Why did the Mad King demand Eddard's and Robert's heads?

[Nucky Thompson]

We are told that after the Brandon and Rickard incident at King's Landing, Aerys Targaryen demanded the heads of Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon. This led to Jon Arryn's refusal to do so and his subsequent rebellion. What seems strange here is the particular motivation behind the king's actions.

Why did Aerys want the next in line of those two houses executed, when Benjen, and, respectively, Stannis would inherit the title and continue fighting the good fight? Yes, Aerys was mad, but there must have been some method to his madness and he would have wanted to achieve something by this particular course of action. Stannis says that he was at a crossroads as whether to remain loyal to the crown or to follow his brother in rebellion, but if Robert was summarily executed, I don't think that Stannis would've simply shrugged it off and would instead have immediately rebelled along with the others. The North, on the other hand, being the more threatening region, was sure to send an 'expeditionary force' south, and the only difference would've been that it would march under Roose Bolton's command (or under some other seasoned lord, all the while Benjen remains the Stark at Winterfell).

Had Aerys stayed his hand, there would still be some (minimal) chance of avoiding a large-scale military conflict by making concessions and trying to appease the slighted houses. With one swift stroke, he made such a development impossible. Why did he do it? Was it because of Rickard Stark's southron ambitions? Was it because he didn't want Rhaegar's coup to succeed by antagonizing possible supporters further and forcing Rhaegar to back the Targaryen status quo? His aim might have been to remove the potentially militarily threatening members of the respective houses, but this would merely result in a bannerman being given command? Surely Aerys didn't think that he could successfully intimidate all the major bannermen in those two regions of Westeros. What seems most likely to me, is that the Mad King saw that a war was inevitable at this point and wanted to inflict as much damage to the opposing faction as possible, before they would be able to mobilize their armies and retaliate, a sort of preventive strike, so to say. The problem with such a strategy is that those two nobles were too valuable as hostage material and securing them in the black cells would do wonders as to dissuading the rebels from their wicked ways. Is it Aerys' madness at fault here, or was he somehow differently motivated?

[Bright Blue Eyes]

It's likely that Aerys wanted to wipe out those Houses completely and started with the ones that he may have reached without a war.

[Faydra]

Two Starks were already dead and Robert's betrothed was considered kidnapped. They would have rebelled anyway. At least he tried.

Aerys could have avoided war, had he not lacked discretion. He could have sent for Rickard to ransom Brandon and at the same time ask for Robert and Ned to come to KL as hostages, to ensure the Stark and Baratheon loyalty until he(Aerys) brings Rhaegar and Lyanna back. If you put this nicely on paper they are very likely to believe it.

[TheBastardofBluegrass]

I agree, I think it was in order to stomp out any threat of a rebellion, remember how paranoid Aerys was, he had his entire capital lined underground with wildfire, Mad King indeed. Eddard and Robert represented the next biggest threats to his reign, and his line of succession.

[Ser Creighton]

I think or should say hope there is something more to it than him just being mad. I am sure it will get expanded upon in the series and have a lot more depth to it.

[Light a wight tonight]

I agree, I think it was in order to stomp out any threat of a rebellion, remember how paranoid Aerys was, he had his entire capital lined underground with wildfire, Mad King indeed. Eddard and Robert represented the next biggest threats to his reign, and his line of succession.

There's something to this. I just don't think it was Aerys's idea, though. My thought is that Varys knew about Rickard Stark's "Southron Ambitions" and thought it conflicted with his own plans so he influenced Aerys to eradicate any facets left over after killing Rickard and Brandon just to be safe.

[The Fresh PtwP]

Look at the 4th word in on your topic OP lol.

[Lion of the West]

Two Starks were already dead and Robert's betrothed was considered kidnapped. They would have rebelled anyway. At least he tried.

Aerys could have avoided war, had he not lacked discretion. He could have sent for Rickard to ransom Brandon and at the same time ask for Robert and Ned to come to KL as hostages, to ensure the Stark and Baratheon loyalty until he(Aerys) brings Rhaegar and Lyanna back. If you put this nicely on paper they are very likely to believe it.

Pretty much this.

[Winter's Knight]

I think or should say hope there is something more to it than him just being mad. I am sure it will get expanded upon in the series and have a lot more depth to it.

^ This.

It was his paranoia of course but I wonder if his fears were fuelled by Rickard's Southern ambitions or if there was a plot he found out about through Varys.

ETA: Whelp ninja'ed by Light A Wight Tonight.

[TheBastardofBluegrass]

There's something to this. I just don't think it was Aerys's idea, though. My thought is that Varys knew about Rickard Stark's "Southron Ambitions" and thought it conflicted with his own plans so he influenced Aerys to eradicate any facets left over after killing Rickard and Brandon just to be safe.

Definitely possible, probably depends on how all the timelines synched, my point though, is that Aerys' paranoia trumps all, Varys is a master manipulator, so he definitely could have used Aerys' paranoia to his advantage.

[Darth Visenya]

He was worried about the growing discontent and made the right call, which unfortunately went terribly wrong.

[Winter's Knight]

It just struck me but Aerys doesn't call for Stannis' head,does he? Yet he wants Ned dead.

[Darth Visenya]

It just struck me but Aerys doesn't call for Stannis' head,does he? Yet he wants Ned dead.

He wouldn't call for Stannis' head, their far too alike.

[Nyrhex]

He was testing Jon Arryn. He ordered Jon to kill two wards to prove his loyalty. He orders Jamie to kill his own father during the sack. He only named Jon Con Hand after he thought that the rebellion had "spread" (Gulltown, Summerhall).

Aerys took a long time to fully understand that he was not a living god, and people might get a little upset if he murders people.

[Beorn Snow]

A smart plan would be capturing those two boys if possible and keep them as hostages.

More reasonable than demanding their heads, and more effective in keeping their bannermen from gathering an army.

[Julian Rayne]

He had a prophetic dream or vision of Ned and Robert rebelling against him. Hence his paranoia. His predictions came true, but only because he had them in the first place.

[Bright Blue Eyes]

It just struck me but Aerys doesn't call for Stannis' head,does he? Yet he wants Ned dead.

Stannis was behind the walls of Storm's End, deep in the Stormlands, covered by Stormlords sworn to House Baratheon. It's the same with Benjen in Winterfell. But Robert and Ned were in the Eyrie, far from their own power bases.

[Jon Weirgaryen]

He was testing Jon Arryn. He ordered Jon to kill two wards to prove his loyalty. He orders Jamie to kill his own father during the sack. He only named Jon Con Hand after he thought that the rebellion had "spread" (Gulltown, Summerhall).

This makes sense!

Aerys took a long time to fully understand that he was not a living god, and people might get a little upset if he murders people.

Did he actually make it?

[complexphoenix]

I have often wondered if maybe Rickard screamed something along the lines of "Eddard and Robert will avenge us!" as he was being roasted.

[Ser Creighton]

It just struck me but Aerys doesn't call for Stannis' head,does he? Yet he wants Ned dead.

He didn't call for Jon Arryn's head either which is far more interesting considering he was harboring them and had killed his relatives. There is something more to the Kings actions, those two are singled out.