In the early sixteenth century, in the French town of Autun, rats were formally summoned to court on charges of destroying barley crops. A lawyer named Bartholomew Chassenée was appointed to defend them. He did not argue the rats were innocent. He argued the summons had not been properly served — the defendants were scattered across many villages and a single announcement was insufficient. The court agreed. A wider summons was issued. The rats still did not appear. Chassenée then explained that even if they had received notice, the roads between their homes and the courthouse were full of cats, and the law could not compel defendants to appear when the journey put their lives at risk.

In this episode of 5 Minute Strange, we cover the full strange history of European animal trials — why medieval and early modern courts summoned insects, rodents, and pigs, what it meant when a community turned to legal procedure against a pest they could not control, and why Chassenée's defence of the rats became part of legal folklore for centuries. He went on to a distinguished career as a jurist. The rats never appeared. The crops had still been eaten.

Subscribe to 5 Minute Strange for a new true story every weekday. One mystery. Five minutes. No explanation.

#5MinuteStrange #TrialOfTheRats #TrueCrime #MysteryPodcast #StrangeTrials #TrueStoriesYouNeverKnew #MedievalHistory #AnimalTrials #StrangestTrials #StrangeButTrue

Trial of the Rats Autun, Bartholomew Chassenée rat lawyer, medieval animal trials Europe, rats summoned to court Burgundy, animal trials medieval law, lawyer argued cats blocked defendant rats, strangest trials history, European animal prosecution history, true crime podcast, mystery podcast, historical trials, 5 minute strange, short mystery podcast, strange true stories, Dark Whisper Studios