A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 1 introduced viewers to a character named Lyonel Baratheon, and many are likely wondering exactly how he is related to Mark Addy's Robert Baratheon from Game of Thrones. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place roughly 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones, following a hedge knight named Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg.
The first episode of the spin-off series debuted on January 18, 2025, introducing characters like Duncan and Egg. However, other characters from familiar houses in Westeros were also introduced, such as Lyonel Baratheon, who is also known as the Laughing Storm. Since A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place so close to Game of Thrones, many can probably deduce that Lyonel is not far from Robert on the Baratheon family tree.
How Lyonel and Robert Baratheon are related in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Lyonel Baratheon
Lyonel Baratheon is a member of the Baratheon family who was introduced in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1. The series established that he was at the Ashford Meadows tournament and planned to fight in it, but he also met Duncan the Tall and shared a drink and a few laughs with him in Episode 1.
According to the post-episode teaser for the rest of the season, Lyonel will show up again throughout the show. Book fans will know exactly how he fits into the grand narrative that will be told across Season 1 and beyond.
In short, Lyonel is obviously an ancestor of Robert Baratheon. Based on only the first episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the two are rather similar in how boisterous they are, and it is no secret that they both share a love for drinking and making merry.
Unnamed Wife
In George R.R. Martin's source material, Lyonel Baratheon has an unnamed wife. It is not that his wife is unimportant to the story, but, aside from the Dunk & Egg novellas and other brief historical accounts from the world of Westeros, he is not a major name.
Lyonel's wife's name is never mentioned anywhere in the source material, but the pair go on to have at least one child.
Unnamed Daughter
Like Lyonel's wife, his daughter is also not named in any A Song of Ice and Fire written material, but she is wildly important to the overall story of Westeros.
Without getting into spoilers that could take place in later seasons of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Lyonel's daughter becomes betrothed to an extremely important figure in Westeros. However, the man she is to marry falls in love with someone else and breaks their betrothal, which leaves Lyonel more than upset.
This causes Lyonel to break the peace between the Baratheons and another major house in Westeros.
Ormund Baratheon
Now, it is extremely important to note that the exact relation between Lyonel Baratheon and Ormund Baratheon is not noted in any source material. Specifically, the books only reference Ormund as Lyonel's heir, so that could mean that he is Lyonel's son, nephew, or possibly even grandson.
However, since Lyonel is the lord of Storm's End and Ormund is the one who takes over for him and becomes the next lord, we will just put him in the place of where Lyonel's son would be, but it should be noted that the exact relation has not been confirmed.
As mentioned, Ormund Baratheon becomes the lord of Storm's End after Lyonel passes. Before that, though, Lyonel becomes infuriated due to his daughter's betrothed husband secretly marrying someone else. After a bit of conflict, to keep the peace, King Aegon V Targaryen (who is king of Westeros at the time that conflict ensues) gives his youngest daughter, Raelle Targaryen, to Lyonel's heir, Ormund.
Ormund marries Raelle, which adds another joint to the Targaryen and Baratheon houses. Later in life, Ormund Baratheon is named Hand of the King to Jaehaerys II Targaryen.
While Ormund's exact relation to Lyonel is unknown, it has been confirmed that he is a direct ancestor of Robert Baratheon. Specifically, he is Robert's grandfather.
Raelle Targaryen
Raelle Targaryen is the wife of Ormund Baratheon and the grandmother of Robert Baratheon. Raelle was offered to Ormund to keep the peace, but their marriage proved to be one of the most important events in Westeros' history since it directly led to Robert's birth.
Raelle was also the youngest daughter of Aegon V Targaryen and his wife, Betha Blackwood. Ironically, Raelle's marriage was the beginning of the end for the Targaryens' rule over Westeros, as Robert Baratheon was the first person to successfully rebel against the Targaryens and take the Iron Throne from that family.
Steffon Baratheon
Steffon Baratheon was the only child of Ormund Baratheon and Raelle Targaryen, and the father of Robert Baratheon. Steffon inherited Storm's End from his father, Ormund, and was heavily tied to the Targaryens who sat on the Iron Throne during his lifetime.
Interestingly, Steffon was a very close friend (and cousin) of Aerys II Targaryen, who is more commonly referred to as the Mad King (and, as a reminder, Aerys was the father of Emilia Clarke's Daenerys). Steffon served as lord of Storm's End during the majority of Aerys' reign, but Aerys also summoned him to King's Landing to serve on the king's small council.
At that time, Aerys' madness was growing stronger, and he began to suspect that Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance in Game of Thrones) and Aerys' own son, Rhaegar, were plotting to overthrow him. So, Aerys sent Steffon to Volantis to find a suitable bride for Rhaegar, as he felt Steffon was the only person he could still trust.
