Why Petyr Baelish “LittleFinger” is the most cunning guy in Game Of Thrones?
Here, meet lord Bae-lish also affectionately known as Littlefinger.
He is the most cunning-malicious-highly-political-intelligent guy in the Song of Ice and Fire book series and the television series Game of Thrones.
Now do not get confused because of the obscure joint word introduction to this amazing character, that is just how he is. A character who is known for its unalarming cunning, but prefers to seldom broadcast it.
The one who plays the game of thrones with sheer intelligence, without risking almost nothing of his own interest. Rooting for malice and how! sabotaging 3 powerful ancient houses and adamantly sticking to your own personal agenda, this is what Petyr FUCKING Baelish is.
Let me break it down for you guys...
No matter if you are born poor, you can always build your future.
We know little or nothing about House Baelish from the show Game of Thrones, though there are certain things written in the Book series, A Song of Ice and Fire (High-five book readers) The show watchers, here is some information to feed your curiosity.
Petyr Baelish comes from a place called “The Fingers” which is located on the northern shores of the Vale of Arryn. Coming from a family of common sellswords and hedge knights he yearned for power since childhood.
Little finger was descended by a common sellsword from Bravos, his great-grandfather was a sellsword in service of Lord Corbray, his son became a hedge knight and took the Titan of Braavos as his family sigil. His father in turn was uplifted to lordship and was considered as the smallest of the small lords of the fingers who occupied a few acres of stoney shores on the littlest of the fingers.
Petyr was called Littlefinger because of his family’s lands situated on the landmass called as the Fingers.
Must Read
Honesty is the best policy, when it serves your own goals.
Petyr’s father befriended lord Hoster Tully (the lord paramount of the Trident) during his service in the war of Nine penny king’s. Because of the newly formed friendship, Petyr’s father offered his son as ward to Lord Tully at Riverrun (the stronghold of House Tully), who gladly accepted his offer to only regret it later.
Soon after his arrival at Riverrun, Petyr got close to the Tully children Catelyn, Lysa and Edmure who were his age and played around in the godswood of their father’s castle. Because of their affinity his infatuation towards Catelyn grew more, although Cat only took him as a close companion or a little brother. But her sister Lysa had immense fondness and was highly obsessed with him (Petyr was her Bae).
When Catelyn came of age, she was betrothed to Brandon Stark, the heir to Winterfell and the North. Dealing with the misery of a broken heart he foolishly challenges Brandon Stark for a duel who was both stronger and faster than Petyr himself, for Catelyn’s love. To his shame he was defeated, badly injured and was carried to his chambers, Lysa snuck into his bedchamber to tend his wounds, but ends up sharing his bed.
Later he claims to have taken Catelyn’s virginity which was a lie, in fact it was Lysa not Cat. As a result of the night he and Lysa shared, Lysa got pregnant and when Lord Hoster learned about their folly, he immediately asserts a secret abortion on Lysa and banishes Petyr from his lands.
Make good use of someone who loves you, but stay true to who or what you love.
After her juvenile pregnancy and abortion, Lysa’s father persuaded Lord Jon Arryn (Lord Paramount of the east and the protector of the Vale) into marrying his daughter, as the old man had no heir apparent he allowed it, just by the knowledge of his bride’s fertility. They moved to the capital after marriage as Lord Jon Arryn was the Hand of the king.
But Lysa’s obsession didn’t leave her side, soon she convinced her husband the Hand, to give him the customs of Gulltown (A town situated in the Vale), which increased tenfolds, displaying his skill in finances. Impressed by his work at Gulltown, Petyr was named as the master of Crown’s treasury and was offered a position on the King’s small council.
There he increased his influence by moving his own people in place, such as the four Keepers of the Keys, the King's Counter and the King's Scales, as well as harbor masters, toll collectors, and wine factors. Meanwhile, he also developed a complex web of loans, transactions, and investments, as to supply the King and the King's Hand with enough gold, and bought several establishments (including several brothels).
When Lysa learns that lord Jon was going to send her only living son, Robert Arryn to be fostered at dragonstone by Lord Stannis Baratheon, she decides to poison him with Petyr’s help and writes to her sister Catelyn at Winterfell that it was the Queen’s work, of them Lannisters, later she flees to the Eyrie the impregnable stronghold of House Arryn at the vale.
