Cologne During the Witch Hunts, 1627--1662
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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2011 Cologne During the Witch Hunts, 1627--1662 Megan E. McGee West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation McGee, Megan E., "Cologne During the Witch Hunts, 1627--1662" (2011). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 785. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/785 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Cologne During the Witch Hunts, 1627-1662 Megan E. McGee Thesis submitted to the Eberly College of Arts & Sciences at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Matthew Vester, PhD., Committee Chairperson Katherine Aaslestad, PhD. Kate Staples, PhD. Department of History Morgantown, West Virginia 2011 Keywords: Witches, Germany, Cologne, Women, Early Modern Europe Copyright 2011 Megan E. McGee ABSTRACT Cologne During the Witch Hunts, 1627-1662 by Megan E. McGee This thesis examined Cologne during the years that witchcraft persecution was the highest in the city, from 1627-1662. By using a microhistorical approach on primary sources it found that strained relationships were the chief causes of the accusations. This thesis also discovered that in Cologne, at least, all of those under the age of 30 confessed to witchcraft while all of those above the age of 30 denied the accusations. It did this by both statistical analysis of the questions asked of the accused as well as in depth analysis of the answers that the accused gave their judges. Dedication I would like to dedicate this work to my family. I would like to thank my parents and grandparents for always believing in me, my brother for making me laugh, and to my Grandpa Doc for planting the love of learning and history. To my husband Scott, for being there even when I was discouraged and ready to quit, Deegan for understanding that homework will not last forever, and to Connor for reminding me that I have responsibilities other than schoolwork. Thank you all for your patience and love. I love you all. iii Acknowledgments I would like to thank each of my professors for their support and encouragement. Dr. Vester helped me with his enthusiasm, reminding me why I love to learn. Dr. Aaslestad helped me improve my writing with valid criticisms that made me strive for better style. Dr. Staples was a sympathetic listener when I was confused or overwhelmed, giving sound advice and valuable peace of mind. Each of them provided me with irreplaceable counsel, and I sincerely thank them for their time and dedication. iv Table Of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ................................................................................................................................ iii Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................vi INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 1: ................................................................................................................... .......6 CHAPTER 2: ........................................................................................................................ 27 CHAPTER 3: ........................................................................................................................ 62 CHAPTER 4: ...................................................................................................................... 104 BIBLIOGRAPHY...........................................................................................................108 v List Of Tables Table 1 ..................................................................................................................................... 28 Table 2 ..................................................................................................................................... 34 Table 3 ..................................................................................................................................... 35 Table 4 ..................................................................................................................................... 36 Table 5 ..................................................................................................................................... 38 Table 6 ..................................................................................................................................... 39 Table 7 ..................................................................................................................................... 40 Table 8 ..................................................................................................................................... 41 Table 9 ..................................................................................................................................... 42 Table 10 ................................................................................................................................... 43 Table 11 ................................................................................................................................... 44 Table 12 ................................................................................................................................... 45 Table 13 ................................................................................................................................... 46 Table 14 ................................................................................................................................... 47 Table 15 ................................................................................................................................... 48 Table 16 ................................................................................................................................... 49 Table 17 ................................................................................................................................... 50 Table 18 ................................................................................................................................... 51 Table 19 ................................................................................................................................... 52 Table 20 ................................................................................................................................... 52 Table 21 ................................................................................................................................... 53 Table 22 ................................................................................................................................... 54 Table 23 ................................................................................................................................... 55 Table 24 ................................................................................................................................... 56 Table 25 ................................................................................................................................... 57 Table 26 ................................................................................................................................... 58 Table 27 ................................................................................................................................... 58 Table 28 ................................................................................................................................... 59 Table 29 ................................................................................................................................... 60 vi INTRODUCTION In 1629 there began a round of witchcraft accusations that led to the deaths of at least nine people in Cologne. These trials took place after a high profile witchcraft case against the General Postmaster, Katharina Henot. The majority of these trials took place in 1630 with the final recorded trial being in 1662. There were 19 trials, all recorded by the same notary, Stephen Muser. Though there is evidence that there were other trials, beyond these 19, whose proceedings were not recorded by Muser.1 This thesis will argue that the vast majority of the accusations