Difference between revisions of "Otto Hightower"
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{{Character | {{Character | ||
− | | Character_name = [[File:House_Hightower. | + | | Character_name = [[File:House_Hightower.svg|50px|left]] Otto Hightower [[File:House_Hightower.svg|50px|right]] |
| image = [[File:Otto Hightower.jpeg]] | | image = [[File:Otto Hightower.jpeg]] | ||
− | | image_caption = Otto Hightower, art by [http://enife.deviantart.com/art/The-Princess-and-the-Queen-431753079 Enife] © | + | | image_caption = Otto Hightower, art by [http://enife.deviantart.com/art/The-Princess-and-the-Queen-431753079 Enife] © |
| Alias = | | Alias = | ||
− | | Title = [[Knight|Ser]]<br>[[Hand of the King]] | + | | Title = [[Knight|Ser]]{{Ref|TPATQ}}<br>[[Hand of the King]]{{Ref|TPATQ}} |
| Allegiance = [[House Hightower]]<br>[[Greens]] | | Allegiance = [[House Hightower]]<br>[[Greens]] | ||
| Race = | | Race = | ||
− | | Culture = [[Reach]] | + | | Culture = [[Reach]] |
− | | Spouse = | + | | Spouse = Unknown |
+ | | Issue = [[Alicent Hightower]]{{Ref|TPATQ}}<br>[[Gwayne Hightower]]{{Ref|TPATQ}}<br>Son(s){{Ref|TPATQ}} | ||
| Place_of_Birth = | | Place_of_Birth = | ||
− | | Date_of_Birth = | + | | Date_of_Birth = or before {{Date|76}}<ref>''See the [[Years after Aegon's Conquest/Calculations Ages (Continued2)#Otto Hightower|Otto Hightower]] calculation.''</ref> |
− | | Place_of_Death = [[King's Landing]] | + | | Place_of_Death = [[fall of King's Landing|King's Landing]]{{Ref|TPATQ}} |
− | | Date_of_Death = {{Date|130}} | + | | Date_of_Death = {{Date|130}}{{Ref|TPATQ}} |
− | | Books = ''[[The World of Ice & Fire]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[The Rogue Prince]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[The Princess and the Queen]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[A Storm of Swords]]'' (mentioned) | + | | Books = ''[[The World of Ice & Fire]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[Fire & Blood]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[The Rogue Prince]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[The Princess and the Queen]]'' (mentioned)<br>''[[A Storm of Swords]]'' (mentioned) |
| coat-of-arms = | | coat-of-arms = | ||
}} | }} | ||
− | Ser '''Otto Hightower''' was a [[knight]] from [[House Hightower]] who served as [[Hand of the King]] to three kings, although two of the kings removed him from office at various times.<ref>http://grrm.livejournal.com/360936.html?thread=18807272#t18807272</ref> He was the younger brother of Lord Hightower,{{Ref|TRP}} and the uncle of Lord [[Ormund Hightower]] of [[Oldtown]].<ref>Ran's comment [http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/113133-rogue-prince-or-kings-brother-part-ii/?p=5970769]</ref> His children included [[Alicent Hightower]], the second queen of King [[Viserys I Targaryen]], and Ser [[Gwayne Hightower]], second in command of the [[City Watch of King's Landing|gold cloaks]].{{Ref|TPATQ}} | + | Ser '''Otto Hightower''' was a [[knight]] from [[House Hightower]] who served as [[Hand of the King]] to three kings, although two of the kings removed him from office at various times.<ref>http://grrm.livejournal.com/360936.html?thread=18807272#t18807272</ref> He was the younger brother of [[Lord Hightower]],{{Ref|TRP}} and the uncle of Lord [[Ormund Hightower]] of [[Oldtown]].<ref>Ran's comment [http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/113133-rogue-prince-or-kings-brother-part-ii/?p=5970769]</ref> His children included [[Alicent Hightower]], the second queen of King [[Viserys I Targaryen]], and Ser [[Gwayne Hightower]], second in command of the [[City Watch of King's Landing|gold cloaks]].{{Ref|TPATQ}} Otto is remembered as a warning that knowledge is not everything.{{Ref|ASOS|54}} |
==Character== | ==Character== | ||
− | Considered a man of great learning in his time, Otto was haughty, blunt, and domineering.{{Ref|trp}} | + | Considered a man of great learning in his time, Otto was haughty, blunt, and domineering.{{Ref|trp}} He was a methodical man.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Blacks and the Greens}} |
+ | |||
+ | Otto's greatest rival was Prince [[Daemon Targaryen]].{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}} | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
− | === | + | ===Early Service=== |
