Kingship - King Robert Baratheon

A Song of Ice and Fire begins with the reign of King Robert Baratheon. The Baratheon sigil is a black crowned stag on a golden field and their words are "Ours is the Fury." King Robert raised a rebellion against the mad King Aerys and took the Iron Throne from the Targaryans. His rebellion was spurted by his anger at Prince Rhaegar Targaryan raping the Lady Lyanna Stark. Robert slaughter Prince Rhaegar and his family, swearing to end the Targaryan line. Only Viserys and Daenarys made it out of Westeros alive.

This begins King Robert's rule.  He started as a young man, fond of war and a brute on the battle field with his mighty war hammer. Over the summer years he becomes fat and altogether bored with ruling. He ignores his wife Cersei Lannister and sleeps with anyone he chooses. He has many, many bastard children. He does not like to do his duties as a King and so he passes them onto his council members. He left the crown thousands in debt.

Now the main question: was he a good King? He may have lead the kingdom in a peace for years, but his death brought about a war that ripped the land apart. That cannot be completely his own fault, but he did start the idea that someone other than a Targaryan could be a king. During his rule Robert proved a drunk paranoid fool. He often ignored his state, and so he effectively handed it to people like Petyr Baelish and Varys. He also was very strong willed and would not listen to council if it contrasted his own thoughts. The best example of this is when he heard that Daenarys was pregnant, and he was in a fury. He wanted her and all Targaryans dead. He sent assassins after her but Eddard Stark protested. So Robert relieved him of his duties as Hand of the King and told him to go back to Winterfell.

Robert treated the crown as a child would, he wore it when he felt like playing the King, but quickly turned to other toys. He was a great warrior, but he is no ruler. He chooses to listen to whoever agrees with him. He ignored his children so that Joffrey turned into a spoiled king after him. He left the kingdom with a deep infection in its heart so that it split to a million pieces. Robert Baratheon is a man of strength, but the strength of leadership was not in him.