Abstract
The paper presents the historical evolution of the accusatorial procedure principle in a criminal
trial. In the first place, the beginnings of the principle formulation are discussed with reference
to the Athenian and Roman trials, the accusatorial procedure principle in the Middle Ages,
and the beginnings of the accusatorial procedure principle in the modern criminal trial. The
differences occurring in the E nglish trial and the issue of a mixed trial are presented. Separate
deliberations are devoted to the accusatorial procedure in the Polish territories, starting from
the old Polish trial, through the regulations of the states partitioning Poland, and ending with
the accusatorial procedure principle in the period of the Second Republic of Poland and the
Polish People's Republic.