Basel: AI makes witch hunts accessible to everyone

One of the last alleged witches in Europe was beheaded in Switzerland. Anna Göldi was executed in Glarus in 1782. In Switzerland, around 10,000 people, mostly women, were accused of witchcraft. The witch hunt was in full swing in Europe, especially in the early modern period between 1550 and 1670. It is estimated that these persecutions claimed more than 100,000 victims.

The archive of the former Prince-Bishopric of Basel (AAEB) has recently made criminal records from the 15th to 18th centuries available online. These are freely accessible. These include some documents on witch hunts in what is now northwestern Switzerland.

The Prince-Bishopric of Basel was also severely affected by the witch-craze, although there were significant differences between the bailiwicks. In the Catholic north, the last exodus took place in 1670, while in the Reformed south it did not take place until 1710. These regional differences make the Prince-Bishopric an interesting but hitherto little-researched object of study.

Among the recently digitized documents is the confession of Anna Stöckler from Aesch. On February 27, 1546, under torture and later without the assistance of a torturer and in front of seven witnesses, she confessed the following:

1. Fourteen years ago she turned away from God and gave herself over to the devil.
2. You and your accomplices caused a hailstorm.
3. She killed a horse that belonged to her brother because his wife had beaten their child.
4. They made people sick.
5. You and your accomplices have again caused hailstorms.
6. This caused various damages (lost grape harvest).
7. You ordered Hans Leuenberger to blind a child.

It is not known how the unfortunate Anna was punished for the forced confession. Other documents list execution, exile or a prison sentence. Only in a few cases were the accused acquitted.

The confession is written in an ornate handwriting. “On the website, the unique historical documents can be made readable online using AI,” says the AAEB.

The AI ​​program is called Transkribus and conjures up a text in the letters we know from the illegible jumble of runes and glyphs. It is important to note that there was no uniform spelling at the time and the texts are somewhat peculiar. For example, the “case file” states:

… and they have made the plan to harvest the vines and all the fruit on the next Fronf Lent after Carnival, and from there to roast meat. [sic!]

What helps most, however, is a good dose of imagination and reading aloud when deciphering the crime document in Early New High German.