A Brief History of Trial by Combat

For centuries, judges settled cases by asking God to help honest people win duels or complete impossible tasks like touching hot metal without getting burned.

Yet in many ways, given the limitations of the time, they could offer the best path for resolving a dispute, despite the potential for abuse.

It’s a trite point, but worth considering: Many aspects of our legal system could seem equally absurd to historians hundreds of years from now.

Source: A Brief History of Trial by Combat