Michée Chauderon
Encyclopedia
Michée Chauderon was an alleged Swiss witch. She was the last person to be executed for sorcery in the city of Geneva
in Switzerland
.
Chauderon worked as a washerwoman. At one point, she had an argument with one of her employers, who accused her of theft. They then reported her for having summoned a demon into the body of their daughter. Chauderon was arrested and interrogated. The so called devil's mark was found on her body, and she was tortured with strappado
. During the torture
, she said that one day, she had met Satan
in her garden in the shape of a black man with the feet of a cow, and he had promised her wealth if she denounced God, which she had done. She was then judged guilty of sorcery and sentenced to be hanged and burned.
Between 1520 and 1681, 340 people were put on trial for sorcery in Geneva, and 150 were executed. Chauderon was the last person to be executed for sorcery in the city of Geneva, but not the last in Switzerland; that was to be Anna Göldi
in 1782.
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Chauderon worked as a washerwoman. At one point, she had an argument with one of her employers, who accused her of theft. They then reported her for having summoned a demon into the body of their daughter. Chauderon was arrested and interrogated. The so called devil's mark was found on her body, and she was tortured with strappado
Strappado
Strappado is a form of torture in which the victim's hands are first tied behind their back and suspended in the air by means of a rope attached to wrists, which most likely dislocates both arms...
. During the 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 said that one day, she had met Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
in her garden in the shape of a black man with the feet of a cow, and he had promised her wealth if she denounced God, which she had done. She was then judged guilty of sorcery and sentenced to be hanged and burned.
Between 1520 and 1681, 340 people were put on trial for sorcery in Geneva, and 150 were executed. Chauderon was the last person to be executed for sorcery in the city of Geneva, but not the last in Switzerland; that was to be Anna Göldi
Anna Göldi
Anna Göldi Anna Göldi Anna Göldi (also Anna Göldin, October 24, 1734 – June 13, 1782 is known as the "last witch" in Switzerland. She was executed for murder in June 1782 in Glarus....
in 1782.