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Torture and the Witchcraze of Early Modern Europe Part 4

© Michelle Powell-Smith

After the witch confessed, she was, of course, punished for her crimes. While the punishment could be rather lenient, such as life in prison, women were more often executed for the crime of witchcraft. In some regions, executions were fairly merciful. The witch was drowned or strangled before her remains were burned. In the Holy Roman Empire, the normal means of execution was burning at the stake, without strangulation prior to the burning. Needless to say, this was a horribly brutal death, particularly considering the torture that the accused had previously undergone.

While torture was commonly used to entice a witch to confess her crimes, public torture prior to execution was also common. Torture, when used as part of the Inquisitorial process, was private, with only a few witnesses. The differing functions of torture in these two situations are clear. Judicial torture served to bring about confession. Torture after judgment had been passed clearly served a very different purpose.

In the simplest interpretation, public torture prior to execution served to intensify the punishment. A deeper look at the public torture of witches reveals a much more disturbing message intended not only for the accused but also for the audience. Executions were public spectacles, and the audience would have included both men and women of all social classes. The message of the events preceding execution spoke to all, but most loudly to the women in the audience.

While public torture preceded many executions, the records of the trial and punishment of one family, the Pappenheimer's, shall serve as an example. The trial and punishment of the Pappenheimer's is recorded in detail, and the events surrounding their deaths were, unfortunately, not unusual.

The Pappenheimer trial took place in 1600 in Munich, Germany. The family, a husband, wife, two grown sons, and a 10 year old boy, were among the poorest of the poor. They were from a small village in Lower Bavaria, and were, by all that we can tell, innocent of any crime save their own poverty. The torture of Michel and Anna Pappenheimer prior to their convictions has already been discussed. Far more disturbing than what occurred prior to the judgment is what occurred prior to execution.

The trial of the Pappenheimers followed the format previously discussed. They were accused, tortured, and confessed. They were told that their punishment might be made more lenient if they "named names" and so they did. The miller's family discussed previously were so accused.

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