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ORDEAL BY THE HOST

If a priest was accused of a crime during medieval times, he could prove his innocence by going
up to the altar and praying out loud that God would choke him. He would then take a piece of
the host, also known as altar bread, and swallow it. If he could do it without any signs of
discomfort or difficulty, he was believed to be innocent.

However, if he were to choke on the host, it would prove that he was guilty. This method might
not be as ineffective and dumb as previously thought because there might be a psychosomatic
component that caused a guilt-ridden priest to choke.

Ordeal by combat
When two people were in dispute. the way to settle who was guilty and who was not was trial
by combat. The two would engage in a duel. The winner was believed to be innocent because
he did not win by his own strength but by divine intervention. God sided with the righteous
person.
If the loser did not die in combat, he would be hanged or burned for his criminal offense. For a
lesser crime, he would have his hands cut off and his property confiscated.
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ordeal by fire
This type of trial was mostly used for women accused of adultery The accused was required to
walk nine paces in bare feet on nine red-hot plowshares or to walk nine paces while holding red-
hot iron. In extreme cases, innocence was proven when the accused was not harmed in the
slightest.
However, more commonly, the accused would be bandaged for three days before being
checked by a priest. If she was innocent, the injury would be healed due to divine intervention. If
not, then the wound would fester. Those deemed guilty would be exiled or stoned to death.