Outlaw (stock character) explained
Romanticised outlaws are stock characters found in a number of fictional settings.
This was particularly so in the United States, where outlaws were popular subjects of newspaper coverage and stories in the 19th century, and 20th century fiction and Western films. Thus, "outlaw" is still commonly used to mean those violating the law[1] or, by extension, those living that lifestyle, whether actual criminals evading the law or those merely opposed to "law-and-order" notions of conformity and authority (such as the "outlaw country" music movement in the 1970s).
The colloquial sense of an outlaw as bandit or brigand is the subject of a monograph by British author Eric Hobsbawm:[2] Hobsbawm's book discusses the bandit as a symbol, and mediated idea, and many of the outlaws he refers to, such as Ned Kelly, Mr. Dick Turpin, and Billy the Kid, are also listed below.
List of famous outlaws
The stereotype owes a great deal to English folklore precedents, in the tales of Robin Hood and of gallant highwaymen. But outlawry was once a term of art in the law, and one of the harshest judgments that could be pronounced on anyone's head.
American
American Western
See main article: List of American Old West outlaws. The outlaw is familiar to contemporary readers as an archetype in Western films, depicting the lawless expansionism period of the United States in the late 19th century. The Western outlaw is typically a criminal who operates from a base in the wilderness, and opposes, attacks or disrupts the fragile institutions of new settlements. By the time of the Western frontier, many jurisdictions had abolished the process of outlawry, and the term was used in its more popular meaning. Some Old West outlaws, such as Billy the Kid and Jesse James, became legendary figures in Western lore both in their own lifetime and long after their deaths.
Argentinian
Brazilian
Cangaceiros
- Lampião – Brazilian outlaw who led the Cangaços, a band of feared marauders and outlaws who terrorized Northeastern Brazil during the 1920–1930's.
Canadian
Mexican
Panamanian
European
British
Croatian
Hajduci
Czech/Slovak
French
German
Greek
Klephtes
Hungarian
Icelandic
Irish
Italian
Norwegian
Polish
- Slovak bandit Juraj Jánošík is known in Polish folklore as Janiczek or Janicek
Serbian
Spanish
- Diego Corrientes Mateos Andalusian (1757–1781)
- El Guapo Andalusian (born 1546) who is reputed to be the source for part one chapter 22 of Don Quixote by Cervantes.
- Eleuterio Sánchez Rodríguez (born April 15, 1942), known as El Lute, was at one time listed as Spain's "Most Wanted" criminal and later became a published writer.
Others
Asians/Oceanian
Australian
See main article: Bushranger. In Australia two gangs of bushrangers have been made outlaws – that is they were declared to have no legal rights and anybody was empowered to shoot them without the need for an arrest followed by a trial.
- Ben Hall – the New South Wales colonial government passed a law in 1865 which outlawed the gang (Hall, John Gilbert and John Dunn) and made it possible for anyone to shoot them. There was no need for the outlaws to be arrested and for there to be a trial — the law was essentially a bill of attainder.[4]
- Ned Kelly – The Victorian colonial government passed a law on October 30, 1878, to make the Kelly gang outlaws: they no longer had any legal rights and they could be shot by anyone. The law was modelled on the 1865 legislation passed against the gang of Ben Hall. As well as Ned Kelly, his brother Dan Kelly was subject to the warrant as well as Joe Byrne and Steve Hart.[5]
East Asian
Indian
- Dulla Bhatti – was a Punjabi who led a rebellion against the Mughal emperor Akbar. His act of helping a poor peasant's daughter to get married led to a famous folk take which is still recited every year on the festival of Lohri by Punjabis.
- Papadu – South Indian bandit.
- Veerappan, South India's most famous bandit, Elephant poacher, sandalwood smuggler
- Phoolan Devi – one of India's most famous dacoits ("armed robber").[6]
- Saradiel – Known as the Robin Hood of Sri Lanka for his exploits under British Colonial rule.
- Shiv Kumar Patel – led one of the few remaining bands of outlaws that have roamed central India for centuries.[7]
- Thuggee – Indian network of secret fraternities engaged in murdering and robbing travellers.[8]
°Kayamkulam Kochunni a heroic outlaw from Kayamkulam who lived during the late 19th century. He was active in the Travancore area in the present-day Kerala, India. He is said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. Legends on his life are part of the folklore of Keralam.
Middle East
Russian
Turkish
Ukrainian
In other media
UK-based alt-rock band, Guild Theory's debut album contains a song called Outlaws, which depicts a group of thieves on the run from the law.
Notes and References
- Black's Law Dictionary at 1255 (4th ed. 1951), citing Oliveros v. Henderson, 116 S.C. 77, 106 S.E. 855, 859.
- E. J. Hobsbawm, Bandits; Penguin Books, 1972
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/eastmidlands/series3/travellers_highwaymen_derbyshire_peakdistrict.shtml BBC Inside Out – Highwaymen
- Web site: Ben Hall and the outlawed bushrangers. Culture and Recreation Portal. Australian Government. April 15, 2008. September 19, 2008. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080720172553/http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/benhall/. July 20, 2008.
- Web site: Felons' Apprehension Act (Act 612). Cowie. N.. July 5, 2002. September 19, 2008. January 10, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090110093556/http://www.bailup.com/outlaws.htm. dead.
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3966351.stm Indian bandits kill 13 villagers
- http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/23/news/india.php Indian bandit slain in gun battle with police
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/history/thugs.shtml BBC – Religion & Ethics – Origins of the word 'thug'
- https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E02E1D81539EF3ABC4852DFB1668389639EDE Simko, Bandit Leader, Said to Have Defeated Persian Troops.
