Why was there no justice given to Elia Martell and her children ?

[Sasuke Targaryen]

Why didn't anyone try to get justice for the murder of Elia Martell and her children from the rebel side who had honorable people like Jon Arryn and Hoster Tully ? 

And How did Tywin Lannister get away with this? Murdering members of a great house and innocent children and presenting them rapped around the colors of his house? Doesn't this set a bad precedent for the future baratheon dynasty eg if the targaryen return to power than they may not spare innocent baratheon women and children? 

Why didn't the rebels side leaders like Jon Arryn atleast try to put Tywin for trial for this? 

[Targknight]

Because the other Kingdoms hate the dornish, and also the Targaryens.

[Curled Finger]

Welcome to the forum, @Sasuke TargaryenMaybe easier to answer from the bottom up.  Try Tywin?  Why?  He didn't do it and he is the most powerful man in Westeros.  Better question would be why weren't Amory and Gregor put to death for the crimes? 

Tywin got away with it because he is the top dog.  The extinctions of Houses Reyne and Tarbeck are powerful deterrents to any move against that guy.  He's got an army, remember?  His daughter was marrying the new king.  And Tywin offered plausible deniability in the actual crime.   He swore he didn't tell anyone to kill babies.  Easier to look away at that point. 

Seems to me that Tywin can do whatever he pleases because people fear him.  Jon Arryn did eventually make a diplomatic trip down to Dorne and an uneasy or maybe distant peace resulted.  Jon may have extracted agreements with House Martell.  It's interesting that Dorne doesn't send a diplomat to Kings Landing until after Jon Arryn is dead, even after Robert is dead.   Maybe something there.   It's clear that Doran Martell has been planning to avenge Elia and the childrens' deaths a very long time.  I think it may have been a good plan given that Oberyn created very little chaos during his visit to the capital.  I think if Oberyn was seriously there to exact some vengeance he would have.   He tried very hard to get Clegane to confess right there at the end.  

Robert pardoned everyone basically declawing all the preexisting arguments and honors that existed under Aerys.  He pardoned Jamie, the Kingslayer.  It always looked to me like Robert just wanted peace with everyone.  Except Targaryans.   He didn't dig them at all.  

[frenin]

It wasn't, Robert could've just cut the head of the middle man and deliver it to Dorne but with Robert married to Tywin's daughter and Tywin being known as the one who ordered the deaths. Well, it'd look like a joke, one can certainly say that it's better than anything,  but...

 

[300 H&H Magnum]

The rebels are not exactly honorable men.  The Lannister henchmen were protected by Tywin Lannister.  Robert was in the process of usurping the throne and needed to get rid of the real Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaenys.  The Lannister thugs did that for him and he got away without soiling his hands.  

Obviously a lot of people were unhappy about what happened.   But it is one thing to be unhappy and quite another to start another war over it.  Even Doran is reluctant to start a war.  He would lose.  So the man with the swollen toes bided his time until the door will open.  His brother signed a pact with the brave Ser Willem and the Sealord to put the Targaryens back on the throne.  The door never opened.  Until now.  The Targaryens are rising again.  Queen Daenerys has built a formidable army in the East.  Aegon/Young Griff has the Golden Company on his side.  It's Doran's move.  

[Lee-Sensei]

On 7/19/2020 at 3:12 AM, Sasuke Targaryen said:

Why didn't anyone try to get justice for the murder of Elia Martell and her children from the rebel side who had honorable people like Jon Arryn and Hoster Tully ? 

And How did Tywin Lannister get away with this? Murdering members of a great house and innocent children and presenting them rapped around the colors of his house? Doesn't this set a bad precedent for the future baratheon dynasty eg if the targaryen return to power than they may not spare innocent baratheon women and children? 

Why didn't the rebels side leaders like Jon Arryn atleast try to put Tywin for trial for this? 

There was no proof that Tywin gave the order. Jon Arryn thought that they’d need attains money and military support. Robert hated Targaryens. Also, I Don’t think that a Hoster is particularly honourable. I don’t think that he’s a monster by any means, but he seemed to be Tywin-lite.

