Joffrey Baratheon is one of the evilest and most despised characters in Game Of Thrones. The vicious teenage king started a war in season one and tormented the people around him until his death in season four. Sansa Stark often bore the worst of Joffrey's wrath before her eventual escape from King's Landing.
Although Joffrey and Sansa were initially betrothed, the Northern princess wasn't spared from Joffrey's most unforgivable actions. Sansa goes from naively adoring Joffrey to despising him, and with good reason...
Telling Ser Meryn To Beat Her
Joffrey starts displaying his true cruelty after the death of Eddard Stark, and Sansa is his unfortunate target. In season two, Joffrey orders Ser Meryn to strip and beat Sansa in front of the Iron Throne.
Luckily, Tyrion intervenes and rescues Sansa from Joffrey's wrath. The twisted boy-king continues to torment his fiance throughout her time as a hostage in King's Landing.
Threatening Her On Her Wedding Day
Sansa and Joffrey's betrothal is broken in season three when Joffrey agrees to marry Margaery Tyrell. Tywin Lannister orders Tyrion to marry Sansa and Joffrey gives her a chilling warning on her wedding day.
Joffrey threatens Sansa during her wedding feast, telling her that he plans to assault her during the night after her husband falls asleep. Although Tyrion's outburst spares Sansa, this remains heartbreaking considering her second marriage to Ramsay Bolton in season five's controversial "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken."
Calling For Ned's Head
The death of Ned Stark is one of the most shocking moments in Game Of Thrones. The disgraced Northern lord is taken to the Sept of Baelor to confess his 'crimes' as his daughters Sansa and Arya look on in horror. In a sickening display of cruelty, Joffrey ignores the advice of his mother Cersei and instead orders Ser Ilyn to behead Ned.
Joffrey shows Sansa his true nature for the first time in this scene. His actions directly cause the War of the Five Kings as Robb Stark declares war on House Lannister in vengeance for his father and crowns himself King in the North.
Waging War On House Stark
After Ned's death, Sansa becomes a hostage in King's Landing. Joffrey and House Lannister wage war on her brother Robb as he fights to avenge their father. In season three, Robb is killed, along with her mother Catelyn, after Tywin convinces Walder Frey to betray his guests.
Joffrey is responsible for the war and devastation of House Stark. Cersei and Tywin wanted to avoid war and maintain their control of Westeros. Joffrey's actions tore the Starks and the Seven Kingdoms apart.
Forcing Her To Look At Ned's Head
After Joffrey tells Ser Ilyn to behead Ned Stark, he takes Sansa onto the castle ramparts and forces her to look at her father's decapitated head. Joffrey cruelly disregards her horror and instead shows her the head of Septa Mordane, as well.
It is, unfortunately, one of Joffrey's worst acts towards Sansa in a long list of many. The Northern princess quickly sees her betrothed's true colors and is relieved when Joffrey instead chooses to marry Margaery.
Tormenting Her For Years
Sansa remains a hostage in King's Landing for a long time in the books and the show. Her time in the Capitol is not happy. Joffrey continues to torment her every day, and the ladies of the court shun her due to her family being 'traitors.'
There is a statue of Joffrey standing over a dead direwolf in the gardens of the Red Keep in season four. Joffrey further bullies a grieving Sansa and gloats about the deaths of her family—even though it was Tywin who won the war.
Manipulating Her
Joffrey behaves very differently towards Sansa when he first meets her. Robert Baratheon betroths his 'son,' and Ned's daughter as well as making Ned his new Hand of the King. Following his mother's advice, Joffrey manipulates a naive Sansa, who becomes smitten with the young prince.
Joffrey gives Sansa a necklace in season one and treats her courteously before showing his true colors by beheading Ned. Cersei can partly be blamed. She tells her son after he is attacked by Arya's direwolf Nymeria not to trust the Starks, claiming "everyone who isn't us is an enemy."
Attacking Arya
In season one's "The Kingsroad," Joffrey is walking with Sansa as the royal party travel to King's Landing from Winterfell when the pair discover Arya practicing swordplay with Mycah. Joffrey cannot resist the opportunity to be cruel and attacks Mycah. Arya defends her friend, and Joffrey turns her wrath on his betrothed's sister until Nymeria attacks him.
Joffrey showed no love to Sansa or her family members throughout Game Of Thrones. Had Arya remained in King's Landing then it is likely she would have been killed by the cruel king in retaliation for her direwolf's actions.
Causing Lady's Death
Sansa's direwolf, Lady, is killed during "The Kingsroad." Although Cersei gives the order, it was Joffrey who caused the direwolf's death. He attacked Mycah and Arya and provoked Nymeria before calling for the execution of one of the Stark wolves.
Sansa initially blames Arya for Lady's death and doesn't see the warning signs in her seemingly perfect prince. The death of Lady, the gentlest direwolf, symbolized Sansa being cut off from her family and Northern heritage by the Lannisters.
His Wedding Day Parody Of The War Of The Five Kings
Joffrey relishes in the opportunity to gloat about Robb Stark's death to his grieving Sansa. In season four, Joffrey marries Margaery and Sansa is forced to attend his wedding feast. Joffrey humiliates his former betrothed and his uncle by ordering a group of dwarves to parody the War of the Five Kings.
Sansa is forced to watch as her brother's violent death is mocked before her eyes. Luckily, Joffrey is soon poisoned, and Ser Dontos helps her finally escape from the city.