Legal Definitions - defendere se per corpus suum

Definition: Defendere se per corpus suum (di-fen-də-ree see pər kor-pəs soo-əm), vb.[Law Latin “to defend himself by his own body”] Hist. To agree to a trial by judicial combat; to agree to a duel.

Example: In medieval times, if someone was accused of a crime, they could choose to defendere se per corpus suum. This meant that they would fight the accuser in a duel to prove their innocence.

Explanation: The term defendere se per corpus suum refers to the practice of agreeing to a trial by combat or duel. This was a common practice in medieval times, where the accused would fight the accuser to prove their innocence. By agreeing to this type of trial, the accused was essentially putting their fate in their own hands and relying on their physical abilities to defend themselves. This was seen as a way to ensure a fair trial, as it was believed that God would favor the innocent party in the fight.