Cersei Lannister was an evil queen even before she reigned over Westeros from the Iron Throne. We first meet Cersei in season one of Game Of Thrones when the Lannister queen travels to Winterfell with her husband Robert Baratheon following the death of Jon Arryn.
Sansa Stark initially admires Cersei and celebrates when the King betroths her to Joffrey. However, she soon realizes that Cersei isn’t what she seems after she becomes the queen’s hostage in King’s Landing. Cersei did countless unforgivable things to Sansa, and the Queen in the North has reason to celebrate her defeat…
Ordering Lady’s Death
Cersei demands justice for her son when Arya’s direwolf Nymeria bites Joffrey after the twisted prince attacks Arya and her friend Mycah. Nymeria is driven away by Arya to protect her, so Cersei orders the death of Sansa’s direwolf Lady in her sister’s place.
Sansa admired Cersei greatly in season one, but this did not spare her from the evil queen’s cruelty. Despite her innocence, Lady is executed by Ned Stark, and Sansa loses a vital connection to her Northern heritage.
Holding Her Hostage
Cersei holds Sansa hostage in King’s Landing after Joffrey beheads Ned Stark. Sansa is tormented by Joffrey during her time in the Capitol and forced to marry Tyrion and renounce her family as traitors. She eventually escapes in season four when Joffrey is killed.
Cersei attempts to teach Sansa in her twisted way whilst the Northern princess is in her captivity. She gives Sansa some chilling advice about her impending marriage to Joffrey in season two and feels betrayed when Sansa flees the Capitol in the wake of Joffrey’s murder.
Arresting Ned Stark
In the books, Sansa informs Cersei about Ned’s plan to flee King’s Landing after the evil queen manipulates her to gain her trust. The Lannister queen arrests Ned in Game Of Thrones and A Song Of Ice And Fire and schemes to send him to the Wall after he discovers the truth about her relationship with Jaime.
Sansa begins her journey as a naive young girl who dreams of marrying a handsome prince and living in the sunny Capitol. Cersei uses Sansa’s idealistic dreams to manipulate her, causing the death of her father.
Forcing Her To Write A Letter To Robb Condemning Their Father
After Ned Stark is arrested, Sansa finds herself in a vulnerable position in King’s Landing. Cersei instructs Sansa to write a letter to her brother Robb condemning their father as a traitor and pleading with him not to go to war with the Lannisters.
Sansa’s letter almost has dire consequences for her in season seven. After returning to Winterfell, Littlefinger ensures that Arya finds the letter to cause dissent between the reunited Stark sisters. His last scheme fails, however, as the Starks see through his betrayal.
Bullying Her During The Battle Of The Blackwater
Cersei fears for her life and the lives of her children during season two’s Battle of Blackwater Bay. While the forces of House Lannister defend King’s Landing from Stannis Baratheon’s invasion, Cersei and Sansa stay inside the Red Keep with the other ladies of the court.
Cersei bullies Sansa, and the other ladies of the court while they are hiding from the battle. Sansa does her best to keep the other women calm while the queen drinks away her dread.
Blaming Her For Joffrey’s Death
Joffrey is poisoned at his wedding feast after marrying Margaery Tyrell in season four. Cersei immediately blames Tyrion and his wife, Sansa, who flees the Capitol in time with Ser Dontos to escape the queen’s wrath.
Unbeknown to Sansa, she did play a part in Joffrey’s downfall. The poison that killed Joffrey was concealed in Sansa’s necklace. Littlefinger shows her this after they meet and informs her that it was he and Olenna Tyrell who orchestrated Joffrey’s murder.
Declaring War On House Stark
Cersei Lannister becomes Queen of the Seven Kingdoms in the season six finale “The Winds of Winter.” The evil queen doesn’t forget her vendetta against the Lady of Winterfell. In season seven, Cersei sends a raven to Jon Snow summoning the King in the North to King’s Landing to bend the knee.
Cersei was not going to forgive Sansa’s role in Joffrey’s murder, nor would she allow the North to remain an independent kingdom. She declared war on House Stark again, stopping at nothing to defeat her enemies and solidify her control over Westeros.
Betraying The Truce
Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen meet with Cersei Lannister in the Dragonpit in King’s Landing along with their forces to negotiate a truce. Jon shows Cersei the wight they captured beyond the Wall, and the Lannister queen has no choice but to accept that White Walkers are real. Cersei agrees to call a truce on their war and promises to send her army to defend the North.
Cersei betrays her alliance with the Starks and Targaryens. She leaves Winterfell, and the North to be destroyed by the Night King and declares war on the survivors.
Supporting Sansa’s Betrothal To Joffrey
Robert Baratheon betroths his ‘son’ Joffrey to his best friend Ned’s daughter Sansa to unite House Baratheon and House Stark. Cersei encourages their betrothal despite knowing how evil her son is. The Lannister queen encourages her prince to manipulate Sansa, telling him, “everyone who isn’t us is an enemy.”
Cersei was satisfied with Joffrey’s betrothal to Sansa as she believed the Northern girl wouldn’t be a threat to her as the prophesized younger and more beautiful queen. She had no qualms about leaving Sansa to Joffrey’s mercy and is enraged when her son marries Margaery instead.
Causing The Death Of Her Family
Cersei’s incestuous affair with her twin brother Jaime caused the War of the Five Kings. Ned Stark discovers the true parentage of her children after the death of Jon Arryn. The honorable lord warns her to leave King’s Landing, but Cersei has Ned arrested, which eventually leads to his death.
Ned’s death causes Robb to declare war on House Lannister. Robb’s plight also fails, and Sansa loses her brother and mother Catelyn in season three’s infamous Red Wedding episode.
