Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, the city's benevolent tyrant, and possibly the most intelligent person in the city. Vetinari rules on the principle that the best government is one that makes everyone slightly unhappy but not quite unhappy enough to do anything about it. He trained as an Assassin, which he considers an excellent education in the practical realities of power. He is thin, pale, precise, and has a talent for knowing everything that happens in the city without appearing to make any effort to find out. His relationship with Vimes - who distrusts him completely and works for him anyway - is one of the series' most interesting dynamics.