22. Trial by combat was widely practiced in the middle ages
Remember that bit in Game of Thrones when Tyrion escaped execution by having Bronn fight on his behalf? Well, it’s a real thing taken from history. From the middle of the 1st millennium in Europe, you could fight to prove your innocence rather than face trial. Depending on what you’d been accused of, you could either fight personally or nominate a deputy, like Tyrion. The logic behind this said God would grant victory to the innocent. Incredibly, you could still demand trial by combat until 1819 in England, and it’s still technically allowed in the US…