Mit schweren Schritten aufs Schafott

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Nothing is left to chance. Everything is preordained. And yet in the case of executions the last hours often see unexpected events as reported by eyewitnesses. The executioner "frees" the infanticide through marriage. The gallows are rotten and break. The sword is blunt. The hanged man survives. The blood of the executed criminal is highly sought after for medicinal purposes. The Earl travels in "very British" style to his execution with his carriage and butler. The evil eye of the condemned criminal is appeased with the last meal, something that is still offered in some states of the USA today, although it cannot cost more than a few dollars. Reading all this causes goose-pimples. When it came to facing eternity, the Middle Ages were far more merciful.This book is both educational and sometimes disturbing, but also amusing in some details, as it depicts mediaeval legal history with a focus on the rituals surrounding public executions. These are deeply-rooted customs from ancient times, passed from generation to generation and finally formulated as laws and implementing provisions in the finest legal German. Impressive contemporary pictures illustrate the proceedings. The reader directly experiences the period from the passing of judgement to the hard journey to the scaffold.