Competition did exist in the Middle Ages and was widely used in various countries. It was a common method to solve disputes among nobles. Not only in Western Europe, but also in Eastern Europe as far away as Russia (Kiev-Russia). There are many other ways to judge whether you are guilty or not, such as letting you walk for a while with a red-hot iron bar. If you are not injured, you are innocent. Or walk past a red-hot soldering iron. Interestingly, many people really passed this test and were acquitted. I firmly believe that these records may indeed be true, but this does not belong to the category of history, but should belong to the category of magic.