Why did Aerys name Jon Connington Hand of the King?

[Odej]

It's not a big question, but it always bothered me. JonCon was one of the prince's men. A close friend, even if not close enough for Rhaegar pick him for Lyanna's abduction group. By this time the mad king was quite paranoid about his son so it's strange to me that Aerys chose a guy remarkably loyal to Rhaegar to be his Hand.

And given all of JonCon's crush on Rhaegar and how that's reflected in Griff's grudge against Elia, I also find it strange that he doesn't mention Lyanna at any point. But I imagine Martin is saving that for the sixth book, where much concerning Harrenhal is likely to be revealed and I think JonCon as well as Howland Reed will be an important source of information.

[Craving Peaches]

Could be that he was running out of options? Previous Hand, from a Crownlands house, had been exiled and I imagine most feared that they would at the very least, also be exiled. Aerys was mercurial and unpredictable, not a great person to serve, one minute he'd be happy with what you were doing and the next he'd think you were conspiring against him. I suspect most nobles wanted to stay away from court if they could help it. Some may have also not wanted to risk annoying Tywin by taking up the position. I think it is also implied Aerys wanted someone younger for Hand.

[Mourning Star]

A few thoughts:

Connington was preceded by the old and ineffectual Owen Merryweather. Aerys may have wanted a young wartime Hand.

While it seems Aerys was paranoid about Rhaegar, his son remained his heir, and while Rhaegar was away from court, naming Connington may have been a play to appeal to Rhaegar while Robert was in open rebellion.

Aerys was mad.

[James Steller]

1 hour ago, Mourning Star said:

While it seems Aerys was paranoid about Rhaegar, his son remained his heir

It’s also worth noting that Robert’s Rebellion was triggered because of actions that Aerys committed against men who had not threatened him, but his heir. For all that he thought Rhaegar was conspiring against him, and for all that he alienated Rhaegar, Aerys was still willing to murder multiple Lords Paramount for his son’s sake. 

[Alester Florent]

While I don't think JonCon was a particularly inspired choice as Hand, it does seem to have been one of the less insane things Aerys did during the Rebellion. It's an olive branch to Rhaegar's faction, who probably comprised a significant portion of Targ loyalists, helping to unify the crown's cause. 

It may also be that he was starting to feel he should have appointed Rhaegar as his Hand sooner and going for the next best option available.

[astarkchoice]

Some good points raised

Another to toss out there that could be a factor is his house were once a  wealthy lordly house who didnt like robert being their overlord...perfect for replacing the baratheons with post war if aerys exterminated them

[LindsayLohan]

2 hours ago, astarkchoice said:

Some good points raised

Another to toss out there that could be a factor is his house were once a  wealthy lordly house who didnt like robert being their overlord...perfect for replacing the baratheons with post war if aerys exterminated them

Yep. I thought going with JonCon was a good decision. Connington was defeated by Baratheon, but in other circumstances he would have potentially been a successful Hand.

Now older, more experienced, JonCon is smart, capable, wise, and more serious. Only his condition (Greyscale) may lead him to make rash decisions, if he feels he’s running out of time.