In 1386, the town of Falaise, Normandy, witnessed one of history's most bizarre judicial proceedings: the formal criminal trial of a domestic sow accused of murdering an infant. Medieval European legal systems believed that God's justice applied to all creatures, and animals capable of causing harm could be held morally responsible for their actions. The sow was arrested, detained in the local prison alongside human inmates, and provided with a court-appointed defense lawyer.
During the trial, witnesses testified, and the magistrate weighed the evidence before finding the pig guilty of murder. The sentence was remarkably specific: before being dragged to the gallows and hanged by the local executioner, the sow was dressed in human clothes—specifically a waistcoat, breeches, and gloves—to symbolize her human-like accountability. The town's bailiff ordered local farmers to attend the public execution alongside their own pigs so the animals might learn a moral lesson against committing similar crimes.
Animal trials were surprisingly common in Western Europe between the 13th and 18th centuries, encompassing everything from insect swarms excommunicated by church courts to rogue oxen tried for manslaughter.