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Witch Hunting in Early Modern Europe (1450 - 1700)
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Witch Hunting
(1450 - 1750)
During these 300 years:
~110,000 people were tried for witchcraft
~60,000 were executed
How did the witch craze begin?
Significant legal changes
It became easier to prosecute witches.
No punishment for people who brought false charges
Allowed torture against people accused of witchcraft
Protestant Reformation
Increased people's awareness of evil
People (especially Protestants) felt vulnerable to evil--Protestant churches abandoned Catholic traditions of crossing one's self and using holy water.
Religious wars did not cause accusations--accusations actually decreased in times of war
Socio-economic causes
Means of settling disputes
Increase in populations and food prices = increase in accusations
How was witchcraft defined?
Black magic, or magic intended to harm other people
Making a pact with the devil and owing him homage
Malleus Maleficarum (1486)
Who were the accused?
Mostly women, especially "wise women" (midwives, healers, cooks, etc.)
Most over the age of 50
Most were lower class
How were "witches" punished?
Tortured to extract confessions
Most were burned at the stake
Why did witch-hunting ultimately decline?
(18th century)
Legal changes
Must have evidence of wrong-doing, not just suspicions
Torture fell out of fashion
Rationalism
Superstition and belief in the devil fell out of fashion
Emphasized the belief that humans can figure out the unexplainable
17th c. English "ducking stool"
Scottish pilliwinks, or thumbscrews
The rack, Tower of London
"Hammer of the Witches"