Every Game of Thrones Organization Explained in 11 Minutes
Summary
TLDRThis script delves into the intricate world of Westeros, highlighting key organizations such as the Night's Watch, the Small Council, the King's Guard, the Maesters, the Iron Bank of Braavos, and others. Each group plays a pivotal role in the governance, protection, and economic stability of the Seven Kingdoms, with unique histories and responsibilities that add depth to the Game of Thrones universe. The video invites viewers to explore these organizations further and ponder their favorite aspects of this richly detailed world.
Takeaways
- 🛡️ The Night's Watch is an ancient organization over 8,000 years old, established to protect the Seven Kingdoms from threats beyond the Wall, including the White Walkers.
- 🏰 The Wall was built by Bran the Builder to safeguard the kingdoms, and the Night's Watch members serve a life-long commitment, renouncing personal ties and wealth.
- 📜 Members of the Night's Watch are divided into three orders: stewards, builders, and rangers, each with its own commanding officer appointed by the Lord Commander.
- 📯 The Night's Watch has a specific duty to monitor the Wall and sound a horn to signal different threats: returning rangers, wildlings, or the White Walkers.
- 🏛️ The Small Council is an advisory group to the king, traditionally consisting of seven members including the Hand of the King and other key advisors in various fields.
- 👑 The King's Guard, or 'white cloaks,' are the royal bodyguards, sworn to lifelong service and absolute loyalty to the king and his family.
- 🔮 The Order of Maesters is a scholarly organization with members serving as healers, scientists, and advisors, trained at the Citadel and bound by strict ethical codes.
- 🤴 The Elders of Braavos, known as 'the 13,' are a powerful group of merchant princes controlling the city's affairs, including magic practitioners from the House of the Undying.
- 🏹 The Brotherhood Without Banners is an outlaw group formed to protect the common folk from the ravages of war, operating independently of any king or faction.
- 👮♂️ The City Watch of King's Landing, or 'gold cloaks,' are the law enforcement dedicated to maintaining order in the capital, loyal only to the Iron Throne.
- 💰 The Iron Bank of Braavos is a powerful financial institution known for its discretion, lending to kings and supporting new rulers to ensure debt repayment.
Q & A
What is the primary purpose of the Night's Watch?
-The primary purpose of the Night's Watch is to protect the Seven Kingdoms from threats beyond the Wall, which historically included the White Walkers and currently includes wildlings.
Who built the Wall and for what purpose?
-The Wall was built by Bran the Builder with the goal to protect the Seven Kingdoms from the threats beyond it.
How has the perception of serving on the Wall changed over time?
-Initially, serving on the Wall was an honorable duty with many taking the black voluntarily. However, over time it has become more of a punishment, with criminals and undesirables serving there.
What happens when a man breaks his vows to the Night's Watch?
-If a man breaks his vows to the Night's Watch, he is sentenced to death for attempting to leave.
What are the three different orders within the Night's Watch and their roles?
-The three orders are the stewards who supply the watch, the builders who maintain the Wall and castles, and the Rangers who defend the Wall from threats.
What is the role of the Lord Commander in the Night's Watch?
-The Lord Commander oversees everything within the Night's Watch and is appointed by the brothers of the watch to serve until death.
What is the function of the Small Council in the Seven Kingdoms?
-The Small Council functions as a group of advisers to the lord of the Seven Kingdoms on matters of policy, consisting traditionally of seven members, including the Hand of the King and other key advisors.
What is the role of the King's Guard and their vows?
-The King's Guard serves as the royal bodyguards of the Iron Throne, sworn for life to protect the king and royal family, obeying his commands, and keeping his secrets.
What is the significance of the white cloak in the King's Guard?
-The white cloak is a symbol of their vows and commitment to the King's Guard, received from the king or the Lord Commander during a formal ceremony.
What is the role of the maesters in the realm and their training?
-Maesters are scholars, healers, messengers, and scientists who complete their training at the Citadel, serving lords and providing counsel and knowledge.
What is the Iron Bank of Braavos and its influence?
-The Iron Bank of Braavos is a powerful financial institution known for lending money to various entities, including the lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and having a reputation for ensuring repayment of debts.
What is the Brotherhood without Banners and their mission?