− | Ser Otto | + | Ser Otto first served as [[Hand of the King]] after the death of Prince [[Baelon Targaryen (son of Jaehaerys I)|Baelon Targaryen]], the Hand and son of King [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen]]. Jaehaerys was devastated by the deaths of Baelon and his beloved wife, Queen [[Alysanne Targaryen]], becoming grief-stricken, and with his health failing he became bedridden. Otto effectively ruled the [[Seven Kingdoms]] as Hand in the final two years of Jaehaerys's reign, while his daughter, [[Alicent Hightower]], nursed the ailing king.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}} |
− | Otto | + | Otto continued as Hand to Jaehaerys's grandson and successor on the throne, [[Viserys I Targaryen]]. He became a bitter rival of the king's brother, Prince [[Daemon Targaryen]], who had been named [[master of coin]]. Otto convinced the king to remove him from office and did so again when Viserys named Daemon [[master of laws]]. He came to regret this, however, when Daemon was named [[commander of the City Watch]], as this put two thousand men under Daemon's command and the prince thrived in this new office. Otto feared Daemon would become a second [[Maegor I Targaryen|Maegor the Cruel]] if he ever ascended to the [[Iron Throne]], sharing his fears with his [[Lord Hightower|brother]], the [[Lord of the Hightower]]. Thus, by this time, Otto wished for Princess [[Rhaenyra Targaryen]] to succeed her father.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}} |
− | Otto | + | Otto's daughter Alicent became King Viserys's second wife in {{Date|106}}, after the death of Queen [[Aemma Arryn]]. In {{Date|109}}, Otto was removed as Hand for hounding Viserys to declare Alicent's sons the heirs to the Iron Throne instead of Princess Rhaenyra. Having no place at court anymore, Otto returned to [[Oldtown]]. A "queen's party", known as the [[greens]], a group of powerful [[lord]]s who were friends with Queen Alicent, remained, who supported the rights of Alicent's sons.{{Ref|TRP}} |
− | In {{Date|120}}, Otto returned as Hand after Lord [[Lyonel Strong]] died. When Viserys died in {{Date|129}}, Otto played a crucial role in crowning his eldest grandson as King | + | In {{Date|120}}, Otto returned as Hand after Lord [[Lyonel Strong]] died. When Viserys died in {{Date|129}}, Otto played a crucial role in crowning his eldest grandson as King Aegon II in defiance of the last will of Viserys I, which specified Rhaenyra as the successor. This defiance precipitated the civil war known as the [[Dance of the Dragons]].{{Ref|ASOS|54}} |
===The Dance of the Dragons=== | ===The Dance of the Dragons=== | ||
− | + | The [[Dance of the Dragons]] began with Otto serving as [[Hand of the King]] to [[Aegon II Targaryen]]. According to [[Orwyle]], Otto ordered the confinement of Lord [[Lyman Beesbury]] in the [[black cells]]. Ser [[Gwayne Hightower]], Otto's son, was named as the second in command of the [[gold cloaks]], behind Ser [[Luthor Largent]].{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Blacks and the Greens}} | |
− | The opposing | + | |
+ | The [[blacks]], [[Rhaenyra Targaryen]]'s faction opposing Aegon's [[greens]], included the battle-tested Prince [[Daemon Targaryen]], who, in the course of his pre-war adventures, had made many foes, including Otto.{{Ref|tpatq}} After the death of Prince [[Jaehaerys Targaryen (son of Aegon II)|Jaehaerys Targaryen]] at the hands of Daemon's assassins, [[Blood and Cheese]], Aegon ordered the deaths of King's Landing's ratcatchers. Otto brought a hundred cats to the [[Red Keep]].{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - A Son for a Son}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | Otto reached out to other enemies of the prince, the [[Kingdom of the Three Daughters]], as allies. They were crucial in breaking the [[House Velaryon|Velaryon]] blockade in the [[Battle of the Gullet]]. Otto was unsuccessful in gaining an alliance with [[Qoren Martell]], [[Prince of Dorne]].{{ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Red Dragon and the Gold}} | ||
− | Aegon II | + | Aegon II perceived Otto's diplomacy as slothful at a time when Prince Daemon had [[assault on Harrenhal|captured Harrenhal]] and many houses had declared for the blacks. This led to Otto's replacement as Hand by Ser [[Criston Cole]], the [[Lord Commander of the Kingsguard]], despite the pleading of Queen [[Alicent Hightower]], Otto's daughter and Aegon's mother. It was only after his dismissal that Otto's diplomatic efforts bore fruit.{{Ref|TPATQ}} |
− | Otto was the first to be executed as a traitor by | + | Just as he had predicted, Otto was the first to be executed as a traitor by Rhaenyra after the [[fall of King's Landing]] in {{Date|130}}.{{Ref|TPATQ}} |
==Recent Events== | ==Recent Events== | ||
===''A Storm of Swords''=== | ===''A Storm of Swords''=== | ||
