> [!quote] [[were bandits a real problem in the middle ages via AskHistorians]] > In Anglo-Saxon England, the bounty for killing an outlaw was the same as for killing a wolf. By the late Middle Ages, this had evolved into the legal principle of _wolfesheed_: the outlaw _was_ a wolf, able to be hunted and killed exactly like a wolf, legally and by any means. England wasn't the only place that so closely equated wolves with criminals: in the Norse sagas, murderers are _Ulfr_ or wear wolf cloaks. > > Although it is fairly common for cultures to equate criminals with dangerous animals, the link in medieval Europe between bandits and a type of animal particularly known for attacking travelers and traveling in packs is both strong and specific. Travel in the Middle Ages was dangerous business, and it wasn't just a case of humans versus animals and environment.>