The chair of the Hand of the King at the small council table. On several occasions in history, a Grand Maester has also been appointed as Hand of the King, serving in both offices at once. Tyrion served as an acting Hand to Joffrey, and was made the permanent Hand to Queen Daenerys Targaryen and later King Bran the Broken. Tywin served as Hand to Aerys II, and again to Kings Joffrey Baratheon and Tommen Baratheon.

Tywin and Tyrion Lannister were the only two people to serve non-consecutive terms as Hand. Such was the case when Lord Tywin Lannister ably served as Hand of the King for twenty years while King Aerys II Targaryen spiraled into insanity, or when Lord Jon Arryn served as Hand of the King for seventeen years under King Robert Baratheon, who while an able soldier was not an able politician or statesman. During the reign of weak or ineffectual monarchs, the Hand is often the real power behind the throne, and the man chiefly responsible for holding the realm together. Hands of the King often wear a badge of office shaped like a hand, such as a brooch or a gold necklace with a repeated hand design.ĭuring the reign of strong and able monarchs, the Hand is the chief agent for coordinating and carrying out their plans. The Hand of the King's brooch, symbol of the Hand's office and authority.Ī hand is often used as the symbol of the Hand of the King, such as on the wax seals of letters. The Hand is the highest-ranking member of the small council, and leads meetings of the council as proxy for the monarch when they are absent. The Hand is the monarch's closest advisor, appointed and authorized to make decisions in their name. The Hand of the King or Hand of the Queen, in cases of a ruling female monarch, or simply the King's Hand or Queen's Hand, is the most powerful appointed position in the Six Kingdoms, second only to the monarch in authority and responsibility. ' What's the line? 'The King shits, and the Hand wipes.'' ―Ser Jaime Lannister

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