Wars of the Roses and ASOiAf Richard Neville the kingmaker, Tywin Lannister and Walder Frey Richard Neville was the 16 th Earl of Warwick also known as Warwick the Kingmaker. He was a wealthy military commander with vast political influence stretching beyond England. Originally a Lancastrian leader, he used every resource available to him to sit two kings of his choosing on the English throne. Now, GRRM uses a direct reference to Warwick with Criston Cole the Kingmaker who used his influence to sit Aegon on the Iron Throne. Then we should stop there! That was easy! But I dont like easy. There are several ASOIF characters who possess similar qualities and identical influence. But for today, we will explore the more prominent and influential of them all. Warwick was a very wealthy nobleman and accomplished military commander with a great mind for warfare. In this regard, I find myself thinking of Tywin Lannister. After all, it is mentioned in the books that different components make a powerful man. Some believe armies make a man unstoppable. Others believe gold is the most useful resource in attaining power. Tywin posseses both. Tywin Lannister has often been the deciding factor in battles. At the Sack of KL, his host takes the city and eliminates the royal heirs. At Blackwater, Tywins host joins forces with the Tyrells and saves KL from Stannis who otherwise may have won his throne. If Tywin had not wanted a Stag on the throne, he could have easily protested. Although lets admit, Robert had the best claim. Instead he supported Robert, arranged a marriage with his daughter and lent millions to the crown over the next several years. Tywin and Warwick also had another thing in common; a thirst to preserve their legacies. An obsession so great they both used their children to further their cause and risked their own lives in the interest of their houses. Both fought alongside their armies. Both were cunning and possessed a great deal of patience when laying out their military plans. Warwick was originally a Lancastrian supporter. After a territorial dispute, he sided with York and saw King Edward VI, his cousin, crowned under his political and military influence in 1461. Not only did Warwick provide soldiers and wealth to the crown, he also rallied Northern England to his cause and counselled the King in all matters. Many believed Edward was being entirely controlled by his cousin. Edwards marriage to Elizabeth Woodville (Lancastrian supporter and commoner) however, caused a falling out between the two. It was, after all, Warwick who had secured a more suitable match for his cousin, who completely disregarded his marriage oath. Yes, yes I smell Robb too, that post is complete and will be up shortly. Warwick then turned to Edwards brother, George Duke of Clarence and put his full weight behind him. He submitted several pleas to parliament to dethrone Edward and raise George without success. His attempt failed disastrously and Warwick, now a known traitor, was forced to seek another potential king (and side once again with Lancaster). Amusingly enough, this was none other than the one he had previously dethroned, King Henry VI (Mad King Henry) in favour of his cousin Edward. Henrys wife, Margaret of Anjou was unconvinced of Warwickss change of heart. She demanded he marry his youngest daughter, Anne to her son in order to ensure he deliver on his promises. This effort proved successful if only for a short time (approx. 1 year) Edward VIs armies prevailed and Warwick was killed at the Battle of Barnet in 1471. The Yorkish king won back his throne. Having no sons, Warwick used his daughters for political gain. His daughter Isabel married George, Duke of Clarence. Warwicks attempt to sit George on the English throne was in part to see Isabel crowned Queen. His daughter Anne married Edward of Westminster (son of Margaret of Anjou and King Henry VI) essentially putting both daughters on each side, making them enemies. After the death of her husband, Anne married Richard, Duke of Gloucester. He eventually became King Richard III. And Anne was crowned Queen, Warwicks finest achievement. Tywin Lannister cannot use his son Jaime for political gain. Readers may remember how furious he was when Jaime was named to the Kingsguard. He cannot use Tyrion despite his efforts. He does eventually arrange Tyrion and Sansa but that was short lived as well and he did not get to see the fruit of that union. He must use Cersei. This is perhaps Tywins greatest achievement. He enjoyed 17 years of stature and royal favour. Lending money to the crown also secured his position. In many ways, Tywin was a Kingmaker. Not only could he sit a king of his choosing on the throne but he could prevent others from doing so (Robb Stark, Stannis Baratheon). I have read several essays comparing Richard Neville to Walder Frey. Personally, the only similarity I noted was the fact that both were betrayed by broken marriage contracts. Richard and Walder both switched sides in revenge. While Warwick never murdered his betrayer like Frey, he did murder Elizabeths father and brother. As Ive mentioned before, Edward was quite merciful and never sought revenge for the killings. I have found a more accurate comparison for Walder Frey and will discuss my findings in a later post. Tywin and Richard; both men were feared by political administrators and commoners. Neither was loved nor admired. Both maintained a unique level of power throughout several decades and both managed to carve their names in history. Richard Neville portrait by Paul F. Workman Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister in HBOs Game of Thrones
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 11:39:00 +0000
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