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Lannister : Chapter 18: Discussions and Bonding
🕑 Added 2025-04-07 12:02:07 +0000 UTC
( Tywin Lannister POV )
The typical expenditures of Casterly Rock alone reached over 1,000 Gold Dragons per day and for the whole of House Lannister's possessions that was around 2,300. It was nearly as much as the crown spent on a regular basis, but, and Tywin smirked at this, where they differed were the incomes.
...
House Lannister on the average day made more than double what it spent, somewhere in the range of 5,500 Gold Dragons. It came in the taxes and tithes paid by his bannermen, tariffs and tribute, and repayment of debts owed to his house.
The Crown alone owed House Lannister millions of dragons for his handling of the Iron Bank fiasco, and Tywin made sure that money was transferred regularly and promptly. Thus, in total while House Lannister spent some 850,000 Dragons every year, it brought in some 2,000,000.00 of the same.
This was Tywin's great work. Jaime, wished to be a spectacular knight, and Tywin had no doubt he'd be an acceptable Lord too, Cersei would be a fine queen, and Callum? Well that boy was driven towards half a dozen things of clear value, so Tywin had nothing to worry about there.
For the Lion of Casterly Rock himself, nearly all that he did was about leaving his house the wealthiest and most powerful it had ever been, that anyone has ever been since the Targaryens lost their dragons.
Tywin was a man who cared deeply and passionately about his legacy. His father, Tytos, had not, and Tywin and his brothers had been forced to suffer under the ignominy that it brought them. He would not make the same mistake. He could push House Lannister's influence further, build more incomes, and empower his house to the heights of power and authority.
At only 33, he was the most powerful man in Westeros, by his own estimation. But it wasn't enough. It wouldn't be enough until he died and was buried knowing damn well he'd fought and struggled and succeeded in raising House Lannister to heights unseen and wealth unimaginable.
"Father, I'm back."
Tywin blinked off his thoughts and glanced back over at his son, Callum, now carrying three books, a quill pen, and a reef of loose papers precariously.
"Quite an arrangement," Tywin commented as the boy laid out his materials swiftly on the table next to him. He glanced at the books, leather bound with no titles on the cover, they were clearly journals. "Did you write all three of these?"
"They're not full narrative political treatises if that's what you're asking, that's only one book and it's still in my study." Callum looked over the three and pointed with his index finger. "This one is my notes on pre-and-post conquest Westerosi governance and legal structures, this one is my notes on the same from Valyria and Essos, and this one is my notes on my own revised structure as I'm suggesting it in the treatise." Callum looked up at him, and he nearly smiled again at the fire in his son's eyes.
"This is enough for me to explain to you my ideas, compare them to existing structures in detail, and make my argument that the new model of governance I'm proposing will make the Westerlands more efficient."
Tywin nodded his head slightly in understanding. "And the papers?"
"Notes from this conversation. You're my father but you're also the Hand of the King, you're probably amongst the most familiar with the King's Law in the entire continent." Callum replied cheerfully. "Most of my understanding across the board is based on documents and books that Maester Eomund or Ser Ilyn were able to acquire for me. You're a primary source though, it's exciting."
Tywin snorted. "Well then boy, I'm taking time to listen to you." The Lion said to his son, a bit of force entering his tone. "Convince me."
"Mhmm, well, first and foremost, I must convince you that the system needs to change, in the first place," Callum said. "There is one main reason for this, Lannister holdings, because of your actions and the peculiarities of the Westerlands, are far larger than the Westerosi system of feudalism can efficiently manage."
"Feudalism?" Tywin asked, not recognizing the term.
"Ah, a word I'm coining to essentially encompass the series of oaths and compacts that make up the structure of our government. I had Maester Eomund send a letter to the Citadel asking if such a word existed already, and found it did not, likely because we just call it government, nobility, or crown rule, depending on the context." Callum paused. "In essence, it is a catch-all to indicate the style of government where small-folk swear to landed knights or lesser lords, lesser lords, and knights swear to greater lords, and greater lords swear to the King, by means of however many levels apply in a given situation."
Tywin nodded, and he found himself leaning in, interested. He hadn't thought of it as a system in his mind before. Systems were smaller things, the way he organized his own vassals was a system of governance, but it was true, the Essosi had systems without lords, kings, or knights, so there needed to be a term for the overall system under a King's rule. He could understand it. 'feudalism.' the word felt full of potential, mostly for how it differentiated the system he lived in.
"May I continue father?"
"Yes." Tywin nodded, having gotten lost in the new idea. "I take it you wish to move away from, 'feudalism'?"
"Not entirely, of course, I rather prefer being a Lord's son." Callum japed cheerfully. "But no, House Lannister finds itself in a position wherein feudalism is no longer sufficient to manage our lands, or rather, not without giving them out to other lords so they stop being our lands." The boy smiled.
"Feudalism is an inherently decentralized structure, a King or Lord doesn't really rule any land that isn't directly sworn to him, he merely controls other smaller lords as vassals or bannermen. We do not wish to break up our current spectacular holdings to lesser houses, so this system is not desirable for us, instead we need to centralize government under an administrative state."
"In other words, implement methods from Essos." Tywin nodded toward the boy's second notebook. "Like the Lord Tempor position you suggested to Kevan. Men acting with a Lord's authority but not a house of their own."
"Precisely." Callum nodded. "Only, it'll become a bit more complex than that I think." The boy scratched his cheek. "Right now a Lord's authority is too broad in many aspects, we ought to divide it into more manageable chunks so that Lords Tempor don't become real Lords in full." Tywin watched as he pulled out his notebook.
"Dorne uses Baillifs for tax collection, rather than Lords or Landed knights doing it themselves. Likewise, in Volantis, the Triarchy appoints law speakers to hold court and implement the laws of the city, separated from its actual administration or leadership.
In Bravos, the Sealord employs both military and administrative leadership, and in nearly all of the Free Cities the Navy and a small civil army are held as a standing force by the central government, not distributed out to powerful aristocrats or magnates." Callum finished, flipping to a page in his notes and quoting directly.
"It is not necessary that House Lannister adopt any given one of these provisions, or indeed all of them, merely that we adopt a sufficient number to break up the potential power of Lords Tempor and avoid creating what are in all effect new vassals that we have to keep happy. The men we appoint to maintain our territory must work solely for House Lannister, not for the establishment of new houses separate from House Lannister."
Tywin nodded slowly. In his mind's eye, he could see the potential, and the risks involved. It was a path to potentially even greater power for his house, but also a perilous one. "Our existing vassals will not like this." He said, though in truth he didn't fear any of his bannermen particularly.
"Reward those willing to work with our model, ignore those who won't implement it in their own lands, and any who rise in revolt we simply crush and take their lands for ourselves," Callum said confidently. "I doubt they'd even try though, not without outside backing. They fear you too greatly father."
"As they should." Tywin agreed. "We are well suited for this sort of reform."
"We are the only house that could possibly do it." Callum nodded again. "We are the only great house with the strength and position to make this change work, largely thanks to your efforts Father."
Tywin smirked at that compliment from his son before his lips settled into his typical contemplative frown. "Very well then, Callum." The Lion's eyes grew sharp, he could smell the opportunity here, increased tax revenues, the ability to rally larger armies under his own name, potential for eventual complete control of the Westerlands. He would need to know more first though.
"Tell me about the Dorneish Bailiff system."
Callum nodded, snatching up his first notebook and flipping through it, before finding the page he wanted and beginning to speak in detail.
The two of them burned through seven tall candles that night, yet another expense for the rock, but Tywin Lannister thought it was worth every copper star he spent.
