Elisabeth von Doberschütz

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Elisabeth von Doberschütz , also Dobschütz , née von Strantz (* unknown; † December 17, 1591 in Stettin , Pomerania ) was a victim of the witch persecution in Neustettin , was beheaded at the Stettin hay market and burned at the gates of the city.

Witch hunt

Duchess Erdmuthe of Pomerania

Elisabeth von Doberschütz was accused of witchcraft and wizardry in 1590 : She was charged with Erdmuthe , the wife of Duke Johann Friedrich (1542–1600), Duke of Pomerania-Stettin, with a "witch's potion" which she after the Duchess years earlier had sent a miscarriage to lower the fever, to have rendered sterile. The Duke was married to Princess Erdmuthe of Brandenburg (1561–1623) since 1577. She was the daughter of Elector Johann Georg von Brandenburg and Sabine von Brandenburg-Ansbach. The marriage, however, remained childless. Doberschütz managed to escape, but she was caught in Crossen (Oder) , where she had fled with her husband, imprisoned in Stettin and sentenced to death on December 17, 1590. Exactly one year later to the day, on December 17, 1591, she was beheaded as a witch on the Szczecin Heumarkt and then burned at the stake in front of the city gates - in the year in which the witch hunts in Neustettin reached their peak.

background

Elisabeth's persecution as a witch is seen today as the result of a political intrigue: Elisabeth had married Melchior von Doberschütz , landlord on Plau in the Brandenburg district of Crossen (Oder) . But he was in debt, which is why Doberschütz entered the ducal Pomeranian service around 1575. There he was city governor (until 1584) of Neustettin . For reasons of political envy, his wife is said to have been accused of magic for the first time as early as 1584. In 1590 her husband fell out of favor - due to defamation and defamation of Elisabeth as a witch - and was banished from Pomerania .

Ultimately, targeted defamation led to Elizabeth's arrest and conviction. The files also show, for example, that through her meticulous accuracy and relentless severity, she had drawn the hatred of the maids and servants to a large extent. She is said to have given the ducal court marshal Peter von Kameke and other court officials as well as the duke poisoned drinks that are said to have robbed them of their wit and spirit, thereby gaining their favor for herself or her husband.

She is also said to have been highly superstitious, as was widespread at the time, and to have carried out "some strange customs", which is why she also talked to the "magicians" in prison, whose forced false testimony and slander under torture ultimately led to Elisabeth's death sentence. The mastermind was Jakob von Kleist , her husband's competitor for the duke's favor and Doberschütz's successor as governor of Neustettin, who had several women executed as witches during his tenure as governor (1584–1594) .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Martin Wehrmann: History of the city of Stettin , page 264, Flechsig Verlag, 1979, ISBN 3812800330 excerpt
  2. ^ Hans Branig, Werner Buchholz: History of Pomerania , Volume 22, Part 1, Page 158, Publications of the Historical Commission for Pomerania, Verlag Böhlau, 1997, ISBN 3412071897 excerpt
  3. ↑ Baltic Studies , Volume 34, Page 168, Society for Pomeranian History and Archeology, Verlag T. von der Nahmer, 1932 excerpt
  4. ↑ Contributions to cultural history , Volume 1, page 32, Verlag E. Felber, 1897 excerpt
  5. ↑ Source: Max von Stojentin
  6. ↑ Paul Magunna: Monatsblätter , Volumes 9-12, Society for Pomeranian history and antiquities, 1895 (ed.)
personal data
SURNAME Doberschütz, Elisabeth von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Strantz, Elisabeth von; Dobschütz, Elisabeth von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German nobles, executed as witches
DATE OF BIRTH 16th Century
DATE OF DEATH December 17, 1591
Place of death Szczecin , Pomerania