A robber baron or robber knight was an unscrupulous feudal landowner who, protected by his fief's legal status, imposed high taxes and tolls out of keeping with the norm without authorization by some higher authority. Some resorted to actual banditry. The German term for robber barons, Raubritter, was coined by Friedrich Bottschalk in 1810.
Legendary Raubritter Eppelein von Gailingen (1311–1381) during his escape from Nuremberg Castle
Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an individual or in groups. Banditry is a vague concept of criminality and in modern usage can be synonymous for gangsterism, brigandage, marauding, terrorism, piracy and thievery.
Carmine Crocco's lieutenant Agostino Sacchitiello and members of his band from Bisaccia, Campania photographed in 1862
Members of the Dalton Gang on display following the Battle of Coffeyville in 1892 – left to right: Bill Power, Bob Dalton, Grat Dalton, and Dick Broadwell