Podcast Summary:

Le Moyen Âge y a déjà pensé : Des procès d’animaux aux droits du Vivant
Podcast: Le Cours de l'histoire (France Culture)
Date: January 16, 2026
Host: France Culture

Overview

This episode examines the surprising and complex relationship medieval society had with animals by exploring a fascinating and often-overlooked phenomenon: animal trials. Through vivid stories and historical analysis, the host revisits a time when animals were tried, judged, and sometimes punished in court, raising questions about historical attitudes toward animal agency, responsibility, and their place within the moral and legal orders. The episode draws parallels with today’s debates on animal rights and invites listeners to reconsider contemporary boundaries between humans and non-humans.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Medieval Animal Trials: The Case of the Murderous Sow

• Story Highlight:
  • [00:10] The episode opens with the dramatic trial of a sow in Falaise, Normandy, in 1386, accused of killing and mutilating a child.
  • The sow is imprisoned, stands trial with a form of legal representation (a "procureur"), and is ultimately sentenced to death after a nine-day process.
  • Punishment is theatrical: the sow is dressed in women's clothes, mutilated, hanged, and burned—serving as a public lesson for all pig owners.
  • This isn't an isolated incident; “L’historien Michel Pastoureau a recensé des dizaines de procès aux animaux entre le XIIIe et le XVIIe siècle.” [01:35]

2. Scope & Nature of Animal Prosecutions

• Defendants:

  • [02:00] Most often pigs (due to their omnipresence in medieval towns), but records include bulls, oxen, and others.
  • Main charges were infanticide or homicide, but animals damaging crops could also be collectively judged, typically by the Church, not secular courts.

• Collective Excommunications:

  • [02:50] Medieval Church authorities sometimes excommunicated pests.
    • 1120: Bishop of Lens excommunicates mice and caterpillars, then flies the next year.
    • 1516: Bishop of Troyes orders locusts to leave the diocese or face excommunication.
    • The Bishop of Lausanne condemns eels for overbreeding in Lake Geneva.
  • “A 1516, l’évêque de Troyes ordonne aux Sauterelles de quitter le diocèse sous six jours, sinon excommunication.” [03:30]

3. Philosophical and Theological Underpinnings

• Moral Agency of Animals:

  • [04:20] In the Middle Ages, animals are sometimes considered morally responsible. They’re attributed souls, forms of sensitivity, intelligence, and even the ability to discern right from wrong.
  • Medieval university debates contested animal afterlife:
    • “À l'université de Paris, au XIIIe siècle, Albert le Grand, Thomas d’Aquin et d’autres théologiens s’interrogent sérieusement. Où vont les animaux après la mort ? Au paradis ? Le même que nous ? ou un paradis pour les animaux ?” [05:10]

• Justice Applies to Creation:

  • The underlying notion is one of equality: “La justice s’applique à toute la création, aux hommes comme à tous les animaux.” [05:40]

4. Evolution of Attitudes & Legal Responsibility

• Modern Critique:

  • By the modern era, animal trials come to be regarded with ridicule. Philosophers and legal scholars deny animals free will and soul; responsibility shifts to the animal’s owner.

• Shift in Parody and Perspective:

  • “Mais peu à peu, à l’époque moderne, on commence à se moquer de ces procès médiévaux. On affirme que les animaux n'ont ni libre-arbitre ni âme. Et c'est désormais le propriétaire, et non plus l'animal, qui devient le véritable responsable juridique.” [06:00]

5. Contemporary Parallels

• The episode closes by drawing connections to present debates about animals’ legal status, industrial farming, and the ongoing dialogue about animal rights, suggesting the Middle Ages were far more nuanced than often assumed.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Falaise Incident:
  • “Le vicomte de Falaise a ordonné à tous les paysans de venir avec leur cochon pour que ça leur serve de leçon, de la pédagogie porcine.” [01:05]
• On Excommunication of Animals:
  • “A 1516, l’évêque de Troyes ordonne aux Sauterelles de quitter le diocèse sous six jours, sinon excommunication.” [03:30]
• On Medieval Theological Debates:
  • “Existe-t-il un paradis pour les bons chiens et un enfer pour les mauvais cochons ?” [05:25]
• On Changing Legal Responsibility:
  • “C'est désormais le propriétaire, et non plus l'animal, qui devient le véritable responsable juridique.” [06:10]

Important Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------|------------| | Introduction & Falaise sow trial | 00:00-02:15| | Other animal trials, scope and statistics | 02:15-03:15| | Animal excommunications by the Church | 03:15-04:00| | Medieval beliefs: animal souls, paradise | 04:00-05:30| | Concept of justice for all creation | 05:30-05:50| | Shift to modern ridicule & legal change | 05:50-06:30| | Parallels to modern animal rights debate | 06:30-end |

Tone & Language

The narrative blends rigorous historical research with wry humor and vivid storytelling, maintaining curiosity and a critical spirit throughout. The host invites listeners not only to chuckle at the past but to question modern separations between the human and animal worlds.

In summary:

This episode uses the remarkable lens of animal trials to interrogate shifting boundaries between human and non-human rights, revealing that today’s debates have deeper roots in our history than we might imagine.