Aerys II Targaryen is also known as Aerys the Mad or also the Mad King, or King Scab. He was a cruel, tyrant king who ran Iron Throne, he was a major antagonist in the A Song of Ice and Fire books, and a minor antagonist in the Game of Thrones TV series.
Biography[]
Background[]
Aerys was the son of Prince Jaehaerys who was the second son of King Aegon V Targaryen. While still a teenager, Aerys was forced to marry his sister to honor the House Targaryen tradition of raising his descendants from his bloodlines, which was then approved by King Aegon V who heard the prophecy of the bloodlines of the bastards. And according to Barristan Selmy, he didn't have much affection between the couple of brothers. Then in 259, Rhaella became pregnant and gave birth to her first child Rhaegar. After that Aegon V died during a fire that, with that, Jaehaerys became the king of Iron Throne, where he led for only three years, and died. Thus leaving Iron Throne to Aerys, which changed its name to Aerys II. And after that a few years later, he and Rhaella had two children named Viserys Targaryen and Daenerys Targaryen.
Iron Throne[]
Unlike your father and grandfather's governments. He started replacing old figures with more promising young ones like Tywin Lannister who knew how to deal with the vassals's rebellion and with that, Aerys named him as the Hand of the King. But after that, he regretted making that choice, not because of Tywin's lack of competence, but the opposite. Lannister proved to be the administrator of the best to the point that he was more adored than the king. And Tywin's captain of the guard, Ser IIyn Payne had his tongue pulled out for repeating those rumors, Aerys also decided to depend less on Tywin. After that in 276, Tywyn Lannister decided to hold a tournament in honor of the king, and decided to join House Lannister with the House Targaryen through the marriage of Cersei Lannister and Rhaegar. However, Aerys rudely declined the offer stating that his son would never marry his servant's daughter. After that, Tywin never forgot that insult.
The Defiance of Duskendale[]
After that, Lord Denys Darklyn of Duskendale decides to betray Aerys, since their relationship was already turbulent. Aerys wanting to do everything themselves without Tywin's help and with only one royal guard. He was soon captured by Lord Denys, but later Tywin along with Ser Barristan Selmy, manage to save Aerys and arrest Denys. After that, Denys begins to beg for his own life, but Aerys ruthlessly ordered House Darklyn and her ally, House Holland to be tortured and burned alive. Only Dontos Hollard survived under the orders of Barristan Selmy.
After the destruction of the Darklyn and Holland Houses, Aerys became paranoid and obsessed with fire, he also did not trust anyone nor even his own wife. Finally, Aerys and Tywin's relationship deteriorated when he began to want Tywin Lannister's wife, Joanna Lannister. Tywin still continued with the desire to marry Cersei to Rhaegar, but even so, Tywin remained his daughter at court, and then decided to marry her to Viserys, after which Aerys decided to take Jaime Lannister as his Royal Guard, and after he rejected Tyrion Lannister because he was a dwarf. And feeling ignored, Tyrion resigned. Then to replace Tywin, Aerys then appointed Owen Merryweather.
Robert's Rebellion[]
Then when Aerys left Red Keep and after the Duskendale challenge, he went to the Harrenhal Tournament in the year 281. He only did this when Varys warned him that Prince Rhaegar planned to use the tournament to get supporters and take the throne of father. And mysteryous knight, who was the Knight of the Laughing Tree competed in the tournament, Aerys demanded that Rhaegar discover the identity of such Master of Whyspers, he searched but no evidence was found, and then Rhaegar defeated in the tournament and blushed Lyanna Stark as Queen of Love. And that, Rhaegar and Lyanna disappeared and took Brandon with them, then Brandon shouted at Prince Rhaegar in ''Get Out and Die'', but Rhaegar was not, but Aerys was. After that, Aerys arrested Brandon on charges of conspiring for the death of the Crown Prince and demanded that his parents show up to answer for their chidren's crimes.
After that, Aerys tried everyone without trial, Brandon committed suicide and Rickard Stark was burned alive. With the king's cruel actions, this caused the Stark and Baratheon family to revolt against Aerys. since Jon Arryn also rebelled against the king as well.
Death[]
When the battle started, Aerys realized that Robert was not a common enemy to undermine himself, but a threat to House Targaryen. He then fearing a rebellious victory, planned a heinous act to prevent Robert from winning, he ordered his pyromancers to create a reserve of rocket fire, and so he plotting to burn the city so that Robert would not conquer, and so he plotting to burn the city so that Robert would not conquer, and being he would cause the death of millions of people, Lord Chelsted discovered this and confronted Aerys, trying to convince the king to give up on that idea, and he was burned alive for it. After that, Varys wanted the king not to open the gate, but the Pycelle who realized that the war was lost told him to open the gate. And realizing the Lannisters' betrayal, the Mad King ordered Rossart to begin the destruction of the city.
His only knight, Ser Jaime told him to surrender, but Aerys told Jaime to his own father, Tywin Lannister, Jaime realizing that Rossart was close to burning the city, and that and the pyromancers and Aerys were in that conspiracy, Jaime then killed the pyromancers, Rossart, and ultimately killed Aerys by slitting his troat ensuring his orders were not reached for another pyromancer. After the end of the Mad King's reign of terror, Iron Throne was reincarnated to Robert Baratheon.
Character[]
Personality[]
In the beginning Aerys was very vain, charming, handsome, generous and resolute in his youth, although he is very quick to anger, and besides him being vain and charismatic, Aerys was very vulnerable to flattery. However, he soon went crazy due to sitting on the Iron Throne and so he was terrified of blades or any sharp objects that were sharp objects from entering, except for his soldiers who stayed the swords in protection of the king - because of that he refused to cut his nails or beard: and it was because of that Aerys won the title of Mad King. Later, he would also be obsessed with fire, making him a pyromaniac. You can also assume that Aerys was very jealous of his friend, Tywin Lannister because of the credits and glory he would receive from others. And over time Aerys would become increasingly cruel, sadistic, psychopathic, narcissistic, paranoid and schizofrenic.
Appearance[]
Before his madness, Aerys was a handsome and attractive young man, but later when he sat on the iron throne. Aerys soon went crazy and was afraid of blades because of the throne and because of that, he refused to cut his nails, hair and beard and so he had long hair and long beards, in addition to big nails.