Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Robber band
(1,274 words)

1. Definition

Only in a highly technical sense can we think of robber bands as subcultural communities formed for the violent misappropriation of other people’s property. Instead, they stand as a synonym for early modern organized criminality in general; their members engaged in theft and robbery, fraud and extortion, manslaughter and murder for a living (Property crime; Violence). In the late Middle Ages, robber bands became projection…

Cite this page
Schwerhoff, Gerd, “Robber band”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 02 June 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_026165>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20210601



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