Will the person on the Iron Throne in the end be a PoV character?

[Pootie Tang]

The only way anybody else than Stannis will sit on the iron throne, will be on the lap of Stannis, sitting the Iron throne.

[lady m]

I think he is more likely to end up as Lord of Storm's End, given to him by a the one who sits the Iron Throne.

Don't you think it more likely Edric Storm would be legitimized and given Storm's End than Gendry? Edric's at least educated, I don't think Gendry can even read. Not that he couldn't learn, Davos is.

Oh, and I don't think the IT will exist at the end, certainly not with any of the current claimants as occupants.

[The Sword of the Mourning]

I believe it will be gone. The ruler of the 7 kingdoms will not exist either. Dany will let them rule themselves.

[direneedle]

There's actually a fair bit of sort-of democracy on Planetos. Start with Tyrion's hill tribes: GoT has him complaining that they talk about everything, and everyone gets to talk, even the *women*. The Free Folk have something rough-and-ready. Volantis has its Triarchy. The Valyrian Freeholder had something where every freeholder had a say. The Watch Commander is elected (though for life; real democracy is peaceful unelections.)

I doubt the hillfolk will be imposing their culture on anyone. But if Winter comes and the Watch is left holding the pieces, with or without Free Folk help, then their customs might swamp the feudal ones. Conversely there's Daenerys... currently not democratic at all, just 'liberal' (in the freedom, no slaves or rape sense), and set on restoring her family's throne. But she's also idealistic and a fast learner: what if someone points out that her heir, if she could even have an heir, would be as likely to be like her brother or Aerys as like Rhaegar or herself? That is after all one of the fundamental flaws of hereditary government, that you have a barely controlled crapshoot for the next ruler.

At that point, cleaning up Valyrian republican ways and imposing *those* by dragonfire might plausibly seem more attractive; even more so if she teams up with the Night Watch in saving the day.

Bittersweet ending would be finding that imposing democracy by force on a population un-used to it doesn't work perfectly. Plus "my crazy heir may not be King, but he'd still have dragons".

[Fire Eater]

Don't you think it more likely Edric Storm would be legitimized and given Storm's End than Gendry? Edric's at least educated, I don't think Gendry can even read. Not that he couldn't learn, Davos is.

Oh, and I don't think the IT will exist at the end, certainly not with any of the current claimants as occupants.

I think Dany would just issue a blanket legitimization on all Robert's bastards. Since Gendry is Robert's eldest son, that would make him Lord of Storm's End instead of Edric. There are plenty of other castles as many houses went extinct in the War of the Five Kings.

[jons nissa]

I think Dany would just issue a blanket legitimization on all Robert's bastards. Since Gendry is Robert's eldest son, that would make him Lord of Storm's End instead of Edric. There are plenty of other castles as many houses went extinct in the War of the Five Kings.

why would dany, or anyone sitting on the iron throne, legitimize the bastards of the last king? that's just asking for a rebellion.

[The Frost Wolf]

The Iron Throne will be burned down to dust and ashes and then scattered across the sea so no one may sit it again. It is known.

[Fire Eater]

why would dany, or anyone sitting on the iron throne, legitimize the bastards of the last king? that's just asking for a rebellion.

Not if Dany intends to make Edric Storm a grateful Lord of Storm's End. Like Orys Baratheon, he would owe the Targaryens.

[mcb]

Not if Dany intends to make Edric Storm a grateful Lord of Storm's End. Like Orys Baratheon, he would owe the Targaryens.

Apples and jalapenos (not oranges, they're too similar). Orys was one of Aegon's most trusted generals. Edric is a son of someone who slew Prince Rhaegar, and then sat his victorious ass on the spiky chair. Dany's no more likely to elevate one of Bob's bastards, than Bloodraven was to do the same to Daemon Blackfyre's sons.

[hollowcrown]

I'd love it if it was Jaime sitting in the Iron Throne at the end of the last book...waiting for someone to come through the door to claim it.

[therealbando]

I'd love it if it was Jaime sitting in the Iron Throne at the end of the last book...waiting for someone to come through the door to claim it.

That would be very poetic, especially if Rickon or Jon comes through the door to claim it for Stannis :lol:

[Stannis Eats No Peaches]

I want Stannis to sit the throne, but I think it will be Jon, though I'd prefer it if Jon stayed lord commander of the Night's Watch. So my answer is yes.

[hollowcrown]

That would be very poetic, especially if Rickon or Jon comes through the door to claim it for Stannis :lol:

That would probably be the perfect ending.

[mcbigski]

My guess for the last POV chapter is Rickon, 65-years-old King-beyond-the-Wall, running his wild kingdom with his beloved Shireen and their son Davos, a fabled snowball-fighter; sometimes using advice of his three-eyed-crow brother. There also is his not-a-brother Jon Targaryen in charge on the Wall, the first undead Lord commander of the Night‘s Watch. The Winterfell is under the rule of the Young Wolf’s posthumous twins Brandon and Eddard, the Kings Who Knelt in front of Dany the Queen and her mummering dragons. Dany is the true ruler of the Frosty Throne (made from the swords surrendered by the Others) and Protector of the Realm, but most part of the Seven Kingdoms is actually ruled as a personal union of an old hag Sansa, lady of Casterly Rock, the Vale and the Riverlands. Her sweetheart Tyrion the Giant died as hero, when killing the Great Other with ridiculous name George Martin (despite it was female). Sansa didn´t spent a long time mourning for him, because she married soon again to Harold What’s-his-name and plenty of other honourable men later. She is currently known as the only lady, who could field an army out of her kilt. Her youngest children are also twins - Mordane, figure skater of the Frozen Gardens in Dorne, and Sandor, acolyte of House of Black & White, where the kindly old woman Arya is in charge. All Greyjoys are dead, because I don’t like them.