[Lord Lannister]

There was a level of deniability on if Tywin specifically gave that order or his men just got overzealous with the Elia and the kids. More to the point, Robert hates Targaryens. All Targaryens. Robert's not going to condemn anyone who killed some dragonspawn and the whore that spawned them. 

[Victor Newman]

On 7/19/2020 at 5:12 AM, Sasuke Targaryen said:

Why didn't anyone try to get justice for the murder of Elia Martell and her children from the rebel side who had honorable people like Jon Arryn and Hoster Tully ? 

And How did Tywin Lannister get away with this? Murdering members of a great house and innocent children and presenting them rapped around the colors of his house? Doesn't this set a bad precedent for the future baratheon dynasty eg if the targaryen return to power than they may not spare innocent baratheon women and children? 

Why didn't the rebels side leaders like Jon Arryn atleast try to put Tywin for trial for this? 

1. Justice is hard to come by in times of war.
2. Jon Arryn and Hoster Tullys are selectively honorable.  Remember what Hoster did to the Goodberooks.  He destroyed that family and their village for siding with King Aerys.  Hoster was wrong, in my opinion.
3. Most people suspected the order having come from Tywin.  Proof was lacking.  Tywin was very strong and people are reluctant to take him on.
4. It did set a bad example but that sort of conduct has happened before.  House Stark fought and killed the family of their enemies.  Tywin did the Castamere thing to unruly vassals.  
5. The Baratheon and Lannister women and children are fair game for any member of House Targaryen who takes the throne.  We already know what the rebels did to the boy whom they thought was Prince Aegon.  It is understandable if the boy chooses to be harsh.  My advice to Prince Aegon, is to hang Stannis and Jaime.  He should also hang the remaining leaders of Robert's Rebellion.  Anybody who was in a leadership position.  Stannis Baratheon would have murdered King Viserys III and Princess Daenerys if he had caught them on Dragonstone.  I would advice Daenerys to spare Shireen and Selyse, but definitely, absolutely execute Stannis Baratheon and Jaime Lannister.  I would also counsel the Targaryen to reward the families who remained loyal.  I would take away River Run from the Freys and give it to the Goodbrooks.  Remove the Lannisters from power and distribute their gold to the families who remained loyal to House Targaryen.  I would pardon Ser Aliser Thorne and make him Lord of the Stormlands and give him Storm's End.  Offer Winterfell to Barbrey Dustin and give the Eyrie to a loyal supporter.  

[Rose of Red Lake]

I can only imagine it from a writing standpoint. Justice was delayed so the author could have an interesting plot about to boil over in Dorne. 

[SeanF]

On 7/19/2020 at 10:12 AM, Sasuke Targaryen said:

Why didn't anyone try to get justice for the murder of Elia Martell and her children from the rebel side who had honorable people like Jon Arryn and Hoster Tully ? 

And How did Tywin Lannister get away with this? Murdering members of a great house and innocent children and presenting them rapped around the colors of his house? Doesn't this set a bad precedent for the future baratheon dynasty eg if the targaryen return to power than they may not spare innocent baratheon women and children? 

Why didn't the rebels side leaders like Jon Arryn atleast try to put Tywin for trial for this? 

Who says the rebels were honourable?

Nobody cared about the murders of Elia and her children, other than the Dornish royal family and Ned Stark.  Robert Baratheon was delighted at their deaths, and rewarded their murderer.  In-universe, there is considerable racial prejudice against the Dornish, which would be a further factor.

[The hairy bear]

It's worth remembering that the identities of the murderers were not made public. This is what the official story says:

It is tragic that the blood spilled in war may as readily be innocent as it is guilty, and that those who ravished and murdered Princess Elia escaped justice. It is not known who murdered Princess Rhaenys in her bed, or smashed the infant Prince Aegon's head against a wall. Some whisper it was done at Aerys's own command when he learned that Lord Lannister had taken up Robert's cause, while others suggest that Elia did it herself for fear of what would happen to her children in the hands of her dead husband's enemies. (TWOIAF)

Robert and Jon Arryn probably never knew who killed Elia and her kids, and perhaps they were not even aware that Elia had been raped. If they even cared to ask, Tywin could easily reply that he didn't know.

