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Spoilers for HBO’s Game of Thrones and George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels: Tyrion Lannister kills his father, Tywin, with a crossbow in the Tower of the Hand. On television, the scene closes Season 4, episode 10, “The Children” (2014): Tyrion finds Shae in Tywin’s bed, kills her, then shoots Tywin twice while he sits on the privy. In A Storm of Swords (2000), Chapter 77, “Tyrion XI,” Tyrion kills Shae and shoots Tywin once after Jaime reveals the truth about Tysha.
The same event has different emotional triggers and physical details in each version. The show emphasizes Shae’s betrayal and Tyrion’s rigged death sentence; the novel makes Jaime’s confession about Tysha the decisive wound. Tywin’s death removes the one Lannister who can impose order, leaving a power vacuum that reshapes King’s Landing.
What happens to Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones?
Tyrion kills Tywin Lannister at the end of Season 4. After Jaime frees Tyrion from his cell, Tyrion enters the Tower of the Hand, finds Shae in Tywin’s bed and strangles her with the gold chain he gave her. He then takes a crossbow, confronts Tywin on the privy and fires. The television version uses two bolts, one to the stomach and one to the chest. Tywin’s final words are, “You shot me… you are no son of mine.” Tyrion answers, “I am your son. I have always been your son.”
In the novels, the killing occurs in A Storm of Swords, published in 2000, Chapter 77, “Tyrion XI.” Tyrion uses Tywin’s own crossbow and fires one bolt through his father’s bowels after Tywin again calls Tysha a whore. Tywin dies in 300 AC in the book chronology. Both versions make the same point: the man who built his authority on dignity, fear and the Lannister name dies in a profoundly humiliating place, killed by the son he refused to acknowledge.
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Who is Tywin Lannister before his death?
Tywin is Lord of Casterly Rock, Shield of Lannisport and Warden of the West, and he serves twice as Hand of the King. HBO also calls him Lord Paramount of the Westerlands, a title that the novels do not use. He is the father of Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion, and the widower of his cousin Joanna, who dies giving birth to Tyrion. The HBO character description calls him the most powerful lord in the Seven Kingdoms because of his wealth and says that Joanna’s death explains his hatred of Tyrion.
Tywin is calculating, ruthless and intensely protective of House Lannister’s prestige. His sister Genna says he distrusts laughter because bannermen once laughed at their weak father, Tytos, the “toothless lion.” Smallfolk joke that Tywin must “shit gold,” a saying that becomes bitterly ironic at his death. His brother Gerion tells Tyrion that the best part of Tywin died with Joanna.
Tywin’s rise and governing record
As a boy, Tywin serves as cupbearer and page with Prince Aerys Targaryen and Steffon Baratheon. After the War of the Ninepenny Kings, he restores Lannister authority by destroying Houses Reyne and Tarbeck in 261 AC; the drowning of the Reynes at Castamere is remembered in “The Rains of Castamere.” Aerys II names him Hand in 262 AC, when Tywin is twenty. A Wiki of Ice and Fire describes him as the youngest man to hold the office, while later observers say the realm prospered under his administration and that he, rather than the increasingly unstable Aerys, effectively ruled.
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Aerys grows jealous, rejects a proposed match between Cersei and Rhaegar, and in 281 AC places Jaime in the Kingsguard, removing Tywin’s intended heir. Tywin resigns and remains outside the fighting until Robert’s Rebellion is almost won. He then sacks King’s Landing; Jaime kills Aerys, Cersei marries Robert Baratheon, and the crown eventually owes House Lannister more than three million gold dragons.
- Tywin appointed Hand at twenty in 262 AC — A Wiki of Ice and Fire, citing The World of Ice and Fire (2014).
- Born 242 AC at Casterly Rock; died 300 AC in the Tower of the Hand — A Wiki of Ice and Fire infobox, accessed 2026.
- Almost 40,000 men raised after Tyrion’s arrest, with half sent with Jaime against Riverrun — Wikipedia, “Tywin Lannister,” accessed 2026, summarizing A Game of Thrones (1996).
