Agnes Gotter

Agnes gods (Agnes "Ness" Erhardt born as Agnes Gotts in Offenburg known as gods Ness, gods Nes * 1573 in Offenburg , † 1654 / 1655 ), because of Witchcraft accused put despite torture a confession and was released. Her steadfastness in the torture chamber led to the end of the witch persecution in Offenburg.

Engraving by Matthäus Merian

Witch trials in Offenburg

In Offenburg 1586-1611 and 1627-1631 witch hunts were carried out. 104 women and men got into witch trials , 89 people were executed, including families of councilors and craftsmen. The fate of Agnes Gotter became particularly well known.

Life and family

Agnes Gotter was born around 1573 in the Ulrich Gotts family in the old Spitalgasse. Between November 11, 1591 and January 19, 1592 Agnes Gotter married the Offenburg master baker Hans Braun. Together they ran an in-house bakery at the cheese market. They had four children: Anna, Hans, Ursula and Michael. The husband died 5 to 7 years after the wedding.

The widow Agnes Braun married Balthasar Erhardt on May 15, 1600 and brought her house with the bakery into the marriage. The couple also owned a vineyard farm. On May 14, 1602, Balthasar Erhardt bought a house with a barn, stable and trot in Steinweg. From the marriage with Balthasar Erhardt came three children: Georg, Rosina and Marie. When her second husband died in 1616, Agnes Erhardt was widowed for the second time at the age of 43. Their youngest daughter Marie was just eight years old.

Witch trial against Agnes Erhardt

Hackerscher torture chair

Agnes Erhardt was captured and imprisoned on November 12, 1629 on charges of witchcraft.

Her son Georg Erhardt was already married to Ursula Ergersheimer at the time. They had three children: Jacob, Katharina and Margarethe and lived in their own house next to their mother. As the landlord of the "Pfalz", he was also responsible for the food and drink of the guards and the prisoners.

Agnes Erhardt survived the ordeal without making a confession. Twice she was placed on the so-called Hacker's chair, a metal chair with spikes that could be heated. This was the most severe form of torture used in Offenburg. At the latest by this third stage, all previous accused had confessed. Nevertheless, Agnes Erhardt was unable to make a confession. The Offenburg council decided on December 3, 1629 to release them and to suspend the witch trials until Christmas.

The protocol of the witch trial of November 23, 1629 reads: "Recognized that one should let her go home and arrange the lord of the church with her." "One should stop with the witch hunt until Christmas after."

Witch trial against daughter Marie Erhardt

On January 23, 1630, the 21-year-old Marie Erhardt, the youngest daughter of Agnes Erhardt, as well as Ursula Burck and the young Magdalen Holdermann were sentenced to death. They were locked in the Neuenturm at the north gate. The women continually asserted that they were not witches and were ultimately supported by the Offenburg town clerk Marcellus Ruoff. His presentation at the council meeting on January 24th led to the postponement of the executions scheduled for January 25th. The sentences were later overturned and all three were released into house arrest on February 4, 1630.

End of life

The two daughters Rosina and Marie Erhardt lived with their mother in their house. After Agnes Erhardt and her daughter Marie were released from prison under house arrest, Rosina looked after the two women. Marie was very sick for years. On July 26, 1638, it was even believed that she would die. Her mother Agnes Erhardt survived the torture. Ten months after her release on October 16, 1630, she sold farmland and vines. She must have lived until 1654/55, because on August 18, Rosina, Marie and the children of their deceased son Georg inherited one-third each of their mother's house. A death entry in the church register cannot be found. The case of inheritance indicates that Agnes Erhardt has turned 80.

The sisters Rosina and Marie remained single. The elder Rosina died on May 14, 1669 and Marie on November 10, 1670 at the age of 62.

Local reception

In honor of the woman who was called God's Nes and who helped through her brave behavior that the witch trials were slowly stopped, the city council in Offenburg named a new street after her on August 13, 1951: the "Gotter-Nes-Weg" .

literature

• Franz Volk : Witches in the Landvogtei Ortenau and imperial city Offenburg . 1882. Reprint: Offenburg 1978. Digitalisate 1  - Internet Archive and 2  - Internet Archive
• O. Kähni: Crimes and punishments of the 17th century in the imperial city of Offenburg . In: Die Ortenau , publications of the historical association for Mittelbaden, Offenburg 1951, pp. 76–85, uni-freiburg.de
• Peter Oestmann : The Offenburg witch trials in the area of ​​tension between the Reichshofrat and the Reichskammergericht . In: Die Ortenau , publications of the historical association for Mittelbaden, Offenburg 1995, pp. 179–220, uni-freiburg.de
• Ruth Jansen-Degott, Anne Junk (Ed.): Gotter Nes (1573-ca.1654/55). Conqueror of the witch's madness . In: Striking women , Offenburg special series, City of Offenburg Archive and Museum in the Ritterhaus, 2006, p. 19 ff
• Rudolf Calmbacher: At the end of the witch persecution 350 years ago. Who was the god Nes, how did she live? as a manuscript in the Offenburg City Archives, 1979 (3 pages)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Peter Oestmann: The Offenburg witch trials in the area of ​​tension between the Reichshofrat and the Reichskammergericht . In: Die Ortenau , publications of the historical association for Mittelbaden, Offenburg 1995, pp. 179–220
2. ^ Rudolf Calmbacher: At the end of the witch persecution 350 years ago. Who was the god Nes, how did she live? Manuscript in the Offenburg City Archives, 1979
3. ^ O. Kähni: Crimes and punishments of the 17th century in the imperial city of Offenburg . In: Die Ortenau , publications of the historical association for Mittelbaden, Offenburg 1951, p. 85
4. ↑ histor.ws