ABSTRACT
Darren Oldridge reports a remarkable trial that was held in Rothenbach in 1485 (Oldridge 2005, 1–19). The trial was about a woman who was suspected of witchcraft. The Court of Fürstenberg decided to try the woman with a method called ‘trial by red iron’. The method required the person to hold a piece of hot iron and carry it for three paces. The person's hand would then be bound for three days. After three days, the wound would be inspected. If the wound was healed completely, the person would be declared innocent. But if it was still weeping and discoloured, the person would be condemned. The trial ended with an impressive result. The woman took the iron from the furnace, walked more than three paces and asked if she was required to walk further. After all that, she was acquitted and freed.
