Medieval Dog Duel Trial

In 1400 the dog of a murdered man dueled a man it “accused” of being the murderer. In France, a splendid duel was fought in 1400 between a suspected murderer and his accuser, a dog. The Chevalier Maquer killed Aubrey de Montdidier in the Forest of Bondy, near Paris, and buried the body. The only witness was Montdidier’s greyhound. The dog went back to town to a friend of his master’s and led the friend to the spot, where he whined and scratched the ground. The body was recovered and reburied, and the greyhound moved in with the friend. Shortly thereafter, it met up with Maquer and attacked him viciously; three men had to pull it off him. The dog was an otherwise gentle and amiable sort, but it kept on flying at Maquer whenever it saw him. This was reported to the king, who decided it was definitely an accusation and arranged for the single-combat trial. The fight took place on [the Isle of Notre Dame in Paris,] Maquer with a lance, the greyhound with its natural weapons. The dog sprang on the man with amazing ferocity and clamped its teeth around his throat and couldn’t be shaken off. Maquer screamed that he’d confess if they’d pull off the dog. This, in contemporary eyes, proved the justice of combat trials pretty conclusively, and Maquer was hanged and strangled on the gibbet at Montfaucon.

A screenshot shares an excerpt about a 1400 trial in France where a greyhound accused its owner’s murderer and fought him in single combat. The absurd punchline is that the dog’s attack was treated as legal evidence, and the murderer confessed and was executed. It is shared as a reaction to bizarre historical facts or situations where an animal seems more righteous and effective than the authorities. EN: A screenshot shares an excerpt about a 1400 trial in France where a greyhound accused its owner’s murderer and fought him in single combat. The absurd punchline is that the dog’s attack was treated as legal evidence, and the murderer confessed and was executed. It is shared as a reaction to bizarre historical facts or situations where an animal seems more righteous and effective than the authorities.

• @eternalclassic / 27575 2023-02-07