LESSON 23 South German Witchcraze – The Bamberg Witch-hunt

1623-1632

==why was there a steep decline in witch hunts in Bamberg? & What complaints were there in early 1627?==

The witch-hunt fell into a steep decline with the involvement of Emperor Ferdinand II in 1630, but there was growing scepticism about the trials before this. In early 1627, complaints about innocent people being executed for witchcraft began to be made at both religious and imperial courts.

==What von Dornhreim do in July 1627?==

 In July 1627, von Dornheim issue a proclamation stating that those who give false testimony at witch trials should be flogged, and a whipping post was erected for this purpose.

==What did the authorities renew im 1628? & Was Dornheim’s decision in July 1627 reactionary?==

 The authorities must have been aware that not all accusations were genuine, as they renewed von Dornheim's proclamation in 1628. As always, however it seems that von Dornheim’s decision was simply reactionary and only concerned with protecting his inner circle.

==What was Fredrick Forner accused of? & Why was Von Dornheim shocked and what did he do?==

A series of accusations of witchcraft had actually been made against Frederick Förner and others in his administration. Von Dornheim shocked that men who had served Bamberg in hunting witches should be accused themselves, and issued the proclamation, as a warning against further slander.

==When did the emperor become directly involved? & what Bamberg councilor was accused?==

The emperor finally became directly involved it 1630, when a Bamberg councillor Georg Heinrich Flock, was accused. Flock soon Fled to Nuremberg, but his wife Dorothea Flock was arrested.

==What did Georg Heinrich Flock and his family do about Doreatha’s arrest? What did Von Dornheim dispatch as a rebuttal?==

Georg Heinrich Flock and his family initially appealed to Ferdinand, stating their particular concern for Doreatha’s health and that of her new born child, and the legitimacy of the legal process. Von Dornheim despatched a letter to the emperor stating that there were no concerns over the health of mother or baby, and that the trials he had been undertaking were simply following standards already set in other parts of Germany.

==What did Von Dornheim accuse Georg Heinrich Flock of being in his letter? & Why did von Dornheim initiate trials?==

 He also accused Flock of being dishonest in his own account of the facts, and compelled the emperor to ignore his complaints. He added that he had only initiated the trials in order to honour God and turn people away from ungodly behaviour.

==When was Doreatha Flock’s proceedings? What did the pope and Ferdinand request?==

Renewed proceedings against Dorothea Flock in April 1630 led her relatives to appeal directly to the pope and the emperor again. Both Ferdinand and the pope requested that von Dornheim stop the trial, and wrote in a letter that all documents related to the trial should be sent to the imperial Holfrat for review, and that if he did not obey their orders he would be punished.

==What did von Dornheim do when he heard that the letter were on their way? & What did Von Dornheim do about Dorothea?==

On hearing that letters were on the way from Ferdinand and the pope, von Dornheim rushed the trial through and had Dorothea executed before they could arrive on 17 May. She was sentenced to be burned alive, but van Dornheim permitted her to be beheaded first. The sentence was carried out in secret at 6 am.  

==What happened due to the execution of Dorothea Flock? & Why did her relatives question the proceedings of her trial?==

The execution of Dorothea Flock led to renewed protests from her relatives, who sent her a bitter letter to Ferdinand claiming that her trials was illegal and contrary to religious laws. They questioned the proceedings on a number of grounds.

* Flock was not able to question the testimony of her accusers or hire a lawyer, because the trial was conducted in secret.
* The Caroline Law Cade of 1532, which witch trials were based on, specifically required judges ta establish the credibility of witnesses. The nature of the proceedings against Flack meant that it was impossible to determine which witnesses were credible.
* The Carolina Law Code also stated that confessions taken through torture should only be permissible in court if they were supported by other evidence. This had not been the case.

==What was the involvement of the Imperial Chamber Court? & What did von Dornheim’s representative urge him to do?==

Complaints started reaching the Imperial Chamber Court in Speyer where von Dornheim's representative reported back, that two other escapees from the witch-prison in Bamberg had sent complaints directly to the emperor, and compelled von Dornheim to take immediate action to preserve his reputation.

==Who did Von Dornheim send to defend him about t witch trials? & Who did they present their case to?==

Von Dornheim decided to send two of his witch-commissioners, Dr Harsee and Dr Schwarakonz, to the Diet of Regensburg in order to present a defence of the witch trials. They were able to present their case to the Aulic Council, another of the high courts.

