Andreas Schweigel (Vogt)

Andreas Schweigl , also Andreas Schwegeler or Andreas Schwingeler (* around 1566 in Euskirchen , † 1636 in Rheinbach ) was a German jurist and Electoral Vogt , who as opponents of the Electoral Cologne witch hunts himself became a prominent victim of the witch judge.

Life

In 1580 Schweigel was matriculated as Andreas Swegelerus at the Artes Faculty of the University of Cologne and took up legal studies, which he completed with a doctorate. According to the contemporary witness Hermann Löher , he was also a “linguistic man” who, in addition to Latin, also mastered High and Low German, Spanish, French and Italian.

Beginning in 1602 he held the office of electoral bailiff in Rheinbach. Thus it was his task to exercise the high jurisdiction within the bailiwick on behalf of the Cologne elector . When investigations into suspicion of witchcraft were started for the first time in Rheinbach in 1631 , because there were several reports against a maid , the matter fell within Schweigel's area of ​​responsibility. However, he strictly refused to open a witch trial . The posted to Rheinbach witches Commissioner Franz Buirmann sat down with the assistance of the bailiff but Henry Degenhardt Schall von Bell against Vogt by and let the accused maid for a extorted by torture confession on the pyre burned.

With his rejection of the start of a witch trial, Schweigel had made the witch commissioner Buirmann an enemy, but the bailiff continued his resistance to the witch hunt unperturbed. When the witch commissioners Buirmann and Moeden began to investigate beyond the borders of the Electorate of Cologne, in some places in the Duchy of Jülich , Schweigel wrote a long letter to the Duke. In response to this letter, the witch trials were actually stopped. With this, Andreas Schweigel had now also angered the witch judge Jan Moeden, who was soon to avenge himself in a cruel way and accused the Vogt of Rheinbach in 1636 for sorcery.

For the witch commissioner, Schweigel was an apparently ideal sacrifice. Not only did Moeden see the chance to get one of the most determined opponents of the witch hunt out of the way with Schweigel. The witch commissioner also had the opportunity of personal enrichment, because the electoral bailiff had a considerable fortune and was childless. But the 70-year-old was one of the few defendants who, despite severe torture, did not make a confession. Moeden tortured him until death set in and had the body burned at the stake.

Aftermath

A study foundation founded by Schweigel and his wife Beatrix Freiling before his death still existed in 1892, but at that time had consumed its capital to 50 thalers.

By council resolution of February 26, 1959, a street in Euskirchen was named after Schweigel. There is also a Schweigelstrasse in Rheinbach.

literature

• Thomas Becker: Hermann Löher's "wistful lament". An eyewitness account of the witch hunt in a small town in the Rhineland, in: zeitenblicke 1 (2002), No. 1 (July 8, 2002).

Web links

• Hermann Löher (1595–1678), opponent of the witch hunt in the Rhineland

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Publications of the Society for Rhenish History VIII: "Die Matrikel der Universität Köln", Volume 7, Hermann Keussen a. a., Droste Verlag GmbH, Düsseldorf, 1981. See: 702 Rectorate, No. 146, 1580.
2. ↑ Karl Gissinger: "History of the town of Euskirchen," page 244, published by the town of Euskirchen, Euskirchen, 1902nd
3. ↑ Heinz Renn: "Hermann Löher, author of an important work against the witch trials", page 42, in: "Home calendar for the district of Euskirchen", pages 40-45, Euskirchen, 1963 and Paul Heusgen: "The parishes of the deaneries Meckenheim and Rheinbach ", Page 352, JP Bachem GmbH, Cologne, 1925.
4. ^ Paul Heusgen: "The parishes of the deaneries Meckenheim and Rheinbach", page 352, JP Bachem GmbH publishing house, Cologne, 1925.
5. ↑ City Archives Euskirchen, EU 1 No. 701.
6. ^ Gerhard Schoenen: "The Cologne Study Foundations", page 451, Du Mont-Schauberg, Cologne, 1892.