Anna Koldings
Encyclopedia
Anna Koldings (died 1590) was an alleged Danish witch. She was one of the main suspects in the witch trial of Copenhagen
the summer of 1590, which were held as a parallel to the famous North Berwick Witch trials in Edinburgh
in Scotland
.
In the spring of 1590, James VI returned from Oslo
after marrying Anne
, daughter of the King of Denmark-Norway. The Danish court at that time was greatly perplexed by witchcraft and the black arts, and this must have impressed on the young King James. The regal voyage back from Denmark was beset by storms. "In the summer of 1590 a great witch hunt was instituted in Copenhagen. One of the first victims was Anna Koldings, who under pressure divulged the names of five other women, one of whom was Mail the wife of the burgomaster of Copenhagen. They all confessed that they had been guilty of sorcery in raising storms which menaced Queen Anne's voyage and that they had sent devils to climb up the keel of her ship. In September two women were burnt as witches at Kronborg" James heard news from Denmark regarding this and decided to set up his own tribunal.
The winter of 1589, Princess Anne of Denmark
was sent to marry king James VI of Scotland. On the way a terrible storm arose, which almost sunk the ship; it was then taken to Oslo
in Norway
, where the wedding was to take place.
The authorities wanted to investigate the cause of the storm and accused the minister of finance, Christoffer Valkendorff, of having equipped the fleet so poorly that it was not able to withstand storm. He defended himself by saying that the storm had been caused by witches in the house of Karen the Weaver, who had sent little demons in empty barrows who had climbed up the keel
s of the ships and caused the storm; against such things, a minister of finance fought in vain. Karen was arrested in July and admitted having caused the storm with other women, whom she named, of which one was Anna Koldings.
During torture, Koldings named five other women participating in the meeting at Karen's house, where they had caused the storm by sending small devils up the keels of the princesse's ship's. She received several visits during her imprisonment, and confessed to two priests and three female visitors. She was considered as a very dangerous witch and nicknamed "The Devil's Mother". Among the women she named as witches was Malin, the wife of the mayor, and Margrethe Jakob Skrivers, whose husband unsuccessfully tried to defend her, and they were all arrested.
Anne Koldings was judged guilty and burned at the stake; twelve other women was burned at Kronborg in Copenhagen during this witch trial.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
the summer of 1590, which were held as a parallel to the famous North Berwick Witch trials in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
In the spring of 1590, James VI returned from Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
after marrying Anne
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark was queen consort of Scotland, England, and Ireland as the wife of King James VI and I.The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark, Anne married James in 1589 at the age of fourteen and bore him three children who survived infancy, including the future Charles I...
, daughter of the King of Denmark-Norway. The Danish court at that time was greatly perplexed by witchcraft and the black arts, and this must have impressed on the young King James. The regal voyage back from Denmark was beset by storms. "In the summer of 1590 a great witch hunt was instituted in Copenhagen. One of the first victims was Anna Koldings, who under pressure divulged the names of five other women, one of whom was Mail the wife of the burgomaster of Copenhagen. They all confessed that they had been guilty of sorcery in raising storms which menaced Queen Anne's voyage and that they had sent devils to climb up the keel of her ship. In September two women were burnt as witches at Kronborg" James heard news from Denmark regarding this and decided to set up his own tribunal.
The winter of 1589, Princess Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark was queen consort of Scotland, England, and Ireland as the wife of King James VI and I.The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark, Anne married James in 1589 at the age of fourteen and bore him three children who survived infancy, including the future Charles I...
was sent to marry king James VI of Scotland. On the way a terrible storm arose, which almost sunk the ship; it was then taken to Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, where the wedding was to take place.
The authorities wanted to investigate the cause of the storm and accused the minister of finance, Christoffer Valkendorff, of having equipped the fleet so poorly that it was not able to withstand storm. He defended himself by saying that the storm had been caused by witches in the house of Karen the Weaver, who had sent little demons in empty barrows who had climbed up the keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
s of the ships and caused the storm; against such things, a minister of finance fought in vain. Karen was arrested in July and admitted having caused the storm with other women, whom she named, of which one was Anna Koldings.
During torture, Koldings named five other women participating in the meeting at Karen's house, where they had caused the storm by sending small devils up the keels of the princesse's ship's. She received several visits during her imprisonment, and confessed to two priests and three female visitors. She was considered as a very dangerous witch and nicknamed "The Devil's Mother". Among the women she named as witches was Malin, the wife of the mayor, and Margrethe Jakob Skrivers, whose husband unsuccessfully tried to defend her, and they were all arrested.
Anne Koldings was judged guilty and burned at the stake; twelve other women was burned at Kronborg in Copenhagen during this witch trial.