Most people know this idea thanks to a scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in which commoners debate whether to burn a woman to figure out if she’s a witch.
RECOUNT HIDE OUT OF COMBAT TRIAL
Its counterpart is the trial by ordeal, in which someone accused of a crime is, say, burned with a hot iron, and God is called upon to protect him from harm if he is innocent. Game of Thrones has made this odd aspect of history famous, as trials by combat feature prominently in the fate of two characters. Once defeat became a possibility, representatives of the feuding abbots came to terms. But later trials by combat in England took place in special arenas (“the lists”) with stands for spectators.Īlthough the Abbot of Meaux paid better, his champion fought poorly. Given the time period, the champions likely fought in a makeshift arena. The presiding justice in the case attended the fight, invoked the monarch’s name, and followed a specific ritual that called for God to intervene and bring victory to whichever side was honest in its claim. People did not view this as barbaric it was part of the legal process. Each abbot hired a champion-there was an established market for champions, the best of whom had reputations that scared the other side into settling the case-to fight for his claim. In accordance with English law, since the courts failed to resolve the ownership question, they chose to settle it through trial by combat. Although the abbots did not brawl, it was a literal fight. Mary’s of York fought over who owned several profitable businesses. In 1251, the Abbot of Meaux and the Abbot of St.
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