| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Prince | |||
| Allegiance | House Targaryen | |||
| Culture | Crownlands | |||
| Born | 274 AC[1] | |||
| Died | 274 AC[1] | |||
| Father | Aerys II Targaryen | |||
| Mother | Rhaella Targaryen | |||
| Book | The World of Ice & Fire (mentioned) | |||
Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen was the fourthborn son of King Aerys II Targaryen and Queen Rhaella Targaryen.[1]
History
Queen Rhaella Targaryen and King Aerys II Targaryen struggled to produce a second child to follow their eldest son, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. The couple dealt with several miscarriages, stillbirths, and children who died in infancy in the decade that preceded Jaehaerys's birth. His father also demonstrated increasingly erratic behavior and signs of madness. Jaehaerys's birth in 274 AC seemed to abate the madness that was rising in King Aerys II Targaryen, who was so joyful he seemed to become as he had been in his youth. However Jaehaerys died later in the same year, though, causing Aerys descending into a dark despair.[1]
The rageful king blamed the prince's death on his wet nurse and had her beheaded. He soon had a change of heart and announced instead that his own mistress, the daughter of a household knight, had poisoned his son. In retaliation, Aerys had the girl and her entire family tortured to death. Although the entire family admitted to the murder under torture, though their confessions differed greatly.[1]
After taking the lives of his mistress and her kin for their supposed part in the death of Jaehaerys, Aerys fasted for a fortnight and made a walk of repentance to the Great Sept of Baelor, where he prayed with the High Septon. Upon his return from the Great Sept in 275 AC, the king announced that he would thereafter sleep with only his lawful wife, Queen Rhaella, where before he was prone to frequent infidelities. According to the chronicles, Aerys held true to this vow from that day forward.[1]
