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Revision as of 09:36, 12 July 2009
Sidonia von Borcke (also spelled Sidonie and von Borke; 1548 - 19 August 1620) was a Pomeranian noble woman tried for witchcraft, decapitated and burned in 1620.
Life
Sidonia von Borcke was born in 1548 into the rich old noble Pomeranian family von Borcke.[1] Her father, Otto von Borcke zu Stramehl-Regenwalde, died in 1551, and her mother, Anna von Schwiechelt, died in 1568.[2] After an unsteady life and the death of her sister in 1600, she spent her late life (since 1604) in former Marienfließ Abbey, which since the Protestant Reformation was a refuge for noble women. Sidonia von Borcke was involved in several lawsuits about her alimonies against her brother, Ulrich, and Johann Friedrich, Duke of Pomerania, one of which even made it to the imperial court at Vienna.[3]
In the beginning 17th century, several Pomeranian dukes died unexpectedly, and then widespread superstition in the Duchy of Pomerania resulted in blaming their deaths on witchcraft.[4][5] A suspected witch, called "dicke Wolte Albrechts", under torture blamed Sidonia, who then was arrested and tortured alike.[6] The trial is documented, and more than 1,000 original pages are in the state archive in Greifswald (Rep 40 II Nr.37 Bd.I-III).[1] Sidonia von Borcke was accused of
- murder of her nephew, Otto von Borcke[1]
- murder of priest David Lüdecke[1]
- murder of Philipp II of Pomerania-Stettin (died 1618)[1]
- murder of Magdalena von Petersdorff, priorin at Marienfließ[1]
- murder of Matthias Winterfeld, guard at Marienfließ[1]
- murder of Konsistorialrat Dr. Heinrich Schwalenberg[1]
- paralyzation of Katharina Hanow, noble woman at Marienfließ[1]
- consultation of soothsayers[1]
- knowledge of future and distant events[1]
- several minor "crimes"[1]
The witch trial ended with the conviction of then 72-year old Sidonia von Borcke in 1620.[4][5] She was decapitated and her body burned in Stettin (now Szczecin), outside the mill gate.[5]
In fiction
When the last duke of Pomerania died in 1637, the fate of Sidonia von Borcke became legendary. Depicted as a femme fatale she became subject of several fictional works in German and English literature, especially in the 19th century.[7] Authors include:
- Wilhelm Meinhold (1797-1851)[7]
- Christian August Vulpius, the brother of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's wife, Sidonia von Borke in Pantheon berühmter und merkwürdiger Frauen (1812)[8]
- Theodor Fontane (1819-1898)[7]
- Albert Emil Brachvogel (1824-1878)[7]
- Paul Jaromar Wendt (1840-1919)[7]
Recent assessments were made by
- Jens Peter Dirk Alvermann (1998)[1]
- Wulf-Dietrich von Borcke (2002)[1]
- Marion George (2004)[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Marion George, Andrea Rudolph, Hexen: historische Faktizität und fiktive Bildlichkeit, J.H.Röll Verlag, 2004, p.138, ISBN 3897542250
- ^ Marion George, Andrea Rudolph, Hexen: historische Faktizität und fiktive Bildlichkeit, J.H.Röll Verlag, 2004, p.139, ISBN 3897542250
- ^ Marion George, Andrea Rudolph, Hexen: historische Faktizität und fiktive Bildlichkeit, J.H.Röll Verlag, 2004, pp.140ff, ISBN 3897542250
- ^ a b Marion George, Andrea Rudolph, Hexen: historische Faktizität und fiktive Bildlichkeit, J.H.Röll Verlag, 2004, p.136, ISBN 3897542250
- ^ a b c Kyra Inachim, Die Geschichte Pommerns, Hinstorff Rostock, 2008, p.65, ISBN 978-3-356-01044-2
- ^ Hans Branig, Werner Buchholz, Geschichte Pommerns: Vom Werden des neuzeitlichen Staates bis zum Verlust der staatlichen Selbständigkeit, 1300-1648, Böhlau, 1997, p.172, ISBN 3412071897
- ^ a b c d e Marion George, Andrea Rudolph, Hexen: historische Faktizität und fiktive Bildlichkeit, J.H.Röll Verlag, 2004, p.137, ISBN 3897542250
- ^ Christian August Vulpius, Pantheon berühmter und merkwürdiger Frauen, Fritsch, 1812 [1]
- ^ Marion George, Andrea Rudolph, Hexen: historische Faktizität und fiktive Bildlichkeit, J.H.Röll Verlag, 2004, ISBN 3897542250