In medieval Europe, pigs went to trial—and the gallows—surprisingly often. Medieval pigs could and would kill childrenIn 1379, a group of pigs in the village of Saint-Marcel-lès-Jussey in eastern France killed a swineherd’s child. Image: Public DomainSome pigs even went to trial for their crimesIn France, these incidents often resulted in trials, with the pig treated almost as a human defendant. “A lot of the records are saying, ‘This pig went to jail. “I would say that the court really stepped in to gain clarity and provide a coherent narrative for everyone.”Some pig trials even went before local dukesSometimes, higher authorities would get involved in local pig trials.