The Depressing Life of a Medieval Executioner

It is no surprise that the vocation of Medieval executioners is up there as one of the most undesirable jobs in the Middle Ages, along with leech collector and gong farmer. Lawlessness and crime were so widespread across the world. Rape, murder, theft, heresy – every type of sin and debauchery ran unchecked throughout medieval society. Most countries were trying to move away from the idea of criminal prosecutions being a private matter. The authorities developed new legal procedures whereby t...