The Last Witch in West Prussia. The Case of Elżbieta Duszkowska from 1856 and the Controversy around Krystyna Ceynowa

Abstract

So far, it has been widely accepted in Polish historiography that the last woman murdered as a result of being accused of witchcraft was Krystyna Ceynowa. This text proves that such accusations also occurred much later, although they were not as widespread as the case of the Ceynowy commune. Moreover, even in a seemingly famous and louder case like the one from 1836, there are still many inaccuracies that result from the lack of reference to sources or their incompetent interpretation.