-The Brotherhood without Banners is an outlaw group formed to protect the small folk from forces preying on them, originally following orders from Eddard Stark but later fighting for the welfare of commoners.
What is the City Watch of King's Landing and their loyalty?
-The City Watch of King's Landing, also known as the gold cloaks, are the law enforcers sworn only to the Iron Throne, maintaining peace and order in the city.
What is the significance of the Iron Bank's saying 'the Iron Bank will have its due'?
-The saying signifies the Iron Bank's relentless pursuit of debt repayment and its influence in supporting new rulers who will honor previous debts as a condition for financial support.
Outlines
🛡️ The Knights Watch: Protectors of the Realm
The Knights Watch is an ancient organization in the Seven Kingdoms, established over 8,000 years ago to combat the White Walkers, also known as the Others, during the Long Night. They are responsible for safeguarding the lands south of the Wall from external threats, primarily wildlings in modern times. The Wall, constructed by Bran the Builder, serves as a bulwark against these dangers. The Knights Watch is composed of three orders: stewards, builders, and rangers, each with its own commanding officer appointed by the Lord Commander. Recruits can leave during training, but once vows are taken, they are bound to lifelong service, absolving them of past crimes and debts. Members are forbidden from owning land, marrying, or having children and must sever familial ties. The organization has evolved from a prestigious voluntary service to a refuge for criminals and outcasts. Despite a decline in numbers from 10,000 during Aegon's Conquest to less than 1,000 in the present, the Knights Watch remains a vital and complex institution.
🏛️ Institutions of Power: The Small Council, King's Guard, and Beyond
The Small Council is an advisory group to the lord of the Seven Kingdoms, traditionally consisting of seven members including the Hand of the King, the Grandmaster, the Master of Coin, the Master of Laws, the Master of Ships, the Master of Whisperers, and the Lord Commander of the King's Guard. These members, appointed by the king, provide expertise in various areas of governance. The King's Guard, also known as the white cloaks, are the royal bodyguards, sworn to lifelong service and forbidden from personal entanglements. They are considered the finest knights and are tasked with protecting the king and his family. The order of the maesters, a scholarly and scientific organization, is based at the Citadel in Oldtown. Maesters serve lords throughout the realm, providing knowledge and counsel. The Iron Bank of Braavos, a powerful financial institution, lends money to various entities, including the Seven Kingdoms, and is known for its ruthless debt collection practices. The Brotherhood without Banners is an outlaw group formed to protect the common folk, operating outside traditional allegiances during the War of the Five Kings. The City Watch of King's Landing, or the Gold Cloaks, maintain law and order in the capital, loyal only to the Iron Throne. These organizations contribute to the intricate tapestry of power and governance in the realm.
💰 The Iron Bank of Braavos: Financial Power and Influence
The Iron Bank of Braavos is the preeminent financial institution in the Known World, renowned for its wealth, discretion, and influence. It operates independently, not bound by loyalty to any kingdom or ruler, and is solely focused on financial gain. The bank is known for its strict enforcement of debt repayment, often supporting new rulers who will honor existing debts and repay loans. It was founded by a group of 23 individuals who became the key holders, and their descendants now form a significant part of the bank's governance. The Iron Bank's reputation is such that it can topple rulers who fail to repay their debts, and it currently holds a substantial claim over the Crown, which owes it a vast sum of gold dragons. The bank's practices and power are central to the economic and political dynamics of the world.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Knights Watch
💡Long Night
💡Wall
💡Lord Commander
💡Night's Watch Vows
💡Orders of the Knights Watch
💡Small Council
💡King's Guard
💡Maesters
💡Iron Bank of Braavos
💡Brotherhood Without Banners
Highlights
The Knights Watch is an ancient organization over 8,000 years old, credited with defeating the White Walkers and protecting the Seven Kingdoms from threats beyond the Wall.
The Wall was built by Bran the Builder to protect the Seven Kingdoms, and the Knights Watch has its own Lord Commander elected for life.
Initially an honorable service, the Knights Watch now often consists of criminals and undesirables serving as a form of punishment.
Knights who take the black vow for life, cannot own land, marry, or father children, and are bound to the watch until death.
The Knights Watch is divided into three orders: stewards, builders, and rangers, each with its own commanding officer appointed by the Lord Commander.
