House Of The Dragon: Who is The Mad King and how is Aerys Targaryen related to the characters?
HOUSE of The Dragon debuted its second season to around 7.8million viewers as fans chose either team green or team black.
With season two well underway thousands of viewers are wondering what relation The Mad King has with some of our favourite characters.
Who is The Mad King in House of The Dragon?
House of The Dragon is set over 150 years before the events of Game of Thrones and follows the Targaryen dynasty.
Aerys Targaryen, famously known as The Mad King, sat on the Iron Throne towards the end of the dragon era.
He ruled for just 19 years before he was overthrown by a collective of allies.
The Mad King was despised by most of his subjects and he was viewed as a tyrannical and insane ruler.
Aerys was extremely paranoid and suspected everyone of treason which led to erratic and violent behaviour, alienating his advisors and subjects.
His brutal and sadistic methods of torture, earned him, The Mad King nickname.
Before his demise, Aerys ordered his subjects to set fire to the capital and burn the population alive.
Luckily for them, he was killed by a member of his personal security before the order could be carried out.
The Mad King is referenced throughout the Game of Thrones HBO series and his actions have a lasting effect on the characters.
How is The Mad King related to the House of The Dragon characters?
The Mad King’s family tree is extensive as several characters from House of The Dragon and Game of Thrones can trace their ancestry back to him.
Aerys was the last undisputed ruler of the seven kingdoms and was the last Targaryen to sit on the Iron Throne.
Although he hasn’t been featured in any of the TV series his past actions are constantly mentioned making him a prominent character.
King Viserys
The Mad King is King Viserys’ great-great-great-great-great-grandson.
King Visery, played by Paddy Considine, is the ruler of the seven kingdoms in season one of House of The Dragon.
After his death the kingdom falls into chaos and a full-blown war is set for season two.
Daemon Targaryen
Aerys is also the great-great-great-great-great-nephew to Daemon Targaryen, played by Matt Smith.
Daemon is unpredictable which is a supposedly similar trait to The Mad King.
Matt Smith’s character became a fan favourite in season one.
Viserys Targaryen
The Mad King had three children, two featured in the popular Game of Thrones series.
Viserys spent most of his time on the show trying to gather an army to retake the crown.
However, he met his end after his head was burned with molten gold in season one.
Daenerys Targaryen
Aerys also had a daughter called Daenerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke.
She was one of the main characters of the show and was originally a fan favourite.
However, Daenerys’ character came into question after she fulfilled her father’s promise by burning the capital to the ground in an epic penultimate season finale.
How to watch House of The Dragon
Sky Atlantic began airing new episodes of House of The Dragon weekly on June 17.
Those looking to watch it as soon as it’s released will have to stay up late on Sundays to catch it at 2am on Monday.
Fans of the show who prefer their sleep over dragons can watch the same episode on Monday at 9pm.
Sky TV subscribers can watch without having to sign up for any extras.
If you aren’t a Sky customer but still want to watch the epic show, fans can subscribe to Now’s entertainment pass.