Kevan Lannister

Serving his brother and the westerlands faithfully, Kevan got admired by everyone around him for being reliable, competent, and decisive. However, though he was a jewel to the Lannisters, his son Lancel was a different case as he admitted to having a sexual relationship with his cousin Queen Cersei Lannister. Serving his older brother, Tywin Lannister, faithfully, Kevan got rewarded and became one of the most influential people in King’s Landing and Westeros.

Kevan Lannister Personal Details

• Name: Kevan Lannister.
• Year of Birth: 244 AC.
• Year of Death: 300 AC.
• Allegiances: House Lannister.
• Titles: Ser, Master of Laws, Lord Regent, Protector of the Realm.
• Parents: Lord Tytos Lannister and Lady Jeyne Marbrand.
• Siblings: Tywin Lannister, Genna Lannister, Tygett Lannister, Gerion Lannister.
• Wife: Lady Dorna Swift.
• Children: Lancel Lannister, Willem Lannister, Martyn Lannister, Janei Lannister.
• Culture: Westermen.
• Religion: Faith of the Seven.
• Eye Color: Green.
• Hair Color: Blond.

Appearance and Personality

Kevan Lannister is a large-framed man with a big waist and broad shoulders. He has green eyes, fair skin, and blond hair, which is already balding. To accentuate his wide jawline is a neatly trimmed yellow beard, and though the Lannisters are known for their beauty, Kevan is not handsome.

As the second son of Lord Tytos Lannister, Kevan is a landed knight and cannot have any lands to his name. However, for his exceptional value to his brother Tywin, he amassed wealth and became of the most influential people in Casterly Rock. Admired by many like Tyrion Lannister and Cersei, Kevan is a great tactician who works tirelessly for the sake of his family and House Lannister.

For his attire, Kevan dresses in flashy apparel. He traditionally wears a woolen cloak tainted in the crimson hue of the Lannisters and wears a golden lion’s head brooch. He also wears a quilted woolen doublet and wields a sword.

Biography

Early Life

Kevan was born in Casterly Rock as the second child of Lord Tytos Lannister and Lady Jeyne. He and his elder brother Tywin were close and became best friends. With the incompetent ruling of Lord Tytos, Tywin envisioned a future where the Lannisters would get feared throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Realizing his brother’s genius, Kevan decided to serve him faithfully and relentlessly.

As a young boy, Kevan got sent to Castamere to serve as a page and squire for Lord Roger Reyne. Later, he fought alongside his brothers in the War of the Ninepenny Kings. During the Battle, he got knighted by Lord Reyne. On clocking 16, Kevan traveled to the Free Cities of Essos.

The Rise of House Lannister

After returning from serving as the royal page and cupbearer of King Aegon V Targaryen, Tywin decides to change the fate of the Westerlands and Casterly Rock. He sent Keven to fight the robber knights that had thrived under the weak rule of Lord Tytos Lannister. Besides the robber knight, Kevan got tasked with taking a family member from houses unable to pay their debts to the Lannisters. During his mission, he took Dorna, the daughter of Ser Harys Swyft, and would eventually fall in love with her.

Though most of the houses followed the rule enacted by Tywin, Lord Reyne and Lord Walderan Tarbeck refused to pay what they owed Casterly Rock. To force them into submission, Tywin arrested Lord Walderan. However, his wife, Ellyn, kidnapped Stafford Lannister and two other Lannisters leading to an exchange of prisoners. Later, Tywin provoked the Tarbecks and Reynes and used the opportunity to destroy them. The resulting carnage became a sone known as the Rains of Castermere.

Marriage

After falling in love with Dorna, Kevan got married in 266 AC. They conceived four children, Lancel, Martyn and Willem, and Janel. After Lord Tytos died, Tywin became Lord of Casterly Rock, Warden of the West, and later Hand of the King for Aerys II Targaryen. In 274 AC, the princess of Dorne tried arranging a meeting with Lord Tywin. However, because he had lost his wife, Lady Joanna, Kevan represented him. After his wife’s death, Tywin resigned as Hand of the King and moved back to Casterly Rock. With his move, Kevan continued serving him as a household knight.

When Robert I Baratheon defeated Rhaegar Targaryen in the Battle of the Trident, Cersei Lannister got married to him, and he became King. Lancel, Kevan’s son, squired for King Robert Baratheon before his demise.

Relevance in A Song of Ice and Fire

A Game of Thrones

After the death of King Robert Baratheon, The War of the Five Kings, Kevan follows his brother, Tywin, and captures Harrenhal and Reaventree. With Lord Eddard Stark’s death, Robb Stark calls his banners and marches against the Lannisters. To divert the attention of Tywin, he gives Roose Bolton half of his army, and the commander marches on the Lannister in the Battle on the Green Fork. Though Tywin plans with Kevan to crush the Stark forces, Roose tactically withdraws.

