Trial by Combat: Difference between revisions

The idea behind [['''Trial by Combat]]''' is very simple, which is probably why it's been used by numerous cultures throughout history: someone is accused of a crime, or two parties are descending into conflict over a matter of opinion or policy. In order to resolve this issue with the minimum of bloodshed, an individual is chosen to represent each side, and they fight. Winner takes all.

This works, supposedly, because [[Right Makes Might]]. Whichever side is in the right ''will'' win a fight, either because [[Good Hurts Evil]], or because of some kind of divine intervention. Naturally, this idea is passé now, and so the [['''Trial by Combat]]''' has become something of a [[Dead Horse Trope]].

If the trial takes place between representatives of opposing armies, you have a case of [[Combat by Champion]]. And of course, if the two are fighting over an insult, it's going to be a [[Duel to the Death]], with all of the [[Throwing Down the Gauntlet]] etc. Be aware of the difference between these [[Duel to the Death]] and [['''Trial by Combat]]'''. Although they are similar and in many cases overlap, [['''Trial by Combat]]''' is always sanctioned by the pervading culture whereas a duel is sometimes illicit. Also, the way of engaging a trial is different. While a duel can be arranged entirely between the conflicting parties, a trial must be instigated at the behest of some authority figure (who will preside over the fight like a referee and may themselves serve as champion, especially if they're of a [[Proud Warrior Race]]), and there have to be witnesses to verify how things went down.

* In ''[[Gundam Wing]]'', [[The Rival|Zechs Merquise]] is court martialed by OZ for disobeying orders and rebuilding the Wing Gundam. The sentence is death, but his friend Treize manages to propose [[Trial by Combat]] as an alternate sentence. Zechs is pitted against countless [[The Federation|Alliance]] soldiers, all fighting to win OZ's favor; if Zechs wins he's allowed to go free. Since this is only about one-fifth of the way through the series, of course he wins.

* [[Honor Harrington]] engages in 3 duels in the eponymous series. The first two were [[Curb Stomp Battle|Curb Stomp Battles]]s, in which she only got wounded because her [[Dirty Coward]] of an opponent cheated. The third was specifically this trope, against the traitorous Steadholder Burdette. ''He'' didn't even get a chance to make a move before she took his head off.

* The Clans of ''[[BattleTech]]'' base their entire culture around this. The higherups made an edict your clan doesn't like? Then the result will most likely be a Trial of Refusal. There are Trials for all kinds of stuff, from the mundane Trial of Bloodright<ref>[[Meaningful Rename|earning the right of using your ancestors' surname]], considered a great honor</ref> through the politically-motivated Trial of Absorption<ref>the loser's clan gets assimilated into the winner's; only happened thrice so far</ref> to the more radical Trial of Annihilation.<ref>the winner's clan gets the honor of completely wiping out another clan while the losers all turn the other way; only happened twice but both recipients ([[Jerkass|Clan Wolverine]] and Clan Smoke Jaguar) kinda deserved it</ref>.

* In ''The Last Duel'' by Eric Jager, the author describes the last legally sanctioned ([[Duel to the Death|Duels to the Death]] of course continued to the eighteenth century and beyond, but they were more an aristocratic version of a [[Bar Brawl]] done with lethal weapons, then a legal practice) judicial duel in France during the hundred years war. A French noblewoman who was pregnant out of wedlock claimed that it was rape by her husband's [[Feuding Families|enemy]] and her husband, believing her, stood in the lists as plaintiff. The accused stood as defendant. In something of a [[Zig Zag]] no one really believed it was an ideal means, the Church condemned it as [[Tempting Fate]] and there hadn't been a [[Trial by Combat]] in ages. It was only permitted by the French king because the law was still technically on the books because no one had bothered to take it off. And because there was no way to solve a rape case there being no DNA testing at the time. In other words it was permitted not because it was actually believed that God would automatically intervene for the right party but because no one could think of anything better to do and it ''was'' technically legal. In any case, as the title of the book [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|indicates]] it was the last [[Trial by Combat]] in France.