Eva Mulner

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Eva Mulner (also: Johann Mulner's housewife) (* around 1575 probably in Wassenach ; † November 1609 in Wehr ) was a victim of the witch hunt in Wehr. She was executed in November 1609.

Life

Burghaus Wassenach, aerial photo (2014)

The maid Eva Mulner had an "affair" with the Junker Anton Kolve von Wassenach in Wassenach around 1594, which resulted in a child. Junker Anton Kolve was older because he had succeeded his father as early as 1549. His wife had been dead for several years, and his only child, his son Emund, had already died. Accordingly, the direct line of the Kolve, which the Burghaus Wassenach had owned as an Electoral Cologne fiefdom since at least 1391, threatened to die out. Apparently Anton Kolve had had the serious intention of marrying the maid Eva Mulner in order to continue his tribe. Such an improper connection had to be considered a scandal. Envy and resentment could have been the background of the suspicions and led to open or hidden witchcraft allegations against Eva Mulner. Even before their child was born, Eva moved to Wehr, but both of them maintained their relationship after the birth. Anton Kolve von Wassenach died on May 15, 1599.

Eva then married Johann Mulner from Wehr, who is named as a judge in 1602. He owned the house, yard and garden and was probably the tenant of the Steinfelder Mühle in Wehr.

Witch trial

On Monday, September 7th, 1609, Eva Mulner was arrested and detained in the cellar. Because of alleged witchcraft Eva had been "said" by several women who were executed on November 9, 1606. To make matters worse, according to general rumors, she had been under strong suspicion of sorcery for a long time. On Wednesday, September 9th, 1609, the trial of Eva Mulner began. Members of the court included Thomas Lehenmann, probably a son of Ewald Lehenmann, who had at least 28 “witches” and “magicians” executed in the Nürburg office between 1591 and 1593. In September / October 1593 he had twelve women executed as witches in the county of Arenberg.

For two hours Eva Mulner was urged by the court to make a voluntary confession, but to no avail. Then the executioner Master Balthasar was ordered to examine Eva in “tortura…” until the accused made a confession: devil's pact , devil's compensation , participation in the witches' Sabbath and “abuse of the most holy Sacraments”. Eva confessed that she did not swallow the host during Holy Communion, but threw it on the earth.

After Eva was returned to her cell at the end of the first day of the trial, the trial continued two days later, on Friday, September 11th, because she had not admitted to any case of damaging spells , which was a prerequisite for an execution. First there was again the amicable admonition to make a voluntary confession. But there was no confession, instead Eva revoked everything that she had confessed two days earlier. So the court decided to continue the torture, again with the leg screw and pulling up the rope. And now something unbelievable happened: hanging on the rope, Eve began to sing: Now we ask the Holy Spirit and Christ ascended to heaven with his twelve disciples . And she sang "these two praises from beginning to end", as the scribe notes in astonishment. Then Eva was exhausted and she confirmed her confession from Monday. She hope, “God the Almechtig will have passed you away”, she also hopes “to gain grace from the authorities and preserve life”. "When they leave the torture, vnd thrown back to the Gefengnus" - with this sentence the protocol ends. The trial probably continued on Saturday or Monday and resulted in a death sentence.

Eva Mulner was burned. Within three years, Eva Mulner was the seventh victim of the witch hunt in Wehr. The judgment was carried out at the Werer court next to the gallows on the old road from Wehr to Maria Laach near the Schlader Busch.

literature

  • Theodor Joseph Lacomblet: Archive for the history of the Lower Rhine . Reprint of the edition from 1836 to 1870, vol. V, p. 343ff.
  • Gerhard Knoll: Eva Mulner - the witch of Wehr , in: http://www.kreis-ahrweiler.de/kvar/VT/hjb2005/hjb2005.41.htm
  • Bruno Andre: The village of Wehr II . Wehr 1986, pp. 153f.
  • Dr. Jul. Wegeler: The family of Colven von Wassenach , in: Annals of the Historical Association for the Lower Rhine , Volume 13-14, Issue jg (Dec 1863)
  • Paul Krahforst: Ahrweiler witch trials in the 16th and 17th centuries , in: Heimatjahrbuch Kreis Ahrweiler , born 1977, p. 66.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Trier City Library Hs. 1534 / 166-2, fol. 48-50r fragment
  2. ^ B. Andre, Das Dorf Wehr II. Wehr 1986, pp. 153f.
personal data
SURNAME Mulner, Eva
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Victims of the witch hunt in Wehr
DATE OF BIRTH around 1575
PLACE OF BIRTH unsure: Wassenach
DATE OF DEATH November 1609
Place of death Weir