Trial by combat: the real history behind The Last Duel
HistoryExtra podcast
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The Idea of Ordeal in Medieval Judiciary
Trial by combat appeals to god to make a judge ant. But it looks very familiar in the sense that no miracle is expected. This really is just two people fighting it out in the most brutal way possible. The idea is that god will back his candidate, the one in the rye, and they will emerge victorious. And there are all kinds of problems with that, not just from a modern perspective.
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