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House Tyrell of Highgarden is the ruling house of the Reach. Their stronghold is Highgarden. Their sigil is a golden rose on green and their words are "Growing Strong". They hold the position of 'Lords Paramount of the Reach,' and 'Wardens of the South.'

The territories of the Reach are vast and the population numerous. For administrative and historical purposes, several powerful houses are instead sworn to House Hightower of Oldtown, rather than to Highgarden directly. Since House Hightower in turn is sworn to House Tyrell, this does not impact on Highgarden's authority over those houses.

House Tyrell[]

House Tyrell is the principal noble house in the Reach; many lesser houses are sworn to them. Their seat is at Highgarden, a castle near the river Mander. Their sigil is a golden rose on a green field, and their words are "Growing Strong." They are commonly thought of as the second wealthiest house of Westeros, beaten only by House Lannister; however now that House Lannister's gold mines have ran dry, and their wealth drained by the expenses to the Iron Throne in the War of the Five Kings, it is suggested that House Tyrell has usurped them as the new richest house.

Mace Tyrell[]

Lord Mace Tyrell is Lord of Highgarden, Defender of the Marches, High Marshal of the Reach, and Warden of the South. Mace Tyrell is a prematurely old and rather tedious man lacking in political savvy. His sole military accomplishment is the Siege of Storm's End. Though he has tried to use the Battle of Ashford as evidence of strategic brilliance, he actually had little to do with the fighting. He now serves only as the figurehead of his powerful house for his more intelligent family members.

Mace has always dreamed of his daughter being a Queen, thus when Renly Baratheon and Loras Tyrell presented the plan to crown Renly and have him wed Margaery Tyrell, they had his full support. However, King Renly’s rule did not last long enough for him to consummate the marriage as he was slain at Storm's End. When word of this reached Mace, he marched some ten thousand men to Bitterbridge to plan his next move with his sons. They were joined by Petyr Baelish with an offer from King Joffrey Baratheon. Forming an alliance with House Lannister he was soon joined by Tywin's army to march on and defeat Stannis at the Battle of the Blackwater. His reward was a seat on the small council.

After the Battle of the Blackwater, the great lords meet to divide up the spoils of war. Lord Mace demanded and received the lands of House Florent. He was made master of ships on the small council of King Joffrey I. He was charged with the capture of Storm’s End, but the siege was interrupted by news that Margaery had been imprisoned. He abandoned his charge and is currently marching his army on the city of King's Landing.

Willas Tyrell[]

Willas Tyrell is the eldest son and heir of Lord Mace Tyrell and Lady Alerie Hightower. House Tyrell members Olenna Tyrell (née Redwyne) and Margaery Tyrell, plan to wed Willas Tyrell to Sansa Stark, where she would leave King's Landing for Highgarden, thus escaping the Lannister's control and giving House Tyrell authority over the Reach and the North, as well as a bargaining chip against House Baratheon of King's Landing, but more specifically House Lannister

Garlan Tyrell[]

Lord Garlan Tyrell, better known as Garlan the Gallant, is the second son of Lord Mace Tyrell and Lady Alerie Hightower. He was given the name the Gallant by his brother Willas, who did it to protect him when he was a fat child. He was raised to Lord of Brightwater Keep after the Battle of the Blackwater. He usually trains against three or four swordsmen, practice for actual battle.

Ser Garlan took part in the Battle of the Blackwater, playing the part of Renly Baratheon, dressing in his armor, to scare the ignorant men-at-arms among Stannis Baratheon's army. He was raised to Lord of Brightwater Keep after the battle. Ser Garlan said kind words to Tyrion Lannister during the wedding of Margaery Tyrell and King Joffrey I, attending the nuptials with his wife, Leonette Fossoway. While the Kingsguard met in the White Sword Tower, Garlan guarded Tommen I.

Loras Tyrell[]

Third son of Lord Mace Tyrell, nicknamed the Knight of Flowers, Loras is a young but highly skilled knight and jouster. He is described as slender and handsome and is beloved by the crowds. Early on in the story, during a tourney he handed a red rose to Sansa Stark, who, like countless other Westerosi girls, became infatuated with him. However, the novels imply that he actually had a sexual relationship with Renly Baratheon. When Renly proclaimed himself king, Loras and the rest of House Tyrell backed him and married Loras' sister Margaery to Renly. Renly made Loras the head of his personal guard and the two remained inseparable even after Renly's wedding.

