Exatai

An Exatai (Adanai: Eshai) is a state where legitimacy lies with the "strongest," or more properly he with the most Exatas. Anciently, especially among the Satar, this meant the succession was decided by ritual trial by combat in a melee between the heads of each important tribe; in more modern eras, succession is usually by acclamation rather than combat. Nominally, however, every ruler (even in modern times) must be able to defend his claim against any and all challengers in battle. This ruler is known as the Redeemer (Satar: Vaxalai, Adanai: Vashalai).
Historically, this form of government appeared first among the Satar, under several important dynasties (the Exatai of the Satar, the Accan Exatai, the Kothari Exatai, the Ardavai Exatai, and the Karapeshai Exatai), but it has also been used by the Vithana.
A removed lineage of the system arose in the far west, in the Adanai Eshai, Khatri Eshai, and Reokhar Eshai. Here, legitimacy of the warrior elite ran into serious problems early on -- an issue that would haunt the westerners through the collapse of the Vischa Khaganate -- and the transition to rule-by-acclamation occurred rather sooner than it did in the Satar states. Nevertheless, the etymological connection has prompted much speculation about possible cultural transmission, lending credence to theories of a western diaspora of the late Satarai period.
A strange variant has recently arisen in the state of Parthe, which continues to maintain trial-by-combat practices.
Category:Satar
Category:Government