Deaths on August 7

Friedrich Spee

Died on August 7, 1635

Friedrich Spee, German poet and academic (b. 1591)

Friedrich Spee (also Friedrich Spee von Langenfeld; February 25, 1591 – August 7, 1635) was a German Jesuit priest, professor, and poet, most well-known as a forceful opponent of witch trials and one who was an insider writing from the epicenter of the European witch-phobia. Spee argued strongly against the use of torture, and as an eyewitness he gathered a book full of details regarding its cruelty and unreliability. He wrote, "Torture has the power to create witches where none exist."

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Friedrich Spee

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Events on 1635

28 Jul

Siege of Schenkenschans
In the Eighty Years' War the Spanish capture the strategic Dutch fortress of Schenkenschans.
30 Jul

Siege of Schenkenschans
Eighty Years' War: The Siege of Schenkenschans begins; Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, begins the recapture of the strategically important fortress from the Spanish Army.
9 Oct

Roger Williams
Founder of Rhode Island Roger Williams is banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a religious dissident after he speaks out against punishments for religious offenses and giving away Native American land.
22 Nov

Dutch pacification campaign on Formosa
Dutch colonial forces on Taiwan launch a pacification campaign against native villages, resulting in Dutch control of the middle and south of the island.