Catharine Wolpmann

Catharine Wolpmann (* 1603 in Verden , date of death unknown) was a woman who was accused of witchcraft and acquitted in the 17th century . Her case was the trigger for the ban of witch trials in the Swedish kingdom , to which Verden an der Aller at the time belonged, by Queen Christina .

Life

Catharine Wolpmann was born in Verden in 1603 as the daughter of Engel Wehland and Woldeke Wehland. Woldeke Wehland was the acting mayor of Verden from 1626 to 1628. The Wehland family operated the cloth trade and made garments. Catharine's mother Engel Wehland (née Panning) was the sister of councilor Franz Panning. This in turn had a daughter named Hilke (Hille) Badenhop. Catharine married the next mayor Hermann Wolpmann in 1620, who was in office from 1643 to 1659 and had 6 children with him. The Wolpmann family lived in a house on Grosse Strasse in Verden, which is number 75. Her mother (house number 65) and her uncle (house number 71) lived on the same street. In addition, a farm in Borstel called "Reisens" was owned by the Wolpmanns.

First witch trial against Catharine Wolpmann

Catharine Wolpmann and her uncle Franz Panning were arrested in Verden on July 6, 1647, after some women from the neighborhood had accused them of witchcraft. During their imprisonment, Catharine and Franz were not allowed to have a defense attorney during the interrogation, and when they were visited by their family, someone from the magistrate was always present. Her family members pulled out all the stops to get her out of custody. They requested the detainees to be released on bail. Since this was not immediately confirmed, Franz's son filed a complaint with the provisional government in Stade at the end of August. However, nothing changed in their situation. In September, however, Swedish councilors ordered the cathedral chapter and the magistrate of Norderstadt to release them on bail under threat of a fine of 1,000 gold guilders. In the end, the Swedish Queen Christina ordered that the two should be released from custody. After their release in 1649, they were forbidden from bringing charges against the city because of their detention.

Second witch trial against Catharine Wolpmann

Catharine Wolpmann was accused of witchcraft together with her husband Hermann Wolpmann in 1655 and arrested. However, as in the first trial, she was acquitted and released in 1659. So they won the trial against the pastor of St. Andreas Erich Warner Oporinus.

literature

Christoph Gottlieb Pfannkuche: The older and more recent history of the former Diocese of Verden . Volume 1. Bauer, Verden 1830; Reprint: Nabu Press 2012, pp. 319–326 ( limited preview in Google book search).

Web links

Joachim Woock (Verden History Workshop ): "... if you suspect animated vice ..." The last witch hunts in the Swedish duchies of Bremen and Verden. on historicum.net

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c Jürgen Siemers: Queen Christine banned witch trials , Achimer Kreisblatt dated February 10, 2004, Achim history workshop, February 10, 2004 ( online )
↑ ^a ^b ^c Christoph Gottlieb Pfannkuche: The older and more recent history of the former diocese of Verden . Volume 1. Bauer, Verden 1830; Reprint: Nabu Press 2012, pp. 319–326 ( limited preview in Google book search).

personal data
SURNAME	Wolpmann, Catharine
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Victims of the witch hunt
DATE OF BIRTH	1603
PLACE OF BIRTH	Verden
DATE OF DEATH	17th century

[Achim-1] Jürgen Siemers: Queen Christine banned witch trials , Achimer Kreisblatt dated February 10, 2004, Achim history workshop, February 10, 2004 ( online )

[Pfannkuche-2] Christoph Gottlieb Pfannkuche: The older and more recent history of the former diocese of Verden . Volume 1. Bauer, Verden 1830; Reprint: Nabu Press 2012, pp. 319–326 ( limited preview in Google book search).