Johannes Lang (master tailor)

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Johannes Lang (also Jost) (* around 1620 in Runkel , Hesse ) was a German tailor and fought against witch trials .

Life

Johannes Lang was master of the tailors' guild, an important branch of industry in the County of Runkel , and was a respected and wealthy man on the local board of Münster . He originally came from Runkel , where his uncle was the castle administrator even before the Thirty Years War . He had earned a lot of money as a market trader and after the war he bought and settled in Munster . His wife was called Agnes (also Anna), née Weyandt, born in Weyer .

Johannes Lang was charged with murdering Theiss Kühmichel from Munster.

Witch trials

During the Thirty Years War , the witch trials in County Runkel had become quieter. After the end of the war, however, new “witchcraft committees” were formed. From 1649 to 1652 18 people were accused of sorcery in the Schadeck area , arrested and thirteen of them burned at the place of execution above Ennerich . Only Agnes Lang from Münster is known to have survived. The fate of the remaining four is unknown. The 18 accused had to appear before the Runkel court under the bailiff Dr. Johann Wilhelm von Walrabenstein (term of office 1650–1661) are responsible. Of the 18 people, seven came from Runkel , three from Weyer , two each from Steeden , Schupbach and Münster and one each from Hofen and Ennerich.

Witch trial against Agnes Lang

In 1652 Agnes Lang, the wife of Johannes Lang, was accused of witchcraft along with four other women . Her brother had already been executed as a sorcerer . When she publicly claimed that her brother was innocent and wrongly executed and that there were no witches, she was summoned and interrogated for the first time on January 10, 1653. The denial of the witchcraft rule alone would have been enough to condemn them. She was also heavily accused of having a child who had become sick after she had carried it to church and gave it a baptism. When she supported a man who had climbed a tree by the leg, the leg was swollen and covered with peeling .

Agnes Lang was asked how things were with the “magic smear pot” that she had recently used when the maid von Hofen wanted to enter Agnes' house but found the door locked. Agnes explained that she was sick with red dysentery at the time and that, since she could not leave the room because of weakness, she had put her urine in a pot. That's why it smelled so bad. Then she added the following to the count: If there had been magic in the pot, it would not have stunk. The court concluded: Agnes would not have known that sorcery does not stink if she had not used sorcery herself.

Johannes Lang found weaknesses in the litigation against his wife. He was able to prove to the bailiff Johann Wilhelm von Walrabenstein from Runkel that he behaved improperly. The bailiff was not only active as an investigator and judge, but at the same time and with good pay also as a defense attorney. In doing so, he violated the imperial court order.

The guild master Johannes Lang sued his sovereign, Count Friedrich III , before the Reich Chamber Court in Speyer . von Wied , because of these abuses. The verdict was pronounced just a few weeks later. The court accused Friedrich Graf zu Wied-Runkel of not having properly staffed the court in his county. The count had to pay a fine of 10 guilders and the court was no longer allowed to pronounce rights in the occupation. A continuation of the witch trials was not possible. Both the count and Wallrabenstein tried to appeal. Ultimately, the count had to recognize the verdict and reassign his court. Agnes Lang and the three women captured with her were meanwhile at large. The witch trials in the county of Wied-Runkel were not resumed.

The release of his wife was not enough for Johannes Lang. He also obtained the acquittal of his wife through another lawsuit. From then on Agnes Lang was no longer allowed to be called a witch, violating it was punishable.

Street sign for Johannes Lang, fighter against witch trials in Selters-Münster in the 17th century

memory

A street in Münster was named after Johannes Lang. In addition, the chronicle of the town of Runkel is dedicated to his use on several pages. Living descendants could be found today. In church services on March 22nd, 2015 and December 6th, 2015, the evangelical parish of Münster remembered his work.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Klaus Reuter: The end of the witch trials in Runkel or the story of the brave tailor Johannes Lang from Münster , in: Magistrat der Stadt Runkel (ed.): Runkel 1159-2009. How it was - how it is . Runkel 2009, pp. 33-35
  2. ^ Ernst Zander: Witches Trials , in: Burg Schadeck. Schadeck over the Lahn. A village in history 1288-1988 . P. 344
  3. ^ Ernst Zander: Witches Trials , in: Burg Schadeck. Schadeck over the Lahn. A village in history 1288–1988. P. 340.
  4. ^ Ernst Zander: Witches Trials , in: Burg Schadeck. Schadeck over the Lahn. A village in history 1288–1988 . P. 343f.
  5. ^ Sabine Müller-Wendt: Tailor and guild master Johannes Lang. Civil courage ends witch trials in Runkel. In: Videto - Diversity-Democracy-Tolerance, Limburg-Weilburg (ed.): Remembered future. Bring yesterday into tomorrow. Limburg 2011, p. 50.
  6. ↑ The persecution of witches was an issue . In: Weilburger Tagblatt April 8, 2016 ( Memento from November 16, 2015 in the web archive archive.today )
  7. ↑ Witchcraft is a topic of worship . In: Weilburger Tagblatt December 7, 2015
  8. ↑ Ulrich Finger: Sermon on the 43rd Psalm, Sunday Judika March 22, 2015 in the service in Selters-Münster (PDF; 165 kB), accessed on April 28, 2016
personal data
SURNAME Lang, Johannes
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lang, Jost
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German tailor, opponent of the witch trials in Runkel
DATE OF BIRTH 1620
PLACE OF BIRTH Runkel
DATE OF DEATH 17th century or 18th century