Life in the Middle Ages

When Insects Were Taken To Court

In medieval Europe, swarms of insects were sometimes put on trial for destroying crops.

Beetles, weevils, caterpillars and even rats could find themselves summoned before a court and ordered to leave the fields they were devastating.

It sounds ridiculous.

It also really happened.

'Cinifes' (a kind of mosquito) , from Der naturen bloeme (KB KA 16) by Jacob van Maerlant, c.1340–1350. Medieval manuscripts often illustrated insects and other creatures that formed part of the natural world. Crop-destroying pests could threaten harvests and, in some parts of medieval Europe, even become the subject of legal proceedings.
'Cinifes' (a kind of mosquito) , from Der naturen bloeme (KB KA 16) by Jacob van Maerlant, c.1340–1350. Medieval manuscripts often illustrated insects and other creatures that formed part of the natural world. Crop-destroying pests could threaten harvests and, in some parts of medieval Europe, even become the subject of legal proceedings.

Putting Insects on Trial

From the thirteenth century onwards, communities in parts of France, Switzerland and northern Italy occasionally turned to the law when insects threatened their harvests.

This was not a criminal trial in the modern sense. Instead, church courts sometimes treated destructive swarms as a matter affecting both the community and the natural order established by God.

The insects were summoned collectively rather than individually. No one attempted to identify which particular beetle or caterpillar was responsible. The problem was simply that the pests were destroying the crops.

A Lawyer for the Beetles

Some cases became surprisingly elaborate.

Records survive of advocates being appointed to argue on behalf of the insects, claiming that they too were part of God's creation and therefore entitled to live and feed.

The judges, meanwhile, represented the interests of the farming community whose livelihood was under threat.

If no agreement could be reached, the insects might be ordered to leave the affected land within a specified period. If they ignored the judgement, they could even be formally excommunicated.

They rarely complied.

Why Do It At All?

The purpose was never really to convince beetles to obey a court order.

For medieval people, law, religion and the natural world were closely connected. A public legal process acknowledged that a disaster had occurred, demonstrated that every proper step had been taken, and placed the outcome in God's hands.

The paperwork was completed.

The prayers were said.

Order, at least in a legal and spiritual sense, had been restored.

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