How are Kingsguard chosen?

[Angel Eyes]

So Kingsguard are the best swordsmen in the land, right? And then we have Boros Blount, one of the worst to grace the White Cloak as a coward and incompetent, and Mandon Moore who got ambushed by a squire and drowned.

Where is the quality control?

[Ran]

From the SSM:

 

Quote

Sometimes the best knights are not eager to take such stringent vows, and you have to settle for who you can get. Other factors also enter into the choices -- politics, favoritism, horse trading, rewards for past service, etc. It's a plum appointment for a younger son, or a knight from a minor house. Less so for the Great Houses. Also, Robert had five vacancies to fill all at once, an unusual situation -- imagine the nominations we might get if six of the nine members of the Supreme Court all died within a few months.

 

[Ser Duncan of Flea Bottom]

Great Houses aren't really proud to send their members to the Kingsguard, you can see how Tywin hated that Jaime became one. It is rare to see a member of a great house serving in the Kingsguard. Usually lesser houses' members are chosen, a younger son or a lord's brother or uncle or cousin. For lesser houses, it is an honour, for great houses it can be taken as an insult, the exception would be if said member is a younger son of a three or four or distant family. I remember a Baratheon was in the Kingsguard in the past, but I don't recall seing Arryns, Tullys and Tyrells in the Kingsguard. We have Jaime, who's a Lannister and we had Prince Lewyn, who's a Martell.

 

The king can point someone to the Kingsguard or they can request to join. I don't know if someone can turn the offer down if the king invites them though. 

[FictionIsntReal]

Raymont Baratheon was in the Kingsguard. The lack of Starks & Greyjoys is probably due to their religion making them less likely to take up knighthood. Aemon Targaryen came from the most important house in Westeros though.

I think Mandon Moore was supposed to be competent. Jaime Lannister considers him the most dangerous Kingsguard after himself.

[Euron Lannister]

11 hours ago, Angel Eyes said:

Where is the quality control?

the quality control is the king's desire to live, if he chooses weak knights, or ones with questionable loyalities, his life is in danger.

[Dorian Martell's son]

14 hours ago, Shadow of Asshai said:

Great Houses aren't really proud to send their members to the Kingsguard, you can see how Tywin hated that Jaime became one.

Not true at all. Tywin hated it because Jaime was his favorite and  heir. Tyrion was everything Tywin hated. Arthur Dayne was celebrated for his service. 

14 hours ago, Shadow of Asshai said:

It is rare to see a member of a great house serving in the Kingsguard.

 What are you talking about? Dayne, Whent, Hightower, Martell, Darry. I guess those count as minor houses? 

14 hours ago, Shadow of Asshai said:

 For lesser houses, it is an honour, for great houses it can be taken as an insult, the exception would be if said member is a younger son of a three or four or distant family. I remember a Baratheon was in the Kingsguard in the past, but I don't recall seing Arryns, Tullys and Tyrells in the Kingsguard. We have Jaime, who's a Lannister and we had Prince Lewyn, who's a Martell.

 Loras Tyrell is a member of Tommen and Joff's kingsguard. did you read the books? 

 

[Corvo the Crow]

They should just throw all the candidates in a pit, last one standing becomes a KG.

Or even better, do it hunger games style. Harrenhal has a godswood of 20 acres, should be enough for a few contestants for a few days.

[HexMachina]

1 hour ago, Corvo the Crow said:

They should just throw all the candidates in a pit, last one standing becomes a KG.

Or even better, do it hunger games style. Harrenhal has a godswood of 20 acres, should be enough for a few contestants for a few days.

The first option is almost exactly what Renly does with his melee actually

[Seams]

21 hours ago, Angel Eyes said:

So Kingsguard are the best swordsmen in the land, right? And then we have Boros Blount, one of the worst to grace the White Cloak as a coward and incompetent, and Mandon Moore who got ambushed by a squire and drowned.

Where is the quality control?

I think there are supposed to be some parallels with the black cloaks - Night's Watch - which has had to take the dregs of society, just to keep its numbers up. The kingsguard hasn't fallen that low, but they have recruited what seem to be some nobodies especially as Cersei has grown in power.

