Bartholomew Chassenée, a distinguished French jurist of the sixteenth century, made his reputation at the bar as counsel for some... rats. That's right, he successfully defended some rats in court.

How did he get the rats off? What loophole did he find? These are interesting questions...

But perhaps the more interesting question is why were the rats on trial in the first place?

We explore the weird habit of the Middle Ages of putting animals in court room trials!

The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!

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