Purple Wedding: Joffrey's Poisoning

The Purple Wedding is a term coined by fans of the *Game of Thrones* book and TV series to refer to the wedding of King Joffrey Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell, and the former's subsequent death by poisoning. The name draws a parallel with the infamous Red Wedding, and refers to the colour of the wine used to assassinate Joffrey, as well as the colour's association with royalty. The Purple Wedding was orchestrated by Petyr Baelish and Olenna Tyrell, the latter of whom smuggled poison into the wedding in the amethyst hairnet of Sansa Stark.

Poison was smuggled in Sansa Stark's hairnet/necklace

The Purple Wedding is a fan-given name for the wedding of King Joffrey and Margaery Tyrell, in which the former is poisoned to death. The name is derived from the colour of the poison used, the colour of the wine after it was poisoned, and the colour of Joffrey's face as he was dying.

The poison, smuggled in Sansa Stark's hairnet/necklace, was called "the strangler". It is a rare poison that turns the face of its victim purple and makes them unable to breathe. The poison is made from plants found on islands in the Jade Sea. The leaves are picked and aged, then soaked in a wash of limes, sugar water, and rare spices from the Summer Islands. The liquid is then kept and thickened with ash, forming dark purple crystals that shine like jewels.

Sansa was gifted the hairnet/necklace by Ser Dontos Hollard, who claimed it was made of black amethysts from Asshai and that it would bring her justice and vengeance for her father's death. Unbeknownst to Sansa, the hairnet was used to smuggle in the poison that would kill King Joffrey. During the wedding, Lady Olenna Tyrell, also known as the Queen of Thorns, adjusted Sansa's hairnet, secretly taking out one of the purple crystals and using it to poison the wine in King Joffrey's goblet.

Sansa only realised the significance of her hairnet after she fled the scene and noticed that one of the amethysts was missing. She later learned that Dontos had been instructed to give her the hairnet by Lord Petyr Baelish, who, along with Lady Olenna, conspired to murder Joffrey and frame Tyrion Lannister.

Lady Olenna Tyrell stole the poison from Sansa's hairnet/necklace

Lady Olenna Tyrell stole the poison from Sansa Stark's hairnet/necklace during the Purple Wedding. Sansa was completely unaware that her hairnet/necklace contained poison. The hairnet/necklace was made of amethyst crystals, one of which contained the poison.

Lady Olenna Tyrell, also known as the Queen of Thorns, played with Sansa's hair and necklace before the feast. After she did so, one of the crystals was missing. The poison inside the stone made its way into Joffrey's wine goblet when Tyrion picked it up and put it on the table, right next to Lady Olenna and the King.

The Purple Wedding was a political move made by Littlefinger and Lady Olenna Tyrell. The wedding of Joffrey and Margaery Tyrell has been dubbed the Purple Wedding by fans for various reasons. The poison used to kill Joffrey was smuggled to the wedding in the purple amethyst hairnet of Sansa Stark, while the wine the king drinks is described first as dark red and soon after as purple. Purple is also a colour often associated with royalty.

Lady Olenna Tyrell poisoned Joffrey's wine goblet

The Purple Wedding was an event in the War of the Five Kings that involved the death of King Joffrey Baratheon at his own wedding feast. The assassination was orchestrated by Petyr Baelish and Olenna Tyrell.

Olenna Tyrell, also known as the Queen of Thorns, was responsible for poisoning Joffrey's wine goblet. During the wedding feast, Olenna approached Sansa Stark, expressing her condolences for the fate of her family. She straightened Sansa's hair and necklace, a gift from Dontos Hollard, while discreetly removing one of the stones from her necklace without Sansa noticing. This stone contained a crystallized form of a deadly poison called "the strangler".