− | Lord [[Davos Seaworth]], now [[Hand of the King]] to [[Stannis Baratheon]], is concerned that he has risen too high from his [[ | + | Lord [[Davos Seaworth]], now [[Hand of the King]] to [[Stannis Baratheon]], is concerned that he has risen too high from his [[Smallfolk|humble origins]]. When Davos suggests that the Hand should be someone who is learned, [[Maester]] [[Pylos]] reminds him that the knowledgeable Otto was an unsuccessful Hand.{{Ref|ASOS|54}} |
+ | |||
+ | ==Quotes== | ||
+ | {{quote|Thrones are won with swords, not quills. Spill blood, not ink.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Red Dragon and the Gold}}|[[Aegon II Targaryen]] to Otto}} | ||
− | |||
{{Quote|Lord [[Butterwell (Hand of the King)|Butterwell]] was renowned for wit, [[Myles Smallwood]] for courage, Ser Otto Hightower for learning, yet they failed as [[Hand of the King|Hands]], every one.{{Ref|ASOS|54}}|[[Pylos]] to [[Davos Seaworth]]}} | {{Quote|Lord [[Butterwell (Hand of the King)|Butterwell]] was renowned for wit, [[Myles Smallwood]] for courage, Ser Otto Hightower for learning, yet they failed as [[Hand of the King|Hands]], every one.{{Ref|ASOS|54}}|[[Pylos]] to [[Davos Seaworth]]}} | ||
Line 51: | Line 59: | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
− | {{References}} | + | {{References|2}} |
{{Hands of the King}} | {{Hands of the King}} | ||
− | {{ | + | {{Jaehaerys I small council}} |
+ | {{Viserys I small council}} | ||
+ | {{Aegon II small council}} | ||
[[Category:House Hightower]] | [[Category:House Hightower]] | ||
+ | [[Category:Casualties of the Dance of the Dragons|Hightower, Otto]] | ||
[[Category:Characters from the Reach|Hightower, Otto]] | [[Category:Characters from the Reach|Hightower, Otto]] | ||
+ | [[Category:Deaths by beheading|Hightower, Otto]] | ||
+ | [[Category:Executions for treason|Hightower, Otto]] | ||
[[Category:Greens|Hightower, Otto]] | [[Category:Greens|Hightower, Otto]] | ||
[[Category:Hands of the King|Hightower, Otto]] | [[Category:Hands of the King|Hightower, Otto]] | ||
[[Category:Knights|Hightower, Otto]] | [[Category:Knights|Hightower, Otto]] | ||
− | |||
− | |||
[[Category:Members of Jaehaerys I Targaryen's court|Hightower, Otto]] | [[Category:Members of Jaehaerys I Targaryen's court|Hightower, Otto]] | ||
[[Category:Members of Viserys I Targaryen's court|Hightower, Otto]] | [[Category:Members of Viserys I Targaryen's court|Hightower, Otto]] | ||
− | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Members of Aegon II Targaryen's court|Hightower, Otto]] |
+ | [[Category:Nobles|Hightower, Otto]] | ||
[[es:Otto Hightower]] | [[es:Otto Hightower]] | ||
[[fr:Otto Hightower]] | [[fr:Otto Hightower]] | ||
+ | [[ru:Отто Хайтауэр]] | ||
[[zh:奥托·海塔尔]] | [[zh:奥托·海塔尔]] | ||
− |
Revision as of 16:14, 7 February 2020
Otto Hightower | |
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File:Otto Hightower.jpeg Otto Hightower, art by Enife © | |
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Titles | |
Allegiances | |
Culture | Reach |
Born | In or before 76 AC[2] |
Died | In 130 AC[1], King's Landing[1] |
Spouse | Unknown |
Issue | |
Books |
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Ser Otto Hightower was a knight from House Hightower who served as Hand of the King to three kings, although two of the kings removed him from office at various times.[3] He was the younger brother of Lord Hightower,[4] and the uncle of Lord Ormund Hightower of Oldtown.[5] His children included Alicent Hightower, the second queen of King Viserys I Targaryen, and Ser Gwayne Hightower, second in command of the gold cloaks.[1] Otto is remembered as a warning that knowledge is not everything.[6]
Contents
Character
Considered a man of great learning in his time, Otto was haughty, blunt, and domineering.[4] He was a methodical man.[7]
Otto's greatest rival was Prince Daemon Targaryen.[8]
History
Early Service
Ser Otto first served as Hand of the King after the death of Prince Baelon Targaryen, the Hand and son of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen. Jaehaerys was devastated by the deaths of Baelon and his beloved wife, Queen Alysanne Targaryen, becoming grief-stricken, and with his health failing he became bedridden. Otto effectively ruled the Seven Kingdoms as Hand in the final two years of Jaehaerys's reign, while his daughter, Alicent Hightower, nursed the ailing king.[8]
