Game of Thrones is famous for its venomous, cunning, and Machiavellian characters. No family is more known for these traits than the Lannisters. House Lannister was behind the murder of the honorable Ned Stark, the brutal Red Wedding, and the extinction of House Tyrell.
In other words, the Lannisters have been behind some of the most entertaining and shocking elements of Game of Thrones. Their scheming has helped make the show the legendary series it is today.
This article will rank the Lannisters based on intelligence.
Tommen
Tommen succeeded his brother Joffrey as King of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, but he never really wanted this role, nor was he suited for it. Tommen, while a very sweet boy, was not a good leader. Perhaps he would have grown into a better leader with time, but there was no real evidence of this happening.
Furthermore, Tommen was easily led by Cersei and the Faith Militant into performing several actions. This not only led to Tommen making questionable judgments but also shows that he is not very headstrong.
As a consequence of his ability to be manipulated, Tommen can only receive the lowest place on this list.
Myrcella
While Myrcella is placed above Tommen, there is nothing to really separate the two. We never got to truly know Myrcella in the show as she spent most of her time in Dorne. The only time viewers really saw Cersei and Jaime’s daughter was when she left King’s Landing and when she left Dorne, only to die from poison before she could return to her mother.
The only reason why Myrcella ranks above Tommen is due to her not being given a position of responsibility. In other words, she didn’t make his mistakes.
Joffrey
While Joffrey has managed to rank higher than his siblings, it isn’t by much. The immature and sadistic King Joffrey Baratheon managed to be the main villain of Game of Thrones until his death in Season 4 and the introduction of Ramsay Bolton. While he wasn’t shown to be particularly bright, he was, in a sense, a stronger leader than Tommen. Aside from this, Joffrey often made decisions on a whim without really thinking them through.
The main reason why Joffrey ranked higher than the previous two is due to the fact that he was a stronger leader and generally avoided making Tommen’s mistakes
Lancel
Lancel is another Lannister that was difficult to place on this list. In the first few seasons, he was a bumbling cousin of the central Lannisters who was also a ‘substitute Jaime’ for Cersei. He wasn’t shown to be particularly bright, but nor was she shown to be particularly incompetent either.
However, after he was forced to join the Faith Militant, Lancel proved to be more than capable of understanding the politics of King’s Landing, as well as how his family was to act. This allowed the Faith Militant to become a greater force in King’s Landing.
It is for his actions while a member of the Faith Militant that Lancel has received this ranking on this list.
Jaime
Jaime is well aware that he isn’t revered for his mind. While he isn’t in the same league as Cersei or Tyrion, Jaime is still clever. Jaime Lannister is a respected member of the King’s Guard and a feared commander. Both of these positions require Jaime to be competent and knowledgeable of battle tactics and the various happenings in King’s Landing.
While Jaime Lannister is not the political force that his father was, he is still intelligent and deserving of his place on this list.
Kevan
Kevan Lannister is the younger brother of Tywin Lannister and one of the most powerful men in Westeros. During the War of the Five Kings, Kevan was one of the most well respected Lannister generals and a member of Tywin’s war council. After the war, Kevan returned to King’s Landing and eventually managed to succeed his brother as Hand of the King.
Kevan was often praised for his wise counsel, both as a knight and as a member of the small council. He was far less ruthless than Tywin, as could be seen by his advice to make peace with Robb Stark.
It is a shame that Kevan was killed in Cersei’s wildfire explosion, as it would have been interesting to see the character interact with Dany and Jon as they tried to arrange a ceasefire with Cersei.
Cersei
Cersei Lannister was, perhaps, the character most like her father. She was shown to be ruthless, intelligent, and fluent in Westerosi politics. She managed to successfully place her Lannister children on the throne and also managed to hang on to power after the death of Tommen.
Some may argue that the character is too wild, there is always some method to Cersei’s madness. Her decisions to blow up the Great Sept and break the ceasefire with Daenerys and Jon were not taken lightly.
Tyrion
He drinks and he knows things, that’s Tyrion’s character in a nutshell. Tyrion is like his father in a sense, that he is incredibly intelligent and knowledgeable of Westeros and its politics. However, unlike his father, Tyrion is not a ruthless, Machiavellian character.
That being said, throughout the final two seasons, Tyrion made several mistakes that caused him to only receive the second place on this list. His counsel to Daenerys to avoid invading King’s Landing was dubious, and his idea to take Casterly Rock was pointless and cost Dany’s army greatly.
Tywin
Tywin Lannister is easily the most intelligent member of the Lannister family and, potentially, the most astute and successful political player in all of Westeros. Tywin is the reason why House Lannister gained so much power in Westeros. Tywin crushed House Reyne in order to cement House Lannister as the dominant force in the Westerlands, as immortalized by the Rains of Castamere.
Further, Tywin Lannister also captured King’s Landing for Robert Baratheon, defended King’s Landing against Stannis’ attempted invasion, and also defeated the invading northern forces during the War of the Five Kings with the Red Wedding.
While Tywin is certainly not the nicest or most moral character in Game of Thrones, he is easily the most cunning, intelligent, and intimidating member of House Lannister.