Knowledge is power.
Petyr was quick to learn the game of thrones and was remarkable at the play, with all his schemes and ploys. Incharge of the Crown's Treasury, Petyr came into the position of power in court and the king's small council, he manipulated many Lords and Ladies including the Queen herself, he used the knowledge of incest between the queen and her brother to threaten her once, but gets badly slammed by Queen Cersei’s badass manner. “Power is power” she states.
At court, intrigued by Sansa’s beauty and a soft corner for her mother, Petyr helps Sansa in many a situations. His own quote “Look around you, we’re all liars here and everyone of us is better than you”.
His ploys all swift and smooth, no one would suspect anything from him just because of the way he presented himself, what can man of meager birth may have, anything to loose or anything to gain? No Lord saw him as a threat, but trusted him because of the veil of generosity he confines.
Chaos is a ladder.
Upon Sansa’s grave insults at court, because of her father’s and brother’s deeds. Petyr has a scheme planned. He along with the wits of the Lady Olenna of House Tyrell conspire to murder King Joffrey, who was to marry Lady Margaery Tyrell. They planned it in a way where Sansa plays a key role in the plot, without her own knowledge.
Petyr has Sansa gifted with an elegant hair net, with little black amethysts woven in it, the amethysts were “the Strangler”, the poison which kills Joffrey. He has all the blame fall on our favorite Lannister. Tyrion gets imprisoned being framed as the suspect. Sansa escapes the red keep in all this fuss by the help of arrangements Petyr makes.
Lord Littlefinger takes Sansa to his own lands the Fingers, to his own keep which Sansa called nothing but a single tower. He disguises Sansa as his own bastard girl and introduces her as Alayne Stone to everyone. The Lady of the Eyrie (Lysa Arryn) soon visited them and insists to Wed and bed then and there. She returns to her castle along with them, the impregnable Eyrie where Petyr spends much of his time traveling from Lord to Lord and asserting his authority. Lysa names Petyr the Lord Protector of the Vale.
Lust has an upper-hand on love.
As Sansa grew to become a beautiful Lady, littlefinger began to lust upon her as she looked so like her mother, probably more beautiful. In a quiet moment he tried getting close to her, his affection came out as kiss, when Lysa found out about it she got furious and brought out her wrath on Sansa, even threatened to kill her, throw her out of the Moon door. (A door that opens into the sky and a 600 foot drop to the stones of the valley below)
Eventually Petyr intervenes the turmoil and Lysa accuses him for not loving her at all, she brings out her rage by revealing all the secrets they had, from poisoning her previous husband, to sending a fake letter to her sister stating that Jon Arryn had been poisoned and that the Lannisters were responsible, all in Sansa’s hearing.
Petyr calms her down for a moment and tells her, he has only loved one women in all his life “only Cat” he says and pushes Lysa through the moon door. He cleverly puts all the blame on the only person present to witness the scene besides him and Sansa, the singer Marillion.
Play the game with sheer genius of your mind.
Upon Lysa’s death, and Robert Arryn being a little boy of feeble health, Lord Petyr Baelish remains the “Lord Protector”. Though he is opposed by many Lords of the Vale who assert him to withdraw the position of Lord Protector and return to his lands.
Petyr, being Petyr bribes few Lords and gets them on his side, and lets the remaining Lords at quarrel between themselves, he wins them ultimately.
Our little Lady Sansa who is presently disguised as Alayne Stone demands to know what is he willing to do with her, and tells him she is fedup of living the life of a bastard and taking care of their fragile little Lord Robert Arryn.
There, Petyr reveals his great master plan of marrying Sansa to the only blood relative of Robert, his heir Harrold Hardyng, Harry the heir they called him. Considering Roberts growing ill health he would not live longer, and the Vale would pass on to his heir, Harry. Sansa being his wife and also the heir to Winterfell, and the north, would rule together on two large dominions in Westeros, with the power of the Knights of the Vale and the Loyalty of the Northern Lords.
Littlefinger’s by far the greatest strategy, portrays his prowess in the field of politics!
Hands down to G.R.R.Martin, to introduce us to this great character, full of smartness and cunning.