1394: Pig sentenced to death for blasphemy

In 1394, the people of Mortaign, France attended the execution of a local pig. The pig, which was female and apparently ownerless, had wandered into the local church, climbed onto a small altar or table and guzzled down consecrated wafers, set aside for the Holy Eucharist.

The pig was promptly seized, put on trial, deemed to be guilty of blasphemy and hanged.

Source: Cited in Edward P. Evans, The Criminal Prosecution and Capital Punishment of Animals, 1987. Content on this page is © Alpha History 2019-23. Content may not be republished without our express permission. For more information please refer to our Terms of Use or contact Alpha History.