Of course, my theory is that Ser Mandon Moore was a dead guy - maybe one of the kingsguard members who "died" at the Tower of Joy. I think Jon Arryn and Eddard Stark may have colluded, made up a fake background for him and got him his old job back. If Jon Arryn says this guy is from a minor house in the Vale, then he must be exactly who Jon says he is. So who in the Aerys-era kings guard would want Tyrion dead, and why? And what does it mean that another dead guy, Gregor Clegane (Ser Robert Strong), is now in the kingsguard?

Jaime may think Mandon Moore is dangerous because he has no affect. He is a sociopath because he's a dead guy, like Lady Stoneheart.

The larger answer to your question, though, is that kingsguard members are chosen at the pleasure of the king (or the regent, with the king rubber-stamping the choices). The story of Quentyn Ball might be worth examining for further insight.

[The hairy bear]

1 hour ago, Seams said:

Of course, my theory is that Ser Mandon Moore was a dead guy - maybe one of the kingsguard members who "died" at the Tower of Joy. I think Jon Arryn and Eddard Stark may have colluded, made up a fake background for him and got him his old job back. If Jon Arryn says this guy is from a minor house in the Vale, then he must be exactly who Jon says he is.

And why would they do that? If Ser Barristan and even the kingslayer were allowed to rejoin Robert's kingsguard without any problem, why would they want to resort to a fake death for anyone else?

But anyway, this would require a conspiration that at least should include Ser Barristan, Jaime, Varys, anyone at court from the Tragaryen era, all the highborn people from the Crownlands and the King's Lander commoners who had ever attended any of the frequent public acts where the kingsguard appear. Just not possible.

[Seams]

1 hour ago, The hairy bear said:

And why would they do that? If Ser Barristan and even the kingslayer were allowed to rejoin Robert's kingsguard without any problem, why would they want to resort to a fake death for anyone else?

But anyway, this would require a conspiration that at least should include Ser Barristan, Jaime, Varys, anyone at court from the Tragaryen era, all the highborn people from the Crownlands and the King's Lander commoners who had ever attended any of the frequent public acts where the kingsguard appear. Just not possible.

If you wear your helmet at strategic moments and you are given assignments that keep you out of social situations, it might work.

The highborn people at court are much more interested in watching the royal family than they are in watching the kingsguard. Or they might have noticed and decided not to discuss it - Ser Kevan notices that Robert Strong is a dead guy, but he thinks about it in private and doesn't (as far as we know) discuss it with Cersei or others who might have a relevant opinion.

I can think of other situations where someone should have noticed another person, but didn't: the Mallisters riding past Catelyn Stark, even though she ignored Ser Rodrik's advice to put her hood up; Robert Baratheon never remarking about Arya Stark's strong resemblance to Lyanna, even when he has to pay direct attention to her after Nymeria bites Joffrey. Arya has to tell Harwin who she is before he recognizes her. Vale lords don't recognize Sansa thinly disguised as Alayne by changing her hair color. I suspect there are others that have not yet been revealed to us - Septa Mordayne is at the top of my list of disguised people who are overlooked.

Barristan might have to be in on the Mandon Moore ruse, I concede. But he would do what the King or Hand of the King tells him to do, without asking questions or gossiping.

Death is not an ending in ASOIAF, with many, many variations on that theme. Rebirth can take lots of forms: sometimes the person never died in the first place (possibly fAegon, Connington); sometimes the person skinchanges at the right moment and has a second life in another body (Orell, Varamyr); sometime a title is passed down to a successor, keeping a tradition alive (The Black Pearl); other times it means the person died but was revived in a gruesome form (Lady Stoneheart, Gregor Clegane, probably Patchface).

Edit: I may have misunderstood your question. I don't think they "faked" the death of the person who was Mandon Moore. I think that several of the kingsguard died during Robert's Rebellion or the situation we know of as the Tower of Joy. What was fake was not his death, but his identity when he returned to the kingsguard. If you look at House Moore, you can see that there is little or nothing except Mandon under that name. If Jon Arryn wanted to create false credentials for someone, this was a good, obscure fake name to use.

2nd Edit: Doh! I see there is something new under House Moore, since the publication of Sons of the Dragon in the Book of Swords. Very interesting, and a kingsguard connection, to boot!

[John Suburbs]

It's not like past Kingsguards have all been shining examples of virtue:

Ser Gyles Greycloak, now know as Ser Gyles Turncloak

The Demon of Darry

Ser Orivel the Open-Handed, an infamous coward

And, of course, Ser Lucamore the Lusty.

