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- Cameron Frew
- Aegon I Targaryen, also known as the Conqueror. Amok. Aegon I conquered Westeros and became the first king. Aegon I Targaryen was not just the first Targaryen king, but the first king to ever sit on the Iron Throne and take the title of Lord of the Seven Kingdoms.
- Aenys I Targaryen. Aenys, the eldest child of Aegon and Rhaenys, became king after the Conqueror’s death. Out of the next 16 Targaryen kings, 15 were direct descendants of Aenys.
- Maegor I Targaryen, also known as the Cruel. Maegor, the only child of Aegon and Visenya, shouldn’t have been king – Aenys’ first son, Aegon, was first in the line of succession.
- Jaehaerys I Targaryen, also known as the Conciliator and the Wise. HBO. Jaehaerys was briefly seen in House of the Dragon’s opening episode. It’s not all doom and gloom for the Targaryen dynasty.
Oct 24, 2022 · ‘Burn them all!’. – Who was the Mad King and what happened to him? (Picture: HBO) He came to power at the very end of the Targaryen dynasty in the year 262 AC, but his reign only lasted 19...
- Overview
- Biography
- Personality
- Quotes
- Behind the scenes
- In the books
"He loved to watch people burn, the way their skin blackened and blistered and melted off their bones. He burned lords he didn't like, he burned Hands who disobeyed him. He burned anyone who was against him. Before long, half the country was against him. Aerys saw traitors everywhere."
―Jaime Lannister
Background
Aerys fought for his father, Aegon V Targaryen, in the War of the Ninepenny Kings. He took on the tradition of Targaryen inbreeding in order to keep bloodlines pure by marrying his sister Rhaella Targaryen. After his father and brother died in the fire of Summerhall, he became Aerys Targaryen, the Second of His Name. While he was young, Aerys appeared to be generous, ambitious and wise, beginning his reign as peaceful and prosperous. Aerys was loved and respected by both lords and commoners. He later became spiteful of the power of others, especially that of his Hand of the King, Tywin Lannister, who had once been one of his closest friends. He eventually grew paranoid of his own family members and his Small Council. During the Defiance of Duskendale, Aerys was imprisoned and tormented for six months, until he was rescued by Ser Barristan Selmy, his imprisonment marking the beginning of Aerys's madness. He executed all those who were involved in the rebellion; the worst punishment was given to Lord Denys's wife, Serala, first mutilated and then burned alive. Commonly remembered as "the Mad King", his reign became increasingly erratic and murderous. Despite the fact that nobody expected Aerys to turn up, he suddenly arrived at the Great Tourney at Harrenhal. During this tourney, Aerys knighted Jaime Lannister and admitted him to the Kingsguard, but not for his valor and honor. Instead, he wanted to spite his Hand, Tywin Lannister. His eldest son, Rhaegar Targaryen, competed in the tourney, and after winning, he shunned his own wife, Elia Martell, and laid his winning roses in the lap of Lyanna Stark of Winterfell. A final round of bloodletting began when Rhaegar allegedly kidnapped Lyanna, prompting many houses in the realm to rebel. Brandon Stark rode to King's Landing, protesting the abduction of his sister and demanding justice. Aerys had him arrested for treason and then offered to ransom him to his father. However, when Rickard Stark rode to King's Landing as he was bid to ransom Brandon, Aerys had him arrested too, and then brutally executed both father and son. Afterward, Aerys demanded Jon Arryn to turn over Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon (who were still in the Eyrie) to await the king's justice. Instead, Jon called his banners and rebelled, with the noble houses of Stark, Tully, and Baratheon following suit. The rebellion destroyed the royalist armies in several major engagements, culminating in the Battle of the Trident where Prince Rhaegar died at the hands of Lyanna's betrothed Robert Baratheon, the leader of the rebels. King Aerys was betrayed by his former friend and Hand Tywin Lannister, who led an army under the false pretense of defending the capital at King's Landing. When Aerys opened the gates under Grand Maester Pycelle's counsel, Tywin proceeded to brutally sack the city. Aerys ordered Jaime to bring him Tywin's head, before ordering his pyromancer, Rossart, to initiate the wildfire plot. In response, Jaime killed Rossart, before stabbing Aerys in the back, who tried to flee, and then cutting his throat, ending his reign and thwarting his insane plot. Aerys's death is not avenged, as Robert Baratheon pardoned Jaime at the end of the war. It also brought an end to the Targaryen dynasty, which had ruled the Seven Kingdoms for three centuries. Aerys was replaced on the Iron Throne by Robert. However, the Targaryen bloodline survived through his grandson, Jon Snow (the product of Rhaegar's secret marriage to Lyanna, the two eloping in mutual love rather than the latter being kidnapped), who was passed off as a bastard of Winterfell by his maternal uncle Eddard, and his two youngest children, Viserys and Daenerys, who were spirited away to the Free Cities.
