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In medieval society, expulsion from the city was an effective means of sanctioning unconventional behavior by citizens, residents, and even strangers. This dissertation provides insight into numerous written sources from the cities of Frankfurt, Mühlhausen, Fritzlar, Hildesheim, Göttingen, Braunschweig, and Goslar from the period between 1300 and 1500. It examines which offenses were punished with which type of expulsion, how the social status of the offender could affect the severity of the sentence, what influence the respective municipal authorities had on the proceedings, and what options existed for mitigating the sentence. A central concern of the cities was to ensure peace both internally and externally. Instead of depriving members of their community of membership through expulsion, these punishments were repeatedly replaced by fines or the repair of the city fortifications.

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