History Main / TheGoodChancellor

In terms of the ranks of AuthorityTropes, the tropes that are equal are TheCaligula, EvilChancellor, StandardRoyalCourt and DeadlyDecadentCourt. The next step down is TheBrigadier. The next steps up are TheEvilPrince, PrinceCharming, PrinceCharmless, WarriorPrince, TheWisePrince, and all PrincessTropes.

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's King Literature/{{Kull}} stories, Kull's vizier Tu fits this trope, helping the mighty but savage warrior navigate the dangerous complexities of royal tradition and Valusia's DeadlyDecadentCourt.

* Archduke Norris in {{TabletopGame/Traveller}}.

* In the [[Literature/HorusHeresy past]] of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', Malcador the Sigillite. The Emperor's right-hand man and regent when away from Terra, he is the greatest politician, administrator, and (non-PhysicalGod) human psyker of all time, as the Emperor is the [[PsychicPowers greatest]] [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking everything]] [[EmperorScientist else]][[note]]Except for [[BigEater eater]] and [[NeverGetsDrunk drinker]], where the title of greatest goes to the Emperor's son Leman Russ[[/note]].

** The various notable Hands of the King all seem to be this (there have been notable exceptions, historically). Jon Arryn and Ned Stark work very hard to support the rule of King Robert, while Tyrion and Tywin did the same for Joffrey. The only possible exception is the aforementioned Tywin, who helped depose the mad King Aerys, but only after he'd been humiliated, ignored, and then, ultimately, sacked for being... good at his job. Please note: sacking the guy who has been keeping everything afloat for decades while you piss about is, arguably, a decent sign that you've jumped off too many slopes to be trusted (or safe) anywhere near absolute power. Before that he was Aerys's best friend, leading Westeros through twenty years of peace and prosperity before Aerys got jealous and sacked him in anger. Though how effective Tywin is is debatable, considering his monstrous actions during the War of the Five Kings come back to bite the Lannisters, having turned many against them. Lord Stannis, Robert's brother, tried to be this as well. Despite being only Master of Ships and [[ReassignedToAntarctica Lord of the small island of Dragonstone]] he was one of the main helpers to Jon Arryn.

* Mizuki Kamurougi from ''Manga/KagerouNostalgia'' is the fiancée of Princess Mio XI and her Prime Minister in all but name. He's a cold-blooded self-admitted ManipulativeBastard who doesn't particularly care about hurting anybody's feelings and sees emotion and empathy as weaknesses, yet there's no denying that he's effective at his post, and is not only completely loyal to the Princess, but despite his protestations to the contrary, genuinely in love with her. When [[spoiler:she dies]] Mizuki takes over the reins of the kingdom, and has no trouble earning the loyalty of the population.

* Maurice from ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}}'' is [[OnlySaneMan saner than King Julien]], but he's still pretty loyal to him. One episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'' has him reluctant to temporarily become king while Julien is away, only agreeing to do it when Skipper points out that it's either him or [[CloudCuckooLander Mort]] - and even then, he manages to avoid becoming DrunkWithPower until he eats a few rotten lychee nuts, which result him becoming BrainwashedAndCrazy into a power-hungry tyrant (when he's snapped out of it, he's pretty embarrassed).

* Vulko in ''Film/Aquaman2018'' despite (or rather because) he's deliberately undermining his king. It's just that his king is a genocidal warmonger who is willing to subjugate the other undersea kingdoms by force and guile to gain the forces he needs to wipe out humanity. Vulko thus gives reasonable sounding advice to Orm (actually meant to keep Orm from being ''too'' bloodthirsty) while secretly aiding Arthur and Mera in finding the lost Trident of Atlan which will allow Arthur to depose Orm.

** The various notable Hands of the King all seem to be this (there have been notable exceptions, historically). Jon Arryn and Ned Stark work very hard to support the rule of King Robert, while Tyrion and Tywin did the same for Joffrey. The only possible exception is the aforementioned Tywin, who helped depose the mad King Aerys, but only after he'd been humiliated, ignored and then, ultimately, sacked for being... good at his job. Please note: sacking the guy who has been keeping everything afloat for decades while you piss about is, arguably, a decent sign that you've jumped off too many slopes to be trusted (or safe) anywhere near absolute power. Before that he was Aerys's best friend, leading Westeros through twenty years of peace and prosperity before Aerys got jealous and sacked him in anger. Though how effective Tywin is is debatable, considering his monstrous actions during the War of the Five Kings come back to bite the Lannisters, having turned many against them. Lord Stannis, Robert's brother, tried to be this as well. Despite being only Master of Ships and [[ReassignedToAntarctica Lord of the small island of Dragonstone]] he was one of the main helpers to Jon Arryn.

