Littlefinger triggered Jeoffrey into beheading Ned Stark?

[Lord Freypie]

@MasterJack : happy to see someone sharing my views of LF

IMO, when Littlefinger get someone killed he loves to make someone else suspect of the crime (with a strange preference for Tyrion, in the case of Arryn's death it may simply has been because Tyrion was away and so had less possibilities to defend himself + accusing him was globally less risky and more believable than accusing the other absent Stannis). It doesn't mean he planned Eddard's death from the beginning (just to betray him if necessary to keep his position).

For me it's a mix of prudence (with Varys to instill paranoia there would have been suspicions about Arryn's death even without the letter, so it was better for Petyr to anticipate), and exploiting the situation to get one more person he dislikes condemned. With Eddard, Littlefinger just acts as the usual criminal in Columbo (sadly for Eddard he is not Columbo to realise that), trying to get close to the person investigating to know what he knows and be able to lead him in other directions than himself (+ Eddard being Hand, it serves his political ambition). But he does give a chance to Eddard before betraying him, and once Eddard is about to be sent to the wall, I don't see many reasons for LF to want his death (he stays in council, and don't even send a raven to Cat to say he didn't wanted that, make me thinks he already had lost any hopes about her at this stage).

Of course his past make him hate the Stark a little more than other big families, but I think if his motivation is revenge, it's more a global revenge against society / his low birth fueling his ambitions and making him want to weaken the major houses in general. Would Eddard have been a character he could have used to serve his ambitions he would have probably kept him in the game. It's Eddard being too honorable for compromises with Cersei or Renly, and threatening to give the throne to Stannis (worse choice for every Littlefinger enterprises, Stannis king would have probably resulted in a condemnation to exile or death for him after a corruption trial) that decided Petyr to betray in my opinion.

[mrunderhill]

I think some people are giving Littlefinger too much credit. Cersei loves Joffrey best because he is so strong willed and is her own man. The part where Joffrey stands up to Tywin is an exmaple of this. As for Cersei claiming she did not know who told Joffrey "a strong king acts boldly," I assumed that was a lie. It was something she probably told him herself and Tywin suspects as much, but she does not want to look weak in front of her father. Joffrey also has a great hatred for traitors. He fiercely wants to kill Stannis and Renly. If Littlefinger played a part it was a very small one and I am not convinced he would not have done so already. Joffrey was Cersei's son through and through and the man she always wanted to be.

[the Scorpion Knight]

But the Chaos caused by Ned's death would've sealed LF's own fate if Melisandre's shadow-magic hadn't put an end to Renly. Renly and the Tyrells would've just had him killed for betraying Ned and helping the Lannisters.

I think your making a mistake here. LF isn't playing chess like varys or Illyrio. Lf gambles

What happens if/when Sansa figures out who instigated Ned's beheading then? Sounds like Littlefinger might be keeping an exceptionally close eye on Sansa now too.

I think the persons he should watch out for but doesn't is way longer than just sansa IMHO

[chris999]

Ok guys, so this is my first post etc and this might have even been sugested before but I couldn't find a topic about it so here it goes.

My question is if it's possible that Littlefinger somehow triggered Jeoffrey into beheading Ned (like he inspired him to have the jousting dwarfs at the purple wedding.)

I have no real proof for this conclusion from the text but IMO it makes sense in many ways.

1. We know that LF wanted to start a conflict between the Starks and the Lannisters, if Ned had lived they might have gotten peace.

2. Since being friendzone by Catelyn Tully and whatnot he might have wanted to see Eddard dead from the very beginning. It would also be a way to not let Catelyn understand the whole betrayal scenario because if Ned have lived he would surely have told Cat what a scumbag her childhood friend Petyr was.

3. He seems to be one of the few persons that Jeoffrey actually (for some reason) listened too and Jeoffrey had no real reason to go aganst his mothers plans except from pure malice.

This struck me the first time I read GoT and I still see it as a viable scenario.

What do you think?

I think that he always had his creepy eye on Catlyn and then eventually Sansa... He knew that killing Ned would end up with Robb Stark and the Lannisters destroying each other so that he could make his moves to advance his plot.

It is pretty plain that the assassin the went after Bran was meant to be caught with the knife that Littlefinger said belonged to Tyrion that would lead to the chain reaction that started the war.

Even Varys himself says that Littlefinger would burn the countryside if he could be King of the ashes. He now has control of the impregnable fortress of the Vale, and holds the only known Stark, to be revealed at a precise moment.

[Lady Blue Rose]

I can see LF doing something to manipulate Joff into beheading Ned. Some snide comment, not directed at Joff but within his hearing range, insinuating that Ned was getting off easy. That would've triggered Joff into kill mode, like when he sent someone to kill Bran.

[KingStoneheart]

I have always been a strong believer in this, but what I think is that Joff already was planning on doing it but yeah LF probably made 100% that it happened

[EternET]

Nah, cutting Ned's head "alone" was Jeoffrey's very own "mad" decision, and despite everybody's advice to not do it. Everything "leading" to it though can be attributed to LF.

[magic713]

Well, while there is no proof, I really wouldn't be surprised if it was discovered to be true. It fits his MO in keeping the Starks and Lannisters at war, and he is manipulative enough to pull it off.