Death of King Aerys

Life, Death

King Aerys Targaryen dies in exile on Dragonstone, by falling out of a window in a fit of madness. His son Rhaegar was crowned King of Westeros once news reached the capital.

Aerys did not long outlive the rebellion that sought to overthrow him. Despite the charge of Barristan Selmy and Oswell Whent to protect their king from himself, they failed -- Aerys, in effective exile on Dragonstone, somehow became convinced that fire would turn him into a dragon, and threw himself on the brazier in his chamber. His Kingsguard would be welcomed by the sight of their king ablaze, screaming and laughing and praising the Seven. The immolation would be his doom, as his erratic motions led to him toppling from his ajar window, to the sea below, and his body was never recovered.   Selmy and Whent returned to King’s Landing to inform Rhaegar of his father’s death. In failure of their duties, Rhaegar’s punishment was sending them to Essos, on a mission of sorts, to bring Jon Connington back from exile. His explanation was only that Rhaegar was in need of his Hand, and this was their only path to redemption in the eyes of the Dragon. Shortly after they left, Rhaegar was crowned King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of Realm. His wives were made queens, and his infant son Aegon by Elia Martell was made Prince of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne.   While some might claim Aerys’ death as suspicious, in truth, there were few people left in the realm who truly cared about the details of his demise. They were more fixated on King Rhaegar, and how his rule would be -- The Mad King was a distant, unpleasant memory by the time he was ‘buried’ on Dragonstone.