Beschreibung
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.
Autorenporträt
Roland von zur Mühlen (*1942) studierte Rechtswissenschaft an der Universität Frankfurt am Main. Ein Stipendium für Rechtsgeschichte verschaffte ihm ein Studium an der "Scuola Normale Superiore" in Pisa. Nach einer Tätigkeit als Rechtsanwalt und Syndikus in der Industrie war er Mitglied des Vorstands und später des Aufsichtsrats eines namhaften deutschen Medienunternehmens. Heute bearbeitet er Themen seiner Familiengeschichte und widmet sich sozialen Projekten in Myanmar (Burma).
Herstellerkennzeichnung:
Georg Olms Verlag AG
Dietrich Olms
Hagentorwall 7
31134 Hildesheim
DE
E-Mail: info@olms-presse.de
Internet: www.olms-presse.de
