Trial by Cold Water

In medieval Europe, innocence wasn’t argued. It floated or it sank.

For centuries, courts across Europe used a system called trial by ordeal. One of the most

feared was the ordeal of cold water. The practice appears in early medieval law codes,

including those of the Franks and Anglo-Saxons. It was officially endorsed by Christian

authorities by the 9th century. Here’s how it worked. The accused was bound with rope

and lowered into a body of water—often a river or pond. If the person sank, the water had “accepted”

them. They were declared innocent. If they floated, they were guilty.

The logic was theological. Water, a symbol of purity after baptism, would reject the