Streicher, Helena (d. 1549)
Helena Streicher (d. 1549), was the widow of Hans Streicher of Ulm, a shopkeeper by occupation, and the mother of five daughters, Katherina, Helena, Anna, Maria, and Agatha, and a son, Hans Augustin Streicher. Both Agatha and Hans Augustin Streicher were physicians, the latter serving as city physician (Stadtarzt) in Ulm in 1561. All members of this family were members of the Schwenckfeld conventicle in Ulm, and Schwenckfeld appears to have spent much time in their home, even sending some letters under the names of members of the family. According to Elmer Johnson and Schwenckfeld's biographer, Selina Schultz, there remains little doubt that Schwenckfeld died and was buried in the Streicher home in Ulm. There is no evidence that the Streichers were once Anabaptists as is sometimes claimed.
Apparently Helena Streicher and Magdalena Marschalck von Pappenheim were acquainted with each other. The latter became an Anabaptist and represented Marpeck's position to Helena Streicher. It is difficult to ascertain how much correspondence moved between these two women; most likely all of it reflected the differences between Marpeck and Schwenckfeld. Loserth published Marpeck's letter to Helena (undated), and a reply to her written by Magdalena Marschalck exists in manuscript form in the Zurich Library.
The Streicher family appears to have been outstanding in its piety and is noteworthy for its hospitality and its attitude of mediation between Schwenckfelders and Anabaptists. Much of the strength of the home must have come from this noble widow, Helena Streicher.
| Author(s) | William Klassen |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1959 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Klassen, William. "Streicher, Helena (d. 1549)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1959. Web. 20 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Streicher,_Helena_(d._1549)&oldid=85396.
APA style
Klassen, William. (1959). Streicher, Helena (d. 1549). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 20 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Streicher,_Helena_(d._1549)&oldid=85396.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, pp. 1127-1128. All rights reserved.
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