The French Pig Trial of 1457 episode artwork

EPISODE · Oct 5, 2025 · 20 MIN

The French Pig Trial of 1457

from A Popular History of Unpopular Things · host Kelli Beard

Join Kelli as she looks into the weird world of European animal trials, focusing on the French Pig Trial at Savigny in 1457, where a sow owned by Jehan Bailly was put on trial for the murder of 5-year-old Jehan Martin.That's right - the pig was put on trial for murder. Not her human owner.But where does the legal precedent for animal trials come from? Let's find out!Sources Referenced:Alexander Lee, “Pigs Might Try,” 2020. https://www.historytoday.com/archive/natural-histories/pigs-might-tryEsther Cohen, Law, Folklore, and Animal Lore. 1986. https://www.academia.edu/66540937/Law_folklore_and_animal_loreE. P. Evans, The Criminal Prosecution And Capital Punishment Of Animals. 1906. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/43286/43286-h/43286-h.htm#Page_138J. J. Finkelstein, The Ox That Gored. 1981. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1006346.pdf?refreqid=fastly-default%3A9eca8c357bbe59ed8b98754ab5426357&ab_segments=&initiator=&acceptTC=1Paul Schiff Berman, Rats, Pigs, and Statues on Trial: The Creation of Cultural Narratives in the Prosecution of Animals and Inanimate Objects. 1994. https://scholarship.law.gwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1241&context=faculty_publicationsSupport the showIntro and Outro music credit: Nedric | Yello KakeFollow me on Instagram for episode updates! @beardhistoryIf you want to support the show, donate to the cause at Buy Me a Coffee

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Join Kelli as she looks into the weird world of European animal trials, focusing on the French Pig Trial at Savigny in 1457, where a sow owned by Jehan Bailly was put on trial for the murder of 5-year-old Jehan Martin. That's right - the pig was put on trial for murder. Not her human owner. But where does the legal precedent for animal trials come from? Let's find out! Sources Referenced: Alexander Lee, “Pigs Might Try,” 2020. https://www.historytoday.com/archive/natural-histories/pigs-m...

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The French Pig Trial of 1457

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