Katharina Henot
Encyclopedia
Katharina Henot, was a German postmaster and an alleged witch, burned at the stake for sorcery in Cologne
in Germany
. She is one of the more known German victims of the witch hunt, and the most known case in Cologne. She was also the likely first female postmaster in Germany.
in Germany. They were in a conflict in the Imperial court with Count Leonhard II von Taxis, who wished to create a central post office.
In 1626-1631, a great witch trial was held in the city of Cologne. In 1627, a nun
in the convent in the city had become "obsessed". Rumors pointed out Henot, and the commission of the archbishop arrested both Henot in January 1627 and accused them of having caused several cases of death and sickness in the convent by use of magic. She was imprisoned and denied bail and protection.
Henot refused to admit anything, even after being severely injured and sick from torture
. She was in spite of this judged guilty and sentenced to be burned alive at the stake for sorcery. Her brother Hartgier Henot tried to get her freed with appeals direct to the Imperial court, but did not succeed. The trial against her is not considered to have been juridically correct even according to the law of the time. Later research has established the opinion that Henot was the victim of a conspiracy from the authorities of the city. Her brother tried to get her name cleared after her execution, but in 1629, he was himself pointed out as a witch by Christina Plum, one of the victims of the 1626-31 Cologne witch trials. He was arrested in 1631 together with a number of other influential citizens, but the witch trial was interrupted soon after by intervention.
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. She is one of the more known German victims of the witch hunt, and the most known case in Cologne. She was also the likely first female postmaster in Germany.
Biography
Katharina Henot was a known and influential citizen in Cologne. She was married to Heinrich Neuden. Together with her brother, Harger Henot (1671-1637), she had inherited the postal office from her father Jacob and worked as perhaps the first female postmasterPostmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
in Germany. They were in a conflict in the Imperial court with Count Leonhard II von Taxis, who wished to create a central post office.
In 1626-1631, a great witch trial was held in the city of Cologne. In 1627, a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
in the convent in the city had become "obsessed". Rumors pointed out Henot, and the commission of the archbishop arrested both Henot in January 1627 and accused them of having caused several cases of death and sickness in the convent by use of magic. She was imprisoned and denied bail and protection.
Henot refused to admit anything, even after being severely injured and sick from torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
. She was in spite of this judged guilty and sentenced to be burned alive at the stake for sorcery. Her brother Hartgier Henot tried to get her freed with appeals direct to the Imperial court, but did not succeed. The trial against her is not considered to have been juridically correct even according to the law of the time. Later research has established the opinion that Henot was the victim of a conspiracy from the authorities of the city. Her brother tried to get her name cleared after her execution, but in 1629, he was himself pointed out as a witch by Christina Plum, one of the victims of the 1626-31 Cologne witch trials. He was arrested in 1631 together with a number of other influential citizens, but the witch trial was interrupted soon after by intervention.