Legal Definitions - vulgaris purgatio

VULGARIS PURGATIO

Vulgaris purgatio is a Latin term used in law that means "common purgation." It refers to a type of oath-taking where a group of people collectively swear to the truth of a statement or accusation.

An example of vulgaris purgatio would be if a group of witnesses were asked to collectively swear that they saw a defendant commit a crime. Another example would be if a group of people were asked to swear that they did not steal something.

These examples illustrate how vulgaris purgatio works. Instead of each individual taking an oath, a group takes the oath together. This was a common practice in medieval times when it was difficult to determine the truth of a statement or accusation. By having a group swear to the truth, it was believed that the likelihood of lying or perjury was reduced.