Trial by ordeal was a way to decide if someone wasguilty orinnocent of acrime. This was usually done by causing the accused person to do a painful task. If that task was completed withoutinjury or if the injuries healed fast, this was taken as asign of God, which meant that the accused was innocent. People believed thatGod would not allow innocent people to be harmed. He would therefore help them by doing amiracle. There were three common types of Trial by Ordeal:
| Type of Trial by Ordeal | How did it deliver a verdict? |
|---|---|
| Ordeal by fire | The accused person would hold a red hot iron bar and walk three steps. Their hand would then be bandaged and left for three days. After three days, if the wound was healing then the accused was considered innocent. If the wound was not getting better, they were guilty. |
| Ordeal by water | The accused was tied up and thrown into water. If they sank, they were considered innocent. If they floated, they were considered guilty, and would be executed. |
| Ordeal by combat | This could be used by someone to challenge the person who has accused them of a crime, and was usually done bynobles. The accused and accuser would fight in combat, and the winner would be considered right. |
Ordeals had to be watched over by a religious person, such as apriest, because each ordeal was supposed to show the judgement of God. In England, Ordeals were common up to and including the reign of Henry II, who introduced Trials by Jury.
In pre-modern society, the ordeal typically was done together with theoath andwitness accounts as the central means by which to reach a verdict. The termordeal itself,Old Englishordǣl, has the meaning of "judgment, verdict" (GermanUrteil, Dutchoordeel), fromProto-Germanic*uzdailjam "that which is dealt out".
InEurope, ordeals commonly required an accused person to test himself or herself against fire or water. How this was done varied in detail, and was different at different places and times. InEngland, ordeals were common under both theAnglo-Saxons and theNormans. Fire was the element typically used to test noble defendants, while water was more commonly used by lesser folk.
Priestly cooperation in trials by fire and water was forbidden byPope Innocent III at theFourth Lateran Council of 1215, and replaced bycompurgation.[1] Trials by ordeal became more rare over theLate Middle Ages, often replaced by confessions extracted undertorture, but the practice was discontinued only in the 16th century.Johannes Hartlieb in 1456 reports a popular superstition for how to identify a thief by anordeal by ingestion practiced privately without judicial sanction.
Trial by ordeal has existed inpolytheistic cultures as far back as theCode of Hammurabi and theCode of Ur-Nammu, and inanimisttribal societies, such as the trial by drinking "red water" (calabar bean) inSierra Leone. There the intended effect ismagical rather than calling forth justice from a god.
