Who would have made the best king instead of Robert?

[The Mountain That Flies]

Let’s say we just happen to find ourselves in a world where, upon winning his eponymous rebellion, Robert Baratheon did not take the Iron Throne. Who, then, would have been the best person to place on the throne?

There are a number of ways this could have gone down;

-Aegon VI being saved (we’ll just ignore Young Griff for the sake of this)
-Jaime claims the throne for the Lannisters
-A different leader of the rebellion take the throne.

Whether Aegon on the throne would be good or bad depends entirely on who is raising him, since they would probably be Hand and Regent. Among all the available candidates, I would call it as a tie between Ned Stark and Hoster Tulley being the best choices. Hoster’s kids were all moving on, so he could have taken over pretty well as a paternal figure to Aegon, though Ned has clearly displayed himself to be an excellent father.

The Lannisters alone getting the throne would be dicey, and might be beyond even Tywin’s political skill to maintain no matter whose head the crown was on. Assuming Robert was, for one reason or another, completely unavailable to use, I just don’t see all the Lord Paramounts agreeing to that, especially since Dorne would have been in open rebellion. Maybe Tywin ropes the Tyrell’s into fighting for them (surely Willas was of marrying age), but literally everyone else would probably told him to piss off.

I don’t see how any of the other Lords could have fared much better than Tywin, though Dorne may have been less upset. Jon Arryn can obviously run the realm well, and Ned and Hoster already got my seal of approval, but aside from his problem with heirs Jon would have probably been the best.

Thoughts?

[Djinn]

Jon Arryn and Hoster Tully were the only leaders in the rebellion with the skills and brains for the job. Tywin burned himself with the Elia killing, and Ned/Robert were too stupid.

[Sansa_Stark]

Jon Snow obviously.

I mean, even if he doesn't meet your criteria or whatever.

[Ser Lady Stark Martell]

If Tywin had taken the Iron Throne for himself, Dorne would most likely rebel. Ned wouldn't even want to sit the IT, I'm sure of that. My guess is Jon Arryn would have been the best king.

[Techelles]

Any of them, I would think. Even the cook.

[The Mountain That Flies]

Jon Snow obviously.

I mean, even if he doesn't meet your criteria or whatever.

I suppose Jon would have been in the same situation as Aegon, though presumably with Ned as the only candidate as his Regent/Hand.

If Tywin had taken the Iron Throne for himself, Dorne would most likely rebel. Ned wouldn't even want to sit the IT, I'm sure of that. My guess is Jon Arryn would have been the best king.

My instinct is the say Jon Arryn would have been the best outright king, but if the position ha been Regent/Hand for Aegon, Hoster Tulley would have been a better choice (as he was a more experienced father).

[Minsc]

My instinct is the say Jon Arryn would have been the best outright king, but if the position ha been Regent/Hand for Aegon, Hoster Tulley would have been a better choice (as he was a more experienced father).

It would probably be best to have Jon Arryn as Regent, Tywin Lannister as Hand, either Ned Stark or Hoster Tully in charge of fostering Aegon, and have Rhaenys betrothed to a Baratheon.

[The Mountain That Flies]

It would probably be best to have Jon Arryn as Regent, Tywin Lannister as Hand, either Ned Stark or Hoster Tully in charge of fostering Aegon, and have Rhaenys betrothed to a Baratheon.

...damn. That really would be the best of all worlds. Renly was about the right age for Rhaenys, and Aegon could have reasonably been fostered by Ned and Hoster alternately to give him a broader perspective of his kingdoms. And Arryn and Tywin working together would have been nuts.

[Cat of the First Men]

Thanks for posting the question, its not easy to answer.

Jon Arryn would appear to be a good choice, but he lasted something like 14 years as Hand before being poisoned at court, presumably at the instigation of Littlefinger.

Perhaps if Jon Arryn was actually king, the realm would not have incurred so many debts and Littlefinger wouldn't have accumulated so much power.

So who are the other options? The loyalty of Robert and Ned to Jon was unquestionable, the loyalty of the Lanisters was secured by marriage, leaving Dorne altogether out of the equation to foment rebellion and support any Targs in exile.

I think at the end of a dynasty, the new king needed to have the confidence to replace all the civil servants who served the Targs as well as the nobles. Great power was resting with them - the master of whisperers and the maester, for example. Robert and Jon took the Red Keep physically, but they didn't understand it - its passages, or its political undercurrents.

I think someone more Machievellian needed to rule, at least initially, to imprint the power of the new dynasty on the court.

I think Robert and Ned were too inexperienced and naive, Jon Arryn perhaps too naive as well. Holster Tully perhaps too old, but he could have made a strategic marriage to cement alliances.

Another alternative is Tywin Lanister, with a political marriage to someone from Dorne, but he destroyed that possibility by the Elia killing. If he could possibly have made amends for the Elia killing eg: by having Gregor executed for it, and cultivated a strategic wedding in Dorne or Highgarden, perhaps Tywin would have been able to keep the red keep under sufficient control, by coercion or ruthlessness.

Edited to remove a typo.