Otto continued as Hand to Jaehaerys's grandson and successor on the throne, Viserys I Targaryen. He became a bitter rival of the king's brother, Prince Daemon Targaryen, who had been named master of coin. Otto convinced the king to remove him from office and did so again when Viserys named Daemon master of laws. He came to regret this, however, when Daemon was named commander of the City Watch, as this put two thousand men under Daemon's command and the prince thrived in this new office. Otto feared Daemon would become a second Maegor the Cruel if he ever ascended to the Iron Throne, sharing his fears with his brother, the Lord of the Hightower. Thus, by this time, Otto wished for Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen to succeed her father.[8]
Otto's daughter Alicent became King Viserys's second wife in 106 AC, after the death of Queen Aemma Arryn. In 109 AC, Otto was removed as Hand for hounding Viserys to declare Alicent's sons the heirs to the Iron Throne instead of Princess Rhaenyra. Having no place at court anymore, Otto returned to Oldtown. A "queen's party", known as the greens, a group of powerful lords who were friends with Queen Alicent, remained, who supported the rights of Alicent's sons.[4]
In 120 AC, Otto returned as Hand after Lord Lyonel Strong died. When Viserys died in 129 AC, Otto played a crucial role in crowning his eldest grandson as King Aegon II in defiance of the last will of Viserys I, which specified Rhaenyra as the successor. This defiance precipitated the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.[6]
The Dance of the Dragons
The Dance of the Dragons began with Otto serving as Hand of the King to Aegon II Targaryen. According to Orwyle, Otto ordered the confinement of Lord Lyman Beesbury in the black cells. Ser Gwayne Hightower, Otto's son, was named as the second in command of the gold cloaks, behind Ser Luthor Largent.[7]
The blacks, Rhaenyra Targaryen's faction opposing Aegon's greens, included the battle-tested Prince Daemon Targaryen, who, in the course of his pre-war adventures, had made many foes, including Otto.[1] After the death of Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen at the hands of Daemon's assassins, Blood and Cheese, Aegon ordered the deaths of King's Landing's ratcatchers. Otto brought a hundred cats to the Red Keep.[9]
Otto reached out to other enemies of the prince, the Kingdom of the Three Daughters, as allies. They were crucial in breaking the Velaryon blockade in the Battle of the Gullet. Otto was unsuccessful in gaining an alliance with Qoren Martell, Prince of Dorne.[10]
Aegon II perceived Otto's diplomacy as slothful at a time when Prince Daemon had captured Harrenhal and many houses had declared for the blacks. This led to Otto's replacement as Hand by Ser Criston Cole, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, despite the pleading of Queen Alicent Hightower, Otto's daughter and Aegon's mother. It was only after his dismissal that Otto's diplomatic efforts bore fruit.[1]
Just as he had predicted, Otto was the first to be executed as a traitor by Rhaenyra after the fall of King's Landing in 130 AC.[1]
Recent Events
A Storm of Swords
Lord Davos Seaworth, now Hand of the King to Stannis Baratheon, is concerned that he has risen too high from his humble origins. When Davos suggests that the Hand should be someone who is learned, Maester Pylos reminds him that the knowledgeable Otto was an unsuccessful Hand.[6]
Quotes
Thrones are won with swords, not quills. Spill blood, not ink.[10]
—Aegon II Targaryen to Otto
Lord Butterwell was renowned for wit, Myles Smallwood for courage, Ser Otto Hightower for learning, yet they failed as Hands, every one.[6]
—Pylos to Davos Seaworth
Family
Hobert | Lord Hightower | Unknown wife | Otto | Unknown wife | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bryndon | Samantha Tarly | Ormund | Unknown first wife | Son(s) | Alicent | Viserys I Targaryen | Gwayne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Myles | Lyonel | Martyn | Garmund | Rhaena Targaryen | Bethany | Aegon II Targaryen | Helaena Targaryen | Aemond Targaryen | Daeron Targaryen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Six children | Six daughters | Jaehaerys Targaryen | Jaehaera Targaryen | Maelor Targaryen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 The Princess and the Queen.
- ↑ See the Otto Hightower calculation.
- ↑ http://grrm.livejournal.com/360936.html?thread=18807272#t18807272
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Rogue Prince.
- ↑ Ran's comment [1]
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 54, Davos V.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Blacks and the Greens.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession.
- ↑ Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - A Son for a Son.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Fire & Blood, The Dying of the Dragons - The Red Dragon and the Gold.
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