Game of Thrones: Why Would Robert Want to Kill Tiny Baby Jon Snow?

We all remember Game of Thrones' Robert Baratheon, the jolly but mean-spirited king whose love of wine eventually played a part in his death. (Spoiler alert — his own wife, Cersei, poisoned him.) What we may not remember, however, is his deadly connection to Jon Snow.

Jon Snow's mother, Lady Lyanna Stark — that's right, Jon is Ned Stark's nephew, not his son — was betrothed to marry Robert Baratheon. However, Rhaegar Targaryen, son of the Mad King, Aerys Targaryen, fell in love with Lyanna and kidnapped her, a move that led to the uprising known as Robert's Rebellion. As a result, Robert unseated Aerys from the throne, killed Rhaegar, and became king of all Westeros.

What Robert didn't know then was that Lyanna had a son with Rhaegar, a baby who would eventually become known as Jon Snow. Had he discovered this, he would have killed Jon, as Jon, along with Daenerys and Viserys, was one of the last remaining Targaryen heirs, not to mention the bastard born of the man who stole the woman he loved.

So there you have it, the tragic history of Robert Baratheon and Jon Snow.