The Deferegger Expulsion
Assmayr
Besteandsmayr
Bichl
Blassnig
Brugger
Eder
Eggermayr
Erlacher
Erlspacher
Feldner/Veldner
Gasser
Gatteheim
Graber
Grandegger
Grosslercher
Gruebner
Grün
Jaggler
Haidacher
Handelsmann
Hintergschwend
ter
Hirber
Hofer
Holzer
Hopfgartner
Hürber
Jaggler
Jesacher
Käufer
Kleinlercher
Köfler
Kröll
Kuchlmayr
He then sent two Capucin monks into the valley, but they were unsuccessful:
most Defereggers stubbornly remained Lutheran. The furious Archbishop
decided upon mass expulsion of all known Protestants. Before 1685,
approximately 3,000 inhabitants lived in the valley. The Defereggers were
allowed only 36 to 50 days to leave their homes in the valley and, under the
cruelest circumstances, 691 adults and 289 older children were expelled on an
extremely frigid November 7, 1684.
The Deferegger Protestants fled mostly to Stuttgart, Göppingen, Herrenberg, Urach and Ulm. Some
Defereggers later succeeded at kidnapping their own children (at the very least 56 were located and
retrieved by their parents), so there were suggestions that the stolen children be housed together and
guarded with the military. Since this measure was not practical, officers of the court were sent into
the valley to keep watch, and farmhands were offered a reward of twelve Reichstalern for each
"kidnapper" discovered.
Lantaler
Lazacher
Leonharter
Lottersperger
Lukasser
Marschaller
Matrei
Mayrhofer
Mellizer
Milburger
Monizer
Moser
Neuhauser
Niederegger
Niederwanger
Oberegger
Oberswalder
Obetshofer
Ortner
Oxner
Ladstetter
Leonharter
Lercher
Pälhueber
Passler
Pergler
Pichle
Plasischger
Plasner
Plassnig
Pröser
Prugger
Prunner
Prünstler
Putzhueber
Rainer
Ranacher
Ranzer
Rauter
Ratschitsch
Rauter
Rotgärber
Sauter
Schmidsrauter
Schneider
Schwaig
Selmpacher
Stainer
Stemberger
Stessl
Steiner
Steinkaserer
Stopp
Tausch
Tegischer
Troyer
Treuer
Unterbergler
Unteregger
Untergassm
ayr
Unterlercher
Urbaner
Veldner
Veiter
Veldner
Zathammer
Some Defferegger Exiles' Names
To Nürnberg & Gunzenhausen: Breitinger, Fledner,
Gasser, Jaggler, Kell, Krammetsvogel, Mellizer,
Niederwalder, Ortner, Stemberg, Prugger,
Schmidtsrauter, Hopfgartner
All of their children under the age of 15 were held back so as to be educated
as Catholics "to protect them and save them from eternal damnation". 289 of
these young children were retained and raffled off to Catholic farmers. Some
of the exiles tried to hide their babies and tiny children in baskets and under
blankets, but they were stopped at the borders and searched.
From 1691, some Defereggers could pay "ransom"
and children who did not want to be Catholic could
reunite with them. Finally, through the mediation of
the Margrave of Baden and the Prussian Elector
Friedrich Wilhelm, others were eventually able to get
back some of their children as well, but only if they
agreed to go, and some children by then had been
frightened into wanting to remain Catholic.
The Deferegger Valley was divided into two parts: the outer part of the capital of St. Veit was part
of Salzburg, while the inner part of St. Jakob was part of County Tyrol. Many Defereggers had long
ago turned to peddling for a living. In winter, they sold pottery and wooden ware in the surrounding
valleys, and in summer they peddled blankets and carpets in other regions where they purchased
inspirational Lutheran books to bring home and read on long winter nights. Therefore, for over 100
years, residents of the Deferegger Valley had secretly instructed their children in Protestantism.
In 1683, a visiting hawker of Catholic religious tokens complained that he had been abused by some
Protestant farmers in the valley. This was brought to the attention of Salzburg Archbishop Max
Gandolph. First, he banished the ringleaders, including one Martin Veldner.
After a time, attempts by the new Archbishop of
Salzburg to persuade the Deferegger from Ulm to
return to the Defereggental failed, but according to
the Emperor's command of September, 1690, those
children under 15 years with sufficient maturity could
state if they wanted to be Protestant, and 14 of these
children declared themselves as such and were thus
allowed to emigrate and  join their parents.
Although the emigration of the Defereggers was
inspired primarily from religious grounds, economic
reasons also played a role as there was poverty for a
long time in the valley due to overcrowding, a bad
tax situation, heavy debt, unfavorable inheritance
laws and the abandonment of mining. By 1720, a full
third the inhabitants had been lost from the St. Jakob
portion, and the St.Veit portion lost over half. Even
after the expulsions, Protestantism was not silenced
entirely. In many reports, suspected Protestants
continued to teach and to proselytize, but by 1725,
they only amounted to 16 people.