Barbara Zdunk (1769 – 21 August 1811) was an ethnically
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
alleged
arsonist 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 ...
. Zdunk lived in the town of Rößel, in what was then
East Prussia, and is now
Reszel
Reszel (german: Rößel; Prussian: ''Resel'' or ''Resl'') is a town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northeastern Poland. As of 2012 the population was 4,896. A small medieval town situated in the historical Warmia region, Reszel possesses ...
in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. She is considered by many to have been the last woman executed for witchcraft in Europe. Although, the accusations of witchcraft were listed in her case, witchcraft was not a criminal offense in Prussia at the time.
The case
In 1806, a devastating fire ravaged the town of Rößel, which burnt almost entirely to the ground. Zdunk, who was a maid known for her fondness of magic, was blamed. She was arrested in 1807, and imprisoned in Rößel castle. No evidence of substance was available, but she was still accused and found guilty of causing the fire. In 1811, Zdunk was executed by
burning at the stake
Death by burning (also known as immolation) is an execution and murder method involving combustion or exposure to extreme heat. It has a long history as a form of public capital punishment, and many societies have employed it as a punishment f ...
on a hill outside Rößel, though she was apparently strangled to death by the executioner before the fire was set.
It is believed today that a group of Polish soldiers were the actual arsonists. There is uncertainty as to the true reason for Zdunk's conviction, which was upheld by several appeal courts, up to the king himself. Revenge on Poland on the part of the Prussian authorities or a concession to an outraged public may have played a role, or that she was a 38-year-old woman who had a teenage boyfriend.
Similar to the execution of
Anna Göldi in 1782, who is frequently claimed to be the last person to be executed for witchcraft in Europe, it is dubious whether the trial of Zdunk can be counted as a witch trial in a legal sense.
See also
*
Doruchów witch trial, likely the last larger witch trial in Poland
*
Mary Bateman
Mary Bateman ( née Harker; 1768 – 20 March 1809) was an English criminal and alleged witch, known as the Yorkshire Witch, who was tried and executed for murder during the early 19th century.
Biography
Most of the details of Mary Bateman's l ...
, a contemporary case of a similar execution
*
Krystyna Ceynowa, a somewhat later case of an illegal witch trial in Poland
References
Source
* Neil Wilson, Tom Parkinson, Richard Watkins: ''Poland'' (Lonely Planet Publications)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zdunk, Barbara
People executed for witchcraft
Executed Polish people
People executed by Prussia
Executed Polish women
1769 births
1811 deaths
People executed by Germany by burning
People from Kętrzyn County
Witchcraft in Poland
Witchcraft in Germany