The Lannisters were one of the three major families throughout the television series Game of Thrones. While the Starks were initially placed as the protagonists and the Lannisters the antagonists, these lines were blurred and crossed over time. As a result every family, especially the Lannisters, appeared to be all over the place, morally.
Tyrion and Jaime would eventually become fan favorites, each with their considerable character development. Their father Tywin was the main force pushing forward the name, wealth and power of House Lannister. However, there were several other Lannisters both before and after Tywin who established themselves as important figures in the Lannisters' family history. Cersei and Jaime's three children publicly bore the Baratheon name until they died, separating them from other famous Lannisters, but leaving a panoply of significant characters..
10 Kevan Was Always Left In His Brother's Shadow
Kevan Lannister will be remembered for his limited role in Game of Thrones. As the brother of Tywin Lannister, he was often seen serving and helping Tywin as his smart and loyal right-hand man.
Upon his brother's death, Kevan defied his niece Cersei's plans to claim power for herself. However, upon Cersei's arrest by the High Sparrow, Kevan returned to King's Landing and served briefly as King Tommen's Hand. Kevan was a part of the gathering who were obliterated by Cersei's wildfire scheme, showing that not even her family was safe from her wrath.
9 King Tyrion III Married The Andals Instead Of Fighting Them
When the Andals began to move towards the Westerlands, the First Men immediately fought back, no questions asked. However, with King Tyrion III came a new era where the Lannisters would try to make peace and form alliances with the Andals.
Tyrion III arranged marriages to join the two groups together as best he could, even taking sons and daughters of the Andal lords as wards or fosterlings. Many of them were put to work at Casterly Rock. His son, Gerald II, later continued these policies.
8 Ser Joffrey Lydden Was An Andal Who Became A Lannister To Further The Family Line
When Gerold Lannister III died without a male heir, the Lannister line and legacy could have fallen into doubt and despair. Yet instead, his daughter's husband, an Andal named Ser Joffrey Lydden, was crowned and took on the Lannister name.
This act was more about the importance of the concept of the Lannister family than the man himself. However, this decision brought in an Andal outsider and named him as a Lannister. This shifted the family away from their history as First Men and led them into a new era.
7 Jaime Lannister Became The Kingslayer By Killing Aerys Targaryen II
Jaime Lannister went on quite the character arc over the course of Game of Thrones. He went from being the unlikable bully who had a hand in Ned Stark's brutal arrest, to being one of the most popular characters in the entire series.
Jaime's legacy was cumulative. He was labeled "Kingslayer" for stabbing Aerys Targaryen II in the back, and the name stayed with him over the entire course of the show. He was a constant figure in the Kingsguard until he was eventually made Lord Commander of the Kingsguard by his son, Joffrey. Jaime's relationship with Cersei and the truth about their three children were certainly other important factors that shaped the future of Westeros and its wars.
6 Loreon I Was The First True King Of The Rock
Following Lann the Clever's foundation of the Lannister family and the winning of Casterly Rock, the first known King of the Rock was Loreon Lannister I. Known as Loreon the Lion, he was responsible for making the infamous House Rayne of Castamere his vassals by marrying one of the family's daughters.
In legend, he was known for defeating the Hooded King Morgon Banefort, in a long war where his followers fearer he was fighting a necromancer's dark forces. However, by securing House Lannister's place on Casterly Rock he also secured their future.
5 Loren Survived By Surrendering To Aegon The Conqueror
The Lannisters reigned as kings at Casterly Rock until Aegon the Conqueror came for them. After suffering a resounding defeat, King Loren I Lannister surrendered to the Targaryens and their dragons. As Torrhen Stark had also done for his own family, this surrender also saved the Lannister name and gave it a future.
The Lannister defeat at the Field of Fire and their subsequent surrender saw the Lannisters remain lords of the Westerlands. However, this meant bending the knee and forsaking their former freedom as Kings of the Rock.
4 Cersei Drove The Family & The Seven Kingdoms Into Chaos
With Jaime pursuing the sword and Tyrion shunned, Cersei Lannister was Tywin's child with the greatest affinity for power and manipulation. Her relationship with her brother, Jaime, created a huge controversy and sparked a conspiracy as well. This had huge ramifications throughout the Seven Kingdoms when Jon Arryn and Ned Stark discovered the truth.
After the death of Cersei's husband, King Robert Baratheon, she oversaw her horrid son Joffrey's rise to the throne, even as he committed various atrocities. She would eventually see her three children die, all essentially from situations that she had indirectly created. Cersei became queen herself and antagonized Daenerys Targaryen, triggering the war that would engulf the remainder of the television series. She eliminated several threats and Houses through her schemes, with her destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor being a prime example.
3 Tyrion Became The Right Hand Man For Three Separate Houses
Considering how hard his father Tywin had worked to return the name of House Lannister to its former glory, it is hard to place Tyrion and his siblings in the context of Lannister history. Tyrion was largely likable, a trait that wasn't really applicable to any other Lannister throughout the entirety of Game of Thrones. Tyrion proved that his physical restrictions as a dwarf were nothing but a cosmetic feature, as he still achieved plenty.
Tyrion simply favored his mind over his sword. Tyrion served as Hand of the King to Joffrey Baratheon and Bran Stark, and as Hand of the Queen to Daenerys Targaryen for a time in between. He came up with all sorts of strategies, with varying results, but was still respected enough in the end to dictate the final vote for Bran as the new king. Tyrion was even responsible for killing his father Tywin, a devastating blow to House Lannister.
2 Lann The Clever Used His Cunning To Steal Casterly Rock & Found House Lannister
Lann the Clever was known as the founder of House Lannister during the Age of Heroes. He was a cunning trickster, earnng his name by swindling Casterly Rock away from the Casterlys. Legends spoke of Lann sneaking into the castle and forcing the family to leave, although the stories from that point on branch into fantastical variations on how he achieved this.
Regardless, the Lannisters were born through underhanded means, sitting atop a pile of wealth and power. Thus began the Lannister family legacy that Tywin Lannister was so determined to revive and maintain.
1 Tywin Dedicated Everything To Re-establishing The House Of Lannister
Tywin Lannister was the head of House Lannister throughout Game of Thrones until his death at his son's hand. He was portrayed as the formidable father of Tyrion, Jaime and Cersei, and cared about nothing other than maintaining his family name, as well as the fear and power that came with it.
However, he was feared and respected by so many for good reasons. His father Tytos was a coward and a pushover, manipulated and humiliated by the Tarbecks and the Reynes. Hating the humiliation and dishonor that had been brought to his family, Tywin sought to eliminate these traitors. His retaliation is what was sung about in the haunting and horrifying song, "The Rains of Castamere." Tywin restored the Lannister name and took them to prominence once again until his death halted his work.