Peter Nikoll
Peter Nikoll (1771–1817) was a notorious bandit leader from Mecklenburg who was beheaded for his crimes. His nickname was Black Peter.
Life
Nikoll was born in 1771 in the Duchy of Mecklenburg and was involved in crime from an early age. In his later years he became a bandit chieftain who headed a powerful gang of robbers. Countless atrocities were committed under his leadership until he and his accomplices were eventually caught. Because of his reputation, he earned the sobriquet "Black Peter" (German: Schwarzer Peter) and, even after his death, "his deeds lived on in people's minds". The eponymous children's card game was said by one source to be named after him.[1] In the 19th century this game was played in northern Germany in the long winter evenings. The loser was "Black Peter" who received a charcoal mark on the face and had to pay a forfeit.[2]
Other sources, however, claim the card game was invented by
Execution
Nikoll was beheaded on 13 June 1817 in
References
- ^ a b _ (1886). Supplement to Der Grenzbote, No. 65, 15 August 1886. Reichenhall: Zugschwerdt, p. 3.
- ^ a b Wander (1873), p. 1220.
- ^ "Grafen, Gold und Schwarzer Peter". Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2019. at veldenz.de
- ISBN 978-3-638-95142-5
Literature
- Wander, Karl Friedrich Wilhelm (1873). Deutsches Sprichwörter-Lexikon: ein Hausschatz für das deutsche Volk, Volume 3. Leipzig: Brockhaus.