Princess Myrcella Baratheon is the daughter of King Robert Baratheon and Queen Cersei Lannister. It got discovered by Lord Eddard Stark that Ser Jaime Lannister was Myrcella’s father, as the knight impregnated his sister. After Lord Eddard Stark discovers that Myrcella and her brothers are illegitimate children, he tells Cersei to leave King’s Landing before her husband’s return. However, Cersei plans for Robert’s death in an accident, and before Ned can seize the Iron Throne, she has him arrested.
Myrcella Baratheon Personal Details
- Name: Myrcella Baratheon.
- Year of Birth: 290 AC in King’s Landing.
- Title: Princess.
- Allegiance: House Baratheon of King’s Landing.
- Culture: Crowlands.
- Religion: Faith of the Seven.
- Parents: Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister.
- Siblings: Joffrey Baratheon and Tommen Baratheon.
- Hair Color: Golden.
- Eye Color: Emerald.
Appearance and Personality
Myrcella is a young girl with golden hair and emerald eyes. She has full lips and starkly resembles her maid Rosamund Lannister. At just eight before the events of A Song of Ice and Fire, she is courageous, compassionate, delicate, and according to Tyrion Lannister, as beautiful as her mother but without a vile nature.
Relevance in A Song of Ice and Fire
A Game of Thrones
When Lord Jon Arryn suddenly dies, King Robert Baratheon travels to Winterfell to meet Lord Eddard Stark. Myrcella Baratheon travels with her father, and on arriving at the Starks castle, she gets awestruck by Robb Stark. Lord Ned Stark agrees to be the Hand of the King and takes his daughters, Sansa Stark and Arya, to King’s Landing.
Myrcella and her younger brother Tommen do not recognize Arya Stark as she chases after cats in dirty clothes while learning to fight under Syrion Forel. When Ned discovers Cersei’s children’s illegitimacy and confronts her, she plans her husband’s death.
Upon Robert’s death, Ned gets betrayed by Lord Petyr Baelish and Janos Slynt, and he gets arrested. After persuasion from Lord Varys, he agrees to confess to his crimes of treason. However, King Joffrey, the new King, orders his execution.
When Lord Tywin Lannister learns of Ned’s death, he sends his son Tyrion to become the acting Hand of the King.
A Clash of Kings
Myrcella and her brother Tommen attend a tourney on Joffrey’s name day. When Stannis Baratheon receives the letter sent by Ned, he declares Myrcella and her brothers illegitimate and states his claim to the Iron Throne.
On learning of Stannis’s declaration, Tyrion tries securing an alliance with Dorne. He agrees for Myrcella to become a hostage of the Martells and signs a marriage pact for her wedding to Trystane Martell. Ser Arys Oakheart accompanies the princess to Dorne. While returning from her send-forth, a riot occurs as the people vent their frustration on King Joffrey.
A Storm of Swords
On getting to Sunspear, Myrcella befriends Princess Arianne Martell and her brother Trystane, Prince Doran Martell’s children. She uses the Old Palace’s Tower of the Sun as her chambers. In King’s Landing, Joffrey dies after getting poisoned by the Strangler. After he dies, Prince Oberyn Martell tells Tyrion that according to Dornish customs, Myrcella should be the next Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
A Feast for Crows
After the death of Oberyn Martell, his bastard daughters, the Sand Snakes, meet Prince Oberyn Martell and ask for revenge for their father. Fearing they will hurt the innocent girl, Doran asks his guard, Areo Hotah, to arrest all of Oberyn’s children.
Arianne Martell begins planning to make Myrcella Queen according to Dornish customs. She leaves the princess’s handmaiden at Sunspear and convinces Aerys Oakheart to support her cause. On reaching their destination on the Greenblood, Arianne and her companions face guards sent by Doran.
Aerys tries to fight them, but Areo Hotah kills him, and Arianne gets arrested. During the fight, Myrcella’s face gets mutilated by Ser Gerold Dayne, also called Darkstar. She loses one ear, but before Gerold deals the final blow, Myrcella’s horse saves her.
A Dance with Dragons
After leaving Westeros for Essos, Tyrion Lannister considers crowning Myrcella Queen but gets convinced by Illyrio Moptis to support Daenerys Targaryen.
In Dorne, Queen Regent Cersei sends Ser Balon Swann with Ser Gregor Clegane’s skull. Doran creates a plan and tells his daughter to convince Myrcella that she got injured by Ser Gerold, who killed Ser Arys Oakheart. Doran also accepts Cersei’s order to return Myrcella to King’s Landing but decides to send Nymeria with her.
Appearance in Adaptation
In HBO’s Game of Thrones, Myrcella got portrayed by Aimee Richardson and Nell Tiger Free. She appeared in seasons 1, 2, 5, and 6 and starred in 14 episodes. After Oberyn’s death, Ellaria Sand kisses Myrcella killing her with a fatal poison. After Myrcella’s death, Trystane Martell gets killed, and the Sand Snakes take over Dorne.
Myrcella: An Innocent Girl in A Cruel World
Myrcella Baratheon was just an innocent girl when she got sent to Dorne. However, she entered a brutal world where politics decayed the interactions and compassion between people. Though compassionate, she still danced to the music created by her family’s bloody war.
FAQs
What happened to Myrcella?
When Tyrion arrived in King’s Landing as the acting Hand of the King, he learned that Renly Baratheon got killed and Stannis would march on the capital. Knowing he needed allies, he met with the Martells and negotiated an alliance with Myrcella and Trsytane’s future marriage. However, after Prince Oberyn Martell got killed, the young princess got caught in a power scheme that left her mutilated.
Did Myrcella hate Joffrey?
It is unknown if Myrcella hated her elder brother. However, Joffrey does not care about his siblings and even bullies Tommen. Because Myrcella loved her younger brother, she would probably have hated Joff.
Did Myrcella die in the books?
No. After getting mutilated in the face, Queen Regent Cersei sent Ser Balon Swann to ask for Myrcella’s return. The princess sailed with Nymeria from Dorne, and what happened to her from there is unknown for now.
Why did Ellaria Sand kill Myrcella?
After Oberyn’s death, the Sand Snakes and Ellaria planned revenge against the Iron Throne. Myrcella and Trsytane got killed as payback for Oberyn and Elia’s death. Myrcella’s death scene was brutal as she bled out.