The War of the Five Kings occupied the narrative during the first four seasons of Game Of Thrones, but season seven was all about the battle of the queens. Cersei Lannister becomes Queen of the Seven Kingdoms in the season six finale, but her coronation correlates with Daenerys Targaryen finally leaving Meereen and returning to Westeros to claim the Iron Throne.
Cersei and Daenerys wage war against each other throughout the show’s final seasons. Although Daenerys eventually defeats Cersei and takes King’s Landing before her demise in the series finale, the Lannister queen does not go down without a fight. Here are the ten worst things that Cersei did to Daenerys.
Attacking Her Allies
Daenerys Targaryen arrives in Westeros with a strong network of allies. Olenna Tyrell and Ellaria Sand pledge their support out of hatred for Cersei and Yara and Theon Greyjoy ally with Daenerys when their uncle Euron kills their father and becomes King of the Iron Islands.
Dany’s allies are soon ambushed by the Iron Fleet after Cersei allies with Euron. Daenerys loses her Westerosi supporters and a large portion of her council. This is a great strategic move by Cersei, who weakens Daenerys’ connection to the Seven Kingdoms to portray her as a “foreign invader.”
Sacking Highgarden
Olenna and Daenerys shared a brief scene during season seven in which the Tyrell matriarch tells the young queen to “be a dragon.” This is their only meeting, however, as Cersei orders the Lannister army to abandon Casterly Rock and sack Highgarden, resulting in the death of the Queen of Thorns.
House Tyrell was the richest family in Westeros and Cersei greatly weakens Daenerys when she kills Olenna and steals the Tyrell gold. Olenna was a shrewd and capable political player and Dany’s conquest could have been successful with House Tyrell behind her.
Betraying The Truce
Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen travel to King’s Landing during season seven and meet with Cersei for the first time. With the Night King and his army marching on the Wall, Jon and Dany ask Cersei for a truce and she eventually agrees, only to betray them later.
This is a classic Cersei Lannister move. As soon as the Stark and Targaryen forces leave the city, she begins to plot their downfall. She is one of the most cunning and ruthless players in the game of thrones and Tyrion should have known that she would never agree to work with her enemies.
Turning The Lords Of Westeros Against Her
Cersei is heavily outnumbered and outmanned by Daenerys’ army in season seven which prompts her to utilize more subtle battle tactics. The Lannister queen summons the Lords of Westeros and encourages them to turn on Daenerys, reminding them that she is the Mad King’s daughter and has brought a foreign army to the Seven Kingdoms.
Cersei brings up Daenerys’ conquest of Slaver’s Bay but twists the truth to spread hatred and distrust against the Dragon Queen. It is a clever tactic that besmirches the Breaker of Chains and leads to Daenerys turning against the Westerosi people.
Plotting Against Daenerys
Cersei wouldn’t be Cersei if she didn’t scheme against her enemies even when seemingly defeated. Despite agreeing to help in the fight against the White Walkers, the Lannister queen betrays her allies and instructs Bronn to kill Tyrion. Qyburn tells Bronn that she has a special plan for Daenerys, revealing that Cersei has been continuing to plot against her enemy.
Although Cersei dies during the battle of King’s Landing, her schemes against Daenerys were still partly successful. Dany turned on the people and destroyed the city she intended to save, sealing her tragic fate.
Building The Scorpions
Cersei was Tywin Lannister’s daughter until her death and refused to bend the knee to Daenerys. In season seven, she tells Qyburn to build a scorpion that injures Drogon and the scorpions have more devastating consequences for the dragons when Euron kills Rhaegal in season eight.
Other than the Night King, the scorpions were the biggest threat against Daenerys’ children. Cersei surrounds the city with weaponry to defend her throne from the Targaryen queen, though they are less effective against Drogon’s wrath during “The Bells.”
Telling The Mountain To Kill Her
Cersei meets with her enemies in the Dragonpit during season seven’s “The Dragon and the Wolf.” Daenerys makes an impressive entrance on Drogon’s back, but the Lannister queen also takes precautions by instructing the Mountain to murder Daenerys should anything go wrong.
There is no doubt that Cersei would have relished the opportunity to have the undead Ser Gregor kill her greatest enemy. The Lannister queen tells the Mountain to kill her first ahead of Jon and Tyrion, demonstrating her visceral hatred for the younger queen.
Using The People Of King’s Landing As A Shield Against Dragonfire
Cersei relies on Daenerys’ morality during their war by using the people of King’s Landing as weapons. She invites people into the Red Keep and seals the gates to ensure the deaths of thousands of people if Daenerys attacks the city with dragonfire.
This has devastating consequences for Cersei as the Dragon Queen ultimately disregards her heroic nature and slaughters the city. Although this backfired on Cersei, she still successfully broke Dany’s spirit and contributed to her downfall.
Killing Rhaegal
Daenerys loses two dragons during her conquest of Westeros. The Night King kills Viserion in season seven and Rhaegal is abruptly killed in season eight after Cersei sends Euron to ambush Dany at Dragonstone.
The loss of Rhaegal devastates Daenerys. The Dragon Queen views her dragons as her children and the death of her child contributes to her spiraling descent into villainy.
Killing Missandei
Missandei was Daenerys Targaryen’s best friend and advisor since season three. The two met after Dany frees the Unsullied and sacks Astapor and Missandei was a loyal friend throughout her war in Slaver’s Bay and the Seven Kingdoms. This makes her death a bleak turning point for Daenerys, who takes her friend’s last word to heart by destroying the city.
Killing Missandei was one of Cersei’s cruelest acts. Missandei dies in chains in front of Daenerys and Grey Worm moments after Tyrion implores his sister to surrender.
