Tywin Lannister is one of my favourite characters in the Game of Thrones T.V Series. I just love the way he is portrayed by Charles Dance in the series and how strong of a character he actually is!
He is considered as the most powerful man in all of Westeros by Cersei in Series 4 and with the other kingdoms united in fear of him, it is no surprise why he is powerful.
Ever since he was first seen in the first series of Game of Thrones, Tywin showed his strength and power, and has continued to show it throughout the four series. He is extremely intimidating, to nearly everyone. His children, colleagues of the Small Council, Joffrey (the King!) are examples of people that are just terrified of him, and these examples are some of the most powerful people in Westeros! I especially love how Tywin puts Joffrey in his place:
For this comparison, I will be comparing Tywin Lannister to Edward Longshanks (Edward I of England).
Edward I was born into a rich background, as his father (Henry III) was the King at the time (1). Tywin was also born into a rich background - being a Lannister, meant being a part of one of the richest and most powerful houses in Westeros.
According to Britannia Website, Edward I "possessed the strength his father lacked and reasserted royal prerogative." (2) Henry III did not have the most succesful reign - facing a revolt in his later reign. This can be compared to the fact that Tywin's father, Tytos, was considered a laughing stock (3) during his time as the Lord of Casterly Rock (Head of the Lannister Family), and that Tywin had to fix the bad investments that his father made, to show the other Houses of Westeros that the Lannisters are not a family to mess with. Tywin successfully managed to remind the other Houses of the Lannister's strength by defeating the rebellion of House Reyne in a ruthless, destructive manner. In comparison, Edward I set out to fix the mess his father left, by re-establishing royal authority and restoring order.
Now, although Tywin was never the King, being Hand of the King gave him the power equivalent to being the King - especially when Joffrey was in power; being young meant that Tywin could easily wrap his finger around him. Edward I did become the king - in 1274. Longshanks, like Tywin, was considered intimidating, and had a fierce temper which is extremely comparable to Tywin's "angry moments" seen throughout the TV Series.
Tywin Lannister is rich, very rich and throughout the series is considered the richest man in all of Westeros, but in Series 4, it is found that the Lannisters actually owe a "tremendous amount" of money to the Iron Bank of Braavos. This would mean that when Tywin Lannister died, he would not only be leaving the Lannister Legacy with his children, but also a large amount debt.
This could be compared to the fact that when Edward I died, he left his son, Edward II, financial and political problems.
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_I_of_England
(2) http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon30.html
(3) http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Tywin_Lannister
Information on Tywin is also based from "Game of Thrones" TV Series by HBO.
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