==Did the witch commissioners believe that they presented their case well? & Where the people of the court already sceptical about the witch hunts?==

Although they felt their audience with the court went well, high-profile members, such as William Lamormaini and Count von Fürstenberg, were already sceptical about the witch-hunt and felt that Ferdinand's position would be jeopardised if he tolerated the persecutions.

==What did Ferdinand do on August 15th?==

On 15 August, Ferdinand wrote to von Dornheim in an even more forceful tone than in Pus previous letters. He criticised von Dornheim for continuing the trials in defiance of his earlier instructions and he complained about the case of Barbara Schwarz, who had fled to Vienna after escaping from the witch-prison in Bamberg.

==What did Ferdinand order after Barbara Schwarz petitioned? & What did he send the prince bishop?==

After Schwarz had petitioned Ferdinand, he ordered von Dornheim to send the original trial documents for review. When these documents arrived. Ferdinand sent a strongly worded letter to the prince-bishop criticising him and his commissioners for the over-zealous use of torture and the blatant disregard of imperial decrees.

==What did Ferdinand demand? What did he do when they were received?==

 Further trial documents were demanded by Ferdinand, and when it was discovered that they were in fact copies, he demanded that the originals be sent Van Dornheim refused and instead sent transcripts that be claimed were copied verbatim from the original trial records.

==What was attached to the transcripts sent with the trial documents? & What did it say that children were doing?==

Attached to these transcripts was a letter from the witch commissioners of Bamberg, Stating that no one had been arrested for witchcraft since June 1830. Meanwhile, children were learning magic and witchcraft in the street and the trials rust continue in order for their teachers to be punished.

==What did the witch commissioner claim to have stopped? Why was this false?==

Despite the claim that arrests had stopped in Bamberg, Ferdinand discovered in March 1631 that a minimum of 25 people bad been arrested in the meantime The relatives of the victims of Zeil informed him that the commissioners continued to grow in riches through property confiscations, while the cost of trials was causing the town to go bankrupt.

==Why was Georg Wilhelm Dumler’s letter so important? & What did he state in his letter?==

A powerfully written letter by Georg Wilhelm Dumler, a former administrator of St Martin's Church in  Bamberg, may have been the final piece of evidence needed to convince the emperor once and for all that the trials needed to be stopped in his letter he stated the following.

* Several hundred respectable people had suffered as a result at torture and the leaders of the witch-commission were easily led by false accusations.
* There was never sufficient proof in the trials to legitimately find suspects guilty.
* In August 1628, his pregnant wife had been taken from their house to the witch-prison, where she was tortured and miscarried. She was executed, and new he had been accused of witchcraft. Both he and his wife were entirely innocent and were raised as pious Catholics.
* The Carolina Lev Code permitted the accused an advocate or lawyer to represent them in court, but this had been denied at the Bamberg trial.
*  Cases of witchcraft should be heard in the civil courts, but in Bamberg they were being heard behind closed door by the commissioners.

==What did Ferdinand announce on the 12th June 1631? & Who did he appoint?==

On 12 June 1631, Ferdinand announced that he was to punish those responsible for the Bamberg trials. He appointed a new director of the witch-commission, Dr Anton Winter, and decreed. that all future trials be conducted according to the Carolina Law Code.

==In terms of property what was forbidden? & What did Von Dornheim decide to do?==

The confiscation of property was forbidden Von Dornheim stubbornly remained in Bamberg, and gave little support to Winter.

==What did Von Dornheim send to the emperor? & What did he refuse to do?==

 He sent a final letter to the emperor, reiterating his view that those who had accused him of malpractice were involved in witchcraft themselves. He refused to release those still held in custody and it was only the advance of the Swedish army that encouraged him to flee and end the persecutions. 

==How did the Swedish help turn the result of the Thirty Years War?==

Swedish involvement in the Thirty Years War. With the Protestant Swedish army, led by King Gustavus Adolphus, entering the war in 1630 and achieving important victories in 1631, it looked as though the tide of the Thirty Years War was turning.

