Maria Madlener

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Old Town Hall
Theft storm in Lindau

Maria Madlener (die Madlenerin) († August 4, 1730 in Lindau ), was a German maid who was accused of fornication , infanticide and witchcraft and was executed as the last victim of the witch hunt in Lindau on August 4, 1730. She was the third daughter of Conrad Madlener (1668–1709) and Beatrix Schmid (1659–1731), who had been married since 1689 and had seven children. Two pregnancies are reported of Maria, but the children did not survive.

Lindau witch trials

From 1445 to 1761, 18 people were charged in witch trials in Lindau . Nine defendants were executed or died in custody.

Allegations against Maria Madlener

Fornication, child murder, witchcraft and blasphemy were raised as charges in their trial. First, the maid Maria Madlener was arrested at the beginning of 1730 due to denunciations after preliminary investigations by the city and imprisoned in the city prison on the north side of the city hall. She was accused of premarital pregnancy in the summer of 1729. During the interrogation, she named the 20-year-old servant Hans Michael Helmenstorffer von Streitelsfingen as her father. Pre-wedlock meant disgrace and dismissal. Maria tried to terminate the pregnancy.

From January to March, Maria Madlener was interrogated almost every day. After strong encouragement , she confessed, under threat of torture , that she had committed fornication with twelve men. T. belonged to the upper middle class of the city. The accused men were interrogated and some were sentenced to large fines.

Another accusation was that she had given birth to a child as early as 1720 during Shrove Tuesday in an inn in the village of Mattonhausen (Mattenhaus) near Waldsee who would have died there afterwards. The hosts there made incriminating statements. In view of this public disgrace , her family would have turned her away and her brother Ulrich threatened to kill her.

Judgment in 1730 against Maria Madlener: Lindau City Archives, A III 57.7 (Imperial City Files)
The Galgeninsel, Lindau cityscape from the 16th century.

Trial, Torture and Execution

Sometimes I am a complete fool, sometimes half a fool, and in the foolishness I sometimes gossip so much and then have so much Schwickhe (Maria, case file no. 82)

Prosecutors and judges were the mayor and council of the city of Lindau. On May 3, 1730, she was transferred to the theft storm and chained. There she was accused of witchcraft by Jerg Loser (probably one of the guards). On June 14th, the torture began with undressing and finding a witch's mark . Eventually the executioner accused her of being bewitched by her. After the torture, she passed out on the floor for hours. An 80-page legal opinion by the Tübingen law faculty recommended the death penalty on July 27, 1730 . After a final interrogation on August 2, Maria Madlener was executed with the sword on August 4, 1730 on Gallows Island . D. Abraham Rader, Alexius Meher and Wolfgang Bensperg were the mayors at that time.

Last words from Maria Madlener

As the last words, a prayer from Maria Madlener has been handed down: I pray to God and I wish with all my heart that the dear fatherland [Lindau] may no longer experience such sad examples.

literature

  • Judgment in 1730 against Maria Madlener: Lindau City Archives, A III 57.7 (Imperial City Files)
  • Wolfgang Behringer : Witch hunt in Bavaria: folk magic, zeal for faith and reasons of state in the early modern period. Oldenbourg, Munich 1987, ISBN 3-486-53901-9 .
  • Karl Heinz Burmeister: Dark Chapter Lindau Justice: Witch Burning of Maria Madlener a lesson for the present . In: Lindauer Zeitung from January 24, 1991.
  • Andreas Kurz: Imperial City and Inquisition in the early 18th century. The Lindau trial against Maria Madlener. In: New Year's Sheet 31 of the Lindau Museum Association. Lindau 1991.
  • Andreas Kurz, Thomas Gehring: Maria Madlener, accused of fornication, infanticide and witchcraft. Text manuscript for the Schwabenspiegel radio broadcast on Bayerischer Rundfunk on March 7, 1993.
  • Jan H. Mathlener: De rode Lokvogel. A historical vertelling. Deze uitgave kwam tot stand met financielle steun van de voormalige Stichting Genealogical Onderzoek family Madlener / Mathlener. VDA-groep, Enschede, 2008. ISBN 978-90-9023094-8 .
  • Georg Radelmacher: Christian witchcraft at the lake. In: Südschwäbische Nachrichten, January 16, 1985, p. 11f.
  • Podium 84 shines with Maria Madlener. The last Lindau witch trial. A gripping piece of contemporary history on Schrannenplatz . In: Lindauer Zeitung of June 30, 1995.
  • Podium 84 shines with Maria Madlener (theater performance about the trial). In: Lindauer Zeitung of June 24, 1995.
  • Silvia Schmid: Maria Madlener. The last Lindau witch trial . In: Lindauer Zeitung of June 24, 1995.
  • Manfred Tschaikner : Wise woman, witch or murderess? - Katharina Zwiselerin von Scheffau and the role of medicine in the persecution of witches. In: Montfort, quarterly journal for the past and present of Vorarlberg, 52nd year 2000, issue 2, pp. 188–199, here p. 196.
  • Helga Sauermann: Maria Madlener. In: Stories from Lindau's History. Four local historical plays. Lunetina Verlag, Lindau 2007, pp. 6-59.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Andreas Kurz: Imperial City and Inquisition in the early 18th century. The Lindau trial against Maria Madlener. In: New Year's Sheet 31 of the Lindau Museum Association. Lindau 1991.
  2. Jump up ↑ Wolfgang Behringer : Hunting witches in Bavaria: Folk magic, zeal for faith and reasons of state in the early modern period. Oldenbourg, Munich 1987, ISBN 3-486-53901-9 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Madlener, Maria
ALTERNATIVE NAMES The Madleness
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Victims of the witch hunt
DATE OF BIRTH 18th century
DATE OF DEATH August 4, 1730
Place of death Lindau (Lake Constance)