- Eleven thousand westermen sent to the Stepstones during the War of the Ninepenny Kings — A Wiki of Ice and Fire character history, accessed 2026.
The personal history that makes the killing possible
Tywin blames Tyrion both for Joanna’s death and for bringing shame through sex work and public defiance. When young Tyrion secretly marries Tysha, a commoner, Tywin tells Jaime to claim that Tysha is a prostitute. Tywin then has his garrison rape her in front of Tyrion, forces Tyrion to go last, and pays Tyrion a gold coin while the soldiers receive silver. The episode “Baelor” recounts the incident on television; the novels establish it as the central trauma in Tyrion’s relationship with his father.
That lesson is why Tywin’s repeated use of the word “whore” is not casual provocation. It invokes a deliberate crime and a lie Tyrion has carried for years. Bronn’s observation that he would have killed the man who committed such an act foreshadows the privy confrontation.
What leads to Tywin’s death on television?
The television plot compresses several pressures into one night.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches- Tyrion’s trial becomes a death sentence. After Joffrey’s murder, Tyrion is convicted despite the trial’s political manipulation. Trial by combat ends with Oberyn Martell’s death at Gregor Clegane’s hands in “The Mountain and the Viper,” and Tywin orders Tyrion executed.
- Jaime frees him. Jaime enters the cell, tells Tyrion that Varys will smuggle him to Essos, and embraces him. Jaime does not reveal the Tysha truth in the show; that confession belongs to the novel.
- Tyrion finds Shae with Tywin. Tyrion takes a secret floor passage into the Tower of the Hand and discovers Shae in Tywin’s bed. She calls Tywin “my lion,” reaches for a dagger and is strangled with Tyrion’s golden chain.
- Tyrion takes a weapon. He removes Joffrey’s crossbow from the wall and finds Tywin seated on the privy. Tywin guesses that Jaime released him and says Jaime “always had a soft spot” for his brother.
- Tywin repeats the trigger. Tywin calls Shae a whore. Tyrion warns him not to use the word again. Tywin says it once more, and Tyrion fires.
How does Tywin Lannister die in the show?
Tywin first takes a bolt in the stomach. He says, “You shot me… you are no son of mine.” Tyrion replies, “I am your son. I have always been your son.” Tyrion reloads and shoots him in the chest, killing him. The scene is the final movement of “The Children,” the Season 4 finale that aired in 2014. Charles Dance plays Tywin and Peter Dinklage plays Tyrion.
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Tyrion’s later explanation to Cersei makes the immediate motive explicit: “After he sentenced me to death for a crime I didn’t commit, yes, I killed him. Hate me for it if you want; I hate myself for it, in spite of what he was, in spite of what he did to me.” The show therefore combines the death sentence, Shae’s presence in Tywin’s bed and years of abuse. It does not include Jaime’s revelation that Tysha was not a prostitute.
What happens immediately after the shooting?
Varys finds Tyrion, hides him in a crate and helps him escape toward the Free Cities. Cersei blames Jaime for the jailbreak, orders a manhunt and continues to treat Tyrion as a kinslayer even after accepting that he did not poison Joffrey. A Braavosi play later burlesques the killing, including the “shit gold” joke. Tywin’s corpse returns at the beginning of Season 5, episode 1, “The Wars to Come” (2015).
How does Tywin die in the books?
The novel scene appears in A Storm of Swords, Chapter 77, “Tyrion XI.” Jaime forces Varys to free Tyrion and then tells Tyrion that Tysha was never a hired prostitute. Tyrion responds with rage, claims that he killed Joffrey and threatens to make the family pay. Varys begs him not to climb to Tywin, but Tyrion uses a secret ladder into the Tower of the Hand.
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Tyrion asks what Tywin did with Tysha. The exchange, recorded by A Wiki of Ice and Fire, is:
Tyrion: “Tysha. What did you do with her, after my little lesson?”
Tywin: “I don’t recall.”
