Aerys Targaryen was a good King

[Northern Nomad]

Just like i'm a talking, beret wearing, myth busting walrus, right?

Wait... is this a trap?

[Jon Flowers]

Can't we just let troll threads like this die a lonely death?

[The Great Walrus]

Wait... is this a trap?

Maybe, but Admiral Akbar isn't here to warn you... :P

[Darth Visenya]

I think Aerys II was a real visionary.

1. He was a true feminist by supporting the execution of known womanizer Brandon Stark.

2. He let his son have a second marriage for love.

3. He exemplified anti-racist attitudes by allowing Dornishmen to die for him as equally as Andals.

4. He fought against monogamist patriarchy by trying to do Tywin's wife.

5. He was a patron of the sciences. Especially chemistry.

You raise some very interesting and accurate points, thank you.

[Howling Mad]

So you're saying he was batshit crazy since he was crowned king?

I'm saying you can't judge a king a "good ruler" hen that king is described by all of his subjects as bat shit crazy, he incites a rebellion, and he loses said rebellion.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

He had reason to be paranoid though, his son was plotting to take the Crown and Tywin was capable and ambitious so you can see where he got those ideas from.

... His son was plotting to take the crown because Aerys was batshit cray-cray. If Tywin had actually wanted to kill Aerys, he could've just immediately stormed Duskendale and incited them to execute Aerys.

[The Dornishman's Wife]

Guys can we keep this serious, I would actually like to discuss his good merits as a King rather than assume I'm joking, which I'm not.

Ok, I apologize for jumping to that conclusion. I'm a bit scarred from some other threads I've seen recently (not by you).

Then let's talk about the points you raise in the OP: If you take a very totalitarian view on monarchy, it may be justifiable to try Brandon for insulting the Crown Prince. It's hardly necessary to torture him and his father to death though, and it seems to be done purely out of a "baser desire", i.e. gratification for his lust in burning people instead being the result of anything resembling a rational thought process. It looks like it was the biggest blunder in the three centuries of Targaryen rule, and that includes Aegon the Unworthy.

If you think you're son might be plotting against you, don't demonstrate your insanity for the entire realm to see (and piss off a large part of it on top). Oh, and also cut your fingernails once every few years. That should be covered in reigning 101.

[Nami]

He had reason to be paranoid though, his son was plotting to take the Crown and Tywin was capable and ambitious so you can see where he got those ideas from.

Was Rhaegar really plotting to take the throne? I mean, I understood it was Aerys being paranoid

[LIK]

Was Rhaegar really plotting to take the throne? I mean, I understood it was Aerys being paranoid

There are hints in Jaime POV when he recalls his last conversation with Rhaegar. If Rhaegar had any plans for piece whatsoever Aerys had to abdicate or lose all power (wish he was sent on the wall xD)

[Pod The Impaler]

I think Aerys II was a real visionary.

5. He was a patron of the sciences. Especially chemistry.

:cheers: Yeah, clearly a man of academic interests.

Oh, let's not forget that he promoted employment right for immigrants or those of alternative gender, by hiring Varys.

[Phewdi]

And the punch is delicious except for the turd floating in it.

Well that's shit.

I'm sorry, but if your gonna try to be that kind of a poster, do it right. They didn't say "Aerys was good but crazy." They said he was good UNTIL he went cuckoo. If your gonna say something like that, say: The apple was lovely until it shrivelled. Damn, you cannot pull off being that kind of a poster. Stick to being a kiss ass, suits you.

[Darth Visenya]

... His son was plotting to take the crown because Aerys was batshit cray-cray. If Tywin had actually wanted to kill Aerys, he could've just immediately stormed Duskendale and incited them to execute Aerys.

But then it would have made his ambitions/motives kind of public and Tywin has always struck me as smarter than that.

[Nami]

There are hints in Jaime POV when he recalls his last conversation with Rhaegar. If Rhaegar had any plans for piece whatsoever Aerys had to abdicate or lose all power (wish he was sent on the wall xD)

Yes, but that was after Aerys demonstrated to be completely out of his mind and unfit to rule, because of his actions that started the rebellion and during the rebellion

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

But then it would have made his ambitions/motives kind of public and Tywin has always struck me as smarter than that.

So Tywin is furthering his ambition by not furthering his ambition? LOL OK.

[Willard/Mitt Lannister]

On a serious note--if this is a conversation to take seriously--he was a terrible king.

First, we have no idea how peaceful or prosperous his reign was. In fact, besides RR the only other event we know of during this reign is the Defiance.

Second, even if it were peaceful, we can by now means attribute that to his reign. It is mentioned multiple times that Tywin Lannister held much of the real power anyway.

[Phewdi]

... His son was plotting to take the crown because Aerys was batshit cray-cray. If Tywin had actually wanted to kill Aerys, he could've just immediately stormed Duskendale and incited them to execute Aerys.

Yeah, cause NO ONE would bat an eye if the Hand forced the execution of the King who, at the time, wasn't crazy but a good king? No logic from you.

[Darth Visenya]

Ok, I apologize for jumping to that conclusion. I'm a bit scarred from some other threads I've seen recently (not by you).

Then let's talk about the points you raise in the OP: If you take a very totalitarian view on monarchy, it may be justifiable to try Brandon for insulting the Crown Prince. It's hardly necessary to torture him and his father to death though,

I think he did it more out of pleasure than anything else, or maybe just for the lolz, that's another good quality he had, always kept you guessing if you were a Lord.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

Second, even if it were peaceful, we can by now means attribute that to his reign. It is mentioned multiple times that Tywin Lannister held much of the real power anyway.

I think this is most of it. I hate Tywin as much as the next guy but it's regularly suggested that he had the real power there, and that Aerys knew it — hence his overreaction to Ilyn's suggestion, for instance. "The Targ doth protest too much." Cersei also remembers Tywin getting a better reception than Aerys, which could be attributable to family bias except that she also say Rhaegar got more applause than Tywin did.

Yeah, cause NO ONE would bat an eye if the Hand forced the execution of the King who, at the time, wasn't crazy but a good king? No logic from you.

And yet Aerys blamed Tywin for letting him remain a prisoner for too long. You people are trying to have it both ways — if Tywin takes the town immediately then he's obviously trying to get the king killed, but if he sits outside patiently until a plan can be formed, he let Aerys sit pretty for too long and of course Aerys should suspect him. What should Tywin have done in that case, to placate both Aerys and you people?

[Jon Flowers]

I think Aerys II was a real visionary.

1. He was a true feminist by supporting the execution of known womanizer Brandon Stark.

2. He let his son have a second marriage for love.

3. He exemplified anti-racist attitudes by allowing Dornishmen to die for him as equally as Andals.

4. He fought against monogamist patriarchy by trying to do Tywin's wife.

5. He was a patron of the sciences. Especially chemistry.

Very nice. The best part is the OPer thinking you're serious. Cheers! God love sarcasm.

[Darth Visenya]

So Tywin is furthering his ambition by not furthering his ambition? LOL OK.

He had to be seen to do all he could to help, I don't think he would have wanted to be known by everyone as having been the cause of the Kings death at that point.