After Renly's assassination, Loras became enraged with grief and tried to kill Brienne of Tarth and Catelyn Stark, whom he believed guilty of Renly's murder. After questioning Brienne at King's Landing, he no longer suspected her. Loras later joined the Kingsguard and quickly reasserted his popularity with the citizens of King's Landing. He was sent to end the siege of Dragonstone, where, according to reports, he was horribly injured by boiling oil and possibly near death.

Margaery Tyrell[]

Only daughter of Mace Tyrell, Margaery is an intelligent and shrewd young woman, very much the protégé of her cunning grandmother, Olenna Tyrell. She is described as very beautiful, with softly curling light brown hair, brown eyes and a slender yet shapely figure. She is fifteen years old.

Margaery was first married to King Renly Baratheon, as a pledge of loyalty from the Tyrell family at the start of the War of the Five Kings. When he was killed, the Tyrells allied with the Lannisters, wedding Margaery to King Joffrey. After Joffrey was poisoned at their wedding feast, Margaery was wed yet again, this time to Joffrey's younger brother Tommen, a little boy who was then crowned king. In the months after their marriage, Cersei Lannister schemed to dispose of Margaery and the Tyrells, taking advantage of Margaery's claim to still be a maid despite her marriage to Renly. This claim may or may not be true; Margaery's maidenhead was confirmed to have been ruptured by a Septa who inspected her, but Cersei noted that highborn girls often have their maidenheads broken by horseback-riding.

While Tommen's queen, Margaery did much to gain favor with the populace. She visited local markets to buy fresh fruits, breads and fish, ordered dresses from many local seamstresses, and made great public shows of charity. Margaery suggested several activities for Tommen in an effort to shape him into a successful ruler, such as riding in sight of his subjects and observing sessions of the small council. Cersei forbade all of Margaery's suggestions. Later, Margaery recognized the military threat created by the Ironborn invasion of the Shield Islands, and was incredulous at Cersei's lack of understanding.

Cersei accused Margaery of adultery and treason, lining up an impressive but untrue, array of conspirators and evidence. Margaery was arrested and imprisoned to await trial by the Faith at the Great Sept of Baelor. While in custody, she confronted Cersei, revealing that she knew that Cersei was behind the accusations and wanted to remove her from a position of influence, perhaps by arranging for her death. Later, one of Cersei's key witnesses revealed her plots under torture, and Cersei soon found herself sharing Margaery's plight. Their fate is unknown.

Olenna Redwyne[]

Olenna Redwyne is the mother of Lord Mace Tyrell and described as a wizened, cunning old woman with a wicked wit and a sharp tongue, nicknamed "the Queen of Thorns." Olenna was introduced in A Storm of Swords, sharply questioning Sansa Stark on Joffrey's nature. After getting Sansa to speak about Joffrey's cruelty and the beatings he gave her, Olenna suggested taking Sansa away to Highgarden and marrying her to Willas. She also played a role in the poisoning of Joffrey at his wedding, working with Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish, but the details remain unclear in the story.

Houses sworn to Highgarden[]

Deposed Houses of the Reach[]

Extinct Houses of the Reach[]

  • House Osgrey of Leafy Lake

Tyrell characters in the books[]

Historical Tyrell characters[]

  • Ser Alester Tyrell, an Andal knight and founder of the house.
    • Gareth Tyrell, his second son and first High Steward of Highgarden
      • Leo Tyrell, his son
  • Ser Osmund Tyrell, High Steward of Highgarden during the reign of Garth X Gardener
    • Ser Robert Tyrell, his son and High Steward of Highgarden
      • Ser Lorent Tyrell, his son and also steward of Highgarden
  • Harlen Tyrell, steward of Highgarden and first Warden of the South.
    • Lord Theo Tyrell, his son and second Tyrell Lord of Highgarden
  • Lord Matthos Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden at the end of the reign of Jaehaerys I Targaryen
  • Lord Lyonel Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden during the Dance of Dragons and the reigns of Aegon III and Daeron I
  • Leo Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden during the reign of Daeron II Targaryen
  • Luthor Tyrell, late son of Ser Moryn Tyrell
  • Quentin Tyrell, cousin of Mace Tyrell
  • Victor Tyrell, cousin of Mace Tyrell
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