Within the fantastical realm of Westeros, the Mad King is a pivotal determine whose actions formed the course of historical past. His reign was marked by paranoia, cruelty, and a descent into insanity that in the end led to his downfall.
Often known as King Aerys II Targaryen, the Mad King ascended to the Iron Throne in 262 AC. Initially a benevolent ruler, he progressively grew to become suspicious and tyrannical, pushed by a deep-seated concern of being betrayed.
Delving into his backstory and the occasions that reworked him into the Mad King gives a deeper understanding of his character and the impression he had on the Seven Kingdoms.
Who Was the Mad King in Sport of Thrones?
King Aerys II Targaryen, often known as the Mad King, was a pivotal determine within the historical past of Westeros. His reign was marked by paranoia, cruelty, and a descent into insanity that in the end led to his downfall.
- Ascended to the Iron Throne in 262 AC
- Initially a benevolent ruler
- Turned suspicious and tyrannical
- Deep-seated concern of betrayal
- Ordered the deaths of many harmless individuals
- Burned individuals alive
- Killed his personal Hand of the King
- Kidnapped and raped Princess Elia Martell
- Overthrown and killed by Jaime Lannister
The Mad King’s actions had a profound impression on the Seven Kingdoms, resulting in the outbreak of Robert’s Revolt and the top of the Targaryen dynasty.
Ascended to the Iron Throne in 262 AC
Within the yr 262 AC, King Aerys II Targaryen ascended to the Iron Throne, turning into the seventeenth ruler of the Targaryen dynasty. His accession marked the start of a reign that may be marred by paranoia, cruelty, and a descent into insanity.
Aerys was the eldest son of King Aegon V Targaryen and Queen Betha Blackwood. He had two youthful siblings: a brother, Prince Duncan, and a sister, Princess Rhae. Aerys was raised within the Pink Hold in King’s Touchdown, and from a younger age, he displayed a curious and clever nature. Nonetheless, he was additionally vulnerable to matches of mood and outbursts of anger.
When Aerys was sixteen years outdated, his father died instantly, and he grew to become inheritor to the Iron Throne. He was topped king two years later, on the age of eighteen. Aerys’s early reign was marked by quite a few optimistic developments. He appointed clever and succesful advisors, and he labored to enhance the lives of his topics. He additionally married Princess Rhaella, his youthful sister, in a lavish ceremony.
Nonetheless, Aerys’s psychological state started to deteriorate over time. He grew to become more and more suspicious and paranoid, and he started to see enemies all over the place. He ordered the deaths of many harmless individuals, together with his personal Hand of the King, Lord Tywin Lannister. Aerys’s cruelty and insanity finally led to his downfall. He was overthrown and killed by Jaime Lannister, a member of the Kingsguard, in 283 AC.
Aerys’s reign was a darkish interval within the historical past of Westeros. His paranoia and cruelty triggered untold struggling, and his actions in the end led to the outbreak of Robert’s Revolt and the top of the Targaryen dynasty.
Initially a benevolent ruler
When Aerys II Targaryen first ascended to the Iron Throne in 262 AC, he was seen as a benevolent and promising ruler. He was clever, curious, and keen to enhance the lives of his topics.
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Appointed clever and succesful advisors
Aerys appointed quite a few clever and skilled advisors to his small council, together with Lord Tywin Lannister as Hand of the King. These advisors helped Aerys to make sound choices and to manipulate the realm successfully.
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Labored to enhance the lives of his topics
Aerys was involved with the welfare of his individuals, and he labored to enhance their lives in quite a few methods. He decreased taxes, constructed roads and bridges, and inspired commerce and commerce.
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Married Princess Rhaella
Aerys married his youthful sister, Princess Rhaella, in a lavish ceremony. The wedding was a political alliance, however it additionally seems that Aerys genuinely liked his spouse.
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Patron of the humanities and sciences
Aerys was a patron of the humanities and sciences. He supported artists, musicians, and students, and he based quite a few libraries and academies.
Throughout the early years of his reign, Aerys was a preferred and revered king. He was seen as a clever and benevolent ruler who cared for the well-being of his individuals. Nonetheless, Aerys’s psychological state started to deteriorate over time, and he progressively grew to become extra paranoid and merciless.
Turned suspicious and tyrannical
Over time, Aerys II Targaryen’s psychological state started to deteriorate. He grew to become more and more suspicious and paranoid, and he started to see enemies all over the place. This led to quite a few tyrannical actions, together with:
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Ordered the deaths of many harmless individuals
Aerys ordered the deaths of many harmless individuals, together with his personal Hand of the King, Lord Tywin Lannister. He additionally had many individuals tortured and executed for even minor offenses.
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Burned individuals alive
Aerys developed a fascination with fireplace, and he usually burned individuals alive. He would generally power individuals to observe as he burned their family members.
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Kidnapped and raped Princess Elia Martell
Aerys kidnapped and raped Princess Elia Martell, the spouse of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. He additionally had her youngsters killed.
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Turned obsessive about wildfire
Aerys grew to become obsessive about wildfire, a extremely flammable substance. He had caches of wildfire hidden all through King’s Touchdown, and he threatened to burn the town to the bottom if he was ever overthrown.
Aerys’s tyrannical actions triggered widespread concern and resentment amongst his topics. Many individuals started to plot in opposition to him, and finally, he was overthrown and killed by Jaime Lannister, a member of the Kingsguard.
Deep-seated concern of betrayal
Aerys II Targaryen had a deep-seated concern of betrayal. This concern was seemingly rooted in his childhood experiences. His father, King Aegon V Targaryen, was a sort and simply ruler, however he was additionally weak and indecisive. Aerys’s mom, Queen Betha Blackwood, was a powerful and impressive girl who usually clashed along with her husband. Aerys could have felt that he couldn’t depend on his mother and father to guard him, and this may occasionally have led to his concern of betrayal.
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Abusive relationship together with his father
Aerys’s father, King Aegon V Targaryen, was a harsh and abusive man. He usually beat and humiliated Aerys, and he made it clear that he didn’t assume his son was worthy of being king. This therapy seemingly contributed to Aerys’s low vanity and his concern of betrayal.
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Noticed his father betrayed and murdered
When Aerys was a younger boy, he witnessed his father being betrayed and murdered by a gaggle of insurgent lords. This occasion seemingly traumatized Aerys and strengthened his perception that he couldn’t belief anybody.
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Felt betrayed by his closest advisors
As Aerys’s psychological state deteriorated, he started to suspect that his closest advisors have been plotting in opposition to him. He had a number of of them executed, together with his Hand of the King, Lord Tywin Lannister.
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Believed that his circle of relatives would betray him
Aerys even got here to imagine that his circle of relatives would betray him. He had his spouse, Queen Rhaella, imprisoned, and he threatened to kill his youngsters.
Aerys’s deep-seated concern of betrayal led him to grow to be more and more paranoid and merciless. He noticed enemies all over the place, and he was prepared to do something to guard himself, even when it meant harming these closest to him.