*** Before Viserys II ascended the throne, he was appointed Hand by his brother Aegon III near the end of his reign, and continued in that position during the reigns of his nephews Daeron I and Baelor I. He essentially ruled Westeros for them, as Daeron spent his entire reign trying to conquer Dorne and Baelor neglected the kingdom in favor of his faith.

*** Prince Baelor Breakspear was a widely beloved and highly effective Hand for his father Daeron II, and would have made a good king. [[spoiler: Too bad he's accidentally killed by his brother during a trial by combat.]]

** Varys may be a conniving, sneaky MagnificentBastard who is rightly distrusted by... well, ''everyone'' in King's Landing. And yet, on the eve of Ned Stark's execution, Varys is his only visitor, brings him water and keeps him informed of the happenings in the court. When questioned by Ned about who he serves, his response is simply "the realm." [[spoiler: Of course, after A Dance with Dragons shows him to be somewhat less pure-hearted than previously believed, this applies a little less.]]

** Kevan Lannister is the loyal lieutenant to his ruthless brother [[EvilChancellor Tywin]], de facto ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. Unlike his brother, he is a good and honest man, though [[YesMan not very assertive]], and too willing to carry out Tywin's darker commands such as [[RapePillageAndBurn burning the Riverlands]]. However, in ''A Dance with Dragons'', he has to become regent and Hand for the underage King after every other viable Lannister candidate is dead, disgraced, or otherwise unavailable, and he proves to be nearly as capable as Tywin and far kinder about it. He's ''so'' good, in fact, that he might be the one man who could keep the Lannister regime from falling apart. [[spoiler: This is why Varys has him murdered, because Varys wants the realm to keep decaying until [[RightfulKingReturns the Targaryens can return to retake the throne]].]]
** Ser Davos Seaworth [[spoiler: is a loyal Hand to Stannis]] and an honorable man, but his lower class background means he never recieved the kind of training in politics some others of his position have had. He tries his best to advise Stannis, but he makes it clear in his point-of-view chapters that he is struggling all the way. Maester Pylos attempts to get through to him that having a noble background isn't necessarily needed to govern well, since an education can't always give a ruler common sense (citing Septon Barth as Hand of the King as an example) -- and, it's hard to not agree with Pylos, considering the utter failures who, nonetheless, had good educations on paper, but who still turned out to be terrible Hands (not looking at you, [[CivilWar Lord Otto Hightower]]). Davos still worries.

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** Tyrion serves as a much needed one to Joffrey during his brief but brilliant stint as acting Hand in Season 2. In no small part, the Lannister banner is sustained by his skill at administration and his ability to stare down Joffrey's cruelty, subvert Cersei's incompetence, and prepare the city for the inevitable siege. Varys even commends him as better than Ned Stark or Jon Arryn because he enjoys rather than disdains the game of thrones. Later, Tyrion moves on to play this same role in Dany's court, offering her a much-needed voice of reason after Barristan's death. Dany eventually names him Hand of The Queen, finally giving him the recognition he so desired. However this slightly comes across as InformedAbility in the later seasons, as Tyrion's advice leads to continuous losses for Dany, yet she keeps him and [[spoiler:at the end he is promoted again to Hand by King Bran despite his constant failures]].

* In ''Series/TinMan,'' Ambrose is all over this trope and has the exact same position in the [[spoiler: Ozian court as his Scarecrow counterpart]]. When the {{Mooks}} march into the Queen's garden, he literally stands between them and his Queen, ready to die for her. [[spoiler: Of course, he isn't killed, but he is given a alchemical lobotomy and tossed into the wild, taking the name "Glitch." His loyalty and service to the Queen is one of the very few things he will never forget.]]

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': Borusa was this for one story (despite not legally being chancellor because there was no one around to actually appoint him). He did such a good job of it that by the time we next see him, he's President, but shortly after that he fits [[PresidentEvil another trope entirely]].

