Despite his grim "day job," Schmidt was not a social monster but a complex, three-dimensional figure.
: The report is based on Schmidt’s rare personal journal, which meticulously cataloged every punishment he meted out, providing a unique window into the criminal justice system of the Holy Roman Empire . The Dichotomy of Life and Death The Faithful Executioner, Life and Death, Honor...
This report examines the life and career of Meister Frantz Schmidt (1555–1634), the subject of Joel F. Harrington’s The Faithful Executioner , who served as Nuremberg’s public executioner from 1573 to 1618. Despite his grim "day job," Schmidt was not
: Over a 45-year career, Schmidt personally executed 394 individuals and administered corporal punishment (flogging, disfiguring, or torturing) to hundreds more. Harrington’s The Faithful Executioner , who served as
: His executions were highly regulated by city authorities and varied by the crime. Beheading with a sword was considered the most "honorable" death, while hanging was the least.