Born Olenna Redwyne, daughter of Lord Runceford Redwyne, the future matriarch of House Tyrell
was betrothed to prince Daeron Targaryen in her youth, and while historical records claim
Daeron ended the relationship, Olenna insisted it was she that maneuvered the termination
of their engagement.
She would go on to marry Lord Luthor of House Tyrell, and bear him 3 children, in Mace,
Janna and Mina Tyrell. Lady Olenna claimed to have grown fond of her husband, but largely
considered him a dullard, believing that the same simple mind was inherited by her eldest
son Mace Tyrell, whom she believes incapable of securing Tyrell interests in the Westerosi
game of thrones. And for that reason, when her husband died riding his horse over a cliff
while hawking, she largely took control of their House, seeing to their prosperity and
security by ruling through her son made Lord Mace Tyrell. She would also come to rely on
her granddaughter, Margaery, whom she would groom as her heir ensuring strong leadership
for the future of House Tyrell. Though Lady Olenna grew into an elderly and
seemingly frail women, her mind never dulled, remaining one of the sharpest minds in Westeros,
and a cunning player in the game of thrones.
After the death of Jon Arryn, and the appointment of Ned Stark as the new Hand of the King,
tensions began to grow in the Seven Kingdoms, as factions began to plan for the inevitable
death King Robert and the succession that was to follow. According to Olenna, it was
her son Mace who insisted on involving House tyrell in the conflict that was brewing. Allying
them to Renly Baratheon, a friend of their family and youngest brother of the king. After
Robert’s death and with the legitimacy of his heirs called into question, Mace crowned
Renly as King, supporting his claim with the vast armies and wealth of the Reach.
Yet after the death of Renly, it was left to Lady Olenna to resolve the crisis, and
ensure House Tyrell was on the winning side of the conflict to come.
And so she entered into negotiations with Littlefinger, who represented the interests
of House Lannister and King Joffrey Baratheon in King’s Landing. They agreed to a marriage
between Joffrey and Lady Margaery, to unite their houses and armies to stand against the
various enemy factions fighting for power in the War of Five Kings.
This deal certainly seemed to benefit House Tyrell, as they would have a daughter of their
house as Queen of the kingdom, yet Olenna still had reservations, having heard rumor
of Joffrey’s cruelty and hostile behavior.
When the Tyrells arrived at King’s Landing, in preparation for the wedding, Lady Olenna
and Margaery summoned Sansa Stark, sister of the rebel King Robb Stark and the former
betrothed of Joffrey Baratheon who was currently being held as a hostage in King’s Landing.
Sansa revealed to them the truth of his nature, detailing his monstrous behavior. The Tyrells
thanked her for her honesty and promised to arrange a marriage between Sansa and Margaery’s
brother Wilas Tyrell, heir to the Reach.
However Sansa made the mistake of mentioning the plot to her supposed ally Ser Dontos,
who in turn revealed the scheme to his paymaster Littlefinger. Petyr Baelish, seeing such an
arrangement as an obstacle to his own desires, informed Tywin Lannister, who immediately
married Sansa to his youngest son Tyrion, knowing that Sansa’s claim to the North
was far too important to lose.
When Lady Olenna learned that her plans had been disrupted, she took revenge on Tywin,
by convincing her son Mace to refuse the betrothal of Willas to Cersei Lannister, claiming Cersei
was too old and used for the heir to Highgarden.
At the wedding of King Joffrey and Lady Margaery, Lady Olenna would arrange for the king to
be poisoned, assassinating the boy in front of their shocked guests.
Lady Olenna would organize the event working with Littlefinger, to smuggling a poison known
as the strangler into the wedding, hiding it as a black stone in a hairnet. The hairnet
was then given to Ser Dantos who in turn presented it to Lady Sansa as a gift. She wore it to
the Wedding and Lady Olenna, removed the stone, while pretending to fix her hair, then having
the poison placed in the king’s wine cup.
With the barbaric young king dead, Lady Margaery was left to marry Joffrey’s younger brother,
the much more docile and malleable Tommen Baratheon.
Thanks to the maneuvering of Lady Olenna, this event would leave House Tyrell in a position
of great authority, with Margaery Tyrell as Queen, left to manipulate her young husband
as she sees fit.
Though things may have worked out well for the new Lannister-Tyrell union, things quickly
began to fall apart after the death of Lord Tywin and Lady Olenna’s departure for Highgarden.
Cersei Lannister, unable to tolerate the presence of a Tyrell Queen with her young son, took
every opportunity to destabilize and undermine their alliance, arming the faith militants,
and making accusations against Margaery, which would ultimately backfire, threatening the
fragile peace within their territories and sowing further chaos in King’s Landing.