Mathias Kneißl, known as Robber Kneißl (in German Räuber Kneißl, in

Austro-Bavarian Bavarian (german: Bairisch , Bavarian: ''Boarisch'') or alternately Austro-Bavarian, is a West Germanic language, part of the Upper German family, together with Alemannic and East Franconian. Bavarian is spoken by approximately 12 million pe ...

Raiba Kneißl), (4 August 1875 in Unterweikertshofen – 21 February 1902) was a German outlaw,

poacher Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

and popular

antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...

in the

Bavarian folklore Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a States of Germany, state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land ...

of the Dachau district when the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German ...

was part of the

Second Reich The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. Chased by scores of green-uniformed rural policemen, who were already widely considered to be corrupt and who were further disliked for being

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian languages, Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three Regierungsbezirk, administrative ...

ns who could not speak the local Upper Bavarian dialect, Kneißl became a

folk hero A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in folk songs, folk tales and other folklore; a ...

to the local populatiom because of his repeated humiliations of the police. According to German

forensic scientist Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and criminal ...

Mark Benecke, Mathias Kneissl never saw himself as a

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

figure and was, in reality, "just a man who went astray with no way of getting back."

Life

Mathias Kneißl was born on 4 August, 1875, as the eldest of six children of a poor innkeeper. In 1886 his parents, who were later described as having "unknown origins" and as, "ill-tempered", purchased the mill at Sulzemoos Schacher. The mill was "a strategically remote location", and was often used as a secret meeting place for local criminals. When he was twelve years of age, a school report card wrote about Kneissl, "He is not totally devoid of gifts, but he is lazy beyond imagination. He never pays attention, his output doesn't exist. It is useless to scold him or punish him. He has no love of school whatsoever." Kneissl then began accompanying his brothers at an early age while

poaching Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

. At age 16 he was imprisoned for the first time, because members of his family were suspected of cattle raiding. His father was arrested for plundering the pilgrimage shrine of Herrgottsruh at Friedberg in 1892 and died soon after while in police custody in the town of Dachau. Soon after, Kneissl's mother was also arrested and imprisoned for

and her sons began to skip school in favor of similarly poaching instead. On 2 November 1893, Police Constables Gösswein and Förtsch arrived at the Schacher Mill to arrest Mathias and Alois Kneissl for poaching. Instead of surrendering peacefully, the Kneissl brothers opened fire, severely wounded both officers, and fled the scene. After being arrested a few days later, the Kneissl brothers were put on trial for robbery, poaching, receiving stolen goods,

resisting arrest Resisting arrest, or simply resisting, is an illegal act of a suspected criminal either fleeing, threatening, assaulting, or providing a fake ID to a police officer during arrest. In most cases, the person responsible for resisting arrest is crimi ...

, and attempted murder. They were found guilty; Alois Kneissl was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. Mathias Kneissl received a sentence of 6 years. After serving his sentence, he was released in February 1899 and worked as a carpenter in

Nußdorf am Inn Nußdorf am Inn (officially: ''Nußdorf a. Inn'') is a municipality in the district of Rosenheim in the state of Bavaria in Germany. Nußdorf consists of 23 boroughs and is a tourist destination in the Inn Valley between the Heuberg Wendelstein m ...

. After six months Kneißl was dismissed by his master, because his colleagues refused to work with him any longer. Due to his bad reputation, he was unable to find another job. For two years, Kneißl was pursued by the police. After his accomplices were arrested, he continued committing armed robberies on his own. An attempt to arrest him occurred on 30 November 1900 in Irchenbrunn Altomünster. In a massive gun battle, two policemen were injured so badly that they subsequently died. Three months later, in March 1901, Kneißl was captured at Geisen Egenhofen by sixty policemen. During the preceding gunfight, Kneißl was seriously injured by a bullet in the abdomen.

Trial

Between 14 and 19 November 1901 Kneißl was placed on trial at Augsburg. He was charged with two murders, attempted murder, as well as

armed robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

and

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...

. At his trial, which was followed by the media with great attention, Kneißl said, "As my bad luck would have it I had to go to the same school right up to my seventeenth year, just because Pastor Endl could not stand me and kept harassing me. Many of my friends left school long before I learned as much as the others. For the

final exams A final examination, annual, exam, final interview, or simply final, is a test given to students at the end of a course of study or training. Although the term can be used in the context of physical training, it most often occurs in the ac ...

, I was the only one told to do a calculation on the blackboard. I didn't want to do it. I don't accept unfairness. I will not bow even if it kills me." Kneißl confessed to most of the charges, but denied an intent to kill against the two policemen who were shot by him. However, the court found him guilty of murder, premeditated bodily harm with fatal consequences, extortion and for aggravated robbery. The Court then sentenced him to receive the death penalty for murder and 15 years imprisonment on the other charges. Sentenced on a Monday, Kneißl allegedly sarcastically remarked: "Well, that's a good start of a week." Judge Anton Rebholz appealed by letter to the Ministry of Justice, which confirmed Kneißl's death sentence. Kneißl was awakened shortly after seven o'clock on the morning of 21 February 1902. He was then executed via

guillotine A guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secured with stocks at t ...

. The executioner was Franz Xaver Reichhart.

Legacy

Kneißl was already a legendary figure during his own lifetime. The people, especially the small farmers of Bavaria saw in his outlaw life something revolutionary, a rebellion against the authorities. Even in recent times the Kneißl legend remains popular. Musical examples include the songs "Kneißl" by Georg Ringsgwandl (1993) and "Schachermüller-Hiasl" by

Schandmaul Schandmaul is a German medieval folk rock band from the Munich area. As well as using modern instruments such as the bass and electric guitar, the band also utilizes instruments typically used in Medieval folk songs such as the bagpipes, hurd ...

(2016). Three German movies are based on his life story: '' Mathias Kneissl'' by

Reinhard Hauff Reinhard Hauff (born 23 May 1939) is a German film director. His works, which were mostly carried out in the late 1960s to early 1990s, are known for their social and political commentary. ''Stammheim (film), Stammheim'', which is based on the act ...

(1971), ''The Proud and Sad Life of Mathias Kneissl'' by

Oliver Herbrich Oliver Herbrich (born 1961 in Munich) is a German filmmaker working as author, film director and producer. He is associated with the New German Cinema movement in the 1980s. From 2016, his films are digitally remastered and re-released in the ''Fi ...

(1980) and ' by Marcus H. Rosenmüller (2008).

Life

Trial

Legacy

References

Further reading