Ordeals
Peter T. Leeson
I argue that medieval judicial ordeals accurately assigned accused criminals’ guilt and innocence. They did this by leveraging a superstition called iudicium Dei (judgments of God). According to superstition, God condemned the guilty exonerated innocent through clergy-conducted physical tests. Medieval citizens’ belief in created separating equilibrium which only defendants were willing undergo ordeals. Conditional on observing defendant’s willingness do so, administering priest knew he or she was manipulated ordeal find this. My theory explains peculiar puzzle ordeals: trials fire water should have most persons who underwent them reverse. these instead. Boiling rarely boiled plunged their arms it. Burning iron burned carried Ordeal outcomes miraculous, but they miracles mechanism design.
The Journal of Law and Economics