What did Medieval towns do when rodents were eating their grain or insects were feasting on their grape vines? They didn’t call the exterminator or pop to the shop for a can of powder or spray… They took the little critters to court.

That’s right, they took them to ecclesiastical court. These were legal courts that dealt with moral and religious matters – and apparently, that included mice, rat, and weevil infestations. They were run by church officials, governed by church law, and the punishments they handed out were of a spiritual nature (excommunication or cursing).

Whether the defendant was human, rodent, or insect, the trials were carried out in exactly the same way: same legal rights, same judges and lawyers – no matter the species of the defendant. 

Records of these strange court cases still exist. So let’s have a look at one sixteenth century case where rats were taken to court in Autun, France… 

Rats on Trial

The town charged the voracious vermin with: wanton destruction of their barley crops, causing widespread economic harm, and threatening the town’s food supply… 

Charges were posted read out by the court official, and the rats were ordered to appear before the judge on the appointed day. 

A lawyer was duly appointed for the accused – and this is where the rats got really lucky. They were to be represented by Bartholomew Chassenée, a young, ambitious lawyer who was eager to make a name for himself. He would do everything possible to defend his rodent clients.

On the appointed day, the townspeople came to the trial. The judge was there, and lawyers for both sides were ready. The courtroom was full of humans… and empty of rats.

Prosecution: The rats didn’t appear and that was an admission of guilt. The court should find them guilty in absentia.

Defense: Chassenée objected. His clients (the accused rats) had never been properly summoned. It was posted and read out in only one parish, but they lived across several parishes… And even if they had been properly summoned, the roads were not safe for them to travel – there were cats everywhere. The court could hardly expect them to risk their lives to attend. He insisted that the court must offer his clients safe travel to and from the trial.

The court agreed that this was, indeed, a right of the accused (whether human or rodent). However, since the court couldn’t realistically provide safe travel, the case was simply dropped. It seems the rats got off on a technicality – and because they had a good lawyer.

Many Cases

While this case sounds strange – and a bit silly – to us, to Medieval folk, these were very serious procedures. There were many rodent trials. And unbelievably, there were even more insect trials. In these cases, the defendants were whole populations of vermin or insects accused of destroying crops or vineyards.

Now let’s look at another sixteenth-century animal trial. This time it was weevils in Saint-Julien, France.

Weevils on Trial

In April 1587, town officials brought a formal complaint against the weevils who were destroying their vineyards. The court set a date and appointed a lawyer to represent the invading insects.

The weevils were a no-show at the trial, but their lawyer defended them beautifully. Since this was a church court, he turned to scripture: 

Defense: In Genesis, animals were created before humans, and God commanded them to multiply and eat the plants of the earth. Therefore, the weevils had a divine right to feed on the vines. They were simply doing what God designed them to do.

Prosecution: Yes, animals were created first, but only to serve humans. Humans were given dominion over animals, therefore, pests damaging crops were violating the natural order. 

Attempt at a Peace Deal

The lawyers continued debating for months. In desperation, the townspeople came up with their own proposal: they would set aside a specific plot of land where the weevils could live and eat undisturbed – as long as they stayed out of the vineyards. 

They drew up a formal legal document describing the land in detail, while carefully reserving human rights to cross the land and use the stream. And, of course, they would retain the mineral rights. (What would weevils do with minerals anyway?)

Weevils Refuse the Offer

The insects’ lawyer rejected the deal. He argued that the land was too barren and wouldn’t provide enough food, while the town’s lawyer insisted the land was perfectly suitable. So the judge ordered experts to inspect the property and report back to the court.

Unfortunately, there were still more interruptions and delays, and the case dragged on…

The Outcome?

All the details of this case were duly recorded in the court records – which still exist. Yet we can’t be sure about the outcome… because the last page of the register was destroyed. It was eaten by rodents… or perhaps weevils? Were they unhappy with the outcome and wanted to destroy the evidence? We’ll never know.

Verdicts

The rats’ clever lawyer got their case dropped, and the weevils were offered their own plot of land. But more often than not, the rulings went against the destructive critters. So when the court ordered them to leave, did they just move on? No, of course, not.

However, the ecclesiastical court could only hand out excommunications and curses – and these didn’t seem to bother rodents and insects at all.

Who’s to Blame?

So when people took rats and weevils to court, did they really expect the critters to show up? Probably not. 

Did they expect the curses of the church court to drive the pests away? Maybe… They certainly hoped so, because if the curse failed, there was only one explanation: the problem wasn’t the pests – it was the people. 

When the trial was over and the pests were cursed, the townsfolk were urged to repent, pray, and pay their tithes to make the curse more effective. 

Then if the infestation continued, it didn’t mean the church court had failed — it meant the people had.

Why Animal Trials?

So these animal trials that sound so bizarre to us today weren’t about justice for rodents or insects at all. They were a way for medieval people to deal with natural forces they couldn’t explain. It turned them into a moral problem they could understand and respond to.

Perhaps by giving crop-destroying pests a fair and legal trial they hoped to appear righteous, in hopes that heaven would have mercy on them and banish the pests.

And when the church court passed judgement against the infesting insects or ravaging rodents, you better believe people were praying and reflecting on their own actions… 

So yes, indeed, medieval people really did sue rodents and insects. And they did it with lawyers, paperwork, and straight faces.

What do you think about animal trials? Let me know in the comments section below. And if you want to read more of my curious histories, subscribe to my blog (at the top or bottom of this page).

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