After successfully rebelling against the Mad King Aerys, Robert becomes the first king of Westeros to win the throne by conquest since Aegon the Conqueror. However, he is not as concerned with ruling as he is with the perks of power, spending much of his time hunting, feasting, jousting, and having affairs, leaving the actual ruling to his council. Despite still mourning Lyanna, he marries Cersei Lannister to cement their families' alliance, but their three children are actually the products of Cersei's affair with her twin brother Jaime.
After rumors begin to spread about the children's true parentage, Cersei arranges for a hunting accident, which kills Robert. Although Joffrey is quickly named king, the rumors of his illegitimacy are enough to spark several rival claims, from the North under the Starks seceding, to both of Robert's brothers, Stannis and Renly, attempting to claim the Iron Throne for themselves.
