Medieval Animal Trials

Historical Context

Between the 13th and 18th centuries, animals in Europe were sometimes subjected to the same judicial processes as humans. These trials were not mere superstitions but formal, institutionalized legal proceedings conducted by both secular and ecclesiastical courts.

Whether it was a pig accused of murder or a swarm of locusts causing crop failure, the medieval mind believed in a strictly ordered universe where all creatures were subject to Divine and human law.

Secular Proceedings

Focused on domestic animals (pigs, cows, horses) involved in physical injuries or death. These followed criminal law, including imprisonment and execution.

Ecclesiastical Proceedings

Handled "pests" (rats, weevils, caterpillars). Since these could not be seized, the church used spiritual sanctions such as excommunication or formal curses.

The Sow of Falaise

1386

Falaise, Normandy

Charge: Murder of a young child.

Verdict: Sentenced to death. The pig was famously dressed in human clothes for her execution.

Notable: The executioner was paid ten sous and ten deniers, plus a new pair of gloves.

The Rooster of Basel

1474

Basel, Switzerland

Charge: The "unnatural" act of laying an egg, feared to be a cockatrice egg.

Verdict: Sentenced to be burned at the stake for sorcery.

The Sow of Savigny

1457

Savigny, France

Charge: Murder of a five-year-old boy.

Verdict: The sow was executed; however, her six piglets were acquitted due to their youth and the corrupting influence of their mother.

The Rats of Autun

1519

Autun, Burgundy

Charge: Destruction of local barley crops.

Verdict: Indicted. Famous for the defense by Bartholomew Chassenée, who argued the rats couldn't appear because the journey was too dangerous (due to cats).

The Weevils of Savoy

1587

St. Julien, Savoy

Charge: Consuming vineyards.

Verdict: A lengthy legal battle where the town offered a specific plot of land to the weevils in exchange for leaving the vines.

Aosta Caterpillars

1584

Aosta, Italy

Charge: Ravaging greenery and crops.

Verdict: Ordered to relocate to a designated area. When they failed to move, they were formally excommunicated.

The Bull of Moussy

1314

Moussy-le-Vieux

Charge: Goring a man to death.

Verdict: Hanged on the common gibbet of the village.

The Pig of Senlis

1567

Senlis, France

Charge: Attacking a young girl.

Verdict: Sentenced to be strangled and hung by the hind legs.

Horse of Clermont

1546

Clermont, France

Charge: Homicide of a traveler.

Verdict: Sentenced to death following a full trial with witness testimony.

Bartholomew Chassenée

Defense Attorney (1480–1541)

A distinguished French jurist who rose to prominence by defending the rats of Autun. He argued for the rights of the accused animals, suggesting they were entitled to due process.

His work in these trials helped establish his reputation, leading him to become the President of the Parlement of Provence. He wrote the influential Consilia, which discussed the legality of prosecuting animals and pests.

The Medieval Framework

The practice of animal trials was rooted in the concept of Lex Talionis (the law of retaliation). If an animal committed a crime, it was seen as a disruption of the natural order that must be rectified through judicial retribution.

Secular View

Animals were viewed as legal agents capable of intent. If a pig killed a child, the owner was often held civilly liable, but the animal itself was considered the criminal who must satisfy the law's requirement for a life for a life.

Ecclesiastical View

Pests like locusts or rats were often seen as "ministers of God" sent to punish human sin. Therefore, the church had to follow a process of petitioning God or using spiritual authority to remove the plague through excommunication.

The practice began to decline during the Enlightenment as the scientific understanding of animal behavior evolved and the legal system shifted focus away from retribution toward human responsibility and liability.

Scholarly Resources

The Criminal Prosecution and Capital Punishment of Animals

E.P. Evans (1906)

Seminal Work

The Prosecution and Punishment of Animals and Lifeless Things

Walter Woodburn Hyde (1916)

Legal History

Law, Nature, and Animal Sacrifice

Piers Bierne (1994)

Modern Analysis