Tournaments and judicial duels in George R.R. Martin's "The World of Ice and Fire " and "A Song of Ice and Fire"

Fantasy has been heavily influenced by medieval history and culture since its inception. The martial exploits of Arthur’s court or more uncanny tales of monsters and wizardry served as a blueprint for many a fantasy novel. There is, however, a curious shortage of tournaments in modern medievalist fantasy. This lack must come as a surprise to any enthusiast of the period, as tournaments, and contests of martial prowess are among the most prolific themes of medieval romances, and chronicles alike, as evidenced by the famous examples of Chaucer’s the Knight’s Tale, and Froissart’s Chronicle. Luckily, some fantasy writers are capable of appreciating the importance and splendor of medieval martial games, tournaments, and judicial duels, and George R. R. Martin is currently the most notable of them. The aim of this paper is to analyze Martin’s depictions of various forms of medieval martial contests, and compare them to analogous events known form the medieval period. Additionally, as the paper draws from a number of sources on the history and customs of Westeros, presenting events that took place at different points of its history, it offers a comparative analysis of how martial games seem to have developed in Martin’s secondary world, as opposed to their factual evolution in the European Middle Ages.