Johan Pistorius

Johan Pistorius (died 1722), was a Danish grenadier. He was judged guilty of making a

, and was the last person executed for witchcraft in Denmark.

Johan Pistorius was a soldier in the Danish army with the rank of grenadier. He was arrested and accused of the crime of making a pact with the Devil. He was not put on trial by the Danish authorities, but by a military court. He was judged guilty and sentenced to be executed by a military court martial. He confessed to the crime. He claimed to have been inspired to the pact after reading a book about Doctor Faust.

The court faculty of Professors in Copenhagen recommended the king to confirm his sentence after they had interrogated him - which was unusual - and deemed that his regret was not sufficient, and that he should be executed as a public warning against the crime of Devil's Pact after having made a public confession of regret, which resulted in the public burning of the infamous pact at Nytorv square, followed by the execution of Pistorius the following day.^[1]

While

in 1800.

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