Who Is the Mad King in Game of Thrones, Explained

Game of Thrones is yet to spawn a bunch of new spinoff series going to all corners of the fictional land, but House Targaryen still might be a record-breaker when it comes to the number of its compelling (and pretty terrifying) members.

Particularly, it’s the Mad King whose story everyone just dies to know more about, and there’s a chance that one of those many spinoffs will finally lift the curtain. Before that, however, you might want to get back to everything we’ve learnt about the Mad King so far.

Who is the Mad King in the Game of Thrones Universe?

Despite mostly being known thanks to his nickname, the Mad King is in fact Aerys II Targaryen who was the last Targaryen to sit on the Iron Throne before Robert Baratheon took it away.

Initially a charismatic man and pretty promising future ruler, Aerys came to power when his father and brother were killed by a fire started in the Targaryens’ residence called Summerhall.

One tragedy was then followed by many more, with Aerys suffering from the realisation he might not have an heir to the throne or, in fact, might not be a good king himself. This was an even bigger problem since he was being eaten up by jealousy towards his Hand Tywin Lannister who seemed like a confident and wise ruler.

On top of that, Aerys’ suffering wasn’t over at this point, resulting in him being taken hostage by House Darklyn and forced to spend six months in isolation.

With all factors combined, Aerys’ paranoia was already difficult to handle, so he spent the rest of his days locked up in his castle until Robert Baratheon took his life.

How the Mad King Connects to Game of Thrones Characters

Aerys II Targaryen was the father of Daenerys Targaryen and her older brothers, Crown Prince Rhaegar and Prince Viserys Targaryen.

Ultimately, Daenerys was believed to have inherited the curse of her family when she was proclaimed the Mad Queen in Game of Thrones’ season 8.