Your theory needs more Hot Pie.

[Secret of Nym]

Why is Jon shown on the Iron Throne on the DVDs and cases for GOT Season 1? I always thought this was a clue to his destiny and just assumed we would see him sit it before the series is over.

[Secret of Nym]

I'd love it if it was Jaime sitting in the Iron Throne at the end of the last book...waiting for someone to come through the door to claim it.

As you say...

[NotSoSilentSister]

There's actually a fair bit of sort-of democracy on Planetos. Start with Tyrion's hill tribes: GoT has him complaining that they talk about everything, and everyone gets to talk, even the *women*. The Free Folk have something rough-and-ready. Volantis has its Triarchy. The Valyrian Freeholder had something where every freeholder had a say. The Watch Commander is elected (though for life; real democracy is peaceful unelections.)

I doubt the hillfolk will be imposing their culture on anyone. But if Winter comes and the Watch is left holding the pieces, with or without Free Folk help, then their customs might swamp the feudal ones. Conversely there's Daenerys... currently not democratic at all, just 'liberal' (in the freedom, no slaves or rape sense), and set on restoring her family's throne. But she's also idealistic and a fast learner: what if someone points out that her heir, if she could even have an heir, would be as likely to be like her brother or Aerys as like Rhaegar or herself? That is after all one of the fundamental flaws of hereditary government, that you have a barely controlled crapshoot for the next ruler.

At that point, cleaning up Valyrian republican ways and imposing *those* by dragonfire might plausibly seem more attractive; even more so if she teams up with the Night Watch in saving the day.

Bittersweet ending would be finding that imposing democracy by force on a population un-used to it doesn't work perfectly. Plus "my crazy heir may not be King, but he'd still have dragons".

Excellent observations. I could absolutey see the series ending in some first baby-steps towards constitutional monarchy. There might well still be something like the Iron Throne - not as we know it in its current glory, but some institution that draws its legitimacy from this tradition, albeit greatly reduced in its powers - but there might also be some Magna Charta/Bill of Rights-type deal paving the way to constitutional monarchy. And once you have a proper House of Lords which can vote on the important stuff, you can start dreaming about a House of Commons. Introduce the notion of suffrage and the moral arc of history will hopefully bend towards its expansion. The Dream of Spring won't quite get us there, but a dream is a start.

And it's not as if Westeros utterly lacked the rudmentary structures for something like this to happen quite organically. Ever wondered why the Small Council is called _Small_Council? Why, to distinguish it from the Great Council of course! You know, the one Rhaegar and later Catelyn wanted to call in to sort out the Mad-King-Aerys, Renly vs Stannis mess respectively. Boom, House of Lords, right there. The small council can be the executive branch of the government - the Hand of the King as the prime minister and the other masters of coins/ships, etc. as his cabinett. Now demote the King/Queen to something closer to a figurehead and establish some proper and ideally increasingly indepedent judicative branch and we should have something quite workable pretty soon. (That's why I'm personally much more invested in the question who's going to be the Hand, when all is said and done, as I strongly suspect that this will be the more decisive position in the end).

All we need now is a new King weak/enlightened enough to be bullied/convinced to sign a Bill of Rights. Luckily, you don't have to reach very far to find parallels between the situation that led to the historical Bill of Rights and the situation as it's shaping up in Westeros. The Bill of Rights came into being, when some disgruntled English aristocrats wanted to get rid of their catholic-loving Stuart-King because of the threat of a catholic heir. They supported an invasion of William of Orange married to the Stuart King's conveniently non-catholic daugher Mary. But of course, with William and Mary not having the strongest of claims, their allies had some leeway to dictate the terms and, the narrowly averted threat of the Catholic-heir fresh on their minds, they had a big incentive to exploit that advantage and have it set in stone.

Aegon could well be Westeros' William of Orange - the foreign invader with a tenuous claim to the throne welcomed by the disatisfied subjects. Alas, is his claim weak enough to make him sign a bill of rights? Well, his military might could be weak enough.... then again, I don't think Aegon will be endgame. But once, such a document is set up, things often develop a dynamic of their own.

The British were ushered towards democracy by their fear of Catholicism. For the Westerosi, it might be the fear of Rhollorism that does the trick.

[NotSoSilentSister]

Why is Jon shown on the Iron Throne on the DVDs and cases for GOT Season 1? I always thought this was a clue to his destiny and just assumed we would see him sit it before the series is over.

I wouldn't read anything into that - the promo-material also shows Tyrion and Cersei etc. on the Iron Throne - basically all of the major characters.

[Nothing]

Your theory needs more Hot Pie.

Hot Pie is gonna be lord of Flea Bottom, Grand Admiral of Trident and Protector of kneeling men. And one of Sansa's husbands, of course. Died in 328 AL, when cutting ice-cubes from Gods Eye surface to make her a refreshing beverage.

[LuisDantas]

I don't think it will. Or, at least, I don't think it will be someone who has had a POV already, or often.

Neither Robb, nor Renly, nor Stannis, nor Balon, nor Young Griffin are POVs, after all.