After returning from exile, Prince-abbot Balthasar van Dernbach ordered a witch hunt between 1602-1605 to rid the area of liberal, corrupt activists.

 

Merga Bien had just come back to Fulda, Germany, the place where she lived, when she found out she was pregnant. She had been with her husband for fourteen years and never before concieved a child. Since this was the case, many came to the conclusion that she must have had sex with the devil.

 

Bien was forced to admit to acts she was not guilty of committing. These acts included those of witchcraft, murder, and attending a black sabbath. In the fall of 1603, she was burned at the stake.

 

Merga Bien was considered to be the most famous of the 200 people accused and executed.

 

(info from: biography.com)