Step into the fascinating world of ancient and historical wills.

From their earliest known origins in Egypt centuries before Europe and their development in Greece and Rome, trace the history of testamentary dispositions through Anglo-Saxon and English law. Discover the diverse and sometimes bizarre final wishes of individuals across the ages, revealing their customs, laws, and personal eccentricities.

This episode explores quaint and curious provisions found in historical testaments, including bequests for animals like horses and cats, detailed and unusual burial instructions, generous charitable trusts for travelers or the poor, and legacies ranging from coats of mail to gold girdles.

We'll also look at the wills of famous testators, such as Sennacherib, Plato, Aristotle, John of Gaunt, William Shakespeare, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and William Penn. Hear about the legal history, including the role of the church in probate and the introduction of concepts like executors. Even explore wills written entirely in poetry.

Join us for an insightful look at how the instinctive sentiment to dispose of property after death has manifested throughout human history, offering a unique window into the lives and final thoughts of those who came before us.

Torture, Terrors & Trials: Ancient Justice Uncovered
What if being accused meant you were already doomed? In this gripping episode, we unravel the harrowing realities of justice in ancient times—where pain was often the path to truth. Chapter 10, Ancient Punishments, takes you deep into the brutal legal codes of the Israelites, Egyptians, Romans, and early Europeans. From the twisted logic of the Inquisition to the dark horrors beneath the Shadow of Paris, discover how punishment wasn’t just about guilt—it was about power, fear, and control.

The ultimate timeout? Imagine running to a sacred place to escape the law. Join us as we explore the ancient and complex history of Sanctuary.

From biblical cities of refuge and individuals clinging to altar horns, through its adoption in ancient Greece and Rome, we trace how holy sites offered temporary safety. Delve into its formalized role in England, the 40-day limit, the dramatic act of abjuring the realm (choosing exile over facing justice), and the extraordinary powers granted to famous locations like Westminster Abbey.

Discover the constant struggle between religious privilege and royal power, the crimes people sought refuge for, and how this fascinating system eventually faded away. Was it a lifeline for the innocent, or a shield for criminals?

Tune in to unpack this enduring tension between justice and mercy.

Did you know that for centuries in England, your ability to recite a single Bible verse could save you from the gallows? Join us for a deep dive into the bizarre and fascinating legal history of "benefit of clergy". We'll unpack how this started as an exemption for ordained priests, morphed into a literacy test with the infamous "neck verse", and reveals a tangled web of church influence, social hierarchies, and evolving ideas about law. Discover who could claim this strange privilege, who couldn't, and why it existed for so long. We'll explore the power struggles between church and crown, the surprising application of this medieval concept in colonial America – even during the lead-up to the Revolution – and why this unequal system eventually faded away.

Was benefit of clergy a step towards justice or a symbol of profound inequality? Listen now to explore this historical quirk and consider its faint echoes in today's legal landscape.

Series Study Guide available on Amazon

Ever imagined dodging a debt just by swearing you didn't owe it, with eleven of your neighbors vouching for you? Welcome to the world of wager of law in Old England, a formal legal procedure where a defendant could deny a charge under oath, backed by compurgators swearing they believed him.

In this episode, we delve into the ancient roots of this practice, tracing it back to Roman and Mosaic law. We explore why it existed, the idea of community reputation as a form of evidence, and the formal oaths and ceremonies involved, including the defendant's oath of defidelitate and the compurgators' oath of credulitate.

Discover the variations and limitations of wager of law, its use in both civil and, surprisingly, even criminal cases, and the reasons behind its eventual decline and replacement by jury trials.

Join us to unravel this peculiar piece of legal history and consider whether echoes of relying on reputation still linger today.

Study Guide available on Amazon

Dive into the dark history of peine forte et dure, the "strong and hard pain" inflicted upon those who refused to plead in felony trials. Discover why prisoners in Europe, including England, would endure being pressed to death under heavy weights rather than enter a plea. Uncover the legal and societal reasons behind this brutal punishment, from avoiding attainder and the forfeiture of estates to the perplexity of courts when faced with a silent defendant.

Hear the harrowing details of how this judgment was carried out: confinement in a low, dark chamber, lying naked on the bare floor with immense weight upon the body, and a meager diet of the worst bread and standing water on alternate days. Learn about the evolution of this punishment, from milder forms of confinement to the horrific practice of pressing.

We'll explore specific, tragic cases like that of Margaret Clitherow, who was pressed to death in 1586 for refusing to plead to charges of harboring priests, and Giles Cory, the only known instance of this punishment in the United States during the Salem Witch Trials. Understand the defiance and the perceived injustice that led individuals to choose such a gruesome fate.

Finally, we'll trace the legal journey of peine forte et dure, from its statutory recognition in the reign of Edward I to its eventual abolition in England in 1772 and the more humane legal procedures that followed. This episode uncovers a chilling chapter in legal history, prompting reflection on the progress of justice and the enduring tension between the rights of the individual and the demands of society.

Was your fate decided by fire, water, or a bite of bread? Dive into the bizarre history of trial by ordeal, an ancient method of determining guilt or innocence through dangerous "judgments of God". From the "law of jealousies" in the Mosaic code to practices in ancient Greece, India, and across Europe, this episode explores tests like walking on hot coals, retrieving stones from boiling water, and the fateful morsel of the corsned.

Discover how Anglo-Saxons employed ordeals of fire and water, often with detailed religious ceremonies. Learn about the different types, including the simple and triple ordeals, and how even royalty like Queen Emma faced these tests.

Explore the decline of trial by ordeal, marked by growing skepticism, the prohibition of the ordeal of the cross, and the eventual forbidding of clerical involvement by the Lateran Council in 1215. See how this "superstitious trial" was replaced by other methods but saw a brief revival during the witchcraft craze.

Hear tales of ordeals influencing literature, from the Elder Edda to Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott. Understand how this once prevalent "judicial proceeding" ultimately faded into history, giving way to modern legal systems.

Trial by battle, or "wager of battel," was a legal procedure used in appeals of felony, certain civil cases, and affairs of chivalry to settle disputes by combat. It arose in societies where individuals took the law into their own hands. Analogous to the battle between King David and Goliath, where national destinies depended on single combat, trial by battle relied on the belief that God would favor the righteous cause.

The practice was customary among ancient Germans, Norsemen, and was first written into law by the Burgundians around A.D. 501. Judicial duels were also common among the Goths, Swedes, Russians, Hungarians, Almains, and Normans. In England, William the Conqueror introduced trial by battle for military, criminal (appeals of felony), and civil (writ of right) cases.

Rules and procedures existed for these combats, including oaths against sorcery. In civil cases, champions often fought with batons, while in treason cases, swords and spears were used.

Trial by battle gradually declined in England, with legislation under Edward III favoring trial by jury. Exemptions from battle were granted to certain individuals like women, priests, and the elderly. The last recognized case was in 1818 (Ashford vs. Thornton), which led to its abolition in 1819.

Trial by battle has been a recurring theme in English literature, from the Song of Roland to the works of Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott. This "ancient mode of trial" was ultimately replaced by the "fairer method of jury trial".