In the Middle Ages, Animals Stood Trial in Court — and Had the Right to a Defense Lawyer

In medieval and early modern Europe, church and secular courts regularly held formal trials against animals accused of causing harm — for example, pigs that injured or killed a child.

These trials followed full legal procedure — the accused animal was even assigned a defense attorney who could file appeals, and hearings could drag on for weeks.

A separate category involved collective trials against pests, such as locusts or mice devastating crops — church courts would issue formal excommunications or eviction orders, though these obviously carried no enforcement power over insects.

Individual animals found guilty were sometimes sentenced to death by hanging, carried out publicly just as with human criminals — a practice cited today as an illustration of how differently medieval societies understood guilt and responsibility.