I'm inclined to believe that society is based on violence anyhow and it can be proven simply by pushing hard enough. The goal of civilization is to keep violence many times removed and slow. It's not unlike dueling in the Old South, it took months to have a duel most times. There were proceedings and formalities and statements that had to be made for the duel to be socially acceptable. The goal was simply to have both sides settle down and possibly start fearing their own mortality enough.

But that one commenter brings up a good point on Death, which English monarch (James?) stated that he was (to paraphrase) "God's lieutenant on Earth, with the power to make and unmake at will?"