Tyrion: “Try harder. Did you have her killed?”
Tywin: “There was no reason for that, she’d learned her place … and had been well paid for her day’s work, I seem to recall. I suppose the steward sent her on her way. I never thought to inquire.”
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Tyrion warns, “The next time you say that word, I’ll kill you.” Tywin says the steward sent Tysha “wherever whores go,” and Tyrion looses one bolt through his pelvis and bowels. Tywin says, “you shot me.” Tyrion answers, “You always were quick to grasp a situation, my lord. That must be why you’re the Hand of the King.” When Tywin disowns him, Tyrion says he is “Tywin writ small.”
The narration records the dark joke’s resolution: “…the oft repeated jape about his father was just another lie, Lord Tywin Lannister in the end did not shit gold.” Tyrion asks him to die quickly; the smell as Tyrion leaves confirms that he has. Unlike the show, Tyrion’s escape is not shown immediately. In A Dance with Dragons, he travels in a barrel, while Podrick leaves King’s Landing searching for him.
What is the difference between the show and book versions?
The outcome is identical, but the motive, staging and aftermath differ substantially.
| Detail | Television: “The Children” | Novel: A Storm of Swords, Chapter 77 |
|---|---|---|
| Primary motive | Shae in Tywin’s bed, Tywin’s repeated insult and the death sentence for Joffrey’s murder | Jaime’s confession about Tysha, followed by Tywin calling Tysha a whore |
| Crossbow | Joffrey’s crossbow taken from the wall | Tywin’s own crossbow |
| Bolts | Two: stomach, then chest | One through the bowels and pelvis |
| Jaime’s cell confession | Jaime says Varys will arrange Tyrion’s escape; no Tysha revelation | Jaime admits Tysha was never a prostitute |
| Shae’s portrayal | She calls Tywin “my lion,” reaches for a dagger and is strangled with Tyrion’s chain | She wears the golden chain, calls Tyrion “my giant of Lannister” and is strangled as Tyrion recites the “hands of gold” verse |
| Burial | Tywin is buried in the Great Sept of Baelor | Silent sisters escort his bones west with a westerlands entourage |
Why did Tyrion kill Tywin?
On television, Tyrion’s decision is the collision of three injuries: Tywin has sentenced him for a crime he did not commit, Shae has appeared in Tywin’s bed, and Tywin has repeated the word “whore” after Tyrion’s warning. Tyrion is grief-stricken after killing Shae, while Tywin shows no empathy. Peter Dinklage explained that Tyrion “needs that closure,” and that Tywin’s indifference after Shae’s death supplies “the finger that fires.”
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Tywin is not rehabilitated by the scene. He engineered the Sack of King’s Landing, the destruction of Castamere, the Red Wedding and the abuse of Tysha. Yet he is also the adult who can control Joffrey when others cannot. His death is tragic because it destroys a cruel but effective political center, not because it absolves him.
What episode does Tywin die?
Tywin dies in Season 4, episode 10, “The Children,” the 2014 finale of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Entertainment Weekly’s finale coverage was dated 16 June 2014. Charles Dance appears as living Tywin throughout Seasons 1–4 and as his corpse in Season 5, according to Wikipedia and contemporary coverage by ScreenCrush.
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The corresponding book death is in A Storm of Swords, first published in 2000, Chapter 77, “Tyrion XI.” The wider publication chronology is A Game of Thrones (1996), A Storm of Swords (2000), A Feast for Crows (2005) and The World of Ice and Fire (2014).
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Television aftermath
Season 5 opens with Tywin’s body displayed in the Great Sept of Baelor. The death upsets the balance of power in King’s Landing. Cersei becomes Queen Regent and tries to act as Tywin’s successor, but she lacks his authority and strategic restraint. Her choices help create the conditions in which the High Sparrow and the Faith Militant rise. The capital’s political center weakens while Cersei hunts Tyrion and fights threats inside her own court.
