ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Five Knights case

Hi there! Have you ever played a game with your friends where you all have to decide something together? Well, imagine that instead of a game, it's a very important legal case that involves five knights.

The story goes like this: five knights were accused of breaking into a house and stealing some stuff. The king of England at the time, Henry II, wanted to find out if they were guilty or not. So, he summoned a group of judges to decide the case.

But here's the catch: the judges couldn't all agree on whether the knights were guilty or innocent. Some thought they were guilty, while others thought they were innocent. So, the king came up with a new idea. He proposed that the knights could prove their innocence by fighting a duel.

Now, a duel is a fight between two people where they use swords or other weapons to try and defeat each other. But in this case, the knights would be fighting as a group. If they won the duel, it would mean they were innocent, and if they lost, it would mean they were guilty.

The knights agreed to this proposal, and the duel took place. It was a fierce battle, but in the end, the knights emerged victorious. As a result, they were declared innocent, and they were able to go free.

So, what's the point of all of this? Well, the Five Knights Case is often used as an example of how the legal system worked in medieval times. In those days, it was much harder to prove guilt or innocence than it is today, and so people had to resort to unusual methods like duels to settle disputes. But even though the methods might have been different, the basic idea was the same: to find out the truth and make sure justice was served.