Suicide by Proxy in Early Modern Germany

The book explores the phenomenon of suicide by proxy that emerged after 1650, where individuals committed capital crimes to achieve a repentant death and avoid direct suicide's stigma. Kathy Stuart examines how this practice arose from aggressive social disciplining by confessional states, revealing the limits of early modern governmental power as they struggled to suppress it. The text includes case studies from Lutheran Hamburg and Catholic Vienna, highlighting the diverse motivations behind these acts, often involving the murder of innocent children.