==What did the Swedish win back? How many soldiers were there in the Swedish army?==

Much of the territory lost by the Protestants was regained between 1630 and 1634, and Adolphus dream of a Swedish empire became a reality. The Swedish army swelled in size, from approximately 40,000 in 1630 1o 150,000 in 1632 An army of this size required huge amounts of resources and food, and the army took to plundering the countryside in order to maintain itself.

==Conclusion: This card I need to check the text again==

Despite the emperor's direct involvement in the hunts, as long as von Dornheim remained as prince-bishop, the persecutions would continue. When the Swedish army invaded and took ever the administration of Bamberg, von Dornheim was forced to stop because Bamberg was already tired of the fighting, as it was on one of the main routes that troops took when traversing Germany.

==Why did the population decline? & What did Von Dornheim do after his downfall as prince bishop?==

 The population that would decline by around 40 percent during the war was already in decline when the Swedish army arrived The Swedish army were outside Bamberg by February 1632, which led to the downfall of von Dornheim as prince-bishop. He looted the cathedral's treasure, which included 12 chests of gold and valuable documents, and fled to Austria. He died there, of a stroke, on 19 March 1633.

==Was their little interference form the Protestant Swedes? Did the Catholic counter-attack?==

Despite Bamberg being occupied by Protestants, it seemed that Catholic nuns were able to continue with their ordinary way of life with little interference, and were even ablate organise a nativity scene at Christmas, Jesuits were also allowed to continue their work. The counter-attack by Catholic forces  contributed to the feeling of panic and chaos across the region.

==Why was the population declining? & What happened to the trials?==

With a declining population, decimated farms and constant fighting, combined with the fight of the prince-bishop, witch- hunting was no longer seen as a priority by the authorities. Any trials that could take place had to follow the Carolina Law Code, and there was no longer a use for the witch-prison and its torture chambers.

==Who was one of the most significant instigators of the trials? What prince bishops were singificant to the trials happening?==

Personalities were important. Frederick Forner was perhaps the single most significant individual as an instigator of the trials and influential author of the views on witchcraft. However without the consent of Prince-Bishop von Aschhausen, the initial wave of trials between 1618 and 1619 would not have taken place. Prince-Bishop von Dornheim also acted with passion to ensure that the trials became extensive and horrific.

==What members of the witchcraft commission was significant tot he increase in witch trials?==

In addition to the three personalities mentioned above, host of others enabler the trials to spread quickly. The members of the witchcraft commission, particularly von Dornheim's legal adviser Dr Ernst Vasolt, as well as the torture masters, were essential in moving the hunt forward. Vasolt then demanded of the suspects 100 names of their accomplices or people seen at meetings. With so many names being put forward under torture, it was not long before men and women of quality were suggested.

==How did these powerful people carry out these investigations so corruptly?==

The judicial environment in which the trials took place also meant that it was able to continue unchecked for a relatively long period of time. The group that carried out the investigations were able to operate outside of ordinary judicial structures, because the judges were obliged to follow the lead of the witch-hunters, who were held in high regard and were not questioned.

==Why were the elite targeted?==

A number of high-profile individuals were executed in both Bamberg and Zell. Clearly the property confiscated from this group added much to the Treasury, but there were other reasons why they were targeted. A generation earlier, a large proportion of officials in Bamberg were Protestant. The witch-hunts provided an opportunity for many newly converted Catholics to prove their loyalty to the regime, but it also resulted in an increased number being accused by their colleagues.

==When was the most intense phase of witch hunting in Germany? & What did Forner point out in ‘Panoplia Armaturae Dei?’==

It is no coincidence that the most intense phase of witch-hunting coincides with the Edict of Restitution of 1629, in which Ferdinand Il called for the conversion of Protestants to Catholics. As Forner pointed out in ‘Panoplia Armaturae Dei,’ the bishops had the opportunity to destroy the two demonic threats of heresy and sorcery. By the end of the craze, von Dornheim was willing to defy even the emperor.

==What can the witch hunts be seen as? & Why was there no organised opposition in Bamberg?==

The witch hunts can be seen as the culmination of a long process whereby increasing power was centralised in the hands of the prince bishop. Gradually, old structures that kept the bishop in check, such as the local council, and cathedral chapter, were neutralised and placed under the control of the bishop and his agents. By the time von Aschhausen became bishop, there was virtually no organised opposition within Bamberg.