Aerys II Targaryen
| House / Order | House Targaryen |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | |
| Status | Deceased |
| Origin | King's Landing |
| Born | 244 AC |
| Died | 283 AC, at King's Landing |
| Weapon | |
| Fate | Slain by Jaime Lannister during the Sack of King's Landing |
| Portrayed by |
Aerys II Targaryen, remembered as the Mad King, was the last Targaryen to sit the Iron Throne, ruling the Seven Kingdoms for roughly twenty years until his deposition and death in Robert's Rebellion. He began his reign with promise but descended over the years into paranoia, cruelty, and outright madness, culminating in an obsession with fire that gave him his grim epithet and earned the Kingsguard knight who killed him the title Kingslayer.
He was the father of Rhaegar Targaryen, Viserys Targaryen, and Daenerys Targaryen.
Background
Aerys came to the throne young and was, in his early years, generous and ambitious, eager to be remembered as a great king. He took his sister Rhaella to wife in the Targaryen custom, and his Hand for much of his reign was Tywin Lannister, whose competent administration brought the realm prosperity even as the king's own conduct grew erratic.
Over time a deep rivalry and jealousy soured Aerys against Tywin, and the king's behavior turned increasingly unstable. Queen Rhaella suffered many stillbirths, miscarriages, and the deaths of infants, a string of tragedies that the king came to believe were the gods' punishment.
Madness
A pivotal turn came at Duskendale, where Aerys was held captive for half a year during the Defiance of Duskendale. After his rescue he was never the same, growing fearful of blades, refusing to let barbers near him, and letting his hair and nails grow long. He became convinced that fire could not harm him and developed a horror of treason that saw him burn men alive in the throne room with wildfire, taking pleasure in their screams. His pyromancers, the Alchemists' Guild, stockpiled caches of wildfire beneath King's Landing at his command.
Robert's Rebellion
When Brandon Stark came to court demanding the return of his sister Lyanna Stark, who had vanished with Prince Rhaegar, Aerys had him seized. He then summoned Brandon's father Rickard Stark to answer for his son, and contrived a monstrous execution: Rickard was suspended in his armor over a fire while Brandon strangled himself trying to reach a sword to save him. The king then demanded that Jon Arryn surrender his wards Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon for execution. Arryn refused and raised his banners, igniting the rebellion.
As the war turned against the crown, Aerys nursed a final plan: to burn King's Landing and all its people with the hidden wildfire rather than yield. When Tywin Lannister's host entered the city during the Sack of King's Landing, the king ordered his pyromancer to ignite the caches and commanded his Kingsguard, Jaime Lannister, to bring him Tywin's head. Instead, Jaime slew the pyromancer and then the king himself, cutting his throat at the foot of the Iron Throne to save the city.
Character
Aerys II stands as the cautionary archetype of the dynasty's decline, a ruler whose suspicion curdled into cruelty and whose madness justified his overthrow. His final cry of "Burn them all" haunts Jaime Lannister, who carries the dishonor of the title Kingslayer while privately knowing he saved half a million lives.
In the television series
In HBO's Game of Thrones, Aerys appears in brief flashbacks, portrayed by David Rintoul. His wildfire plot and death at Jaime's hand are recounted as in the novels.
Appearances
- A Game of Thrones (mentioned)
- A Storm of Swords (mentioned)