EconNerds: The Wild Medieval Confession Trick that Actually Worked

Econ Nerds is a digital media channel of the Mercatus Center, focused on illuminating the economics in the world around us through fun, contemporary media.

Trial by ordeal wasn’t medieval madness—it was a surprisingly clever solution to information asymmetry. We laugh when Monty Python mocks scientifically illiterate peasants (and overconfident nobles) in The Holy Grail’s brilliant witch trial scene. But what if medieval justice wasn’t pure superstition? What if “trial by ordeal” was actually an ingenious economic screening mechanism? In this episode of Econ Nerds, we explore how ordeals may have solved a fundamental problem in criminal justice: asymmetric information. When it’s your word against mine—and there’s no evidence—how can the authorities uncover the truth?

NODEHAUS handled the post-production for this piece — from ingesting, editing, motion-graphics animation, sound and color.

• Credits

  Client: EconNerds, Mercatus Center

  Production Co: NODEHAUS

  Writer & Host: Matt Hill

  Producer, Editing Manager: Roman Hardgrave

  Editor: Triston Centretto

  Graphics: Triston Centretto, Emily Mosier, Brandon McDowell