say, Tyrion is then of the firm belief that Tywin hates whoring and would never do something like that. Varys then was pretty bent on buttering up Tyrion and misleading him (like his "I hate magic" comment).

Is it concrete evidence? No. But for one thing I doubt Martin will ever spell that part out (Tywin is dead after all) and Varys and Tyrion have other concerns by now. I just find the above a compelling theory.

I don't want to imply that Tywin didn't love Joanna or that prostitution is some horrible crime (in my country prostitution is legal) like it seems to be implied in the book and around here. Tywin is a war criminal who commited some genuinly awful crimes which makes his adventures with courtesans pale in comparison. I don't believe however that Tywin had no idea Shae wasn't a prostitute. Nor do I think Shae was his first.

So, if Tywin used whores, he clearly cared enough - either for Joanna's memory or for his own reputation - to cover it up almost totally. The latter I find completely credible, because we know that Tywin absolutely wouldn't stand for mockery, and that's what he would get (given how his father and his son behaved). It's one thing to have people fear you for being a bad guy: it's another to have them laugh at you.

He covered it up for selfish reasons. He didn't want it spread that a Lannister was making use of courtisans. Yes I don't doubt he would've wanted to spare Joanna's feelings but Tywin, as presented in the book, loved two things in his life: Joanna and his precious family reputation. Which are two main reasons why he dislikes Tyrion so much. Tyrion "killed" Joanna and ruins the family rep.

Which in some ways is his tragedy. At least part of his hatred for Tyrion is down to Joanna's death, after all. And I tend to think that at least part of his blind fixation on his ambitions for the twins - Cersei must be Queen, Jaime must be a golden knight and inherit the Rock - is to do with Joanna too. They're all he has left of her. It's apparent that these ambitions stem from the time when Joanna was alive, and it's telling that he seems unable to accept any change in them (he's in denial about Jaime joining the KG, at least).

Well I agree with that.

[Brienne Of Bombay]

To the OP, I always assumed because he loved Joanna. Whoring after his wife's death( I assume) doesn't mean he didn't love his wife.

[mormont]

Varys told Tyrion of the story why a secret passage way was built from the Red Keep to a brothel - a certain Hand built it to hide his "hobby". That Varys omitted the name (Varys is one of the few characters who is interesting for things he doesn't say) is for me compelling theory that this Hand was Tywin in his stint at the office during Aerys' reign. Why else leave out the name?

Because it wasn't important? Because he wanted to suggest that it was Tywin, even if it wasn't?

Believe me, I've been through this argument a dozen times - you're not telling me anything I don't know inside and out. Unlike you, I don't find it compelling evidence: I wonder, for example, how it is that Tywin could have had this tunnel built and kept it so remarkably quiet, with a paranoid King watching him. I wonder how he managed for fifteen years at Casterly Rock. I wonder why he so unnecessarily threw away the use of the tunnel by having Alayaya scourged.

But I know I may be wrong to doubt, and for the sake of the argument I'm assuming I am, so let's move on. :)

I don't want to imply that Tywin didn't love Joanna or that prostitution is some horrible crime (in my country prostitution is legal) like it seems to be implied in the book .

It's not really seen as 'a crime' in Westeros: Tywin regards it as a character flaw, for sure, and Stannis seems to regard it as sinful, but otherwise most people don't seem to care. Tywin would be mocked for it, but only because of his father and son, as I said.

[Where Boars Glow]

It is also possibilbe rather you think that this theory is correct or not, that Tywin had some question about rather the twins were Mad kinf Aryes and not his. That the last time he had a son....it was Tyrion. Maybe he had a genuine fear about having another child because if he had another dwarf child by another woman.....what would this say about him.

(His possible perspective....not mine)