Medieval pubs were more than just places to drink—they were hubs of gambling, crime, and deadly brawls. From barroom assassinations to drunken feuds that ended in murder, these rowdy establishments were as dangerous as they were lively.

There were a lot of manslaughter cases arising from a trip to the pub. Many men carried knives. Arguments between armed men might, not coincidentally, escalate quickly and end in an accidental, or at least unintended, death. The tiny fines that were often exacted as punishment and the quick departure of an unpursued perpetrator from a village show just how common such incidents were—although formal cases of murder might be relatively rare in the Middle Ages, unlawful death and manslaughter were not.