In King’s Landing, power rarely looked the way people expected it to. Cersei Lannister ruled through fear and intimidation, Daenerys Targaryen ruled with dragons, but Margaery Tyrell had a more dangerous secret: people are easier to control if they think they are choosing to follow you.
That makes Margaery the most dangerous of the three queens. Cersei could command people to do her bidding, Daenerys could command armies to bow before her, but Margaery made people love her.
Margaery Didn’t Have To Threaten Anyone
Margaery’s most formidable weapon was her ability to make power seem like kindness. She was not just sitting in the Red Keep and enjoying her station. She walked through King’s Landing and spoke directly to the common folk, and made herself out to be a queen who truly cared about them. It was very clear that she was nothing like Cersei.
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Cersei wanted respect because she was the queen. Margaery wanted love because she knew love was power. Her romance with Joffrey proved that she was capable of being a lot more effective. Joffrey was cruel, arrogant, and nearly impossible to control, but Margaery learned how to deal with him.
She complimented him, boosted his self-esteem, and made him do whatever she wanted. She didn’t have to be a force of nature to overcome him. She simply made him believe that giving her what she wanted was his idea. She did the same with Tommen, and even more successfully. Tommen really loved her.
Through their relationship, Margaery became extremely influential to the young king, and her family continued to grow in power at court. Even Olenna knew that Margaery was playing a dangerous game. The Tyrells knew that it was not just about getting rich by marrying into the royal family. It was about controlling the crown.
Cersei Had Fear, Daenerys Had Dragons, But Margaery Had People
Cersei’s tactics were shocking and effective, but also left enemies in her wake. The destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor is a prime day case in point. She won, but all who saw knew what she could do. Her power was based on fear, and fear breeds resistance.
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Daenerys was different. Her dragons endowed her with a power that few could match. In Meereen, she could destroy the masters, free slaves, and force entire populations to accept a new order. However, her strength was always apparent. The threat was always the dragons.
Margaery’s weapon was much more difficult to spot. Her most telling moment happens when she visits the poor in King’s Landing, gives them food, and makes sure to make it a public event. She knows that if she is loved by the people, she is a much tougher political target.
That’s why the High Sparrow was a threat to her. He understood that influence can be thwarted by gaining the public’s allegiance. Margaery attempts to adjust, even changing her appearance and mannerisms to live in the shadow of the growing power of the Faith. However, Cersei’s action of killing the Sept ends Margaery’s ability to escape.
That’s what makes her interesting. Cersei could scare people. Daenerys can make people kneel. But Margaery made people want to stand by her side. That could have been the most lethal power in King’s Landing.
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