Aerys I Targaryen

King Aerys I Targaryen was the thirteenth king of the Targaryen dyansty to sit on the Iron Throne of Westeros
==Early life==
Aerys I was the second son of King Daeron II Targaryen, and was not expected to succeed to the throne. His elder brother Baelor served as the King's Hand and heir. Aerys was bookish and had little interest in politics or war. He married Aelinor Penrose, of House Penrose of Parchments from The Stormlands. They never had children. 
When Prince Baelor was killed in a tourney mishap at Ashford, Aerys' nephew Valarr became heir to the throne. However, within months the Great Spring Sickness had swept across Westeros. King Daeron, Prince Valarr and his younger brother were all killed, and Aerys unexpectedly found himself on the throne.
==Reign==
Aerys' reign was troubled. From the start he did not particularly concern himself with running the realm. The expectation was that he would name his brother Maekar to the position of King's Hand, but instead he named his bastard uncle Brynden Rivers, better known as 'Bloodraven', to the role. Despite his leal service to King Daeron and his decisive turning of the tide at the Battle of Redgrass Field, Bloodraven was distrusted by many.
With Bloodraven proving an effective administrator, Aerys retired from the world and was rarely seen in public after about 211 AL, and even then all access to the King and Queen was strictly controlled by Bloodraven.
Aerys' reign ended with his death in 221 AL. Given that his next-youngest brother Rhaegel was a simpleton who choked on a lamprey pie, the crown passed instead to Maekar.
==Character and appearance==
Aerys appears to have been bookish and studious to the point of absent-mindedness. His clothes were often soiled as he had forgotten to change them often, and frequently had red-rimmed and baggy eyes from reading too much and by poor light. He had a long straight face, thin hair, a thin moustache and a long pointed beard. He was rarely found without a book or parchment to hand. He wore the ornamented dragon crown of Aegon IV.
Category:House Targaryen
Category:Kings
Category:Historical characters