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40 Real People Executed for Witchcraft

Tim Flight October 15, 2019 27 min

27. Walpurga Hausmannin burned for witchcraft, vampirism and killing children

Miniature of the birth of Julius Caesar, showing a female midwife, France, late 14th century. British Library

Another midwife, Walpurga Hausmannin worked in Dillingen, Bavaria. In her long career lasting nearly two decades, 40 infants died. At a time of high infant mortality, this was not surprising. But this was also during the witch craze, and thus highly suspicious. Under torture, Hausmannin said she became a witch after having sex with a demon disguised as a local man. The demon, Federlin, convinced her to kill the infants and women she attended, and even drink their blood. She also confessed to defiling sacraments and selling her soul. In 1587, the Bishop of Augsburg burned her at the stake.

Written by

Tim Flight

I am a freelance historical and literary writer based in West Yorkshire, UK. I read for a funded PhD in English at the University of Oxford (Magdalen College) and graduated in 2016. I am a former lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. My publications include peer-reviewed articles in academic publications, and pieces in mainstream magazines such as History Today and Fortean Times. For more information, please see www.drflight.co.uk