Martin Kleinschmidt

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Martin Kleinschmidt († before 1597) was an official from the Count of Stolberg . From 1578 to 1587 he was the official cast of the county of Wernigerode . Under his responsibility, numerous witch trials took place in the city and county of Wernigerode, in the course of which numerous women and men died in fire at the stake.

Life

Little is known about Martin Kleinschmidt's origins, nor is his exact life data. In Wernigerode he became the successor of the official locker Simon Gleißenberg, who died in November 1577 and was responsible for collecting the lap (tax) in the county of Wernigerode in the service of the Counts of Stolberg. His job was also to keep the lap register and to conduct judicial negotiations.

However, his bookkeeping was not always correct from the start. During the so-called interception of the Wernigerode official accounts from 1578 to 1581, major deficiencies were found, on which he had to comment. However, Martin Kleinschmidt was in the favor of Count Albrecht Georg zu Stolberg , who held a protective hand over him.

During his tenure, several witch trials took place in the city and county of Wernigerode, including an extensive chain trial with several fatalities. It is clear from the trial documents that Martin Kleinschmidt must have been a staunch opponent of men and women who were accused of sorcery. He quickly made prejudices.

After the death of Count Albrecht Georg zu Stolberg on July 5, 1587, Martin Kleinschmidt was dismissed from his post as an official by his successor, Count Wolf Ernst zu Stolberg . On October 23, 1587, the count determined that he had not had an official trade register in Wernigerode at last. The handover of the keys to the office was ordered by Count Wolf Ernst that day.

In the winter of 1597, Count Wolf Ernst held his widow responsible for the incorrect official accounts, which she defended herself against.

literature

  • Monika Lücke : "... many and many bad misdeeds ..." witch hunts on the territory of Saxony-Anhalt from 16.-18. Century. Courage, Hall 2000, DNB 961561653 .
  • Monika Lücke, Dietrich Lücke: burned for their magic sake. Hunting of witches in the early modern period in the area of ​​Saxony-Anhalt. Mitteldeutscher Verlag, Halle 2011, ISBN 978-3-89812-828-5 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Journal of the Harz Association for History and Antiquity. 1884.
personal data
SURNAME Kleinschmidt, Martin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kleinschmid, Martin
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Counts of Stolberg's official castles in the county of Wernigerode
DATE OF BIRTH 16th Century
DATE OF DEATH 16th Century