summary 283 Most important in the British, and thus also the Anglican, development was theMurderAct of 1752 severely limiting the time provided for preparation except in Scotland. Condemned sermon, confession, and Absolution, sometimes preceded by a number of questions, last communion, execution sermon or speech, liturgical ceremonies, and hymns on the way or at the execution, sermons due to a recent execution, and prayers at every time – the church had many ways, certainly more than those here mentioned, to convey their messages. The main aim for the church was and is salvation. Often the condemned has thus been displayed as an example. Sometimes, however, the condemned has rather been used as a warning. The difference has been due to factors such as when in the process the speech has been given, the choices of the condemned, and the understanding of salvation. The state also often was not foreign to the strive for the salvation of the condemned, but also aimed to display their power, for a long time seen as given by God. The condemned could deliver all kind of messages, eventually, however, their possibility to do it shrunk as the condemned more frequently was held silent – becoming only a body. The theme of martyrdom, often present in i e speeches, art, literature, and clothing, and understood in several ways, is presented all the way from early Christianity and even earlier Judaism. Legislation and cases are then dealt with. Studying several countries different methods to deal with these crimes are highlighted together with the different situations that the crimes were conducted in. That these reactions did not occur before around 1700 can with an image borrowed from a study of Mona Rautelin used on infanticide be understood as an epidemic due to the crimes becoming visible. The area first studied separately are the German states where the situation and developments in some states such as primarily Prussia is focused on while not so much or nothing at all are mentioned from the several hundred other states.
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