Pappenheimer Family
Encyclopedia
The Pappenheimer Family was a family tried and executed for witchcraft
in Bavaria
, Germany
. Their trial and execution is considered to be one of the worst to have ever taken place in Europe. Their case is taken as an example of the torture used in witch trials, as it is unusually well documented.
. Pappenheimer was a nickname, their actual family name was Pämb or Gämperle.
, they were taken to Munich
, and exposed to a torture
so fierce that they confessed everything they were questioned about. They were made responsible for every unsolved crime that had occurred in Bavaria in the later years and confessed to hundreds of thefts and murders. They admitted sorcery and pointed out over four hundred accomplices; at times, the torture was so painful that they mentioned ninety nine names at the same occasion to be granted a pause in the pain.
on a pike, and finally, they were burned at the stake. All this took place in front of the youngest son, ten year old Hoel, who was to witness the execution of his family; he had been brought along on the horse of the sheriff, who was to write down his reactions. In December 1600, six more people were burned at the stake in Münich, among them, the ten year old Hoel.
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, 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...
. Their trial and execution is considered to be one of the worst to have ever taken place in Europe. Their case is taken as an example of the torture used in witch trials, as it is unusually well documented.
Background
The Pappenheimers consisted of father Paulus, mother Anna, sons Jacob (sometimes called Michel) and Gumpprecht, and the youngest son, ten year old Hoel (sometimes called Hansel). They belonged to the lower class in German society, and were originally beggars from SwabiaSwabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
. Pappenheimer was a nickname, their actual family name was Pämb or Gämperle.
The witch trial
They were pointed out by an arrested thief, and arrested in the middle of the night, taken from their beds and brought to jail, accused of having assisted the thief in murdering pregnant women for the purpose of making candles out of their unbaptized fetuses. On order of the duke Maximilian I (Elector of Bavaria)Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria
Maximilian I, Duke/Elector of Bavaria , called "the Great", was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. His reign was marked by the Thirty Years' War ....
, they were taken to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, and exposed to a torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
so fierce that they confessed everything they were questioned about. They were made responsible for every unsolved crime that had occurred in Bavaria in the later years and confessed to hundreds of thefts and murders. They admitted sorcery and pointed out over four hundred accomplices; at times, the torture was so painful that they mentioned ninety nine names at the same occasion to be granted a pause in the pain.
Execution
The parents and the eldest sons were to be executed together with two other men. The bodies of the men were torn six times each with irons, Anna's breasts were cut off and rubbed in the faces of her adult sons, the skeletons of the men were broken on the wheel, the father was subjected to impalementImpalement
Impalement is the traumatic penetration of an organism by an elongated foreign object such as a stake, pole, or spear, and this usually implies complete perforation of the central mass of the impaled body...
on a pike, and finally, they were burned at the stake. All this took place in front of the youngest son, ten year old Hoel, who was to witness the execution of his family; he had been brought along on the horse of the sheriff, who was to write down his reactions. In December 1600, six more people were burned at the stake in Münich, among them, the ten year old Hoel.
Literature
- Michael Kunze: Highroad to the stake: A tale of Witchcraft
- Michelle Powell-Smith: Torture and the Witchcraze of Early Modern Europe Part 4