The Small Council is a group of seven advisors to the lord of the Seven Kingdoms, including the Hand of the King and other key positions.
The Small Council meets in the council chamber in the Red Keep, with the Hand of the King taking the king's place in his absence.
The Sworn Brotherhood of the King's Guard, also known as the white cloaks, are the royal bodyguards of the Iron Throne, forbidden from owning land or marrying.
The King's Guard are considered the best knights and are appointed by the king, with the Lord Commander of the King's Guard serving on the Small Council.
The Order of the Maesters is a scholarly organization with members serving as healers, scientists, and advisors in castles across the realm.
Maesters are trained at the Citadel, put aside their house names, and are appointed to serve lords, with archmaesters teaching at the Citadel.
The Iron Bank of Braavos is a powerful financial institution known for lending money to kingdoms and enforcing debt repayment.
The Iron Bank supports new rulers who will honor previous debts, using its influence to ensure repayment and stability.
The Brotherhood Without Banners is an outlaw group formed to protect the small folk from the ravages of war, fighting for the common people.
The City Watch of King's Landing, known as the gold cloaks, are law enforcers sworn only to the Iron Throne, maintaining peace in the capital.
The 13, or Elders of Braavos, are a group of merchant princes controlling the city, including members from the deposed royal lineage.
The Warlocks of Braavos hold a seat in the 13, adding a magical element to the political and economic power of the group.
Transcripts
the knights watch is one of the oldest
organizations in the Seven Kingdoms
dating back to over 8,000 years ago at
the end of the long night they are to be
credited for defeating the others also
known as the White Walkers and for
thousands of years since they protect
everyone south of the wall from the
threats that are Beyond it which in the
modern day is mostly just the wildlings
the wall was apparently built by bran
the Builder with the goal to protect the
Seven Kingdoms and since then the
brothers of the knights watch have
chosen their own Lord commander who
oversees everything serving until they
die and then being replaced by a new
worthy leader at one point serving on
the wall was in honor with many Knights
Nobles and honorable men taking the
black voluntarily now it is more of a
way to avoid punishment where many of
the men serving are criminals bastards
or just unpleasant people all around any
man who came to the wall voluntarily may
leave any time during training but after
one says their sacred vows they may
never leave and if they attempt to they
will be sentenced to death once a man
says his vows all their crimes and debts
are forgiven and they are to serve the
watch for life after saying their vows
no man at the watch can own any land
marry or father children and they're
encouraged to sever any ties left with
their families the knights watch is made
up of three different orders the
stewards who are the ones that Supply
the watch with food clothing and every
other need the builders who tend to the
wall and castles and the Rangers who
defend and protect the wall from
anything up north each of these orders
have their own commanding officer those
being known as the Lord Steward the
first Builder and the first Ranger and
all three are appointed by the Lord
Commander there are also recruiters
which are called wandering crows who go
down south to gather men to serve in the
wall wall also has septons maesters and
at the most eastern Castle East watch
Sailors one duty for certain men at the
watch are to literally watch out for
anyone or anything approaching the wall
and there to blast a horn with one horn
signifying returning Rangers two being
wildlings and three being the others
during aegon's Conquest the watch had
about 10,000 members but as of now there
are only less than 1,000 in which 600 of
them are stationed at Castle black 200
at the shadow Tower and even less at
eastwatch there are a total of 19
castles but due to the lack of people
only the three I mentioned are man
there's a lot of information to discuss
about this legendary military force
especially the history of it and it
without a doubt is one of the most
wellth thought out and intriguing
aspects to this world the small council
is a group of advisers who Aid the lord
of the Seven Kingdoms on matters of
policy in their area of expertise
traditionally it consists of seven
members the hand of the king who is the
chief adviser of the king and the second
most powerful man in the realm The
Grandmaster who is a representative from
The Citadel advising the King on any
matter concerning governance the master
of coin who is the head of the treasury
and finances of the Kingdom the master
of laws who is an expert in the laws of
the realm the master of ships who is the
commander of the royal Fleet the master
of Whisperers who is the Spy master and
gatherer of information and finally the
Lord commander of the King's Guard the
members of the small Council are
typically appointed by the king and the
King himself typically participates in
the small Council meetings in which he
is also able to bring in additional
members known as advisers although not
as common Queens have also attended
Council meetings in the past the council
is headed by the king who is the person
