Trial by ordeal

Trial by ordeal used a physical test to determine guilt, relying on the belief that God would protect the innocent or reveal guilt. Priests helped organise these trials, linking religious belief with the practical operation of justice.

Trial by ordeal rested on the belief that God would reveal the truth. In an ordeal by hot iron, for example, the accused carried heated iron and the wound was inspected after three days: healing was interpreted as evidence of innocence. This was a religious understanding of justice, not a modern test of evidence.