"What are the general sociopolitical duties of an aristocrat? How do they differ from the duties of a royal? And what about a royal heir?"
Ah…Sorry, I hope my question didn’t come across the wrong way. I wasn’t trying to upset you…I’m just really curious about these duties. I’m the same anon who wrote you about the sacking of Lannisport and Tumbleton, and Rhaenyra's dresses are her sword and armor. Some of your other anons brought up Aerys, and that got me thinking…..I’ve ended up doing a character study on Aerys because the "Mad King" narrative has too many holes and has biased narratives (Lannister and Baratheon propaganda). I don’t think Aerys was a good man, but I think there might be more to his story. Outside the royal court, and even within it, most people in Westeros weren’t aware of his madness or his crueler acts. As far as we know, his ire seems directed at nobles and his wife. He is favored by smallfolk, and many of Knights/Lords fought for the Targs. There are still Targ loyalists present. Robert had to fight to secure his own base during the rebellion, while Hoster Tully waged war on his own people. Why did Rhaegar need to seek support to depose him? The idea of the "Mad King" was not a widespread belief during his reign but a narrative shaped after his fall. At worse, he was a petty bitch who just had 'reasons to distrust," and then Duskendale happened. Maybe I should have phrased my question differently. I asked about his duties because his relationship with Rhaegar contradicts the idea that Aerys completely distrusted/hated him. He never removed him from succession or stripped him of influence. In fact, Rhaegar’s closest circle may have been partially shaped by Aerys himself, his refusal to let Jaime become Rhaegar’s squire suggests he was more concerned about controlling who had access to his son rather than distrusting Rhaegar outright. Aerys’ relationship with his sons is another major gap. I had a longer take on Aerys and thought maybe I was missing something. Anyway, sorry again to upset you, that was not my intention.
Anon is talking abt this post.
No, I assumed you had been a random Rhaegar-hater determined to take my words as indicative of a "deluded Rhaegar simp", I apologize. I did what a lot of online fans do and made the preemptive move.
"As far as we know, his ire seems directed at nobles and his wife.
He is favored by smallfolk, and many of Knights/Lords fought for the Targs. There are still Targ loyalists present."
You could make the argument that they fought in anticipation of Rhaegar's rule after getting rid of Aerys w/o having to directly oppose them bc they'd still be having the past king's eldest son as their ruler OR/AND that particular feudalist pride and value of obeying/being loyal to your kin.
As for Rhaegar, in general, if you plan to overthrow a government or a very high authority, you can't just go do it yourself. There's always some type of collaboration and support base. So when you're planning to force a monarch to abdicate, you never want to just assume that you'd be protected from them and their arms of defense (soldiers and other military fighters on hand or otherwise), which Aerys' would have as the king regardless of the support he does or doesn't have. Kings never are just army-less or don't have personal guards, feudal monarchies or absolute or constitutional ones. Remember, too, that the King has the Kings guard who guard him day and night and presumably protected Aerys from anyone who'd want to protect Rhaella from his abuse. Even Rhaegar is not "legally" protected from Aerys, so he needs that base who not only protect him or supply him with their own vassals as arms but will provide advice, supply nonhuman materials, open physical and/or social pathways for Rhaegar and said troops/supplies. All that is needed to overwhelm the established authority one would wish to overthrow, here Aerys' and his followers and those pledge to protect him. It's also necessary to have people become or be publicly willing to support you and have a good number of such as Daemon Blackfyre did so if you succeed, others who try to dispute and fight against you have less chance of doing so. A least easily. Basically numbers.
And technically, Hoster Tully didn't wage war against his Bannerman, he simply put some villages under a house on fire (as if this weren't a war crime, but this is ASoIaF. Nobles are shit.)
"...stripped him of his influence"
Actually, towards the end of the war, Aerys' disinherited Rhaegar and his heirs/line. And in AWoIaF - The Fall of the Dragons: The Year of the False Spring:
Chief amongst the Mad King's supporters were three lords of his small council: Qarlton Chelsted, master of coin, Lucerys Velaryon, master of ships, and Symond Staunton, master of laws. The eunuch Varys, master of whisperers, and Wisdom Rossart, grand master of the Guild of Alchemists, also enjoyed the king's trust. Prince Rhaegar's support came from the younger men at court, including Lord Jon Connington, Ser Myles Mooton of Maidenpool, and Ser Richard Lonmouth. The Dornishmen who had come to court with the Princess Elia were in the prince's confidence as well, particularly Prince Lewyn Martell, Elia's uncle and a Sworn Brother of the Kingsguard. But the most formidable of all Rhaegar's friends and allies in King's Landing was surely Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning.
To Grand Maester Pycelle and Lord Owen Merryweather, the King's Hand, fell the unenviable task of keeping peace between these factions, even as their rivalry grew ever more venomous. In a letter to the Citadel, Pycelle wrote that the divisions within the Red Keep reminded him uncomfortably of the situation before the Dance of the Dragons a century before, when the enmity between Queen Alicent and Princess Rhaenyra had split the realm in two, to grievous cost. A similarly bloody conflict might await the Seven Kingdoms once again, he warned, unless some accord could be reached that would satisfy both Prince Rhaegar's supporters and the king's.
So yes, Aerys' distrusted his own son. Not enough to kill him (or not yet and not yet before the war), but he did distrust him and his wanting to control who was in his circle is another proof of such distrust because he's trying to limit exactly what I described above about possible support and loss of personal political power. He simply suspected, at one point, Tywin more and didn't like Tywin giving a son a trained swordsman loyal to his [Lannister] house) to his heir bc he likely thought Tywin and Rhaegar would collaborate against him or Tywin would turn Rhaegar against him through Jaime. Better to force Jaime to pledge himself to protecting Aerys' as a Kingsguard, as Aerys did. Because James (compelled and nonvoluntary) "loyalties" would be to the King instead of Rhaegar...as "Kingsguard".
