The 10 most significant kings to rule Westeros
By Michael East
3. Aerys II Targaryen: The Mad King (262 AC – 283 AC)
The seventeenth Targaryen to sit on the throne, Aerys II showed the potential to be a great king. He brought a returned peace and prosperity to Westeros, and there were high hopes for his reign amongst the lords and smallfolk alike. However, none of his early good will ever be remembered, his later insanity washing away any fond memories Westeros may have had of him.
Sweeping away the old guard, Aerys II was initially a breath of fresh air at court. He was what many expected in a king. He had ambitious plans to conquer the Stepstones and move the Wall hundreds of miles to the north. The ideas impressed Hand of the King Tywin Lannister in particular. However, none of these plans ever came to fruition. After a series of personal tragedies, including the deaths of his sons, Aerys II descended into madness.
It was at this point that Tywin stepped up and managed things, ensuring that the crown was indebted to Casterly Rock. With the smallfolk claiming Tywin was the real king of Westeros, a confrontation was always inevitable, and Aerys II began to break with his Hand, even tearing out the tongue of Ser Ilyn Payne for commenting on Tywin’s power.
After years of tyranny, Aerys would finally go too far in 282 AC when he ordered the execution by burning of Brandon Stark and his companions, the party having traveled to King’s Landing following the disappearance of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. The events would trigger Robert’s Rebellion and the fall of the Targaryen dynasty, Tywin turning on his old friend and Aerys II falling to “Kingslayer” Jamie Lannister after his infamous call to “burn them all.”
How fair it is to judge Aerys II’s actions? Suffering from insanity, his lack of sound mind set him apart from those kings who committed bloody and murderous atrocities while entirely conscious of their actions. While his crimes cannot be forgiven, they sparked the biggest change to the political makeup of Westeros in generations.
