Werewolf/witch Trials

So I'm doing a little research on werewolf/witch trials, and I've not had much trouble finding information on it. However, I want to actually know what happens during a medieval trial, what is said, where it takes place, who is present etc. I didn't take History on, so I don't know much about the Middle Ages. xD So if you have any links/information of what such a trial would entail, please let me know!

I'll donate points to anyone I find helpful.

Thanks!

Essentially, those accused of a serious crime were put through a trial by ordeal. The type of ordeal varied, but common ones were to stick your hands into a boiling pot of water, walk through a fire, get thrown into a body of water, have hot irons pressed against your skin, and being left out in the weather without food or water for extended periods of time. The main idea was that if you endured the ordeal without injury/dying, then you were innocent. If you were injured/the wounds became infected/you died, then you were guilty.

If you really want some in-depth stuff, the Malleus Maleficarum is worth looking at. It goes into gruesome detail on how to detect witches and their allies, and what is to be done with them once they have been discovered. It's definitely not light reading though, and if you're squeamish, I suggest avoiding it.

You can read the Malleus Maleficarum online here.

Thank you! I had found information on trial by ordeal, but I'll think I'll have a short look at Malleus Maleficarum... depending on the content. We'll see how that goes. xD Thanks, have a hundred points for the help.

-Moo

Woot - an excuse to talk about witch trials!

You might need to narrow down your context if you are aiming for accuracy - if not, just roll with it. Trials in Germany would have been very different from England. It also would have differed throughout time. In the early Middle Ages there would have been a lot more emphasis on Cannon (Church) Law and by the end of the middle ages there would have been a lot more of a focus on Kings.


Here is an awesome website for you: http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/project ... w/law.html

Here's a fun fact - Trial by Battle wasn't formally abolished in England until quite recently (last hundred years or so). It took a man claiming his right to Trial by Battle to get the law to change! Bwahahaha

Some England Specific Stuff

Another thing to bear in mind is that judges didn't stay in one village. They would travel around and each village would have a "trial day." These people were called circuit judges.

I am pretty sure that there was a right to appeal to the king - although usually these appeals were heard by the Kings staff not the actual king.

Also don't forget after the reformation in the 1530s the Church no longer had its own law/courts/crimes/etc in England.

Hope these random pieces of historical information are of some use. It is all stuff I have read... I would do references, but I am lazy and have forgotten. I do know however that most basic legal studies/law text books will have some basic details about the law in the middle ages in the first chapter or so.

Good luck!

I don't know anything about witch trials in England, but I know there were witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts in the United States back in the 1690's. If you want to research more about them, search for the "Salem Witch Trials."

Kyllorac wrote:Essentially, those accused of a serious crime were put through a trial by ordeal. The type of ordeal varied, but common ones were to stick your hands into a boiling pot of water, walk through a fire, get thrown into a body of water, have hot irons pressed against your skin, and being left out in the weather without food or water for extended periods of time. The main idea was that if you endured the ordeal without injury/dying, then you were innocent. If you were injured/the wounds became infected/you died, then you were guilty.

It's been a long time since I've read up about witch trials, but I thought it was the opposite to what you just said. A woman would be thrown into a pond/lake with her hands tied to her feet, and if she floated, she was a witch. If she drowned and died, she was innocent.