Trial by combat, or a judicial duel, was a method of Germanic law to settle accusations in the absence of witnesses or a confession. The winner of the fight was proclaimed to be right.
An unusual variant, the marital duel, involved combat between a husband and wife, with the former physically handicapped in some way. The handicap often took the form of the husband having to stand in a hole in the ground and have one arm tied behind their back, but he would be armed with a sword. The wife would be armed with a sack of rocks.
The loser was killed.
Judicial duels were commonplace between the 8th and 15th centuries. It is believed that judicial duels inspired the development of the art of fencing.
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