Not to mention the three who sat out Robert's Rebellion guarding Rhaegar's squeeze rather than protecting their king and/or prince.

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

Looks like sometimes they are invited to join and sometimes families petition to have a younger son join. 

As to Mandon Moore. I think he was a very competent knight who was the exact type of KG that you want. Obedient to the letter of his duties. 

Jaime thinks that next to himself Mandon is the most able of the KG. And during the bread riot he abandons his post as Sansa's sworn shield to attend to his primary duty of protecting the King; I don't think this is coincidence. He is described very like Gerold Hightower in that Barristan says he has no friend but his sword and no life but duty. ie: totally committed. When Tyrion demands entrance to the small council chambers against Cersei's orders he refuses despite the letter from tywin. Showing he is a stickler for following orders. Yet he abandoned Sansa against his orders to attend his King. I think he's a hint that Gerold Hightower was sticking to his vow to defend his King over and above any order to remain at the ToJ because Rhaegar told him to. GRRM has literally given us a second by the book KG member who does abandon the orders given him when his King is in danger because the primary duty matters above any order. 

Lastly upon thinking about it I think it was Joffrey not Cersei who ordered him to kill Tyrion during the Blackwater. He demands Tyrion's orders as Hand of the King are obeyed and then attempts to kill him. It is suspected that Cersei has bribed or blackmailed him into it. But he isn't a likely candidate for that he has no friend hs sword remember. So no lover or loved one to threaten or give blackmail material. No Life but Duty so not likely to be bribable or give in to her sexual manipulations. I think Joffrey had to give an order direct to him that overrides Tyrion's position as Hand. And Joffrey had plenty of reasons and the personality to want to have him killed. 

 

[Lady Topspin]

Circumstances differ but the monarch has to approve.  Someone in the monarch's court has political influence and makes a recommendation.  It's 

[Yukle]

15 hours ago, Dorian Martell's son said:

 Loras Tyrell is a member of Tommen and Joff's kingsguard. did you read the books? 

On this, there seem to be a few reasons that Loras agreed to this.

First and foremost, Renly had died. He was definitely heartbroken by this, and given his youth also seemed to lose any ambition or care for the future.

But mostly the Tyrells needed to curry favour after changing sides. Willas is crippled, but his brain functions and Garlan is noted for being a very competent knight. I imagine that the decision to appoint Loras is meant to dilute the impact of the Tyrells having three potential heirs in the likely event of the WoT5K killing off their men.

But Mace Tyrell, who I have never been sold on as a military commander, is definitely a clever politician. Tywin Lannister considered the deal a great way to take an heir - or at the very least a valuable marriage to another house - from the Tyrells. Mace, on the other hand, has also placed an extremely skilled swordsman in a position permanently close to the royal family. Despite their vows, men like Criston Cole show that the Kingsguard don't always act in the interests of their monarchs.

[FictionIsntReal]

7 hours ago, The Weirwoods Eyes said:

 I think he's a hint that Gerold Hightower was sticking to his vow to defend his King over and above any order to remain at the ToJ because Rhaegar told him to. GRRM has literally given us a second by the book KG member who does abandon the orders given him when his King is in danger because the primary duty matters above any order.

Rhaegar was never King. King Aerys' orders theoretically should have superseded Rhaegar's, and he sent every Kingsguard in King's Landing other than Jaime to the Trident. Arthur Dayne's presence seems due to having sided with his friend Rhaegar over the wishes of the King. Aerys also named his son Viserys as heir over Rhaegar's son Aegon, so even after the deaths of both Rhaegar & Aerys the Kingsguard theoretically should have been away from the Tower of Joy.

[Euron Lannister]

As for Mandon Moore, he seems like a Littlefinger man to me, he is from the vale and jon arryn installed him, but he didn't like him, so i suspect lysa to convince him to install him and we all know who has controll over lysa.

also his actions match lttlefingers plans, if the theories of him orchestrating the riot and wanting to kill tyrion instaed of joffrey.

[The Fattest Leech]

They play the game “rock, paper, breastplate stretcher.” 

[kissdbyfire]

3 minutes ago, The Fattest Leech said:

They play the game “rock, paper, breastplate stretcher.” 

Shouldn't it be "rock, parchment, breastplate stretcher"?

 

[The Fattest Leech]

6 minutes ago, kissdbyfire said:

Shouldn't it be "rock, parchment, breastplate stretcher"?

 

Leech fail!