She is Caroline Louise von Schoenberg, she was born in March 1740 she died on the 17th April 1821.
The Schoenberg's were an important and widespread Saxon noble family whose ancestry can be traced back centuries. Members of this family occupied important state and administrative positions, including bishops and ministers.
Legend has it that Caroline was buried alive, the fact that she was tightly bound goes some way to suggesting that the legend was true. She is bound but not gagged. I wonder what would have prevented her from shouting out? Maybe she was drugged too.
The reason for the murder of this elderly lady, according to the same legend, is as you might imagine money. Her grasping children had already divided their mothers estate, disposing of her in this way, it has been suggested, prevented her banging on the coffin lid during the burial service and revealing her wretched offspring's guilty secret.
Poor Caroline! True or not there must be a reason why she was retained. The answer may be found in the mummification and burial rituals of German nobility. Burial documents, dated to the 18th century suggests
'the aforementioned corpse should not decay in the vaults below the church.'
Archaeologist have discovered that many of these vaults have cleverly designed ventilation systems between the tombs, this aided mummification as did lining the coffins with sawdust and straw. This may have been tradition but it was not compulsory, it seems that the preservation of the corpses in this way was a conscious decision and a matter of choice. Quite a few people chose to have personal objects buried with them.
Another reason could be to do with the new religion of Protestantism and Martin Luther's teachings on the afterlife, this corresponds with the deaths and burials of earlier mummies. Luther translated the bible into German which these nobles would have read
"I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been
destroyed, yet in my flesh, I will see God."
Maybe wealthy protestants chose this method of mummification out of fear that they might not rise to heaven if their mortal remains rotted away.