Video Infographic : Trial By Combat
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What if somebody challenged you to trial by combat? How could you guarantee that you win it?
Imagine you’re doing some yard work on a Saturday afternoon and installing some fencing in your backyard. Suddenly your neighbor shows up and claims that you installed the fence six inches too far into his property. Without warning he tosses a glove at your feet and brandishes a mace, challenging you to a trial by combat to determine both of your property rights. Sound extreme? Well, for centuries this was just the way most land disputes were settled across Europe. Hello and welcome to another episode of The Infographics Show- today we’re taking a look at trials by combat and asking, could you survive one?
Ancient European courts had various, and very imaginative, ways of determining innocence or guilt in the absence of witnesses. Trial by ordeal would see the accused undergo a difficult, painful, or perhaps life-threatening ordeal, with innocence proven if one could successfully complete the task given them. Trial by fire was, much like it sounds, a way of determining guilt or innocence by having individuals brave roaring fires, or carry red-hot metal rods a set number of paces. Lastly though, is the infamous trial by combat- perhaps the most straightforward way of determining innocence or guilt between two parties. In all of these cases it was believed that supreme being himself would intervene on the innocent’s behalf. It seems people began to disagree as early as the 14th century though, with the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire declaring that innocent men were being convicted just for being physically weaker than their opponents.
Yet trials by combat remained in effect across Europe regardless for centuries. Having their origins from the customs of the wild Germanic tribes, their popularity grew as the Roman Empire declined, leaving a wild and lawless Europe in its wake. They would remain popular up until the 17th century, with some of the last recorded trials by combat taking place in Britain- though it wouldn’t be until 1819 that they would be officially abolished by Attorney General Samuel Shepherd who introduced the Trial by Battle Abolition Bill. In 2002 a 60 year old man given a traffic violation in Britain officially challenged the British Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to a trial by combat to settle the matter, proposing that the DVLA appoint a champion to fight in their stead and that the two would fight with “samurai swords, Gurkha knives, or heavy hammers”. The fine in question? 25 pounds- though the DMLV would go on to fine him an extra 200 with 100 in costs.
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