War Of The Five Kings: Renly Baratheon

[NelsonG]

The War of Five Kings raging throughout the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros features lots of players, not all of them likable. [url="http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/03/26/game-of-thrones-joffrey/"]Joffrey Baratheon[/url]? Total jerk. [url="http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/03/28/game-of-thrones-balon-greyjoy/"]Balon Greyjoy[/url]? Not as bad, but still pretty grim. [url="http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/03/27/game-of-thrones-robb-stark/"]Robb Stark[/url] is someone we can all root for, but like his father, humor isn't exactly his game. Which is why it's refreshing to have a friendlier face in the mix of this battle.

Someone like...

[url="http://www.mtv.com/photos/game-of-thrones-season-two/1678887/6890468/photo.jhtml"][img]http://www.mtv.com/news/photos/g/game_of_thrones_season_2_flip_020912/GOT_13.jpg[/img][/url]

[b]Know Your King[/b]
No stranger to royal blood and the court intrigue of King's Landing, Renly Baratheon of the Stormlands is yet another man running about Westeros calling himself king. Following the death of his elder brother Robert, Renly has taken it upon himself to become the Baratheon that Westeros needs -- but just because he's likable doesn't make him the right man for the job.



[b]Where's He From?[/b]
Renly hails from Storm's End, where he was raised by Maester Cressen alongside brothers Robert and Stannis. He served on his brother's small council during his reign as king; since Robert's death, Renly has fled Kings Landing to aggressively pursue his place as king, establishing key allies in the process.

[b]The King's Court[/b]
The young stag is surrounded by a wide assortment of trusted allies: his new wife Margery of House Tyrell for one, perhaps the wealthiest high house in the Seven Kingdoms after the Lannisters. Renly also has his elite Rainbow Guard protecting him, including warrior woman Brienne of Tarth and Renly's secret lover (and his wife's brother) Loras.

[b]What Does He Do?[/b]
Right now, aside from aligning himself with the right folks and keeping his people happy, he doesn't do much. Renly is biding his time, enjoying the possibility of kingship through entertaining tournaments, jousts and the like. A far cry from the real blood that Joffrey and Robb are currently spilling.

[b]Do We Like Him?[/b]
Besides Robb, Renly is the most likable of the five kings. But he also has the worst claim: he is the youngest Baratheon behind the still living Stannis, the final player in the war. Even if Renly is the more personable brother, the crown should technically belong to his elder--assuming anyone cares about such traditions these days, which is a big assumption.

[i]Tell us what you think of Renly in the comments or on [url="http://twitter.com/mtvmoviesblog/"]Twitter[/url]![/i]



[url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/03/29/game-of-thrones-renly-baratheon/]View the full article[/url]