When human wisdom fell short, trial by ordeal was adopted in one form or another.
People believed the gods would intervene in judgment. For example, during the Witch Hunts, the Inquisition used trial by ordeal when judging "wizards" and "witches." If the accused was thrown into water and floated, she was a witch; if she did not float, sank, and drowned, then God had proven her innocent.
When the barbarians established themselves upon the ruins of the Roman Empire and accepted Christian doctrine, they also accepted the system of trial by ordeal. The Frankish Kingdom, the predecessor of France, was no exception.
In the dark Middle Ages, if a peasant objected to a court's ruling, he could challenge a nobleman. But the knight could appear at the dueling ground in full armor, mounted on a horse and armed with a sharp blade, while the peasant had only a small round shield and a club. Such an enormous disparity in strength naturally discouraged weak people like peasants who wished to overturn judgments through judicial duels. Yet with the emergence of professional duelists, even a woman could appoint a fully armed knight to fight in her stead.
Trial by combat was a special form of European trial by ordeal. Its benefits made it popular in the early feudal period. However, as society developed, countries gradually developed methods of judging whether someone was guilty through "ironclad evidence" such as witnesses, testimony, and physical proof. In theory, these were superior to the entirely random methods of trial by ordeal.
The Church initially opposed trial by combat on theological grounds. Yet many early duels were presided over by clergymen. Their involvement meant that the outcome could reflect God's will, because God would not allow an innocent person to be defeated in a duel. Thus, the