Was being executioner/headman in medival ages fulltime job? What were the usual duties of someone who held such position apart from performing executions?

by TheMoki

This question just come up to me while watching a documentary from medival ages. What were the usual duties such a person had to carry out? Was it a prestige position?

Thank you!

Premislaus

It was a position that was usually well paid (cities usually had traditional material bonuses that were to be provided for the executioner, such as new clothes and gloves after each execution), but anything but prestigious.

In fact, it was an occupation that made one a social outcast, someone to be feared and despised. You were compensated well for your job, because it was a job that had to be done, but you could forget about ever entering the ranks of respected citizens of your community, because it was also a job that was considered unclean, and potentially sinful/damning (in some cities, part of the executioner's job was taking spiritual responsibility for the killings, from the people who actually passed the death sentence).

As a result, not many people were willing to enter that profession. In some cities (particularly in France or Germany), this lead to creation of "dynasties" of executioners as the occupation passed from father to son. In other cases, the job was actually offered to condemned criminals who could then escape they own execution by executing others.

Executioners would even form deeper connections with the criminal elements of a city, either because of their former backgrounds or because they were shunned by the more decent parts of a society, and become involved in various criminal act.

Other than killing people, they were also responsible for other gruesome acts, such as torture. Additionally, it was not uncommon for either the executioner himself or his wife to be responsible for the management of city brothels - another "necessary evil" in a medieval city.

Searocksandtrees

Hi, there have been several interesting threads on executioners that are worth checking out

Prestige and pay

Life as an executioner