One of the most popular Game of Thrones fan theories about the Mad King is that his madness was a result of Bran Stark warging into him since Bran had a vision of Aerys and had already affected Hodor. However, that ignores all the events in the
He started his stint on the Iron Throne as a charming and charismatic war hero, but left it murdered by his own Kingsguard, Ser Jaime Lannister. Aerys' madness began to take hold of him after a fire killed his father and nearly wiped out the Targaryen line.
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.
King Aerys II Targaryen ("The Mad King")
The final undisputed monarch of the Seven Kingdoms from House Targaryen, King Aerys II Targaryen is widely known as the "Mad King" who was usurped by King Robert I Baratheon. Aerys II is a direct descendant of King Viserys I Targaryen through his daughter Rhaenyra.
He was cruel and delighted in setting his enemies aflame. One of his own Kingsguard, Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), eventually assassinated him. The Mad King was often invoked as a cautionary tale, especially when it came to the growing ambition of his daughter, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke).
And unfortunately for Westeros, Aegon V's grandson was the "Mad King," Aerys II, better known as Daenerys's deceased father.
Mad King Aerys II Targaryen brutally executed Ned Stark's father and older brother, Rickard and Brandon Stark. Jaime Lannister, dressed in Kingsguard white, begged Aerys to surrender, but the Mad King ordered his pyromancer to "burn them all" with hidden wildfire.
Joffrey Baratheon spoils Rhaenyra Targaryen's fate on Game of Thrones. As Joffrey tells us, eventually, Rhaenyra's half-brother Aegon Targaryen will feed her to his dragon Sunfyre. She dies as her son, Aegon III, watches. That's the bullet point version.
As the two dragons struggled in the Battle Above the Gods Eye, Daemon plunged from Caraxes, wielding his sword Dark Sister and stabbing it into Aemond's remaining eye. Both dragons crashed into the Gods Eye, and Vhagar drowned with Aemond's body still chained to the saddle while Caraxes died on the shore.
According to the accounts of Septon Eustace, prior to her turning sixteen, Rhaenyra lost her virginity to her uncle, Prince Daemon, after he seduced her.
Bran made the Mad King go mad
When Bran and the Three-Eyed Raven traveled back to the events outside the Tower of Joy in the May 8 episode, Bran was apparently able to shout and be heard by the younger version of his father, Ned Stark.
Character description
Daenerys Targaryen is the daughter of King Aerys II Targaryen (also referred to as "The Mad King") and his sister-wife Queen Rhaella, and is one of the last survivors of House Targaryen.
Rhaenyra and Daemon married years later after both of their spouses died, and had three children, the last being stillborn. Their second son, Viserys II, is Daenerys' direct connection to Rhaenyra.
Maegor I Targaryen, also known as Maegor the Cruel, was the third Targaryen king to sit the Iron Throne. He was the son of King Aegon I Targaryen and his elder sister-wife, Queen Visenya Targaryen. He had an older half-brother, Aenys I Targaryen.
This fan found that nine Targaryens have been mad throughout history while 27 have been great four have been a little bit of both and 35 have been neither mad or great. It's not perfectly statistically accurate, but it is a pretty good indication that Targaryen's are in fact not overwhelmingly mad.
The dynasty ended with the death of Aerys the Mad King during Robert's Rebellion, in which the Targaryens were overthrown and replaced by House Baratheon. The two surviving children of Aerys II, Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen, fled into exile, and have resided in the Free Cities of Essos ever since.
That's right, during the Oct. 2 episode of House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and Daemon (Matt Smith) stopped fighting their feelings for one another and finally got together. However, this was more than just an illicit liaison, as Rhaenyra and Daemon got married at the end of the episode.
The children of Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen
(Yes, they're uncle and niece. Targaryens are big into incest, just go with it.) And here's where the SPOILERS start.
Since Daemon's body was never recovered from the Gods Eye, singers say that he lived to spend the rest of his days in secret with Nettles. Daemon never achieved his ambition to sit on the Iron Throne, though his sons Aegon III and Viserys II eventually did.
When finally did give birth to the baby, it is said that the child had a hole where her heart should have been, a tail, and scales for skin—a monster, as her mother had cursed her to be. Upon her death, Rhaenyra swore yet another vow. “She was my only daughter, and they killed her.
The moment happens in season 3, episode 4, “And Now His Watch Is Ended,” when Joffrey Lannister is chilling with Margaery Tyrell and giddily explains, “Rhaenyra Targaryen was murdered by her brother, or rather, his dragon. It ate her while her son watched. What's left of her is buried in the crypts right down there.”
As Joffrey puts it (a bit too gleefully), Rhaenyra is murdered by her brother's dragon. “It ate her while her son watched," he explains with a grin. "What's left of her is buried in the crypts right down there.”
Robert Baratheon
After successfully rebelling against the Mad King Aerys, Robert becomes the first king of Westeros to win the throne by conquest since Aegon the Conqueror.
Aerys Targaryen, the Second of His Name, was a King of Westeros and the last member of House Targaryen to sit the Iron Throne. His reign became increasingly erratic and murderous.