who has the fin final say in every
matter that is discussed that is if they
are at least 16 years old otherwise the
small Council has some more power until
they become of age the small Council
meets privately in the council chamber
which is located in the red keep when
the king is not in attendance the hand
can sit in the king's place they are
trusted with handling day-to-day
governance to the kingdom and that's
especially the case with certain
monarchs who may be uninterested in
smaller matters that they might not want
to spend their time on even if the
councilors are not members of nobility
they can still be referred to as Lords
the small Council was originally created
by Aon the conqueror but it wouldn't
become as formal as we know it until the
reign of his grandson Jaris the small
Council consists of some of the most
powerful men and women in all westros as
the lives of every person in the
continent is decided by the decisions
the councilors make the sworn
Brotherhood of the King's Guard also
known as the white cloaks are the Royal
Bodyguards of the Iron Throne the Kings
guard are sorn for life regardless of
their age and are forbidden from owning
lands marriage or fathering children
they are regarded as the best knights in
the Seven Kingdoms and are sworn to
protect their King obeying his every
command keeping his secrets and
counseling when requested as well as
keeping silent when not the king can
also decide to extend the protection
onto others such as their wives children
and other relatives as well as some
Kings extending this protection to their
lovers Mistresses and even bastards the
King's Guard are sworn to protect the
queen as well although they cannot
protect her from anything the king might
do and they are also sworn to never harm
any member of the royal family in order
to protect the king and royal family at
any given moment they have to rely on
each other they meet at the white sword
Tower to discuss any matters which is
located at the red key keep and the Lord
commander of the King's Guard who is the
most senior sworn brother serves on the
King's small Council the Lord commander
of the king's guard's Duties are to
command the other six Knights and they
are appointed by the king himself with
experience and ability both being
factors in the selection typically they
are also tasked with updating entries in
the white book which records the Deeds
of every member who has ever served in
the history of the King's Guard when the
small council is in session one of the
King's Guard always stands guard outside
the council chambers the way in which a
new member for the King's Guard is
selected can vary but often times it can
be a formal event where the Knight knels
making his vows before the king and then
receiving the white cloak from the hand
of the king or the Lord Commander
himself the King's Guard was originally
founded during the reign of aegon the
Conqueror after he was nearly
assassinated in the streets of King's
Landing the vows of the King's Guard
were specifically modeled after the
ancient vows of the knights watch and
although in my opinion they are not as
interesting as the knights watch the
Kings guard is still a really cool
concept adding more depth into this
incredible world the order of the
maesters consists of Scholars healers
Messengers and scientists every maester
has completed their training at the
Citadel which is located in Oldtown
serving as the central home for the
order of the maesters after their
training at the Citadel they are then
appointed to a lord meaning maesters are
only found in castles and if a lord
doesn't have a maester they are looked
at as unimportant Lords pay the Citadel
for a maer's service and when they take
their vows they are to put aside their
house's name and serve the house they
are assigned to loyally archmasters are
those who have shown Mastery of a
particular subject and they teach the
students at the Citadel in their subject
of expertise and they the judge of
whether a student has shown enough
knowledge on their subject to receive
receive a link for their chain the chain
around every maer's neck is intended to
remind them of the realm they serve and
they Forge their chain through every
link they collect at the Citadel once
they complete it they never take it off
even when sleeping and it is considered
a great shame if a maester surrenders
their chain The Citadel can decide if a
maer should have their chain stripped or
not which would mean that they are
exiled from The Citadel and usually this
is a punishment for any maester who
takes part in cutting open living people
practicing necromancy or other
unforgivable acts Grand mters were
created during the reign of aegon the
Conqueror and they are sworn to serve
the entire realm sitting on the small
Council acting as a royal adviser they
are the citadel's representative at the
Royal Court of the iron throne and they
are selected by the conclave which is
the governing body of the Citadel all
members of the conclave which consists
of archmasters are confidential and
conducted in secret the ca who chosen
from among the archmasters is charged
with the governance of the Citadel and
they are appointed yearly the origins of
the Citadel and merss are disputed but
the high towers are considered to be
very important in its creation maesters
date back thousands of years in the past
even at one point often traveling to