Steffon was unsuccessful in finding someone for Rhaegar, but it was believed that, when he returned, Aerys was going to name Steffon Hand of the King and send Tywin Lannister away. However, during his journey home, Steffon and his wife died in a shipwreck.
There is so much irony surrounding Steffon Baratheon and his relation to the Mad King. As mentioned, Steffon became the only person the Mad King genuinely trusted in all of Westeros, and Steffon's own son was the one to rebel against the Mad King and overthrow the Targaryen dynasty.
Cassana Estermont
Cassana Estermont was the wife of Steffon Baratheon and the mother of Robert Baratheon. Cassana traveled to Volantis with Steffon as the latter searched for a suitor for Rhaegar Targaryen, but she perished in a shipwreck on their journey home.
Tragically, this shipwreck occurred just as their ship was getting ready to dock on their return journey, meaning Cassana and Steffon died right in front of their sons, Robert and Stannis.
Robert Baratheon
Robert Baratheon was the eldest son of Steffon Baratheon and Cassana Estermont. At the beginning of Game of Thrones, Robert was the king of Westeros, and the first non-Targaryen king since Aegon the Conqueror came to the kingdoms.
Robert is most notable for his rebellion against the Iron Throne, but he also never had any legitimate children. His legal children with Cersei Lannister were not his biological offspring. However, he did father many bastards with various women, so his bloodline will still technically endure.
Since Ormund Baratheon may not be the direct son or grandson of Lyonel Baratheon, it is impossible to know exactly how the two are related. Lyonel is still one of Robert's ancestors in one way or another, as he would either be his great-grandfather, a distant cousin, or an uncle.
Cersei Lannister
Cersei Lannister was the wife of Robert Baratheon, the sister of Jaime and Tyrion Lannister, and the daughter of Tywin Lannister. Cersei notably had three children with Robert, but none of them were legitimately his. Instead, their father was Jaime Lannister, Cersei's brother.
In Game of Thrones, Cersei eventually became the outright queen after Tommen Baratheon died in the Season 6 finale. Cersei operated as one of the main antagonists of the HBO series and the A Song of Ice and Fire books.
Stannis Baratheon
Stannis Baratheon was the brother of Robert Baratheon and the son of Steffon and Cassana. After Robert died in Game of Thrones, Ned Stark declared that the Iron Throne was Stannis' by right since Joffrey Baratheon was actually the child of Cersei and Jaime.
This declaration is what prompted the War of the Five Kings, in which Stannis remained for a long time. Stannis also got caught up with Melisandre, a priestess with magical abilities.
However, Stannis had a wife named Selyse and a daughter named Shireen.
Selyse Florent
Selyse Florent was the wife of Stannis Baratheon and the mother of Shireen Baratheon. In Game of Thrones, Selyse was best known for blindly following the Lord of Light, so much so that she agreed to have Shireen sacrificed so that Stannis could win the war and become king.
However, Selyse seemingly realized her mistake, but it was too late, as Shireen was burned alive. Out of grief, Selyse hanged herself.
Shireen Baratheon
Shireen Baratheon was the daughter of Stannis and Selyse and the niece of Robert Baratheon. Shireen notably had greyscale, a disease that affected her skin. In Game of Thrones, Shireen was extremely close to Ser Davos.
Shireen was sadly sacrificed by Stannis, Selyse, and Melisandre to give Stannis the upper hand in the war for the Iron Throne. However, it proved unfruitful, as Stannis still lost the war and was killed.
Renly Baratheon
Renly Baratheon was the youngest brother of Robert and Stannis, and the youngest son of Steffon and Cassana. Renly was also one of the main participants in the War of the Five Kings, directly opposing Stannis.
Renly was killed by a magical force that came from Melisandre after Stannis struck a deal with Melisandre.
Joffrey Baratheon
Joffrey Baratheon was the legal son of Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister. However, Robert was not his biological father. Cersei had a secret affair with her brother, Jaime, and one of the results of that was Joffrey Baratheon.
Joffrey took the Iron Throne after Robert's death and proved to be one of the worst rulers Westeros had ever seen. Joffrey was eventually killed at the Purple Wedding after being poisoned by Olenna Tyrell and Petyr Baelish (aka Littlefinger).
Joffrey also already notably spoiled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in Game of Thrones Season 4.
Myrcella Baratheon
Like Joffrey, Myrcella was legally the child of Robert and Cersei, but Jaime was also her biological father. Myrcella was sent to Dorne by her uncle, Tyrion Lannister, so she was somewhat protected from the conflicts going on in and around King's Landing.
Tommen Baratheon
Tommen was another child of Cersei and Robert, who was not really Robert's offspring. After Joffrey's death, Tommen was named the king of Westeros and ruled for a short period of time. He married Margaery Tyrell, but after the explosion at the Sept of Baelor, Tommen committed suicide. This directly led to Cersei becoming the queen of Westeros.
