The Beggar King by Oliver Pötzsch: Reader’s Guide

1662: Jakob Kuisl, the hangman of a village in

the Alps, receives a letter from his sister calling

him to the imperial city of Regensburg, where a

gruesome sight awaits him: her throat has been

slit. When the city constable discovers Kuisl

alongside the corpse, she locks him in a dungeon,

where Kuisl will experience firsthand the torture

he’s administered for years. As nightmares assail

him, Kuisl can only hope to prevail on the

Regensburg executioner to show mercy to a

fellow hangman.

Kuisl’s steely daughter, Magdalena, and her young doctor paramour, Simon, rush to Regensburg

and try to save Jakob, enlisting an underground network of beggars, a beer-brewing monk, and

an Italian playboy for help. Navigating the labyrinthine city, they learn there is much more

behind the false accusation than a personal vendetta: there is a plan that will endanger the entire

German Empire.

Chock-full of fascinating historical detail, The Beggar King brings to life another tremendous

tale of an unlikely hangman and his tough as nails daughter, confirming Pötzsch’s mettle as a

storyteller at the height of his powers.

Discussion Questions

1. Ergot poisoning has been theorized to be responsible for some accusations of witchcraft.

After reading this book, how likely do you think this is?

2. Were you surprised by the revelation of who was behind the poisoning plot? What clues

did Pötzsch give to help you figure it out?

3. At what point did you realize that the blue powder was ergot? Had you ever heard of it

before, and did the use of it early in the book tip you off that it might be important later?

4. Simon and Magdalena bring Jakob to the bishop’s residence because “Asylum in the

church has been sacred since time immemorial…once [Jakob] is there, the city guards are

powerless.” (p. 311) What does this tell you about the separation of church and state at

this time in German history?

5. Teuber, the Regensburg hangman, says of the city: “Every day she devours a few more,

and it isn’t always the villains.” (p. 126) How does this connect with the views of the

freemen?

6. While they obviously go about trying to change things in a terrible way, what do you

think of the freemen’s views? Could they be considered early democrats or even early

communists?
7. Despite her station in life as a hangman’s daughter, Magdalena is exceptionally sure of

herself. Do you think this is historically accurate or an anomaly?

8. What do you think of Simon and Magdalena’s relationship? He is often quite jealous of

her and doesn’t approve of her headstrong ways, yet they look out for each other. Do they

make each other better people?

9. Anna tells Jakob that she had an abortion and that Magdalena really is Jakob’s daughter.

Do you think she is telling the truth?

10. Jakob is haunted by the war both emotionally (through his terrible dreams) and literally

(Lettner returning and attempting to kill him). And yet he is not haunted by the people he

has tortured and killed as a hangman. What do you think the difference is?

11. Despite being a “king,” the Beggar King Nathan is on an even lower social level than

Magdalena and Simon. How does this affect their attempts to solve the mystery? Should

they have trusted him more?

12. Philipp Lettner managed to go from “a mangy mercenary to a respected raftmaster,” (p.

385), but only through deceit and murder. Do you think that the rigid social structures of

that time drove the poorer classes to crime in an attempt to better themselves? Or was it

simply due to greed?

Reader’s guide written by Tim Mudie