* ''Series/Merlin2008'': Despite not having any official position (and that's purely because Arthur is extremely WrongGenreSavvy), Merlin qualifies for this trope quite well. He's one of the wisest characters in the cast, gives consistently good advice,and helps the oppressed magical people. It's extremely telling that when Princess Mithian wanted to marry Arthur, she went to Merlin to ask for his support, noting that Arthur valued his opinion above all others. This was after being in Camelot for a total of one day.

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* Creator/WilliamShakespeare portrays Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, this way in the ''Theatre/HenryVI'' trilogy. When the title character is crowned shortly before his first birthday following the unexpected death of Henry V, Humphrey, his uncle, agrees to serve as Lord Protector until the young king comes of age, but since young Henry turns out to be a little slow, it becomes very unclear how long the Duke will be needed in that position - especially when his enemies at court, including the upstart EvilChancellor Richard Beaufort, start conspiring against him, finding the king very easy to manipulate. Humphrey is one of the few unambiguously positive characters in any of Shakespeare's history plays, and it goes very, very badly for him, with his assassination kicking off the War of the Roses. He's often named as a possible inspiration for the similiarly-doomed Ned Stark in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''.

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* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'', Scribe Rothchild can be seen as the Good Chancellor to the Lyon's Pride. He is the one who knows about the nitty gritty details of fighting the Enclave.

** Ocato served [[TheGoodKing Emperor Uriel Septim VII]], and later his [[HiddenBackupPrince bastard son Martin]], as both High Chancellor of the Elder Council and as [[CourtMage Imperial Battlemage]]. After the events of the [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion Crisis]] leave no Septim on the Imperial throne for the first time in centuries, Ocato took over as [[RegentForLife Potentate]] in accordance with the Imperial Elder Council Charter after exhausting all other alternatives. For the next ten years, Ocato successfully held the fracture Empire together. Unfortunately for the Empire, (and the rest of Tamriel in general), Ocato was so good at keeping the peace that [[ScaryDogmaticAliens the]] [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Thalmor]] had him assassinated in an attempt to destabilize the Empire and make way for the rebirth of the [[AntiHumanAlliance Aldmeri Dominion]]. The power of the Dominion would wax in the decades leading up to the [[GreatOffscreenWar Great War]] and the events of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' while the power of the Third Empire would wane to the point of becoming a true VestigialEmpire.

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* ''Series/Merlin2008'': Despite not having any official position (and that's purely because Arthur is extremely WrongGenreSavvy), Merlin qualifies for this trope quite well. He's one of the wisest characters in the cast, gives consistently good advice,and helps the oppressed magical people. It's extremely telling that when [[SpoiledSweet Princess Mithian]] wanted to marry Arthur, she went to Merlin to ask for his support, noting that Arthur valued his opinion above all others. This was after being in Camelot for a total of one day.

* Imhotep (believed to have lived between 2660 and 2600 BC), Chancellor to King Djoser of the Egyptian Third Dynasty, and was the first engineer, architect, and physician known to history by name. He was such a respected figure in AncientEgypt he was deified and considered a god after his death, something usually reserved only to the Pharaohs. He even got a constellation [[note]]Ophiuchus the Serpent-Bearer, just north of Scorpius.[[/note]]. [[Film/TheMummyTrilogy Pity about that]] HistoricalVillainUpgrade though...

* In ''Disney/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar,'' Aladdin is promoted to Vizier in Jafar's place. It should be noted that the viewer could easily miss this point, since he spends the rest of the movie, [[WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries the TV series]], and [[Disney/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves the sequel]] just battling villains and monsters instead of governmental work.

** The various notable Hands of the King all seem to be this (there have been notable exceptions, historically). Jon Arryn and Ned Stark work very hard to support the rule of King Robert, while Tyrion and Tywin did the same for Joffrey. The only possible exception is the aforementioned Tywin, who helped depose the mad King Aerys, but only after he'd been humiliated, ignored and then, ultimately, sacked for being... good at his job. Please note: sacking the guy who has been keeping everything afloat for decades while you piss about is, arguably, a decent sign that you've jumped off too many slopes to be trusted (or safe) anywhere near absolute power. Before that he was Aerys's best friend, leading Westeros through twenty years of peace and prosperity before Aerys got jealous and sacked him in anger. Lord Stannis, Robert's brother, tried to be this as well. Despite being only Master of Ships and [[ReassignedToAntarctica Lord of the small island of Dragonstone]] he was one of the main helpers to Jon Arryn.

*** Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers ruled the Seven Kingdoms in the name of Aerys I as best he could during a time of drought and plague, but his [[StateSec police state apparatus]] and [[IDidWhatIHadToDo harsh methods]], combined with his appearance, made him [[HeroWithBadPublicity unpopular]] with both the nobility and the people, and was even considered by some to be an EvilChancellor.

** Tyrion serves as a much needed one to Joffrey during his brief but brilliant stint as acting Hand in Season 2. In no small part, the Lannister banner is sustained by his skill at administration and his ability to stare down Joffrey's cruelty, subvert Cersei's incompetence, and prepare the city for the inevitable siege. Varys even commends him as better than Ned Stark or Jon Arryn because he enjoys rather than disdains the game of thrones. Later, Tyrion moves on to play this same role in Dany's court, offering her a much-needed voice of reason after Barristan's death. Dany eventually names him Hand of The Queen, finally giving him the recognition he so desired.

* The Grand Vizier in ''Film/TheGoldenVoyageOfSinbad'' has taken over the running of the city since the death of the old caliph and wears a golden mask to hide a face hideously scarred by fire. He is also, however, brave, noble and wise, and a true companion to Sinbad throughout the adventure.

* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', the Stewards of Gondor have as their proudest boast that they never made themselves kings, and ruled the city strictly in the name of the King until an heir to the throne returned. Even Denethor, as crazy as he was, never tried to claim the throne.

** The Rivan Warders, always named Brand, are a deliberate homage to this in David Eddings's ''Literature/TheBelgariad''.
** Though he has no desire to take the throne, he refused to bow down to Aragorn.
-->'''Gandalf:''' Authority is not given to you to deny the return of the king, ''Steward''.\\
'''Denethor:''' The rule of Gondor is mine! And no other's!
** He doesn't consider Aragorn to be the true heir though, since the Council of Gondor ruled out Isildur's line from having a right to the throne long ago. Denethor conveniently ignores that Aragorn ''is'' Anárion's heir as well, though through the female line by marriage, not a direct male-line descendant. Denethor also ignores that, without Aragorn's tenuous relation, the House of Anárion is ''extinct'' (though the Kings of Rohan are distantly related), and Aragorn, as Isildur's heir, is also the heir of Elendil, who founded both kingdoms and fathered both Isildur and Anárion, giving him by far the strongest claim to the throne of Gondor, to the point where he is the only viable candidate.
-->''I am Steward of the House of Anárion. I will not step down to be the dotard chamberlain of an upstart. Even were his claim proved to me, still he comes but of the line of Isildur. I will not bow to such a one, last of a ragged house long bereft of lordship and dignity.'' [ROTK- The Pyre of Denethor]

--> '''Davos:''' I understand (being sentenced to death), but since you have not ''unnamed me'' Hand of the King, it is ''my duty'' to advise you against it.

** Varys sees himself as this. He's always wanting to side with[[TheGoodKing rulers he deems worthy]]. If they end up not being worthy to him or become visibly dangerous, he can backstab them, always wanting to serve the people of Westeros first.

* Imhotep (believed to have lived between 2660 and 2600 BC), Chancellor to King Djoser of the Egyptian Third Dynasty, and was the first engineer, architect, and physician known to history by name. He was such a respected figure in Ancient Egypt he was deified and considered a god after his death, something usually reserved only to the Pharaohs. He even got a constellation [[note]]Ophiuchus the Serpent-Bearer, just north of Scorpius.[[/note]]. [[Film/TheMummyTrilogy Pity about that]] HistoricalVillainUpgrade though...
* During the Cultural Revolution in China, Zhou Enlai, the Premier of the [[RedChina PRC]] and widely considered to be Mao's NumberTwo, used his authority to save artists, intellectuals, and ancient treasures from the bloodthirsty Red Guards. His adopted daughter getting persecuted and tortured to death by Red Guards might have partially motivated him in doing so.
* Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor Sir UsefulNotes/ThomasMore might, or might not, be an example. He was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church for his refusal to ratify his king's breach with Catholicism, but he is regarded by some non-Catholics as a monster for his persecution of heretics when his king was still Catholic.

