Merga Bien
Encyclopedia
Merga Bien was an alleged German
witch, perhaps the most famous of the many victims in the great mass Fulda witch trials
in Germany
in 1603–1605.
Bien was born in the city of Fulda
. She was married three times and was the heiress of her first two husbands, which was later an important part of the accusations of her. In 1588, she married Blasius Bien and moved from the city, but returned after a conflict with her husband's employers.
This was during the reign of the Prince-bishop Balthasar von Dernbach. A Catholic fanatic, he ordered an investigation of witchcraft in the city as a lead in his counterreformation after his accession in 1602. Over two hundred people were executed for witchcraft in the great witch trial, which lasted the three years he was in power, until his death in 1605. Merga was to be one of the first victims.
In March 1603, the investigations resulted in the first wave of arrests in the city. On 19 June, Merga was arrested and put in jail. Her husband protested before the court in Speyer
and pointed out that she was pregnant.
In jail, she was forced to confess to the murder of her second husband and her children with him and one member of the family of her husband's employers, and that she had taken part in a sabbath of Satan. Her pregnancy was considered an aggravating circumstance; she and her husband had no children although they had been married for fourteen years, which raised the suspicion that they had used contraception
. She was forced to confess that her current pregnancy was the result of intercourse with the Devil.
Bien was judged guilty of witchcraft and was burned alive at the stake in Fulda in the autumn of 1603.
On 15 March 1605, the Prince bishop Balthasar von Dernbach died, ending his reign over the bishopric of Fulda.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
witch, perhaps the most famous of the many victims in the great mass Fulda witch trials
Fulda witch trials
The Witch trials of Fulda in Germany in the years from 1603 to 1606 was one of the biggest witch trials in Europe together with the Trier witch trials 1587-1593 and Quedlinburg in 1589...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1603–1605.
Bien was born in the city of Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
. She was married three times and was the heiress of her first two husbands, which was later an important part of the accusations of her. In 1588, she married Blasius Bien and moved from the city, but returned after a conflict with her husband's employers.
This was during the reign of the Prince-bishop Balthasar von Dernbach. A Catholic fanatic, he ordered an investigation of witchcraft in the city as a lead in his counterreformation after his accession in 1602. Over two hundred people were executed for witchcraft in the great witch trial, which lasted the three years he was in power, until his death in 1605. Merga was to be one of the first victims.
In March 1603, the investigations resulted in the first wave of arrests in the city. On 19 June, Merga was arrested and put in jail. Her husband protested before the court in Speyer
Speyer
Speyer is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities...
and pointed out that she was pregnant.
In jail, she was forced to confess to the murder of her second husband and her children with him and one member of the family of her husband's employers, and that she had taken part in a sabbath of Satan. Her pregnancy was considered an aggravating circumstance; she and her husband had no children although they had been married for fourteen years, which raised the suspicion that they had used contraception
Contraception
Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...
. She was forced to confess that her current pregnancy was the result of intercourse with the Devil.
Bien was judged guilty of witchcraft and was burned alive at the stake in Fulda in the autumn of 1603.
Victims of the Fulda witch trial
- 1603: Merga Bien, the most known victim.
- June 1604: Nine women burned alive.
- August 1604 : Nine women burned alive.
- September 1604 : Eleven women burned alive.
- September 1604 : Twelve women burned alive.
- October 1604 : Ten women burned alive.
- December 1604 : Eight women burned alive.
- May 1605 : Thirteen women burned alive.
- June 1605 : Twelve women burned alive.
- July 1605 : Twelve women burned alive.
- August 1605 : Twelve women burned alive.
- October 1605 : Ten women burned alive.
- November 1605: Eleven women burned alive.
- March 1606: Seven women burned alive.
On 15 March 1605, the Prince bishop Balthasar von Dernbach died, ending his reign over the bishopric of Fulda.
See also
- Katharina HenotKatharina HenotKatharina Henot, , was a German postmaster and an alleged witch, burned at the stake for sorcery in Cologne in Germany. She is one of the more known German victims of the witch hunt, and the most known case in Cologne. She was also the likely first female postmaster in Germany.-Biography:Katharina...
- Walpurga HausmanninWalpurga HausmanninWalpurga Hausmännin was an Austrian midwife executed for witchcraft, vampirism, and child murder. The confession she made under torture exemplifies the classical relationship between witch and devil later commonly used in several witch trials....
- Katharina KeplerKatharina KeplerKatharina Kepler , born Katharina Guldenmann, was an alleged German witch from Stuttgart, Württemberg, and the mother of the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler....
- Anton PraetoriusAnton PraetoriusAnton Praetorius was a German Calvinist pastor who spoke out against the persecution of witches and against torture.-Life and writings :...
- Würzburg witch trialWürzburg witch trialThe Würzburg witch trial, which took place in Germany in 1626–1631, is one of the biggest mass-trials and mass-executions seen in Europe during the Thirty Years War; 157 men, women and children in the city of Würzburg are confirmed to have been burned alive at the stake; 219 are believed to...