The 10 most significant kings to rule Westeros

4. Robert Baratheon (283 AC – 298 AC)

As Robert was likely to readily admit himself, he was not a good monarch. A warrior by nature, Robert was far more at home in an alehouse or brothel than he was sat on the Iron Throne. Yet there he sat, the first and, in truth, only Baratheon to rise to be king.

Perhaps the great disappointment of Robert’s reign is that he honestly had the abilities to be a great king, he just had little interest in utilizing them. He was a great soldier as he proved fighting at the Trident during Robert’s Rebellion. He was feared but also respected, a man who was known as a fair and even benevolent victor. Unlike many, his passion for fighting never descended into a bloodlust for war, and he was open to diplomacy, marrying Cersei Lannister in an attempt to guarantee the loyalty of Westeros’ most powerful house. His regret in not marrying Lyanna Stark would haunt him for the rest of his days.

He was cursed by these regrets, and also something much worse for a man like Robert: boredom. As frustration with the peace and his own domestic life set in, he became overweight and drunk, his infidelities and rough tongue becoming an embarrassment. Robert became open to those who would manipulate him, and while he wasn’t naive enough to not see it, he was unable to control the viper’s nest at King’s Landing.

"“Robert … He is in my dreams as well. Laughing. Drinking. Boasting. Those were the things he was best at. Those, and fighting.” — Stannis Baratheon, A Storm of Swords"

As ineffectual as he was, Robert Baratheon’s name will echo down the ages as the man who ended the Targaryen dynasty. It may have been Jamie Lannister who wielded the blade that killed the Mad King, and it may have been Ned Stark who entered the throne room first, but it was Robert who sat on the Iron Throne when it was all said and done. For that alone, his place in history is assured.