* In ''Franchise/{{Tsukiuta}}'', Haru is generally this to Hajime, the "Black King", but in Rabbits Kingdom, where Hajime is the actual king of the Black Rabbits Kingdom, Haru has this role. In the White Rabbits Kingdom, however, Kai is the king, not Shun, but when Shun and Hajime [[spoiler: are cursed]] together, Kai and Haru's reactions mirror each other even though Kai is the king.

* Vulko in ''Film/{{Aquaman2018}}'' despite (or rather because) he's deliberately undermining his king. It's just that his king is a genocidal warmonger who is willing to subjugate the other undersea kingdoms by force and guile to gain the forces he needs to wipe out humanity. Vulko thus gives reasonable sounding advice to Orm (actually meant to keep Orm from being ''too'' bloodthirsty) while secretly aiding Arthur and Mera in finding the lost Trident of Atlan which will allow Arthur to depose Orm.

* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': Lord Dobraine is one of the very few people that TheChosenOne Rand completely trusts. He sidelines his own political ambitions when Rand claims the throne of Cairhien, [[spoiler:helps rescue Rand when [[BadassInDistress he's kidnapped]], serves faithfully as Steward of Cairhien in Rand's absence until [[spoiler:Elayne]] can be crowned, survives an assassination attempt, and helps stabilize the wartorn country of [[spoiler:Arad Doman]]. Since Rand has to juggle four thrones and several other major campaigns, he's an invaluable asset.

* In ''The Basalt City Chronicles'', Priest-Emperor Zaykar and The Guardian of the Crown Lord Kosgan do ''not'' get along well, at least on the surface. However, Lord Kosgan is actually utterly loyal to the Empire; his friction with the somewhat younger Priest-Emperor was originally to make sure that the Empire got a strong ruler
* ''[[Fanfic/TheLifeAndTimesOfAWinningPony The Lunar Rebellion]]'' appears to set up [[TheArchmage Sunbeam Sparkle]] as this at first, what with her ruthless pragmatism, love of LoopholeAbuse and dislike for Princess Celestia's gentler touch. However, she remains loyal to Celestia throughout the story, making her more of a TokenEvilTeammate.

** Ser Davos Seaworth ]]spoiler: is a loyal Hand to Stannis]] and an honorable man, but his lower class background means he never recieved the kind of training in politics some others of his position have had. He tries his best, but he makes it clear in his point-of-view chapters that he is struggling all the way.

*** Over a century and a half before Ned Stark became Hand, his ancestor Cregan Stark was Hand for just a single day, and was such a badass during his brief tenure, that they called it "The Hour Of The Wolf". He was handed an impossible mess, so did the direct (and very bloody) thing: CuttingTheKnot by executing almost everybody he could find who contributed to it, so they wouldn't get the chance to try messing the realm up themselves and going regicide to cover their own arses again by pinning all the blame on the poor sod.

** Varys may be a conniving, sneaky MagnificentBastard who is rightly distrusted by... well, ''everyone'' in Kings Landing. And yet, on the eve of Ned Stark's execution, Varys is his only visitor, brings him water and keeps him informed of the happenings in the court. When questioned by Ned about who he serves, his response is simply "the realm." [[spoiler: Of course, after A Dance with Dragons shows him to be somewhat less pure-hearted than previously believed, this applies a little less.]]

*** Over a century and a half before Ned Stark became Hand, his ancestor Cregan Stark was Hand for a single day, and was such a badass that they called his tenure "The Hour Of The Wolf"

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': This series likes to remind us that [[GoodIsNotNice Good doesn't necessarily mean Nice]]. And, that being a competent ruler who's directorship proves good for the realm... might not mean being on Team Nice (let alone Team Good) for that matter, either.
** The various notable Hands of the King all seem to be this (there have been notable exceptions, historically). Jon Arryn and Ned Stark work very hard to support the rule of King Robert, while Tyrion and Tywin did the same for Joffrey. The only possible exception is the aforementioned Tywin, who helped depose the mad King Aerys, but only after he'd been sacked. Please note: sacking the guy who has been keeping everything afloat for decades is, arguably, a decent sign that you've jumped off too many slopes to be trusted (or safe) anywhere near absolute power. Before that he was Aerys's best friend, leading Westeros through twenty years of peace and prosperity before Aerys got jealous and sacked him in anger. Lord Stannis, Robert's brother, tried to be this as well. Despite being only Master of Ships and [[ReassignedToAntarctica Lord of the small island of Dragonstone]] he was one of the main helpers to Jon Arryn.