Anna Göldi: the woman widely called the last executed for witchcraft

Anna Göldi (1734–1782), a Swiss domestic worker accused of bewitching a child, became a contested symbol after her 1782 execution; her case prompted later official recognition of judicial wrongdoing.

Anna Göldi (24 October 1734 – 13 June 1782) was a Swiss domestic worker whose trial and death have made her one of the best-known late victims of European witchcraft accusations. She is often described as the last person in Europe to be executed after an accusation of witchcraft, though historians note that the claim depends on legal definitions and differing local cases. For general context on debates about such claims see further reading.

Background and accusation

Göldi worked in several households in the canton of Glarus. In the years before her arrest she was accused of causing illness and other disturbances in a child in one of the households where she was employed. Her accusation reflected the social tensions of the time: servants were vulnerable, domestic disputes could escalate quickly, and beliefs in supernatural causes for unexplained ailments remained common in rural communities.

Trial and execution

The proceedings against Anna Göldi took place in early 1782 under local jurisdiction. Contemporary records and later research indicate procedural irregularities: coercive interrogation methods were used, the legal basis for the death sentence was questionable, and political pressure may have influenced the outcome. She was sentenced to death and executed on 13 June 1782. For accounts focused on legal and penal aspects see sources on executions.

Legacy and reassessment

Anna Göldi’s case attracted renewed attention in the 20th and 21st centuries as historians and activists re-examined late witchcraft prosecutions and miscarriages of justice. Her story has been invoked in books, exhibitions and public debate about legal reform and historical memory. In the early 2000s Swiss authorities and local institutions acknowledged that her trial had been unjust; official statements and commemorations framed her as a victim of judicial abuse rather than a criminal. For discussion of witchcraft as a category and cultural phenomenon, see related analyses.

Dates: born 24 October 1734, executed 13 June 1782.
Context: late‑eighteenth‑century Swiss canton law and popular belief shaped the accusations.
Controversy: called "the last witch" by many, but the label is debated by scholars.
Aftermath: her case is used today to discuss legal reform, historical injustice and the treatment of vulnerable people.