Dina Vinhofvers
Encyclopedia
Dina Vinhofvers was a Danish silk
worker who became famous because of her involvement in an alleged conpsiracy of Corfitz Ulfeldt
against King Frederick III of Denmark
in 1650-51.
to German parents. Her mother, Margrethe Vinhofvers, is known to have had a position at the work house's staff. She married David Schumacher (d.1650) in Holstein
, had a daughter in 1640 and returned to Denmark in the late 1640s with her lover Lieutenant
Jørgen Walter. She lived with her mother and daughter with the silk manufacturer Samson Gertzen and supported herself by silk ironing, but was also pointed out as a prostitute.
and Leonora Christina Ulfeldt, while she was laying in Ulfeld'ts bed, were they spoke of their plans to poison the king. Walter, the probable father of her child, who had become a favorite of the king and became ennobled in 1649, presented her accusations before the monarch. Walter is also believed to have been the one who instigated her to put forward her accusation to limit the influence of Ulfeldt, whose position was already risky because of his tense relationship with the king: Walter was close to Danish-Holstein nobleman, Christian Rantzau (1614-1663), who was an opponent of Ulfeldt. The accusations was put forward at a point when Ulfeldt’s professional conduct was already under investigation. However, the accusations were kept secret by the king, who wished to examine them quietly.
In 1651, Walter was appointed councillor, which can be seen as a sign that the king had taken the accusations seriously. Vinhofvers now met Leonora Christina and Ulfeldts confessor Simon Hennings and told them that Walter had plans to assassinate the Ulfeldt couple. Ulfeldts informed the king, who had Vinhofvers imprisoned at Copenhagen Castle
and made the affair public. She retracted her former accusation against Ulfeldt during questioning, and claimed that the accusations had been fabricated by Walter. Ulfeldt was freed by the court, but Vinhofvers was sentenced to death for her first accusation. She was decapitated in the summer of 1651 outside the Copenhagen Castle.
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
worker who became famous because of her involvement in an alleged conpsiracy of Corfitz Ulfeldt
Corfitz Ulfeldt
Corfitz Ulfeldt , Danish statesman, son of the chancellor Jacob Ulfeldt.Corfitz Ulfeldt may also refer to:* Corfitz Ulfeldt , son of Danish diplomat Jacob Ulfeldt...
against King Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He instituted absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway in 1660, confirmed by law in 1665 as the first in western historiography. He was born the second-eldest son of Christian IV of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg...
in 1650-51.
Background
She was born in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
to German parents. Her mother, Margrethe Vinhofvers, is known to have had a position at the work house's staff. She married David Schumacher (d.1650) in Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
, had a daughter in 1640 and returned to Denmark in the late 1640s with her lover Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Jørgen Walter. She lived with her mother and daughter with the silk manufacturer Samson Gertzen and supported herself by silk ironing, but was also pointed out as a prostitute.
Corfitz affair
In 1650, she reported a plan to assassinate the king. She pointed out Ulfeldt as the father of the child she expected; she also claimed to have overheard a conversation between Corfitz UlfeldtCorfitz Ulfeldt
Corfitz Ulfeldt , Danish statesman, son of the chancellor Jacob Ulfeldt.Corfitz Ulfeldt may also refer to:* Corfitz Ulfeldt , son of Danish diplomat Jacob Ulfeldt...
and Leonora Christina Ulfeldt, while she was laying in Ulfeld'ts bed, were they spoke of their plans to poison the king. Walter, the probable father of her child, who had become a favorite of the king and became ennobled in 1649, presented her accusations before the monarch. Walter is also believed to have been the one who instigated her to put forward her accusation to limit the influence of Ulfeldt, whose position was already risky because of his tense relationship with the king: Walter was close to Danish-Holstein nobleman, Christian Rantzau (1614-1663), who was an opponent of Ulfeldt. The accusations was put forward at a point when Ulfeldt’s professional conduct was already under investigation. However, the accusations were kept secret by the king, who wished to examine them quietly.
In 1651, Walter was appointed councillor, which can be seen as a sign that the king had taken the accusations seriously. Vinhofvers now met Leonora Christina and Ulfeldts confessor Simon Hennings and told them that Walter had plans to assassinate the Ulfeldt couple. Ulfeldts informed the king, who had Vinhofvers imprisoned at Copenhagen Castle
Copenhagen Castle
Copenhagen Castle was a castle on Slotsholmen in Copenhagen, Denmark, built in the late 14th century at the site of the current Christiansborg Palace....
and made the affair public. She retracted her former accusation against Ulfeldt during questioning, and claimed that the accusations had been fabricated by Walter. Ulfeldt was freed by the court, but Vinhofvers was sentenced to death for her first accusation. She was decapitated in the summer of 1651 outside the Copenhagen Castle.