Trial by Ordeal or Jury?

Introduction

Trial by Ordeal or Trial by Panel?

What would you choose? When the Franks ruled in Europe,those who were charged with crimes were tasked to prove their innocence via a Trial by Ordeal. Charlemagne felt that this was an unfair and unreasonable means to prove someone's innocence. He developed a Trial by Panel system. This system set a basis for our current jury system.

Click on the next tab to begin your journey back through time!

Task

You are a time traveller. You are to adopt the personna of an individual under Charlemagne's rule. In groups, you will prepare a short speech to deliver an account of your experience in a particular type of trial.

Presentations will be made next class. Response questions will be due the following class via the Google Doc that has already been shared with you.

Click the next tab for instructions on your roles and for the response questions.

Process

There are two parts to this activity:

Group Activity

You will complete this portion of the assignmnet in groups of 5. Assign a different role to each person. Group members are responsible for using the resources below to prepare a short speech (2-3 minutes). Speeches should include what your experience would have been had you participated in the type of trial listed next to your role. Be creative!

1. A peasant who experienced a trial by ordeal.

2. A noble who exprienced a trial by ordeal.

3. A peasant who experienced a trial by panel.

4. A noble who exprienced a trial by panel.

5. A noble who acted as a judge for a trial by panel.

Individual Response

Answer the following questions individually. This portion of the assignment is due the class after our speeches. Responses should be recorded in the Google Doc that has already been shared with you.

1. What does a Trial by Ordeal tell us about society's values or beliefs during this time?

2. Why did Charlemagne develop the trial by panel system?

3. Could Charlemagne's the trial by panel system be corrupt? Why?

Resources

The resources below will help you get started. Feel free to explore more!

Your textbook

http://goo.gl/aozZvf

http://goo.gl/fyReTt

https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/trial_ordeal.html

Evaluation

Evaluation

Total marks: 25