Game of Thrones: Season 1
As they travel to King's Landing, King Robert talks about having Aerys's daughter Daenerys assassinated after hearing of her marriage to Khal Drogo. When Eddard protests, Robert reminds him of what Aerys did to his family. Later at the Inn at the Crossroads, Sandor Clegane tells Sansa Stark about how Ser Ilyn Payne hasn't had much to say since Aerys had Ser Ilyn's tongue torn out. When Eddard arrives in the throne room of the Red Keep, he is confronted by Ser Jaime Lannister, who expresses his bitterness at Eddard for judging him over his killing of Aerys, especially after he killed Eddard's father and brother. Eddard counters that Jaime wasn't motivated by justice when he killed Aerys, and that he had served him loyally when serving was safe. Ser Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard recounts to King Robert I Baratheon how Aerys ordered him to destroy the Kingswood Brotherhood. Selmy himself killed their leader, Simon Toyne. Bored and attempting to mock Ser Jaime, King Robert realizes that he never asked Jaime what King Aerys Targaryen's last words were, then taunts Jaime for killing a defenseless old man he had sworn to protect. Jaime tersely responds that the last thing the Mad King said was the same thing he'd been raving for hours, since the sack of the capital by the rebels began: "Burn them all!" This silences Robert's levity. Aemon, the maester sworn to Castle Black, the main fortress of the Night's Watch, reveals to Jon Snow that he is the uncle of King Aerys and, because of his oath to the Night's Watch, he could not interfere during the rebellion. Aemon warns Jon that he must live with whatever decision he makes for the rest of his life, and urges him to not abandon the Night's Watch after hearing of Eddard Stark's unjust imprisonment. Grand Maester Pycelle recalls that King Aerys was initially a good man. He then laments that he saw Aerys melt away before his eyes, as madness increasingly gripped his mind over the years and a once charming man was consumed by dreams of fire and blood.
Game of Thrones: Season 2
When Tyrion Lannister publicly reprimands his nephew King Joffrey for his treatment of Sansa Stark, Joffrey retorts that he is king and he can do as he likes. Tyrion replies that Aerys did as he liked and his actions ultimately led to his downfall, mentioning his death at the hands of Joffrey's uncle Jaime. Wisdom Hallyne of the Alchemists' Guild mentions Aerys as a fervent supporter of the guild. Aerys became obsessed with wildfire in his later years. He reminds Bronn that he would not have dared to insult the guild while Aerys was alive. When Catelyn Stark confronts Jaime Lannister about his various crimes, including his regicide of Aerys, he sarcastically replies, "And what a king he was."
"As the saying goes, "every time a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin." They must have dropped the one for King Aerys. For at first, he seemed to have dodged the family madness. But as he grew older, he began to see conspirators everywhere and where there were none, he worked to create them."
―Jaime Lannister about Aerys Targaryen descending into madness
Out of all the kings to sit on the Iron Throne, none induced a level of tyranny, madness, and especially cruelty as Aerys Targaryen did during his rule. Dubbed the Mad King, Aerys seemingly began as a benevolent ruler until he was overwhelmed by the so-called "Targaryen madness" brought on by an incestuous bloodline. As a result, he began displaying traits of intense psychopathy, insanity, and sadistic intentions, exacerbated by hallucinations, schizophrenia, and paranoia regarding his own claim to the Throne, to the point where he burnt anyone he believed was against him, until half of the people whom he ruled were already against him.
Like many Targaryens, such as his son Viserys, Aerys was obsessed with the self-conception that he was a dragon in human skin. In regards to this, he killed his victims in a similar manner to that which a dragon would; burning them alive. Jaime Lannister once observed that he loved watching them char until their skin blackened, indicating he may have suffered from pyromania, and this, combined with sadism and hopeless delusions, spurred his already oppressive reign into complete tyranny. In a final bid where it appeared Robert Baratheon would take King's Landing, Aerys planted wildfire throughout the city, even the Red Keep where Aerys himself was staying. Not for one second, however, did he believe that it would result in his death, like his uncle Prince Aerion Targaryen, who killed himself by drinking wildfire. Instead, he thought he would be reborn as a dragon through a baptism by fire and burn his enemies in retribution.
