Duke Maximilian I, Witch-Hunter of Bavaria

When Maximilian I was only seventeen years old, he took an informed interest in a witch trial staged in Ingolstadt. On March 1, 1590, he wrote, "Yesterday a woman was apprehended, that was in the judgment of many and by general repute reckoned to be a witch." On May 14 he wrote to his father, William V,

As concerns the woman that was her imprisoned, Your Grace commanding that I should inform Your Grace most humbly how the matter might turn out, I herewith most humbly inform Your Grace that it has not proved possible, neither with soft nor harsh words, nor yet with torture or by other means, to draw from her as much as one word. As I myself have seen, she was pulled up in due form twice, and also burned the once, and notwithstanding not only did not make confession but mocked us, neither crying out Oh nor Woe, nor seeming to suffer any pain. Only when she once more touched the ground she did once cry out. Those that pulled her up say that when she was lifted from the earth she grew so light as if they were lifting up an empty sack. Who makes her so light, only God knows. It seems plain that she does not feel any pain. Should the fire not serve its turn, then it will not be easy to draw anything from her. Last Friday there was taken into custody another woman who is answerable to the townsfolk. Her son, who is but a small boy, told many fair and honest pranks concerning his mother, such that I do believe they will soon put her to the question as well, albeit the town council have little stomach for it. What reasons they have, I do not know. . . .

On August 12, Maximilian wrote, "With these wicked monsters they go forward apace, and, as I understand, five of them are already ripe for the fire."

Maximilian became Duke of Bavaria in 1595.

Like his father, Maximilian was a staunch anti-Semitic. He renewed the decree set out by his grandfather Duke Albrecht V, saying, "Whereas our respected predecessors and sovereign princes, with the gracious consent of His Majesty the Roman Emperor, and on the advice of our Council, have removed the Jews, their wives, and children...from our Principalities, so We herewith desire and ordain most solemnly that no Jew or Jewess may enter our Principality to have their residence nor to pursue any trade or profession, nor may they be tolerated by anyone whatsoever, or be given shelter" (Kunze 124, 125, 159).

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Duke Maximilian I, Witch-Hunter of Bavaria copyrighted 1996-1998 to Shantell Powell.