By the time the novels starts, Eddard has heard the rumor that Gregor was behind the murder of Elia and Aegon, but remarks that no one dares to say that in Gregor's presence. And Amory's involvement was even less known, judging by Tyrion's surprise when Tywin reveals it.

[Hodor the Articulate]

47 minutes ago, The hairy bear said:

Robert and Jon Arryn probably never knew who killed Elia and her kids, and perhaps they were not even aware that Elia had been raped. If they even cared to ask, Tywin could easily reply that he didn't know.

Tywin presented the bodies to Robert to prove his loyalty to the new regime. He could get away with pretending he had nothing to do with the savagery, but there would have been no doubt as to his complicity in the murders (for Robert, Ned, and Jon at least).

[Trigger Warning]

Because having Tywin Lannister backing you > placating the Dornish. 

[Destiny Arrives]

Robert much like Dany after Mereen pardoned everyone no matter the atrocity that was done

[Trigger Warning]

11 minutes ago, Hodor the Articulate said:

Tywin presented the bodies to Robert to prove his loyalty to the new regime. He could get away with pretending he had nothing to do with the savagery, but there would have been no doubt as to his complicity in the murders (for Robert, Ned, and Jon at least).

Tywin can simply say they were in the citadel when it was stormed and as such died in the chaos to absolve himself of much of the blame, people might actually care had the citadel surrendered before he had them killed.

[Angel Eyes]

6 minutes ago, Trigger Warning said:

Because having Tywin Lannister backing you > placating the Dornish. 

How were the Dornish placated after Robert’s Rebellion? Surely the return of bones can’t be enough since that didn’t stop hostilities between the North and the Iron Throne.

[Hodor the Articulate]

2 minutes ago, Trigger Warning said:

Tywin can simply say they were in the citadel when it was stormed and as such died in the chaos to absolve himself of much of the blame, people might actually care had the citadel surrendered before he had them killed.

But the whole point behind presenting the children's bodies (wrapped in a Lannister cloak, no less) was to signal his loyalty to Robert. If he didn't want to take credit, he could have left the bodies for someone else to find. He could still deny having anything to do with it to Dorne, though, since he never explicitly claim responsibility.

[The Sunland Lord]

On 7/19/2020 at 11:12 AM, Sasuke Targaryen said:

Why didn't anyone try to get justice for the murder of Elia Martell and her children from the rebel side who had honorable people like Jon Arryn and Hoster Tully ? 

And How did Tywin Lannister get away with this? Murdering members of a great house and innocent children and presenting them rapped around the colors of his house? Doesn't this set a bad precedent for the future baratheon dynasty eg if the targaryen return to power than they may not spare innocent baratheon women and children? 

Why didn't the rebels side leaders like Jon Arryn atleast try to put Tywin for trial for this? 

Because the Woe to the Vanquished rule applied. The rebels had no reason to offer justice to the defeated - and the defeated were in no position to ask for it. 

[The Hoare]

I think Jon Arryn made a deal with Tywin to murder the Targaryen children in exchange of making Cersei queen.

[Trigger Warning]

16 minutes ago, Hodor the Articulate said:

But the whole point behind presenting the children's bodies (wrapped in a Lannister cloak, no less) was to signal his loyalty to Robert. If he didn't want to take credit, he could have left the bodies for someone else to find. He could still deny having anything to do with it to Dorne, though, since he never explicitly claim responsibility.

 

It's basically having your cake an eating it, he's taking credit for it since his men did it but at the same time they died when the citadel was stormed so it's not like he had them killed when they were already in his power, it's expected that innocents will die when a castle is stormed so he even has plausible deniability about ordering it at all. Not that I think it matters, for Jon and Robert making an enemy of Tywin for the sake of the Targaryens and Martells was never even on the table after he'd delivered up King's Landing to them on a platter. 

Ned cares, doesn't mean anyone else does.