16th Century Executioner Describes His Executions and their Crimes (1573-1617) Franz Schmidt’s Diary
From History's Living Voices: The Past, Told by Those Who Lived It by HLV
May 9, 2026 · 16 min
About this episode
The episode features extracts from the diary of Franz Schmidt, a public executioner in Nuremberg, detailing his experiences and the crimes of those he executed.
Get your special offer for MagellanTV here: https://try.magellantv.com/voicesofthepast. It's an exclusive offer for our viewers! Start your free trial today. MagellanTV is a new kind of streaming service run by filmmakers with 3,000+ documentaries! Check out our personal recommendation and MagellanTV’s exclusive playlists: https://www.magellantv.com/explore/history -------------- Extracts taken from "A Hangman’s Diary: Being the Authentic Journal of Master Franz Schmidt, Public Executioner of Nuremberg 1573–1617." Translated by C. Calvert and A.W. Gruner. Published by D. Appleton, second impression October, 1928. Soundtrack licensed from Epidemic Sound/Artlist. Footage from Videoblocks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Topics covered
- execution
- historical diary
- Nuremberg
- crime
- 17th century
- public executioner
Keywords
- Franz Schmidt
- executioner
- Nuremberg
- historical diary
- crimes
- 17th century
- public execution
Sponsors
MagellanTV
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: D. Appleton, Epidemic Sound, Artlist, Videoblocks
Books & works: A Hangman’s Diary: Being the Authentic Journal of Master Franz Schmidt, Public Executioner of Nuremberg 1573–1617
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