What would make someone want to become an executioner? What was pay like? Did executioners tend to be commoners or minor nobles? What sort of toll would this have on someone, physically, but more so mentally? Was suicide and extreme mental health problems common for executioners and are there any recorder cases?How long/to what age would someone stay in the profession? Was it a full time job?
Hi, there's lots of room for more contributions here, but in the meantime, there have been some interesting threads on executioners that are worth checking out
Did executioners in medieval Europe develop mental illnesses as a result of their job? Are there any records of this happening? featuring /u/sunagainstgold
Was the position of executioner considered prestigious in European history? Did it pay well? Or was it a pariah's job? featuring /u/brumblepug. Note also the links to a few more threads near the bottom