Later, in the Battle of the Whispering Woods, Robb Stark captures Ser Jaime Lannister, Tywin’s son, and Willem Lannister, Kevan’s son. Upon hearing the news of his son’s capture, Tywin orders Kevan to march with Ser Gregor Clegane, Ser Amory Lorch, and Vargo Hoat with a portion of the Lannister army to raid the Riverlands while he moves to Harrenhal.

A Clash of Kings

With the War of the Five Kings intensifying, Kevan takes Podrick Payne under his wing and sends the young boy to serve as a squire for Tyrion Lannister. Kevan’s other son, Martyn, gets captured by Robb in the Battle of Oxcross.

With Kevan and his brother at Harrenhal, they both withdraw to try curbing Robb’s forces in the Westerlands. However, their defeat in the Battle of the Fords gives a messenger enough time to bring word of Stannis Baratheon’s march on King’s Landing. With Renly Baratheon dead, Tywin allies with the Tyrells and fights Stannis’s forces, defeating him.

A Storm of Swords

After Stannis’s defeat, King Joffrey I Baratheon appoints Kevan as the Master of Laws. Tyrion gets forced to marry Sansa Stark, and during the wedding, Kevan dances with Lady Janna and the bride herself. Back at Riverrun, Catelyn Stark releases Jaime and tasks Brienne of Tarth with taking him back to King’s Landing in exchange for Sansa and her little sister Arya Stark. However, on learning what happened, Lord Rickard Stark kills Kevan’s son, Willem. With his son dead, Kevan gets grief-stricken.

After Robb gets killed by the Twins, news of the Red Wedding reaches Kevan and the rest of King’s Landing. When Joffrey mocks Robb’s death, Kevan gets appalled. The King later gets married to Margaery Tyrell. During the wedding ceremony, Kevan gifts him a red saddle. Later, Joffrey dies from getting poisoned, and Tyrion gets blamed for his death.

Though Cersei claims her brother killed her son, Kevan remains skeptical. Tyrion names Sansa as a witness, but she goes missing. Prince Oberyn Martell fights for Tyrion but gets killed by Ser Gregor Clegane. Kevan meets Tyrion and tells him of Tywin’s offer for him to join the Night’s Watch. Before his judgment gets passed, Jaime and Lord Varys free Tyrion. However, before leaving King’s Landing, he kills his father with a crossbow.

A Feast for Crows

After his brother’s death, Kevan gets offered the title of Hand of the King. However, he rejects it and suggests that Cersei makes one of Lord Mace Tyrell’s bannermen the Hand of the King. Cersei refuses to enact his idea due to her fear of the Tyrells. Believing she is an incompetent ruler, Kevan tries sending her back to Casterly Rock. When Kevan berates Cersei for how she raised her son Joffrey, she throws wine in his face. Later, he insinuates that he knows of her incest with his nephew Jaime. 

Tommen gets married to Margaery Tyrell. At his wedding, Cersei asks Kevan to track down the Hound, but he refuses. Kevan escorts his brother’s corpse to Casterly Rock. He then helps his son, Lancel, marry Amerei Frey. However, Lancel joins the Faith Militant and confesses to sleeping with Cersei and helping her kill her husband. When Cersei gets arrested by the Faith Militant, Grand Maester Pycelle seizes control of the small council and sends a message to Kevan asking him to become the Lord Regent.

A Dance with Dragons

Kevan accepts the role of regent for Tommen and begins fixing the problems Cersei had caused while ruling King’s Landing. He names Lord Mace Tyrell the Hand of the King and Lord Randyll Tarly Master of Laws. After visiting Cersei and learning of her atrocities, Kevan has her perform the Walk of Atonement to ease her judgment. He gets suspicious of Qyburn and Cersei’s new champion Ser Robert Strong.

After Cersei’s walk, Kevan gets summoned to meet Maester Pycelle. However, on getting to the maester’s chambers, he gets shot by Lord Varys. The former master of whisperers reveals his plan to destabilize the Lannister reign for Aegon Targaryen. He then orders his little birds to finish Kevan.

Appearance in Adaptations

In HBO’s Game of Thrones, Ian Gelder portrays Kevan. He appeared in seasons 1, 2, 5, and 6 and starred in 12 episodes. Kevan served his brother, Tywin, faithfully through thick and thin. When Stannis marches on King’s Landing, Kevan tells his brother at the war council that he should order Cersei to flee from the city. After Tywin’s death, Cersei’s arrest, and Walk of Atonement, Kevan attends the judgment held at the Great Sept of Baelor. He gets killed when a wildfire explosion destroys the Sept.

Kevan Lannister: A Man of Honor

Though surrounded by dishonorable men who killed people in the most brutal way possible, Kevan remained a man of honor. He was a solid rock everyone could rely on, and his competence was so massive that Lord Varys had to kill him to ensure that his plans to restore the Targaryens on the Iron Throne worked.

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