Katharina Krapp, also known as Katharina Melanchthon, (October 1497–11 October 1557 in

Wittenberg Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It is situated on the River Elbe, north of Leipzig and south-west of the reunified German ...

), was a German woman, daughter of the

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

and mayor of Wittenberg, Hans Krapp. An independent and free woman, she later married

Philip Melanchthon Philip Melanchthon (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, an intellectual leader of the L ...

and was involved in managing their family and educating their children.

Biography

Katharina Krapp was the daughter of the mayor of Wittenberg, Hans Krapp. She married

on 25 November 1520, and, surprisingly for the time, they were the same age. The marriage was actually pushed by Luther, their protector, who declared as early as August that God "intervened for the good of the Gospel, so that he may live longer under the protection of a woman". She seemed to be an independent and free woman because, shortly after their marriage, Melanchthon wrote to his friend

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

, in

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, that he was "no longer the master in his own house". He complained to another friend in these early years of marriage, declaring to Johann Lange, in a mix of

and

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

Katharina Krapp is given to me as a wife. I do not say that she was unexpected or that she was cold, but she possesses the manners and character that I should have wished from the immortal gods. ..But I followed the advice of my friends, who encouraged me to marry because of the danger of the weakness of the flesh and the malignity of carnal liberty.

Unfortunately, for our understanding of Katharina Krapp, there are no preserved letters between her and her husband, although correspondence between them likely existed. Moreover, apart from a letter written in her name to the chancellor of

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

, there are no primary sources about her except for testimonies from her husband to others. Initially, the couple were quite unhappy but gradually grew to love each other over the years. Katharina bore the couple's four children. She died on 11 October 1557, in Wittenberg. Shortly after her death, Melanchthon wrote tenderly about her, suggesting that the two managed to reconcile over time: "The desire for the lost spouse does not fade in the elderly as it does in the young, who are always capable of new amorous impulses".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krapp, Katharina 1497 births 1557 deaths People from Wittenberg 16th-century German people 16th-century German women