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Aerys's reign began in 262 AL, when he was 19. Following ancient Targaryen practice, Aerys had married his sister Rhaella. The marriage was arranged by Aegon V Targaryen after he heard a prophecy that a great hero would be born from there line. Together they had two sons, Rhaegar and Viserys, and one daughter, Daenerys, who was born during the last stage of the War of the Usurper. Supported by his able councilors, foremost among them the King's Hand, Tywin Lannister, Aerys gave the realm many years of peace and prosperity, and "left the treasury flowing with gold.”

Aerys was pleasant to his friends, but very harsh to those he considered enemies. He had always been a bit eccentric, but could be charming and generous, so his early lapses into madness were forgiven and overlooked. Over time, though, the lapses grew more and more frequent. He cut himself so often on the Iron Throne that men took to calling him King Scab.^[1]

Many attribute some of his madness to his experience with rebels during the Defiance of Duskendale. During this time Barristan Selmy became famous for infiltrating the prison and rescuing Aerys, allowing the recapture of Duskendale.

After the defiance Aerys did not leave the Red keep for many years. He attended the tournament of Harrenhal only because Varys claimed Rhaegar planned on using the tournament as an excuse to gather lords to him to cast his father down (it is unknown whether this is true or not).

Like many Targaryens, Aerys was obsessed with fire, notably the magical and highly flammable substance called wildfire, which he fancied to have put in jars shaped like fruit. According to Jaime Lannister, Aerys would have bathed in wildfire if he dared. He took great interest in the work of the Alchemists' Guild and had an inordinate amount of wildfire made during his reign. He had many enemies burned alive, including Lord Qarlton Chelsted, named Hand of the King after Aerys dismissed and exiled Lord Jon Connington, and Lord Rickard Stark, father of Eddard Stark. He made the head of the Alchemist's Guild, Lord Rossart, his final Hand of the King.

After the rebel victory at the Battle of the Bells, Aerys had his pyromancers create a huge reserve of wildfire and secret it around the city of King's Landing, planning to burn the entire city down (and kill all of its half million inhabitants) rather than surrender the city intact. After the defeat of the royal forces at the Battle of the Trident, Aerys sent Queen Rhaella and Prince Viserys to Dragonstone. He kept Princess Elia and her children at the Red Keep, however, in the belief that he could ensure Dornish loyalty if he did so. When Aerys admitted Lannister forces into the city on the advice of Grand Maester Pycelle, he ordered his pyromancers to begin to ignite the caches of wildfire and destroy the city. However, before those orders could be carried out, Jaime Lannister intercepted Lord Rossart, whom he killed before assassinating King Aerys himself.

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