Heinrich Rimphoff

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Heinrich Rimphoff (* 1595 or 1596 in Wiedensahl ; † March 28, 1655 , also Hinrich Rimphoff ) was consistorial counselor in the Duchy of Verden and witch hunter .

Life

Heinrich Rimphoff was born in 1595 or 1596 as the son of a teacher at the Bruchhauser School and pastor of Wiedensahl. After his studies, most recently from 1617 in Helmstedt, he succeeded his father as pastor in Wiedensahl in 1622 and from 1638 pastor primarius at the cathedral in Verden . Under the Danish administration he was appointed superintendent over the diocese of Verden in 1642 and under the Swedes in 1652 he was appointed consistorial councilor over the duchy of Verden . Rimphoff died on Easter Sunday, March 28, 1655.

Witch hunts

During his tenure in Wiedensahl, Rimphoff played a special role in the witch trials in Loccum monastery . There, around 30 people were executed in witch hunts between 1628 and 1638 . With 15 women and five men, the majority of the defendants are people who belong to the Wiedensahler community. Gesche Köllers and Gesche Heimann (née Spanuth) were the last two women from Wiedensahl to be executed.

Later Rimphoff was responsible for resuming the witch hunt in the Diocese of Verden. Together with the Verden cathedral chapter , the magistrate and the law faculty of the University of Rinteln , he was the driving force in a witch trial in 1647, which ended up at the stake for three women . Three other women were killed during the torture.

Against Rimphoffs work of the Swedish chaplain translated Johann Seifert the Cautio Criminalis of Friedrich Spee of Langenfeld into German. As a replica, Rimphoff published the 566-page work Dragon King within a few weeks , in which he repeatedly cites Martin Luther as the source of the witch's persecution and also includes his anti-Judaism . When the witch hunt also spread to the wives of council members, the council complained to the Swedish governor Königsmarck . This set up a commission to investigate the process in Verden. The magistrate feared for his privileges and turned a complaint directly to Christina of Sweden , which surprisingly forbade any witch hunts in the duchies of Bremen and Verden. However, it took until 1652 to finally put down the proceedings.

Rehabilitation of victims of the witch trials

Loccum Monastery, Gesche Köllarsweg, 2016
  • The victims of the witch trials were rehabilitated by the town council of Rehburg-Loccum on September 25, 2013.
  • The Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church of Hanover announced a social rehabilitation of the victims of the witch trials on September 18, 2015.

See also

Works

  • Dragon King / That is: Warhaftige / Clear / Christian / and highly necessary Beschreybunge / deß grawsamen / hochvermaldeyten witches and magic Teuffels / ... , Rinteln 1647. ( VD17 23: 282066F , digital copy of the HAAB )

literature

Web links

Wikisource: Heinrich Rimphoff  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hartwig Hohnsbein: Heinrich Rimphof (f) , in: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL), Volume XXXIX, Bautz, Nordhausen 2018, ISBN 978-3-95948-350-6 , Sp. 1248 - 1261
  2. ↑ "The end of the witch hunt: The late" glory "of the Gesche Köllars" [1]
  3. ↑ Conscience book: Of trials against the witches . Bremen, 1647. ( VD17 1: 018958N )
  4. ^ Resolution of the city council of Rehburg-Loccum. (PDF, 471 kB) October 14, 2013, accessed April 25, 2014 .
  5. ^ Evangelical Lutheran Regional Church Hanover
personal data
SURNAME Rimphoff, Heinrich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rimphoff, Hinrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swedish consistorial councilor and cathedral preacher in Verden; Witch hunters
DATE OF BIRTH 1595 or 1596
PLACE OF BIRTH Wiedensahl
DATE OF DEATH March 28, 1655