Joffrey made a small speech about the importance of the royal wedding and the end of the War of the Five Kings, before introducing a mock play of his victory over rival claimants to the Iron Throne. He mocked his uncle, Tyrion, and Tyrion responded by insulting Joffrey, suggesting he fight the champion dwarf instead and recalling Joffrey's "bravery" at the Battle of the Blackwater. Enraged, Joffrey stalked over to Tyrion and emptied his wine goblet onto his head.

Joffrey then demanded that Tyrion be his new cupbearer and offered him the cup to fill. Tyrion filled the goblet but silently refused to kneel to Joffrey, prompting Joffrey to repeat the demand in increasing rage. Margaery distracted him by indicating the arrival of the traditional pigeon pie, and Joffrey took a gulp of the wine before handing the goblet to his wife to set it on the table, close to Lady Olenna.

As Joffrey cut the pie with his Valyrian steel sword, Tyrion and Sansa attempted to leave, but Joffrey called them back and demanded Tyrion bring him the cup again. Tyrion obliged and handed Joffrey his cup. Unbeknownst to everyone, Olenna slipped the poison into Joffrey's cup while they were distracted by the pigeons emerging from the pie. After taking a gulp, Joffrey started coughing and took another drink to quell the cough. His coughing became more violent, and he began to convulse and vomit.

Lady Olenna shouted for the Kingsguard to help the King, but it was too late. Joffrey's throat closed, and he could not breathe. With his last strength, he attempted to point accusingly at his uncle, believing him to be the culprit. Tyrion, meanwhile, had picked up the wine goblet, inspecting it for poison. Joffrey's eyes turned red and began to bleed, and he died, wheezing out his last breath.

Tyrion was framed for the murder

At the Purple Wedding, King Joffrey Baratheon met an untimely end, dying in the arms of his mother, Cersei Lannister. Cersei initially accused her brother, Tyrion Lannister, of the murder, as he had served the king the wine that led to his demise. However, Tyrion was innocent, and was framed for the murder.

The poison caused the young king to convulse violently, vomit, and gasp for breath, with blood running from his nose and his face turning purple. In his final moments, he pointed accusingly at Tyrion, leading to Tyrion's arrest and the belief that he was the killer. However, this accusation was false, and Tyrion was framed for the murder.

The true motive behind Lady Olenna's actions was to protect her granddaughter, Margaery Tyrell, from Joffrey's cruel whims. She did not want Margaery to become a victim of Joffrey's malicious behaviour, as she was now his queen following the wedding. This act had far-reaching consequences, as it turned Tyrion into an enemy of the Lannisters, leading him to ally with Daenerys Targaryen.

Sansa escaped with Dontos Hollard

Sansa Stark's escape with Ser Dontos Hollard, also known as Ser Dontos the Red, was facilitated by the latter's loyalty to her. Dontos was a knight of House Hollard and the only surviving member of his house after the Defiance of Duskendale. He was made a fool by King Joffrey Baratheon after arriving drunk to a tournament. Sansa intervened to save him from execution, and he became indebted to her.

Dontos followed Sansa to the godswood, where he gave her a necklace with seven amethysts, a supposed family heirloom. He also told her that he would help her escape. On the day of Joffrey's wedding, Dontos performed as a jester, and when the king offered a gold dragon to whoever knocked his hat off, Dontos was pelted with objects. As everyone was distracted by Joffrey's poisoning, Dontos approached Sansa and convinced her to leave with him.

The chaos following Joffrey's death allowed Dontos and Sansa to flee the feast unnoticed. They made their way through abandoned alleys to a small rowboat, where they rowed to a fog-shrouded ship. On board was Lord Petyr Baelish, who revealed that the "heirloom" necklace was fake and that Dontos had rescued Sansa expecting payment. Baelish double-crossed Dontos, ordering his death by crossbow, as he believed Dontos would eventually talk.

Sansa, unaware of Dontos's true motivations, believed that he had helped her out of genuine affection and gratitude for saving his life. She was shocked to discover that he had been working for Baelish and that he was killed soon after their escape.

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