The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals held by the victorious Allied powers after World War II.

The trials were held in the city of Nuremberg, Germany, from 1945 to 1946.

Their purpose was to prosecute prominent leaders of Nazi Germany for their roles in the Holocaust and other war crimes.

The main trial involved 22 of the most important surviving Nazi leaders.

The defendants were charged with four main counts: crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and conspiracy to commit these crimes.

The charge of 'crimes against humanity' was groundbreaking, used to prosecute the systematic murder of civilians, including the Holocaust.

The prosecution used thousands of captured German documents and films as evidence.

The trials established the important legal principle that individuals can be held accountable for international crimes, even if they were acting on the orders of a government.

The defense of 'just following orders' was rejected by the tribunal.

The Nuremberg Trials were a crucial precedent for the development of modern international criminal law, leading to the creation of later tribunals and the International Criminal Court.