Witch trial protocol against Katharina Kepler, 14 July 1621

What it is

This is a page from a witchcraft trial record against Katharina Kepler, mother of the astronomer Johannes Kepler. It is dated 14 July 1621 in the Julian calendar and contains witness testimony from the trial protocol. The original is held by the Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart. The image is a scan of a double-page manuscript spread in brown German handwriting on aged paper, with crossed-out lines, marginal notes and a boxed heading on the right-hand page. The page numbers 172 and 173 are visible. The handwriting has not been transcribed here, so the exact wording is not shown.

Why it matters

Katharina Kepler was accused of witchcraft, a charge that could lead to imprisonment, torture or execution. This official record shows the legal danger the family faced in 1621. It reminds students that the scientist who studied the heavens also lived under the threat of local accusations and courts.

Look closer

• What does the layout of the record, including the boxed heading and marginal notes, tell you about how officials worked?
• Whose voices appear in this record, and whose are missing?
• What would a reader need to know about the trial to understand this page fully?