Who Is Joffrey Baratheon In Game Of Thrones

Every good story has a strong villainous character, in the Game of Thrones series George Martin has developed many characters that are cringe worthy; though the one that tops the list is Joffrey Baratheon. The general audience as well as the majority of characters in Game of Thrones despise him. However, some might ask, “Was there a person in history that was as bloodthirsty as Joffrey Baratheon?” To which I can say yes, in fact I believe Martin has based Joffrey’s character on Edward of Lancaster. Edward was the son of King Edward VI and Margaret of Anjou. These two young men hail from powerful houses that at the time were in control. At very young ages they were both given a lot of power. Both Joffrey and Edward enjoy the pleasure of hurting
Edward of Lancaster was said to be illegitimate because during the period he was conceived his father King Edward VI, was suffering from a mental illness. There were many speculations that Margaret of Anjou had an affair with one of her supporters; with whom she fathered Edward. Likewise, there were also many speculations that Joffrey Baratheon was in fact not a Baratheon and instead a Lannister, the son of Jaime Lannister and Cersei Lannister. This secret was well known to many characters in Game of Thrones but Ned Stark unravelled it, which eventually led to his downfall. Whether they were trueborn children to the king or not, they both had a lackluster relationship with their fathers. While speaking with Ned, Robert implied that there was always something wrong with Joffrey. Even when Joffrey was a child, Robert did not accept him; Cersei mentioned that once Robert hit Joffrey so hard that he knocked two of his teeth out. On his deathbed Robert realized that he was not a good father figure for Joffrey and he asks Ned to make Joffrey a better man than he was. Likewise, Edward faced similar circumstances at home with his father; King Edward VI was insane during the time of his son’s birth. Following this episode in his life, he remained in a fragile mental state, which could be attributed to why Edward of Lancaster was very cruel and hostile. The absence of a strong father figure in both of these boys’ lives left a void that could not be filled with anything else;
This however does not apply to Joffrey Baratheon and Edward of Lancaster, both who were forced into marriage in order to settle family feuds and win wars. Edward for example married the daughter of Richard Neville, Richard who was previously aligned with the Yorks, pledged his allegiance with the Lancaster’s by offering his daughters hand in marriage. Similarly, in an attempt to amend the relationship between the Starks and the Lannister’s, Robert Baratheon offered Joffrey’s hand in marriage to Sansa Stark. In both cases, the parents took advantage of their sons and used them for their own gain; whether it is to win a battle or to align themselves in preparation for future battles. The fact that both Joffrey and Edward were married/ supposed to marry the “enemies” daughter may have influenced them to treat them they way that they did. It is evident that both Joffrey and Edward had no input in their marriages; based on their personalities however, it seems unlikely that they would have treated their bride to be/ wife any