valyria when it was alive and thriving
seeking answers to questions they had
the order of the MERS has a lot of depth
and thought put into it and it without a
doubt is one of the most interesting
aspects of this world the 13 also known
as the Elders of karth are a prominent
group of merchant princes located within
the OS city known as karth most of its
members come from the pureborn who are
descendants of the deposed Kings of
karth and long ago the citizens of the
city rebelled against the king resulting
in an aligar forming which is a small
group of people having control rather
than just one this is how the 13 formed
and they basically have control over the
city itself the warlocks of karth who
are a group of magic practitioners based
in the house of the undying also hold a
seat in the 13 every other member is a
merchant invited by the council and
remains there as long as they are
powerful and feared enough to not be
replaced by another candidate because of
this the members of the 13 of course
have the goal of continuing to get
wealthier but also they try to appear
wealthy to the other members the 13 are
a mysterious and cunning group of
individuals attempting to manipulate
anyone they can to get whatever they
want the Brotherhood without banners or
simply referred to as the Brotherhood is
an outlaw group working against the
Lannister interests with the goal of
protecting the small folk from any Force
praying on them it was formed by edart
Stark who at the time was the hand of
the king to Robert Baratheon in which he
charged Lord bedrick dond Daran with
bringing the king's Justice onto sir
Gregor clean after reports that he was
terrorizing the riverlands although
originally following ard's orders
bedrick alongside thoros ofir began to
feel that none of the factions in the
war of the five Kings were truly looking
out for the welfare of the commoners
from their perspective both Starks and
Lannisters would burn farms in the
riverlands just to deny the other the
use of their crops over time they
started to fight with no Banner serving
no King and fighting only to defend the
common people against soldiers who prey
on the weak from both sides of the war
some Stark and barathan deserters ended
up joining the Brotherhood over time as
well as commoners who just wanted to
defend their homes although it is a rag
tag team it consists of dangerous
individuals who rob from the rich and
give to the poor the city watch of
King's Landing also known as the gold
cloaks are the Defenders of King's
Landing and they are the enforcers of
the law sworn only to the Iron Throne
this organization was EST established
under the reign of King megor I and
their salaries are paid by the crown but
unlike many organizations in the Seven
Kingdoms these soldiers swear no
Allegiance except to the king they are
forly trained and well equipped although
they are more so trained to keep the
peace rather than battle as King's
Landing rarely had any major attacks
especially in recent times until during
and after Robert's Rebellion the leader
of the city watch is referred to as the
Lord Commander when they are born of
noble birth but only Commander if they
are not although it is mostly effective
at keeping the peace members of the city
watch are notoriously known to give into
corruption with many commanders in the
past being very corrupt themselves with
that being said they are ultimately
loyal to the king or queen of the Iron
Throne the iron bank of braavos or
simply referred to as the iron bank is
the main bank of braavos being one of
the wealthiest banks of the Known World
arguably the most powerful of them all
combined they often lend money to
Outsiders one of these Outsiders being
the lord of the Seven Kingdoms they are
famous for their discretion and secrecy
and not loyal to anyone at all only
working for the sake of gaining more
money for themselves a common saying for
the bank to remind its clients who fail
to repay their loans is the iron bank
will have its due as they have a
fearsome reputation when it comes to
collecting debts when princes or Kings
do not pay their debts the iron bank
will support new princes or Kings in
which these new ones will honor the
previous debt along with paying back the
money that the bank loan them and they
do this in thanks to the iron bank
giving them the ability to claim the new
power that they have received if these
new princes or Kings fail to pay the
debts as well they will inevitably fall
to someone else according to an arch
maer the iron bank was founded by 16 men
and seven women who hid valuables in an
iron mine shortly after Bravos was found
founded as the Mind continued to get
more Treasures a bank was formed to
utilize the wealth each of the 23
members had a key to these vaults and
their descendants which now number to at
least a thousand are known as the key
holders in the main series The Crown
owes around 2 million gold dragons to
the iron bank a tremendous debt which
currently seems impossible to pay so in
the books there's a possibility
something might happen with this if
nothing is done about it thank you very
much for watching this video and if you
enjoyed please leave a like comment down
below which of the organizations I
discussed in this video are your
favorite and let me know if you would
like to see a part two where I discuss
even more thank you again and goodbye
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