Rebecca Lemp (d. 1590) was a German woman who was accused of

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

and burned at the stake in

Nördlingen Nördlingen (; Swabian: ''Nearle'' or ''Nearleng'') is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, with a population of approximately 20,674. It is located approximately east of Stuttgart, and northwest of Munich. It was bui ...

Witch hunt

Lemp was one of 32 women convicted of witchcraft following a witch hunt in Nördlingen, Germany. Burgomaster George Pheringer led the witch hunt along with lawyers Sebastien Roettinger and Conrad Graf. Lemp had six children and was married to Peter Lemp, a well-regarded accountant. In April 1590, while he was away on business, she was arrested. Her children wrote to her while she was imprisoned. She wrote to her husband of her innocence, convinced that she would be freed. Lemp was tortured on five occasions and confessed. She wrote again to him, requesting he send her something with which she could end her life. After her letter was intercepted, the court additionally charged her with attempted suicide. The court coerced Lemp into writing another letter to Peter confessing that she was a witch. He wrote to the court and petitioned to come to her aid and face her accusers. He noted his belief that her confession was forced and described Rebecca as "honest, chaste and pious", having never "entertained an ill or evil thought in her head." He related that she taught her children about the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

. Lemp was tortured once more before being burned at the stake on 9 September 1590.

References

External links

Letters from the Witch Trial of Rebecca Lemp trans. by Brian A. Pavlac
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemp, Rebecca 1590 deaths Executed German women German people executed for witchcraft People from Nördlingen People executed by burning 16th-century letter writers