The Village Nerd

I’ve searched for more information on the tunnel system found under the gardens that led into the Petit Trianon described here by Alain Baraton, but haven’t found anything yet. Sadly, this is the only time they are mentioned in his book.

I’m terribly sorry - I have been unable to get into my Tumblr account for quite some time, and am only NOW seeing this message from you. As for Johannes having been a prominent and respectable citizen of Bamberg before finding himself inexplicably accused of witchcraft being my words or those of a historian, I believe the exact phrase is mine. It is an extrapolation of the historical fact that he was a prominent person in Bamberg, (Burgermeister in Bamberg - kind of like a town official) coupled with no recorded suspicious behavior on his part AND that he was accused only by others while they were under torture. This, I think, makes it fair to say that he was a prominent and respectable citizen who found himself inexplicably accused of witchcraft. Much the same can be said for many through the centuries who have found themselves accused of witchcraft, I think. Here is the link from Hanover.edu with both the official record of his interrogation (no mention of the torture) and a transcript of the letter smuggled to his daughter, which clearly details the torture.https://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/244bamb.htmlHe is remembered for most people as an icon of the Bamberg Witch Trials because his letter has survived to show us the realities of what they suffered. While there were probably many more who attempted to get letters to family, his is unique as it was preserved. Without that letter, we would have only the “official” records to study - records that were clearly composed to tell a particular narrative for contemporaneous inquiries as well as those for posterity.

Most veterinarians of the time consulted the works of Jordanus Ruffus, written in the 13th century. Ruffus based his veterinary writings on the existence of the four humors, which created some veterinary cures that are considered gruesome and unnecessary by today's standard. In the medieval veterinarian's defense, he was doing the only thing he knew. Source

Me: Ruth, Ruth, don't.

Feel like a hunk of monk bread? Taking this for a test drive in the kitchen this weekend.