The Last “Witch” Convicted in Europe

There are efforts to clear the name of one Anna Goldi in Switzerland. (Note: the name has the two dots over the o, but I’m too lazy to put them on and then find it didn’t work right in Blogger and then find a different way etc. . .) She was convicted of witchcraft in 1782 and beheaded for the crime, making her the last witch executed by the government in a European country for witchcraft. This happened during the Age of Enlightenment, centuries after the Spanish Inquisition refused to try people for witchcraft due to lack of evidence and even after the Salem Witch Trials in America. In fact in Switzerland the story of Anna Goldi is told much the same way that Americans teach about the Salem trials. There are books and films about her life and even a small museum in the area that she lived in. But, unlike the “witches” of Salem there were no questions on why she was killed for witchcraft. It was a case of political power and intrigue. Miss Goldi was only the maid to a powerful family in Switzerland at that time, but thru her job she meet many important men, men that were younger then her and married, but still felt drawn to her bed even in a time when adultery was considered a very serious crime that could end their careers. This was fine for a time until she rejected a man and complained to authorities about his attempted affair. He countered with witchcraft charges and she was arrested, tortured and beheaded. For a short video on this story click here.