Die Scheuberin

Die Scheuberin (fl. 1485) was an Austrian woman who stood trial accused of witchcraft. Her trial and acquittal was to have contributed to the Malleus Maleficarum, which was published two years later.

In 1485, Die Scheuberin was put on trial in Innsbruck. She was accused of having used magic to murder the noble knight Jörg Spiess. The knight had been afflicted by illness, and had been warned by his Italian doctor not to keep visiting Die Scheuberin to avoid getting killed. During the trial, six other women were implicated and accused of sorcery. The trial took place the year following the Papal bull Summis desiderantes condemning witchcraft and advocating its persecution, and the Inquisition was involved in the trial represented by Henricus Institoris (Heinrich Kramer). During the trial, several witnesses gave testimonies that revealed them to be prejudiced by personal animosity toward the accused women. Furthermore, the authorities at this point still in general regarded sorcery as a minor offence and did not necessarily associate it with Satan, and they kept this attitude during this trial despite the new papal bull.

In the end, Die Scheuberin and the other six women were all either freed or received mild sentences in the form of penance. The representative of the Inquisition, Henricus Institoris, was reportedly so disappointed in the outcome of the trial and that none of the accused were sentenced to death, that it contributed to his decision to write the Malleus Maleficarum to show how sorcery should be treated.

References

• Kärfve, Eva, Den stora ondskan i Valais: den första häxförföljelsen i Europa. Stehag: B. Östlings bokförlag Symposion 1992.