Spoken by Aerys
"Burn them all! BURN THEM ALL!" ―The Mad King's final words
Spoken about Aerys
Eddard Stark: "Is that what you tell yourself at night? You're a servant of justice? That you were avenging my father when you shoved your sword in Aerys Targaryen's back?" Jaime Lannister: "Tell me, if I'd stabbed the Mad King in the belly instead of the back, would you admire me more?" Eddard Stark: "You served him well. When serving was safe." — Eddard Stark and Jaime Lannister argue over the latter killing the Mad King. Robert Baratheon: "What about Aerys Targaryen? What did the Mad King say when you stabbed him in the back? I never asked. Did he call you a traitor? Did he plead for a reprieve?" Jaime Lannister: "He said the same thing he'd been saying for hours...'Burn them all.' If that is all, your Grace." — Jaime recalls the Mad King's last words to King Robert. "Aerys Targaryen. Of all the thousand thousand maladies the Gods visit on us, madness is the worst. He was a good man. Such a charmer. To watch him melt away before my eyes, consumed by dreams of fire and blood." ―Pycelle remembers Aerys II Targaryen Joffrey Baratheon: "The king can do as he likes!" Tyrion Lannister: "The Mad King did as he liked. Has your uncle Jaime ever told you what happened to him?" — Tyrion Lannister to Joffrey Baratheon "And what a king he was! Here's to Aerys Targaryen, the second of his name, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm, and to the sword I shoved in his back!" ―Jaime to Catelyn Stark "Once again, I came to the king, begging him to surrender. He told me to... bring him my father's head. Then he... turned to his pyromancer. 'Burn them all,' he said. 'Burn them in their homes. Burn them in their beds.' Tell me, if your precious Renly commanded you to kill your own father and stand by while thousands of men, women, and children burned alive, would you have done it? Would you have kept your oath then? First, I killed the pyromancer. And then when the king turned to flee, I drove my sword into his back. 'Burn them all,' he kept saying. 'Burn them all.' I don't think he expected to die. He... he meant to... burn with the rest of us and rise again, reborn as a dragon to turn his enemies to ash. I slit his throat to make sure that didn't happen." ―Jaime explains his reasons for killing the Mad King to Brienne of Tarth. Barristan Selmy: "Your Grace? A word, please, I beg you." Daenerys Targaryen: "About what?" Barristan Selmy: "About your father. About the Mad King." Daenerys Targaryen: "The Mad King? You're here to remind me of my enemies' lies? Consider me reminded." Barristan Selmy: "Your Grace, I served in his Kingsguard. I was at his side from the first. Your enemies did not lie." — Barristan Selmy to Daenerys Targaryen Daenerys Targaryen: "Go on." Barristan Selmy: "When the people rose in revolt against him, your father set their towns and castles aflame. He murdered sons in front of their fathers. He burned men alive with wildfire, and laughed as they screamed. And his efforts to stamp out dissent led to a rebellion that killed every Targaryen. Except two." Daenerys Targaryen: "I'm not my father." Barristan Selmy: "No, your Grace. Thank the Gods. But the Mad King gave his enemies the justice he thought they deserved, and each time, it made him feel powerful and right. Until the very end." — Barristan to Daenerys "I know what my father was. What he did. I know the Mad King earned his name." ―Daenerys to Tyrion
According to the TV series official pronunciation guide developed for the cast and crew, "Aerys Targaryen" is pronounced "AIR-eez Tar-GAIR-ee-in."
George R.R. Martin revealed that an actor had been cast as King Aerys II during Season 1 for filming a flashback scene of Rickard and Brandon Stark's executions, but the scene was cut for time and pacing. Liam Burke was the actor in question.
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, his reign began with great promise. Taking the throne at only the age of 20, Aerys installed a number of younger, vigorous and capable men in positions of power, while his own son Rhaegar showed promise of being a great king in his turn. Aerys, impressed by young Tywin's ruthlessness and effectiveness in crushing the Reyne-Tarbeck revolt, made him, then heir to Casterly Rock, his Hand of the King. Tywin served very effectively as Hand for twenty years, during which the Seven Kingdoms prospered.
Under Aerys's reign, the office of his Hand passed through five times and all of them suffered an unpleasant fate:
•{Tywin Lannister} - killed by his son Tyrion
•Owen Merryweather - exiled
•Jon Connington - exiled
•{Qarlton Chelsted} - executed by burning
Aerys II Targaryen, also called the Mad King and King Scab, was the seventeenth and last member of the Targaryen dynasty to sit the Iron Throne, ruling from 262 AC to 283 AC. His children who lived to adulthood, by his sister-wife, Rhaella, were Rhaegar, Viserys, and Daenerys Targaryen.
Sep 12, 2022 · The individual known as 'The Mad King' is King Aerys II Targaryen. Through his marriage to sister-wife Queen Rhaella Targaryen, Aerys was the father of Queen Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia...
- Lewis Knight
Jul 17, 2024 · In Game of Thrones, Aerys II Targaryen, a.k.a. The Mad King, is regarded as one of the worst Kings to ever rule Westeros, but what made him go crazy?
Apr 22, 2019 · Tywin Lannister, a royal page in his youth, became close friends with Aerys Targaryen long before he was crowned king, and he was a natural choice for hand of the king after Aerys’s coronation...
