Aerys II
From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
| Reign | 262 AL - 283 AL |
|---|---|
| Othertitles | King of the Sevenkingdoms |
| Full Name | Aerys Targaryen the Second of his name |
| Predecessor | Jaehaerys II |
| Successor | Robert Baratheon |
| Heir | Rhaegar Targaryen |
| Queen | Rhaella Targaryen |
| Issue | Rhaegar Daenerys |
| Royal House | House Targaryen |
| Father | Jaehaerys II |
| Date Of Birth | 243 AL |
| Place Of Death | Kingslanding |
| Date Of Burial | 283 AL |
Aerys Targaryen, the second of his name (also called "Aerys the Mad," "the Mad King," and "King Scab") was the last member of House Targaryen to sit the Iron Throne, ruling from 262 AL to 283 AL. He showed great promise at the start of his reign, but grew increasingly unstable. His behavior led some of the noble houses to revolt against the Targaryen dynasty. This revolt, known as the Robert's Rebellion, led to the death of Aerys and most of House Targaryen.
Aerys's reign began in 262 AL, when he was 19. Following ancient Targaryen practice, Aerys had married to his sister Rhaella. Together they had two sons, Rhaegar and Viserys, and one daughter, Daenerys, who was born during the last stage of the War of the Usurper. Supported by his able councilors, foremost among them the King's Hand, Tywin Lannister, Aerys gave the realm many years of peace and prosperity, and "left the treasury flowing with gold.”
Aerys was pleasant to his friends, but very harsh to those he considered enemies. He had always been a bit eccentric, but could be charming and generous, so his early lapses into madness were forgiven and overlooked. Over time, though, the lapses grew more and more frequent. He cut himself so often on the Iron Throne that men took to calling him King Scab.
Like many Targaryens, Aerys was obsessed with fire, notably the magical and highly flammable substance called wildfire, which he fancied to have put in jars shaped like fruit. According to Jaime Lannister, Aerys would have bathed in wildfire if he dared. He took great interest in the work of the Alchemists' Guild and had an inordinate amount of wildfire made during his reign. He had many enemies burned alive, including Lord Qarlton Chelsted, named Hand of the King after Aerys dismissed and exiled Lord Jon Connington and Lord Rickard Stark, father of Eddard Stark. He made the head of the Alchemist's Guild, Lord Rossart, his final Hand of the King.
After the rebel victory at the Battle of the Bells, Aerys had his pyromancers create a huge reserve of wildfire and secret it around the city of King's Landing, planning to burn the entire city down (and kill all of its half million inhabitants) rather than surrender the city intact. After the defeat of the royal forces at the Battle of the Trident, Aerys sent Queen Rhaella and Prince Viserys to Dragonstone. He kept Princess Elia and her children at the Red Keep, however, in the belief that he could ensure Dornish loyalty if he did so. When Aerys admitted Lannister forces into the city, he ordered his pyromancers to begin to ignite the caches of wildfire and destroy the city. However, before those orders could be carried out, Jaime Lannister intercepted Lord Rossart, whom he killed before assassinating King Aerys himself.
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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at House Targaryen. |
