1. The Mad King is Daenerys’s father. The Mad King’s real name is King Aerys II. He had three children with his sister, Rhaella: Rhaegar, Viserys, and Daenerys. His only living child is Daenerys. Rhaegar was killed by Robert Baratheon at the Battle of Trident, and Viserys was killed by Khal Drogo with molten gold. King Aerys II ruled over the Seven Kingdoms before Robert Baratheon took over the throne.
2. He was CRAZY. Aerys didn’t start showing signs of madness until he became king. It wasn’t until the Defiance of Duskendale that things really took a turn for the worse. Lord Denys Darklyn of Duskendale invited Aerys to his home for a talk. Even though Tywin Lannister, who was Aerys’s Hand of the King, Aerys went and was held hostage for 6 months. Barristan Selmy eventually rescued Aerys. In retaliation to what happened to him, the Darklyns were burned alive. Aerys went into hiding after his ordeal and believed everyone was plotting against him. He transformed into the Mad King before everyone’s eyes. Aerys became obsessed with fire, especially wildfire. After Rhaegar allegedly kidnapped Lyanna, things just got worse. He had Rickard Stark burned to death and Rickard’s son, Brandon, strangled himself with a torture device while trying to save his father. The Mad King later told Rossart, a pyromancer and Aerys’s last Hand, to burn down the city of King’s Landing with wildfire.
3. He was killed by Jaime Lannister. Right before he was killed, the Mad King told Jaime to bring him Tywin’s head. He kept repeating “burn them all” over and over again as he awaited the death and destruction he had ordered Rossart to carry out. Jaime killed him by putting a sword through his back, earning the name “Kingslayer” and saving the people of King’s Landing.
4. His death changed everything. The Mad King’s death meant the end of the Targaryen dynasty. The Targaryens had rule the Seven Kingdoms for CENTURIES. His death allowed Robert Baratheon to take the throne, with Tywin’s daughter, Cersei, as his queen.
5. There’s a wild theory about why he went mad. One popular fan theory says that Bran Stark actually made the Mad King go mad. The theory speculates that Bran tried to reason with the Mad King when he traveled back in time, but Aerys only heard Bran’s whispers. Aerys was driven mad because of Bran. The fan believes Bran set the events of show in motion when he tried to fix the past.
HollywoodLifers, do you think the Mad King will appear in any more flashbacks on Game of Thrones? Let us know!