Quick answer: The Trial of Seven at Ashford Meadow (209 AC) was a seven-against-seven trial by combat that decided whether a hedge knight named Dunk was a criminal. Dunk’s side won when Prince Aerion lost the fight and the charge fell with him, but the victory cost Prince Baelor Breakspear his life. It is the climax of The Hedge Knight, the event that bound Dunk and Egg together, and the moment the whole tragic chain of the Dunk and Egg era starts turning. Below: what a trial of seven is, how Dunk ended up in one, and every knight on both sides.
What Is a Trial of Seven?
A trial of seven is an ancient form of trial by combat, an old Andal rite in which the accused and the accuser each fight alongside six champions: seven against seven, because seven are the gods, and the gods are invited to judge with swords. By Dunk’s day it was already an antique, more legend than living law. Then Prince Aerion Targaryen demanded one, and suddenly a hedge knight who had struck a prince for beating a puppeteer needed six men willing to bleed for a stranger.
How Dunk Ended Up in a Trial of Seven
In 209 AC, Dunk (the hedge knight later known as Ser Duncan the Tall) rides to the great tourney at Ashford Meadow after the death of his master, Ser Arlan of Pennytree. On the road he picks up a bald boy called Egg as his squire. At Ashford, Dunk is nearly turned away until Prince Baelor vouches for him. Then, one evening, he sees Prince Aerion mistreating a puppeteer, and he strikes the prince.
The penalty for striking a prince of the blood is the loss of a hand. Dunk demands trial by combat instead. Aerion answers by demanding a trial of seven, and Prince Daeron adds a second charge: that Dunk had kidnapped Prince Aegon, the boy Dunk knows as Egg. That is the moment Egg reveals who he really is, and it is why Dunk now needs six champions to stand on a field with him. If you want the long view of the pair that this day creates, see our Dunk and Egg family tree.
The Seven Who Fought for Dunk
Dunk’s champions were not a band of old friends. Most of them barely knew him, and Egg did much of the recruiting.
| Knight | Who he was | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Ser Duncan the Tall | The accused: an orphaned hedge knight raised in Flea Bottom | Won his fight with Aerion, then took Egg as his squire and rode for Dorne |
| Prince Baelor “Breakspear” | Heir to the Iron Throne, who vouched for Dunk at the tourney | Took a mace blow to the head and died soon after; see Baelor Targaryen |
| Ser Lyonel Baratheon | “The Laughing Storm,” heir to Storm’s End and champion of the lists | Survived; later Lord of Storm’s End. In the late 230s AC he raised a rebellion over a broken Targaryen betrothal and was beaten by Dunk himself in a trial by battle |
| Ser Robyn Rhysling | A grizzled, one-eyed knight of the Reach, brought to Dunk by Egg | Survived; unhorsed Prince Daeron in the melee |
| Ser Humfrey Hardyng | A knight with his own grudge against Aerion | Died as a result of the fighting |
| Ser Humfrey Beesbury | An older knight who joined with Raymun, also hoping to see Aerion humbled | Died as a result of the fighting |
| Ser Raymun Fossoway | A squire, angry that his cousin had abandoned Dunk | Knighted by Lyonel Baratheon so he could take his cousin’s place; survived and went on to found the green-apple Fossoways |
One detail makes the list stranger. Raymun’s cousin, Ser Steffon Fossoway, had first promised to stand with Dunk, then switched sides for the promise of a lordship. It is Steffon’s betrayal that pushes Raymun to take his place.
The Seven Against Dunk
The accusers were royal blood and royal guards: Prince Aerion himself; his brother Prince Daeron (see Daeron the Drunken); their father, Prince Maekar (Maekar I Targaryen); three Kingsguard knights, Ser Willem Wylde, Ser Donnel of Duskendale and Ser Roland Crakehall; and the turncoat Ser Steffon Fossoway. It was a family affair on one side and a collection of volunteers on the other, and the volunteers won.
How the Trial Ended
The fourteen champions charged. Dunk was unhorsed in the first clash, but he got Aerion on the ground, grappled with him, and overpowered him. Aerion yielded, and the accusation collapsed with him, which in a trial of seven settles the matter in the accused’s favor. The cost was heavy. Both Humfreys died, and Ser Willem Wylde was carried off the field unconscious.
The Death That Changed the Dynasty
Baelor had fought in armor made for his son rather than his own. A mace blow struck his head, and after the fighting he began to act strangely, as if drunk. When his helm was lifted, his skull was found crushed. Maekar later told Dunk that it had been his own mace that killed his brother. Baelor died soon after, and he died defending a hedge knight he had met only days earlier because he had judged the matter and found his own family in the wrong.
The aftermath is the era in miniature. The Great Spring Sickness of 209 AC took the king and Baelor’s sons, so the line of succession tilted toward Maekar’s branch, a chain that eventually puts Egg on the Iron Throne as Aegon V. Maekar offered Dunk a place in his household. Dunk asked instead to be free to travel, took Egg as his squire, and rode south for Dorne. You can follow the whole chain on the interactive Targaryen family tree.
The Trial of Seven in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
The HBO series adapts The Hedge Knight in its first season, with the Trial of Seven and Baelor’s death landing in Season 1, Episode 5. As in the novella, the result is not a clean triumph: the men who stood with Dunk are mourned, and the realm never stops feeling the loss of the one who did not have to stand there at all. For the wider show context, see our Knight of the Seven Kingdoms family tree guide.
FAQ
What is a Trial of Seven?
An ancient Andal form of trial by combat: seven fighters on each side, invoking the seven gods to judge. It was already archaic by 209 AC, until Prince Aerion invoked it against Dunk at Ashford.
Who died in the Trial of Seven at Ashford?
Prince Baelor Breakspear, who fought for Dunk, died of a mace blow to the head. Ser Humfrey Hardyng and Ser Humfrey Beesbury, also on Dunk’s side, died as a result of the fighting.
How did Baelor Breakspear die?
He was struck on the head by his own brother, Prince Maekar, during the trial. Baelor was wearing armor made for his son rather than his own, seemed stunned after the fight, and died soon after when his helm was lifted and his skull was found crushed.
Who won the Trial of Seven?
Dunk’s seven. Dunk overpowered Prince Aerion, who yielded, and the charge collapsed with him.
Who fought on each side of the Trial of Seven?
For Dunk: Ser Duncan the Tall, Prince Baelor, Ser Lyonel Baratheon, Ser Robyn Rhysling, Ser Humfrey Hardyng, Ser Humfrey Beesbury and Ser Raymun Fossoway. For the accusers: Prince Aerion, Prince Daeron, Prince Maekar, Ser Willem Wylde, Ser Donnel of Duskendale, Ser Roland Crakehall and Ser Steffon Fossoway.
Was the Trial of Seven in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1?
Yes. It is the centerpiece of Season 1, adapting The Hedge Knight, and Baelor’s death in Episode 5 sets up everything that follows.