Charles Dance had hoped the series would begin Season 5 with “a great f–k-off funeral for Tywin”; it did. He later joked to The Daily Beast, in a quotation reported by ScreenCrush, “Well, only my body!”
Novel aftermath
In the books, Cersei has the Kettleblacks remove Shae and threatens anyone who mentions her. Tywin lies in crimson armor for seven days in the Great Sept of Baelor. The stench becomes unbearable, mourners become sick, and his drying lips curl into a smile—the first Jaime has seen on his father’s face. Silent sisters then escort the bones west.
Cersei offers a lordship for Tyrion’s head, appoints Harys Swyft Hand and presents herself as Tywin’s heir. A Dance with Dragons notes that the Golden Company sees the realm as ripe for invasion once Tywin is gone, while Doran Martell is already pursuing vengeance for Elia. The succession crisis is therefore military as well as familial: no one can reproduce Tywin’s combination of money, fear and administrative control.
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Why did Charles Dance leave Game of Thrones?
Charles Dance left because Tywin’s character dies in the story, not because of a reported production dispute. Dance said he did not read the novels before filming; a passerby spoiled the manner of Tywin’s death, after which Dance bought the book at Waterstones and discovered the privy scene. He described Tywin as “a hypocrite” who follows a “do what I say, not what I do” rule, especially regarding sex and Shae.
Dance also explained Tywin’s hatred of Tyrion as the reaction of a man who sees dwarfism as an imperfection and cannot accept that Tyrion is his brightest child. Clive James later called the role “not only the best role of its kind that Dance has ever had; it is the best role of its kind that anyone has ever had.” Dance’s later comments that he found the series ending confusing are separate from Tywin’s completed death arc.
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What does Tywin’s privy death mean for the story?
The setting is deliberate humiliation. Tywin spends his life policing appearances, insisting that a Lannister’s public image outlasts any individual. He dies while voiding his bowels, unable to command guards, soldiers or family. The son he refuses to name as an heir proves, in the novel’s formulation, that he is “Tywin writ small”: ruthless, intelligent, wounded and capable of carrying out a threat.
Martin’s account of the scene emphasizes that Tyrion’s finger moves after Tywin repeats the forbidden word. The killing is neither a clean act of justice nor a simple eruption of rage. It is the consequence of Tywin’s own methods—family coercion, humiliation and threats—turned back on him by the child he spent decades trying to break.
Where can you read or watch the canonical scene?
For the television staging, the matching release is Game of Thrones Season 4, whose finale is “The Children.” For the fuller Tysha revelation, the canonical source is A Storm of Swords, especially Chapter 77, “Tyrion XI.” The novel supplies the one-bolt killing, Tywin’s “wherever whores go” line and the explanation of why the scene is more than a response to Shae.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tywin die before or after Tyrion escapes King’s Landing?
Tywin dies before Tyrion leaves the city. On television, Varys hides Tyrion in a crate immediately afterward; in the novels, the escape is described later, with Tyrion traveling in a barrel in A Dance with Dragons.
Is Tywin’s body ever shown again after the privy scene?
Yes. The television series opens Season 5 with Tywin’s corpse displayed for his funeral. The books keep the body present for seven days in the Great Sept before silent sisters escort the bones west.
Did Tywin know Tyrion was innocent of killing Joffrey?
The show makes Tywin’s knowledge part of Tyrion’s accusation: Tyrion tells Cersei that Tywin sentenced him for a crime he did not commit. Tywin’s willingness to sacrifice Tyrion for political stability is one reason the execution order feels personal even when it is presented as law.
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What does kinslaying mean in Westerosi law and custom?
Kinslaying is the killing of a close family member, treated in Westeros as a uniquely cursed act. Martin said the act of killing Tywin places Tyrion beyond an ordinary political murder because no man is considered as cursed as a kinslayer.
Does The Winds of Winter undo Tywin’s death?
No. As of October 2026, The Winds of Winter remains unpublished, and Tywin’s killing in A Storm of Swords is complete. Later references can explore its consequences, but they do not reverse the event.
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