This article has video/references that discuss murder, violence, gore, and sexual assault
As the first season of House of the Dragon continues to impress audiences and once again immerse fans in the wonderful world of Westeros, they are reminded of how awesome Game of Thrones was for six-seven seasons. A huge part of that was the political intrigue - a big parallel between the two shows - and scheming, much of which was done by Petyr Baelish, Littlefinger.
Unafraid to lie and backstab his way through life, Littlefinger's intelligence and ambition led to some seriously devious political power plays and some of the sneakiest plans in Game of Thrones. Although he failed to manipulate his way to the top, fans were still impressed and shocked at how he managed to eliminate some of the biggest opponents in the game due to his quick thinking
The Promise To Get Sansa Out Of King's Landing
One of the many ways in which Littlefinger proved to be an intensely, abhorrent figure was through his creepy infatuation with Sansa and Catelyn Stark (with Sansa often being right at the heart of his sneakiest schemes).
As smart as he is, particularly in those first five seasons, not all of Baelish's plans worked, as evidenced by his plan to take Sansa away from King's Landing (which was never properly laid out to audiences). This would have angered many had it been pulled off, but Sansa was left stuck in King's Landing thanks to the scheming of others and the promise of a wedding to Loras, which sourly turned into marriage to Tyrion (something in which Littlefinger also had a hand).
Pitting Arya & Sansa Against One Another
Littlefinger's long-term plan gets a bit murky as the years go on, and in season 7, he is somewhat transformed from one of the show's brightest and most cunning individuals to somewhat dumb (as seen through his plan to pit one sister against the other).
Sneaking around and whispering in the ear of Sansa in order to build tension between her and Arya appeared to be his attempt to gain both trust from Sansa and power in the North. However, with Arya and Sansa quick to work out his duplicitous nature, it did not work, and it ended up costing him his life (in what is a pretty satisfying Game of Thrones death).
Getting The Knights Of The Vale
Littlefinger repeatedly proved a talent for long-term planning, as well as thinking on his feet to further his cause. One prime example of this was when he gets the Knights of the Vale for Sansa.
At the start of season 6, he is accused by Yohn Royce of playing a role in Sansa's marriage to Ramsay. In typical Littlefinger fashion, he turns the tables and nearly gets Royce killed and deemed a traitor, all while convincing everyone of his own innocence. He would then use these newly gained Knights of the Vale to curry more favor from Sansa, claiming he rallied them for her, seemingly taking another step forward in his quest for the Iron Throne.
Marrying Sansa To Ramsay
Many Game of Thrones fans dislike the Sansa/Ramsay storyline, deeming it unnecessary both for the show and for Sansa's already deeply traumatized character. Despicably, Littlefinger is the one who brings them together, and it, as usual, is done all for his own gain.
Not only does Littlefinger arrange the marriage between the two (one of his dumbest decisions), but he then goes to Cersei and says the two have been wed, negating to mention his role in bringing them together. Here, Littlefinger covers all ground, severing relationships between houses, reinstating relationships between others, and covering his own back, all done through lying and backstabbing, and all done in the hope of him gaining power over the North for himself.
Arranging The Marriage Of Margaery & Joffrey
The marriage between Joffrey and Margaery Tyrell was brilliant for so many reasons. Not only did it lead to some incredible Olenna content and some fantastic Margaery moments, but their wedding was the setting for Joffrey's immensely satisfying death. Fans have Littlefinger to thank for their coming together.
Seizing an opportunity that fell into his lap when Renly Baratheon was murdered, Littlefinger spoke to Margaery about her ambitions before going to Tywin and proposing a marriage between her and Joffrey (uniting House Lannister and House Tyrell). This then leads to Baelish getting rewarded the position of Lord of Harrenhal for his efforts. Not long-term thinking, but a sneaky plan nonetheless, with Littlefinger going behind the backs of many, knowing he could curry favor and get an opportunity and potentially make Sansa his betrothed.
Tipping Off The Lannisters About Loras & Sansa
In the early seasons of the show. it appeared as though Littlefinger was two steps ahead of everyone, covering all bases and always having a backup plan (which he shows brilliantly when he rips apart the marriage proposal between Sansa and Loras).
Using Olyvar to seduce information out of Loras after Cersei asks him to spy for her, Littlefinger finds out the intentions to have Loras and Sansa marry. He reports this to the Lannisters, not only further showing his value to them (and potentially improving his position with more titles, glory, and power) but he also outplays Varys, who had initially conceived the marriage between the Stark and Tyrell.
Betraying Ned Stark
One of the biggest betrayals in Game of Thrones comes when Littlefinger turns on Ned and gets him killed after pretending to be his friend.
It is not 100% clear how long Baelish had planned on betraying Ned or when he decided to do so. Still, to present himself as an ally to Ned's cause - albeit while telling him not to trust him or anyone else - is one of his most wicked and sneakiest moves, and one done seemingly to further the chaos and increase the tension between the Starks and Lannisters. It is with this move that Littlefinger proves himself an elite player in the game of thrones.
Marrying & Killing Lysa Arryn
For all of his wrongdoing and wicked ways, Littlefinger may still have been more tolerable than Lysa and Robin Arryn (two of the most irritating characters in the show). Both Lysa and Littlefinger, arguably, deserved to be thrown out the Moon Door, but only the former received that treatment.
Littlefinger's plan to marry Lysa Arryn was all done to garner real estate on the Westeros map and give himself even more power. He planned to use his status and Lysa's love for him to wed her and eventually become Lord Protector of the Vale. It is a successful power play since he murders Lysa Arryn and - for a while at least - gets away with it, staying in Robin's good graces while also having the Knights of the Vale at his disposal.
The Purple Wedding
It was not just the legendary Olenna Tyrell who contributed to the downfall of Joffrey Baratheon at the Purple Wedding; she was helped by Littlefinger, with the pair's plan to murder the idiot boy King undoubtedly being one of the show's best and sneakiest schemes.
While the manner in which he goes about things is perhaps complex, Littlefinger's motivations are simple, he wants power; specifically, he wants the Iron Throne. He could do just that by eliminating Joffrey, forming this alliance with Sansa, and dealing with the Tyrells. Littlefinger created his own chaos with this plan, allowing him to climb the ladder and grasp at further power North of King's Landing, doing it all behind the backs of the Lannisters - who did not suspect him for a second as they were too focused on Tyrion.
Killing Jon Arryn
Without Littlefinger, there is no Game of Thrones. Not just because of the iconic moments and quotes he provides or how he embodies the political intrigue that makes the first four seasons so perfect, but because the show's events are literally kicked off by him and his scheme to have Jon Arryn killed.
Littlefinger instructed the doting Lysa Arryn to poison Jon and then write to Catelyn, accusing the Lannisters of the crime, thus beginning the War of the Five Kings that would send the realm into disarray. Many important figures died, and Littlefinger's stock rose exponentially as he gained lands and titles in his quest for the Iron Throne. Orchestrating the assassination of a Hand of the King is no easy feat. Alas, with his skills in deceit, unquantifiable ambition, and willingness to do any manner of underhanded thing, Littlefinger does just that, not paying the consequences of his actions until years later.