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Roots -

Not much is known about the early years of Peter Niers’ life. He was born into a peasant family circa 1540 in Germany. Exactly when and where is not known.

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Variations in name -

His surname varies, depending on the sources. Peter Niers is also known as Peter Nirsch, Niersch, Nyers, or Nyersch.

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He lived through a class war -

Niers was born poor, and lived through a revolt known as the German Peasants’ War. The uprising began in 1525 and challenged the feudal system of serfdom, also touching on issues of economic disparity and religious freedom.

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Criminality increases -

Crime soared across Germany during this period, and Peter Niers emerged from this backdrop of violence.

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The bandit life -

Highwaymen were gangs of bandits who would travel across the country robbing travelers. Peter Niers put together his own gang in Alsace, France.

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He was inspired by a shepherd murderer -

Reportedly, Niers was inspired by a shepherd killer known as Martin Stier. Stier is said to have turned 48 fellow shepherds into members of a criminal gang.

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Martin Stier -

Legend has it that Stier and his men were active for 22 years and traveled as far as the Netherlands. Martin Stier was eventually executed in 1572.

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Scope of territory -

Meanwhile, Niers and his criminal gang roamed around Europe, robbing and murdering travelers. That is, until they started to aim higher and began targeting towns and villages. He was mostly active in western France, the Rhineland, and Bavaria in southern Germany. But the reputation of Niers and his men spread across Europe.

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First capture -

In 1577, after 11 years of robbing, raping, and murdering, Niers and his gang were captured.

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He was betrayed -

Niers was turned in by one of his accomplices, who was tortured until he confessed to the murder of 75 people, including many women who had disappeared.

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First escape -

Peter Niers did, however, manage to escape his imprisonment (and certain death). Following this event, the folk legend only grew, and written accounts started to appear.

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His story was documented -

Most of the information we now know about Peter Niers is thanks to an author named Johann Wick, who wrote about his crimes between 1577 and 1582.

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Johann Wick’s pamphlets -

Johann Wick’s pamphlets were akin to a true crime blog. According to him, Peter Niers summoned the devil in the woods and used the acquired powers to commit his crimes.

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Supernatural powers -

Stories about Peter Niers’ supernatural abilities, the use of black magic, and dark practices such as cannibalism only contributed to the notoriety of his crimes.

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Peter Niers was introduced to the dark arts by Martin Stier -

According to Johann Wick, it was Stier who trained Niers in the art of black magic, among which there was a supposed way to gain supernatural powers, including invisibility: by burning candles made from fetus skin and fat.

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Shapeshifter cannibal -

Legend has it that Peter Niers then started to consume fetuses in order to gain supernatural powers. He reportedly could transform himself into an animal, stone, or log.

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Cold-hearted cannibal -

As mentioned, the skin of infants was reportedly used to make candles, which allowed him to become invisible and break into homes without anyone noticing. The mutilation of infants and young women were also part of his dark rituals.

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Master of disguise -

In order to avoid capture, Niers is said to have used several disguises while on the run. These included dressing up as a soldier, pretending to be a leper, and turning into a goat (don’t forget his shapeshifting abilities!).

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What did he look like? -

The physical appearance of Peter Niers is not very well documented. An arrest warrant issued in 1579 describes him as looking “rather old,” with a scar on his chin and with crooked fingers.

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Peter Niers is caught again -

Peter Niers was finally captured again in 1581, while staying at a lodge called The Bells, in the Neumarkt district in Bavaria.

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How Peter Niers was caught -

Legend has it that Niers asked the innkeeper to hold his pouch so he could go to a bathhouse. Townspeople pressured the innkeeper to open the pouch. When he did, he found dried hearts and hands of fetuses—telltale signs he was a black magic practitioner.

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Shocking confession -

Peter Niers was immediately captured. He later confessed to the murder of 544 people, including 24 pregnant women.

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Sentence -

On September 16, 1581, Peter Niers was sentenced to a gruesome death. But not before he was subjected to excruciating and brutal torture methods. 

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Hard to kill -

It turns out Peter Niers was indeed hard to break. He managed to survive three days of torture and had to have his limbs whacked off, which eventually killed him.

See more: Can you guess the star signs of these famous serial killers?

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