Are there any books about the morbid aspects of Medieval life? (War, crime, etc)

by jesseholmz

And I'd also be interested in the same thing for any other pre-1900s time period.

sunagainstgold

I mean--yes, obviously, there are tons. Although modern imagination tends to overemphasize the brutality and foreignness of the Middle Ages, generally as a way to make today look better or to make particular aspects of today look worse by describing them as "medieval", that doesn't mean the Middle Ages were puffy stars and lollipops.

The book I'm going to recommend, though, is actually a bit later than medieval. But it's solid history, entertaining, well written, and doesn't require background reading to understand.

Joel Harrington's The Faithful Executioner follows the life and career of a civic executioner (slash torturer slash...doctor) in 16th-17th century Bavaria. It's based heavily on Franz Schmidt's own diary, with supplements from city archives and records from e.g. priests who were responsible for hearing confessions from those about to be executed. It's a grim but enthralling look at the role of capital punishment in early modern Germany, by exploring the reasons for various aspects of the ritual.

This is one of the most-read and most-recommended books on AskHistorians for a reason. Check it out!