Is the Mad King in House of the Dragon?

By Arslan Saleem July 17, 2024 07:33

Photo by James Hunt

King Aerys II Targaryen, the "Mad King" if you will, is a pivotal figure in Game of Thrones lore, with a long story riddled with all sorts of controversy and intrigue. Employing the source material of GRRM's Game of Thrones books as well as the known facts about House of the Dragon, we'll present this theory backed yet speculative profile on a character whose connections to House of the Dragon would absolutely fascinate.

Background of the Mad King

Aerys II Targaryen, also called the Mad King, was the sixteenth member of House Targaryen to rule on the Iron Throne. Starting benevolent, his reign later turned to madness by stemming from an incestuous line living under the same lineage curse, transforming him into a tyrant who imposed cruelty and ultimately sparked a civil war that killed him. Aerys going mad was a consequence of deeply psychopathic tendencies with ranging elements of insanity, sadistic intent, delusions, and hallucination as well mental illness, including schizophrenia features, which all crossed together and have made him blame everything on the notion that people wanted to steal his throne.

Major Moments in Game of Thrones

In Game of Thrones, Aerys's madness is a crucial element in the backstory, especially seen through characters like Jaime Lannister and Barristan Selmy. His cruel and inconsistent rule, the most famous example being his "Burn them all" order, led to events in history such as the Sack of King's Landing and a subsequent rebellion against Targaryen rule. Aerys' deeds and consequences reverberate throughout the Game of Thrones narrative and its ensemble of characters.

House of the Dragon

Although the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen, does not directly feature in the House of the Dragon series, his influence on both the history of House Targaryen and his influence over the realm of Westeros led to backstories for several characters from Game Of Thrones, which are undeniable facts. This term will likely have a serilikely ous echo lasting even in the storylines of House of The Dragon. But the shadow of The Mad King still looms large over Westeros, and with two episodes left, it's sure to influence dynamics in the world as season 8 plays out.

Mad King

Aerys II Targaryen, also called the Mad King was the sixteenth member of House Targaryen to rule on Iron Throne. Starting out benevolent, his reign later turned to madness by virtue of stemming from an incestuous line living under the same lineage curse as Torgoth transforming him into a tyrant who imposed cruelty and ultimately sparked a civil war that killed himself. Aerys going mad was a consequence of deeply psychopathic tendencies with ranging elements of insanity, sadistic intent, delusions and hallucination as well mental illness including schizophrenia features which all crossed together have made him blame everything on the notion that people wanted to steal his throne. And acting on his delusion that he was a dragon in human skin resulted in the brutality of him burning living beings to death, for Heinlein this latter point is outlook light.

Major Moments in Game of Thrones

On Game of Thrones, Aerys' madness is a crucial element to the backstory especially as seen through characters like Jaime Lannister and Barristan Selmy. His cruel and inconsistent rule, the most famous example being his "Burn them all" order that led to events in history such as the Sack of King's Landing and a subsequent rebellion against Targaryen rule. Aerys' deeds and their consequences reverberate throughout the Game of Thrones narrative and its ensemble of characters.

House of the Dragon

Although the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen does not directly feature in House of the Dragon series, his influence on both history of House Targaryen and influence over Westeros led to backstories for several characters from Game Of Thrones. It is likely that this legacy and its aftermath will have serious echoes lasting even in the storylines of House of The Dragon.

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