Legal Systems in Medieval Europe

A person was innocent if their burns were healing after a certain number of days

• Trial by Turf

• Trial the Cross

• Trial by Hot Water

• Trial by Cold Water

A person was innocent if they won a hand-to-hand duel

• Trial by Ingestion

• Trial by Combat

• Trial by Fire

• Trial by Hot Water

A person walked across hot coals or held hot iron for a certain amount of time

• Trial by Fire

• Trial by Turf

• Trial by Cold Water

• Trial by Hot Water

A person was innocent if they could eat a piece of stale bread without coughing after not drinking any water for 24 hours

• Trial by Cold Water

• Trial by Fire

• Trial by the Cross

• Trial by Ingestion

When two people were accused, whoever could hold their arms up the longest was innocent

• Trial by Turf

• Trial by the Cross

• Trial by Fire

• Trial by Combat

A person who floated was guilty, but a person who sank was innocent

• Trial by Cold Water

• Trial by Hot Water

• Trial by Death

• Trial by Combat

An accused person had to grab an item from the bottom of a boiling pot of water/oil/molten lead

• Trial by Combat

• Trial by Turf

• Trial by Fire

• Trial by Hot Water

If you could walk underneath a piece of turf without anything falling on your head, you were innocent.

• Trial by the Cross

• Trial by Duel

• Trial by Cold Water

• Trial by Turf