Dorte Hilleke
Dorte Hilleke (* 16th or 17th century in Menden ; † after March 20, 1631 ) defied torture in the Menden witch trials in 1631 . The current city library in Menden was named after her on April 12, 1994.
According to the files, the prisoner said when she was arrested that God had placed the cross on her, and that she would endure it with patience. She wants to tell the truth, to accuse no one wrongly, so that her bliss will not harm her.
After her arrest on March 4, 1631, Dorte Hilleke was interrogated again on March 20, 1631 and repeatedly tortured. The files do not report anything about the further course of the process. No execution is reported. It is therefore uncertain whether she was released from prison or whether she died in it, possibly from injuries caused by torture. Dorte Hilleke was the only defendant to defy the torture and with her silence broke the chain of denunciations.
The files of the Menden witch trials can be found in the parish archives of the parish of St. Vincenz Church in Menden.
The city council of Menden unanimously decided on December 14, 2011 to rehabilitate the victims of the witch trials convicted in Menden.
See also
literature
- Gisbert Kranz : Menden law and court and other witch trials 1592–1631 , self-published 1929. Printed by: Georg Pfeiffer, Menden (Mendener Tageblatt and Anzeiger), pp. 62–63.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Westfalenpost from December 15, 2011
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hilleke, Dorte |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Defendants in the Menden witch trials |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 16th century or 17th century |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Menden (Sauerland) , Germany |
| DATE OF DEATH | after March 20, 1631 |