Very often the modern man in the street does not understand the customs and customs of the Middle Ages. One of these extraordinary events is animal trials. Because of their excessive piety and superstition, people regularly "called" animals to account for several centuries in a row.
Pig trial
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In addition to public reprisals against witches, curses from the church, another phenomenon was popular in Medieval Europe: the trial of animals and insects. Cats, dogs, caterpillars, flies, leeches, etc. were seriously called to account.
Public massacre of an animal
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When there were seasonal outbreaks of locusts or mice, they were usually summoned to court. And these were not fake proceedings, but processes with the participation of judges, a lawyer defending the defendant. Caterpillars were being tried once in Lausanne. They were summoned three times to the court with the bell ringing, then the townspeople recited the prayer "Our Father" three times, but, as expected, the caterpillars did not appear. The proceedings took place without their participation, but, nevertheless, the caterpillars were called the henchmen of the devil and cursed. They were ordered to leave the lands of Lausanne within 3 days. Despite the fact that the insects "did not go anywhere", such lawsuits were repeated with enviable regularity.
Pets were also often “called to account”. So, for example, a donkey, which ate lettuce leaves in the garden, had an ear cut off. A dog that bit a passerby was imprisoned for one day.
Medieval execution of a cat
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Most of all in the Middle Ages got cats. They, leading a nocturnal lifestyle, meowing loudly with glowing eyes, perfectly suited the role of the devil's minions. The massacre of these four-legged was carried out by all and sundry: the church, the courts, the crowd. Mass festivities were held in different parts of Europe with mass executions of cats. The animals were caught and then thrown from the highest bell towers.
By the 14th century, the cat population had reached a critical level, and they could no longer cope with rats. This led to an epidemic of the bubonic plague, which destroyed almost half of the population of Europe. The cats were forgotten for a while, and they were able to breed again and reduce the number of rats. As soon as the plague receded, the townspeople again began to catch the "devil's offspring."
Kattenfestival is a festival in the city of Ypres. Toy cats are dropped from the bell tower
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In the 16th century, mice and rats destroy crops in Burgundy and famine sets in. The townspeople, according to the proven method, summon the rodents to court and pass a sentence on them: to leave the country within 3 days.
Animal trials continued until the 18th century. In 1740, a cow sentenced to death became the last victim of the "bestial" trials.
