Anna Maria Schwegelin

Anna Maria Schwegelin (or Schwägelin), (1729 - 1781), was an alleged German (Bavarian) witch, long considered the last person to be executed for witchcraft in Germany.

Anna Maria Schwegelin was born in poverty in the area under Kempten and served as a maid. In 1751, a protestant was employed as a coachman, and converted to the catholic faith. Schwegelin tried to prevent this. In 1769, she injured her leg, and in 1770, she was put in the poor house. Schwegelin and the coachman had now enterred into a pact with Satan. Suspitions led to an arrest. She freely confessed having made a pact with the Devil. She was judged guilty and sentenced to be executed. The day of execution was set to 11 April 1775. In July 1775, however, the case seems to have been forgotten, and Schwegelin remained in jail, were she died of natural causes in 1781.

It was long believed that this sentence was carried out, and that she was the last person executed for sorcery in Germany. She was the last person to be judged to death of sorcery in Germany, but as her execution was never carried out, so she was not the last person to be executed for sorcery. Some accounts have described her as the last person to be executed for witchraft in Europe, but the very last was in fact Barbara Zdunk.

See also

* Katharina Henot
* Walpurga Hausmannin

References

* Wolfgang Petz: Die letzte Hexe. Das Schicksal der Anna Maria Schwägelin. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, New York 2007, ISBN 978-3-593-38329-3
* Artikel "Anna Maria Schwägelin" im Lexikon zur Geschichte der Hexenverfolgung [http://www.historicum.net/themen/hexenforschung/lexikon/personen/art/Schwaegelin_Ann/html/artikel/5602/ca/e96896a58d/]
* "This article is partially a translation of the equivalent on German wikipedia"