Highlights
- Lord Jon Arryn's sudden death triggers a feud between the Starks and Lannisters, fueled by a letter from Jon's widow, Lysa Arryn, suggesting Lannister involvement.
- Cersei's cryptic remarks to Jaime about Jon Arryn's knowledge and their illicit relationship hint at a deeper mystery surrounding Jon's death.
- The manipulative Lord Petyr Baelish orchestrates Jon Arryn's death as part of a grand scheme, using Lysa Arryn as a pawn and ultimately becoming Lord Protector of the Vale.
King Robert I Baratheon's First Hand, Lord Jon Arryn's sudden death ignites a feud between the Starks and the Lannisters. This hostility and rift between the two Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms is sparked by the letter that Jon's widow, Lysa Arryn sends North to her sister, Catelyn Stark. She claims that the Lannisters have a hand in Jon's death. Around the same time, Queen Cersei Lannister and her brother, Jaime's cryptic remarks in Game of Thrones season 1, episode 1 "Winter Is Coming" about the nature of Jon's death indicate there's more to it than meets the eye.
Cersei watches Jon's corpse being tended to in the throne room, and her brother/ lover, Jaime walks by. "What if Jon Arryn told someone?" asks Cersei, to which Jaime replies, "Whatever Jon Arryn knew or didn't know, it died with him." Jaime's "whatever" refers to the nature of his and Cersei's illicit relationship, in that, he fathers her three children. Later Game of Thrones reveals that Jon was taken out by none other than his wife, the erratic Lysa Arryn as part of a grand scheme orchestrated by her lover, and Robert's Master of Coin, Lord Petyr Baelish.
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The Honorable Jon Arryn Of The Vale
Lysa's sister, Catelyn announces Jon Arryn's death to her husband, saying:
There was a raven from King's Landing. Jon Arryn is dead. A fever took him.
She also informs her husband that he is likely to succeed Jon Arryn as Hand, as they are anticipating a royal visit. Catelyn rightly remarks that Jon Arryn was like a father to Ned (and Robert) as he had fostered them as children at his ancestral seat, the Eyrie that is built high up in the mountains. While Jon agreed to foster Ned and Robert, following forging alliances with Lord Rickard Stark and Steffon Baratheon in the wake of the War of the Ninepenny Kings, he declined to foster two of the dishonorable Lord Walder Frey's grandsons. Jon was an honorable man and Ned mirrored many of his traits, such as decency, and loyalty. He was Lord of the Eyrie and the head of one of the Great Houses of Westeros - House Arryn. Jon was the eldest of Lord Jasper Arryn's three children. He had a sister, Alys and a younger brother named Ronnel. He was Keeper of the Gates of the Moon during Lord Jasper's lifetime and after his death, he conferred that position on his brother, Ronnel.
The erratic and paranoid, Lysa Arryn was Jon's third wife, while his first wives, Jeyne Royce and Lady Rowena Arryn died in childbirth and of a winter chill, respectively. As Jon was childless, his heir was his nephew, Ronnel's son, Elbert Arryn until he was executed by Aerys II Targaryen/ the Mad King at King's Landing. Elbert followed Brandon Stark to the Red Keep to demand Lyanna Stark's return and was subsequently arrested and killed.
Jon Arryn's Death Stirred The Pot In Game Of Thrones
After Jon's death, Robert I remarked that he [Jon] was fine one minute "...then... burned right through him, whatever it was." Later on Thrones, Lysa admitted to poisoning Jon using the tears of Lys provided by Lord Baelish. Lysa never loved Jon but was married to him to solidify an alliance between the two Great Houses - Tully and Arryn. She'd always loved Petyr Baelish, who in turn, was in love with her elder sister, Catelyn. In Game of Thrones season 4, episode 5 "First of His Name," Lysa admits that she killed Jon and then lied to her sister for Baelish. Two episodes later, in Game of Thrones' "Mockingbird," Baelish throws Lysa down the Moon Door, and becomes Lord Protector of the Vale through their brief marriage and the guardian of her and Jon's only child, the young Robin Arryn.
Baelish used Lysa to stir trouble and to seize control of the Vale. Because of her and Baelish, Catelyn believed the Lannisters had murdered Jon. Ned agreed that the King's life was in danger, and rode to King's Landing to help him hold on to the throne. Him assuming the position of Robert's Hand brewed the conflict known as the War of the Five Kings. Baelish political power play had a silver lining. He commissioned the Vale army - the Knights of the Vale to ride for Winterfell and helped Jon Snow and his allies win the Battle of the Bastards.
Robin Arryn - The Young Lord Of The Eyrie
Petyr had Jon Arryn killed and threw the Seven Kingdoms into chaos. While he climbed up the ladder of power, all his crimes caught up with him and Sansa had him executed in Game of Thrones season 7. As for the honorable Arryns of the Vale, they were neutral in the War of the Five Kings but shifted away and entered the conflict during the Battle of the Bastards. Robin Arryn was last seen at the Great Council held at King's Landing, following the assassination of Daenerys Targaryen. The council, convened to decide on the fates of Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister was composed of the most powerful people in the Seven Kingdoms, and the young Lord Robin was among them. He was seated next to Lord of Runestone, and the man who trained him - Yohn Royce. By the end of Game of Thrones, Robin had come of age and Vale no longer needed a lord protector. He was the head of House Arryn, the Warden of the East, and Defender of the Vale.