[Lord Spark of House Spark]

Robert was crowned bexause he had the most Targaryan blood After killing Rhaegar. He was about the only choice that most people would put up with. So for it to be someone else, Rhaegar would have had to have won at the trident. So the king would be Rhaegar, or more likely with no armies marching on Kings Landing, Jaime wouldn't have lopped the mad kingks haed off, so no change

[Jairion Lannister]

Robert was probably necessary although Jon Arryn would've made the most sense. Even someone being regent until another Targaryen grew up wouldn't have worked since Aerys proved the risk of having a mad Targaryen in power was too much. That risk would've only increased once that kid grew up and realised that all of those around him were responsible for the downfall of his family before him.

[Lord Thornhart]

Rhaegar seemed to be so perfect that he'd be boring as hell if he made it to the books.

[Cat of the First Men]

Sorry to do a double post, but another possibility occured to me after the original posting. Robert's greatest failings as king seem to have been the failure of his marriage and the problems caused by the Lanister incest. Added to that, he didn't like the duties of a king - he was a good soldier but a poor king.

If Robert was unavailable, say for example he died in the rebellion, then the way would have been open for Stannis to possibly take over the iron throne. Would Stannis' single mindedness have allowed the Lanisters to accumulate so much power and put themselves in so much danger, or would he have fallen almost immediately because he was difficult to like. I think a king need not be liked, and with Jon Arryn as Hand, or possibly even Tywin Lanister, he may have secured the new dynasty for longer than Robert.

[Daken Blackfyre]

i would say jon arryn

but i would say rhaegar would be a good king too

(in a world where aerys is killed and rhaegar wins the battle of the trident)

[Winnief]

I think if Robert hadn't taken the throne, (maybe to go off be a mercenary in Braavos which would have made him much happier,) then, (since the Baratheons were part Targaryen,) the IT should have gone to Stannis with Arryn once more as Hand of the King...this would have probably meant a Cersei-Stannis marriage-and oh what a combo that would have been...let's just say cuckoldry would have been a LOT harder for her then.

[Djinn]

Sorry to do a double post, but another possibility occured to me after the original posting. Robert's greatest failings as king seem to have been the failure of his marriage and the problems caused by the Lanister incest. Added to that, he didn't like the duties of a king - he was a good soldier but a poor king.

If Robert was unavailable, say for example he died in the rebellion, then the way would have been open for Stannis to possibly take over the iron throne. Would Stannis' single mindedness have allowed the Lanisters to accumulate so much power and put themselves in so much danger, or would he have fallen almost immediately because he was difficult to like. I think a king need not be liked, and with Jon Arryn as Hand, or possibly even Tywin Lanister, he may have secured the new dynasty for longer than Robert.

If Stannis was crowned King and had married Cersei to secure Lannister support, the first time Cersei started her naggings and shenannigans, Stannis would've her locked in the Maidenvault( and as long as formally she remained Queen, Tywin would't care). It would've been much harder to fake the kids since Stannis doesn't drink himself into stupor and miss copulation dates.

[PancakeMountainThatRides]

Any of them, I would think. Even the cook.

This made me laugh probably harder than it should've.

I think if Robert hadn't taken the throne, (maybe to go off be a mercenary in Braavos which would have made him much happier,) then, (since the Baratheons were part Targaryen,) the IT should have gone to Stannis with Arryn once more as Hand of the King...this would have probably meant a Cersei-Stannis marriage-and oh what a combo that would have been...let's just say cuckoldry would have been a LOT harder for her then.

I thought the series couldn't get any better, but a Cersei/Stannis marriage would prove me wrong. What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? :lol:

[Victor227]

If Tywin hadn't burned bridges with Dorne, it would have been a tossup between him and Jon Arryn. Both of them have that 'well-reputed elder statesmen' thing going on with them. As is, they'd have made a good King-Hand combo.

Really though, as a King, Robert wasn't that bad. His failings were in financial management and controlling his personal life. He managed to reunify and repair the realm after the Rebellion that fractured it, and kept it in peace but for the Greyjoy Rebellion (though I bet they wouldn't have rebelled if Tywin Lannister or Jon Arryn was King). Still, there was more that could have been done. It's pointed out that Aerys left a flush treasury, and the Targs had carried out large construction projects before. A more ambitious King might have created the next continent-spanning wonder like the Kingsroad.

[Minsc]

...damn. That really would be the best of all worlds. Renly was about the right age for Rhaenys, and Aegon could have reasonably been fostered by Ned and Hoster alternately to give him a broader perspective of his kingdoms. And Arryn and Tywin working together would have been nuts.

They would probably just do a Lady Ermesande for Rhaenys and marry her to Robert if Lyanna still dies, thus still ensuring that she receives more befitting her status as a royal princess. Though, if Lyanna survived and married Robert then maybe they could arrange her to marry Edmure with Ned fostering Aegon (and him being betrothed to Ned's first daughter) as then all of the Rebel Houses are rewarded in some generous way.

[Darksnider05]

They should of evacuated KL and burned it to the ground.