By 1672, Count Heinrich Friedrich of Langenburg had restored order and prosperity to his southwest German domain, which had been ravaged by the Thirty Years' War. But a threat arose when a healthy young mother died suddenly, and suspicions fell on Anna Schmieg, a miller's wife. Capitalizing on the meticulous record of Schmieg's case, historian Robisheaux not only re-creates who Anna Schmieg was but also explores the confluence of social, legal, and religious streams that put her life in jeopardy. In literary terms, Robisheaux writes a courtroom drama that will hook readers and secure their attention until the last page through his perceptive portrayal of Schmieg's personality, which was so disruptive that her altercations and tart tongue were seen in a diabolical light by villagers and the count's officials alike. But burning Satan's minions was no longer a summary affair: protomodern legal and medical procedures combined with the traditional fear of witchcraft to complicate the task of Schmieg's inquisitors. With an incisive ability to view matters through the participants' eyes, Robisheaux vividly brings this historical incident to life.--Taylor, Gilbert Copyright 2009 Booklist

Duke historian Robisheaux turns the obscure story of a smalltown German woman convicted of witchcraft into a marvelous window onto a society in crisis. On Shrove Tuesday, 1672, Eva K stner delivered Shrovetide cakes baked by her mother to her neighbor, Anna Fessler, who was still recuperating from the birth of her child a few weeks earlier. A few days after eating some of the cakes, Anna died a painful death. Almost immediately, the community accused Eva and her mother, Anna Schmeig, of witchcraft. In this fast-paced account, Robisheaux chronicles the roles that various ministers, lawyers and physicians play in the indictment of Anna Schmeig and her immediate family. Robisheaux shows that -Schmeig's trial and execution as a witch grew out of a small village's superstitions and its belief in the power of God to transform an evil event into an exemplary one. Drawing on rich records of the trials of Schmeig and her family, Robisheaux finely crafts a vivid glimpse of a time, place and state of mind that, though remote, is all too familiar. 22 illus., 3 maps. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

In 1672, Anna Schmieg sent her daughter to her neighbors with a basket of Shrove Tuesday cakes. When one of the recipients died unexpectedly, dark rumors of poisoning and witchcraft followed Anna until the authorities arrested her. Robisheaux (history, Duke Univ.; Rural Society and the Search for Order in Early Modern Germany) has created a nuanced, in-depth examination of a witch trial based on extensive archival research but written with a general audience in mind. Through the prosecution of Anna, the reader is introduced to the history, government, law, theology, medicine, and folk beliefs of 17th-century Germany. The presentation of the social dynamics underlying witch crazes is illuminating, as are the ways in which Anna's legend were later appropriated in subsequent centuries, e.g., her portrayal evolved from "poor sinner" to heroine or martyr. The reader might wish for a modern medical opinion on why Anna's supposed victim died, but this is only a minor omission from a superb work. Suitable for all public and academic libraries.--Daniel Harms, SUNY at Cortland Lib. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.