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Trial by Fire and Water: The Medieval Judicial Ordeal [Paperback]

Robert Bartlett (Author)

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Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198227353 | ISBN-13: 978-0198227359 | Publication Date: June 2, 1988

In trial by ordeal the accused was subjected to some harsh test--holding hot iron, being cast into a pool of water--with guilt or innocence decided according to the outcome. To us a strange and alien custom, trial by ordeal has been an important legal procedure in many regions and periods. Bartlett examines the workings of trial by ordeal from its first appearance in the barbarian law codes, tracing its use by Christian societies to its last days as a test of witchcraft in Europe and America. He discusses recent theories about the operation and decline of the practice, shedding new light on both the ordeal as a working institution and the pressure for its abolition.

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } In trial by ordeal the accused was subjected to some harsh test--holding hot iron, being cast into a pool of water--with guilt or innocence decided according to the outcome. To us a strange and alien custom, trial by ordeal has been an important legal procedure in many regions and periods. Bartlett examines the workings of trial by ordeal from its first appearance in the barbarian law codes, tracing its use by Christian societies to its last days as a test of witchcraft in Europe and America. He discusses recent theories about the operation and decline of the practice, shedding new light on both the ordeal as a working institution and the pressure for its abolition.

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Product Details

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (June 2, 1988)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0198227353
ISBN-13: 978-0198227359
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,367,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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