Every Aerys Targaryen, told apart
3 of them across three hundred years, 2 of whom ruled. This is the single biggest reason the Targaryen family tree confuses people.
All 3, in order of birth
-
Younger son of Aegon and Elaena, Lord of Dragonstone after his brother. His three sons held the island in turn, and the youngest fathered Aerion.
- Parents
- Aegon Targaryen and Elaena Targaryen
- Remember them as
- Lord of Dragonstone, grandfather of Aerion
-
Aerys I
d. 221 ACMore interested in old scrolls than in ruling. He left the realm to his Hand, Bloodraven, and died childless.
- Reigned
- 209 to 221 AC
- Parents
- Daeron II Targaryen and Myriah Martell
- Remember them as
- Aerys I Targaryen, ? AC
-
Aerys II
244 to 283 ACthe Mad King
Began his reign full of promise and ended it burning men alive in his throne room. He is the last Targaryen to sit the Iron Throne.
- Reigned
- 262 to 283 AC
- Parents
- Jaehaerys II Targaryen and Shaera Targaryen
- Remember them as
- the Mad King
Why they kept reusing the same names
Naming a Targaryen child was a political act. Calling a son Aegon invoked the Conqueror. Calling him Jaehaerys invoked the Old King and fifty five years of peace. Calling him Daeron invoked either the boy who conquered Dorne or the man who married it into the realm, depending on which one you needed.
The cost of that habit is a family tree where the first name tells you almost nothing. The chart on this site labels every person with their dates and their epithet for exactly that reason. If you are trying to work out which one you are looking at, the year is the fastest way in.
Questions about the Aeryses
How many Targaryens were named Aerys?
At least 3 appear on this family tree, of whom 2 ruled from the Iron Throne. The Targaryens reused a small pool of names deliberately, to tie each new child to an ancestor worth invoking.
Why are there so many Targaryens named Aerys?
Naming a child after a celebrated ancestor was a claim on that ancestor’s reputation. Aegon invoked the Conqueror, Jaehaerys invoked the Old King, Daeron invoked the Good. The result is a family tree where a first name tells you almost nothing.
How do you tell them apart?
By their dates and their epithet. Every Targaryen who mattered picked up a nickname, and where they did not, the reign years do the work. This site labels every node on the chart with both.