Northern Moravia Witch Trials - The Trial of Lautner

The Trial of Lautner

In February 1680, five women were decapitated and burned. Usually, those convicted by Boblig were sentenced execution by burning. In Velké Losiny, Marie Sattlerová was pointed out by some of them. When four women were burned in September 1680, the crowd watching the execution cried for Jesus to forgive them. This made an impression on the priest Tomáš König. Together with other priests, he protested against Boblig, saying that if the commission were allowed to continue, then soon no one could be certain of their lives. Boblig reacted with gathering incriminating material against the critics which would suggest that they were witches as well. König died in 1682, just avoiding an arrest, as Boblig was ready to present his witch charge against him.

Another of the critics was Kryštof Alois Lautner, vicar of Šumperk and a popular person because of his tolerance. The Sattler family belonged to the most known accused people of these trials. They had come into an argument with members of the commission. Boblig had long planned to have them accused so that he could confiscate their property. An already arrested person was made to implicate them. Kašpar Sattler, his wife Marie and daughter Lizl were arrested and tortured. They were made to implicate Zuzana Voglicková, the house keeper and mistress of Lautner. The accused were made to confess to have committed incest and sex with demons at the witches' sabbath. They implicated Lautner, who was arrested as well with permission from the bishop. Lautner, Voglicková and the Sattler family were burned at the stake in 1685.

The persecutions continued for eighteen years, until the death of Boblig in 1696. About one hundred people are estimated to have been executed in the 1678-1696 witch craze.